NJ Transportation Research Ideas Browse Popular ideas

Green streets use green infrastructure practices within the public right-of-way to manage stormwater while preserving the primary function of a street as a conduit for vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. In a densely populated state like New Jersey, the management of stormwater runoff is an important consideration for developed areas as impervious surfaces like roofs, roads and parking lots prevent... more »

Four Gets You More.

This is a smarter and more effective and efficient way for employees and employers to Work Smarter. This will allow employees and employers to establish four-day work weeks and thus allows for flexibility and customizing and balancing our work weeks along with our lifestyles.

When I was traveling last year, I saw something new that I did not even see here in The US bright lighted curb around the roundabouts. It looked so beautiful especially at night time making circulation even easier.

http://brit-lite.com/shop/500mm-long-led-kerb-stone/

https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/led-light-curbs.html

There has been recent discussion of using light colors for surface courses in order to mitigate heat islands by reflecting away light instead of absorbing it. However, I have been hearing many people counter with the problem, in northern latitudes, of lighter pavement icing faster in winter because the darker pavements ability to absorb light allows it to remain warmer than the air in temperatures close to freezing.... more »

There are many different companies that use various types of road mapping hardware/software for their respective purposes. This technology could be utilized for multiple purposes that would benefit both the DOT and the public. All of these purposes would be achieved by the creation of a Virtual Reality State Highway System (VRSHS). I propose that the NJDOT contract with one of these companies to utilize their technology,... more »

Current industry standard for design and fabrication of small format trusses (less than 8 feet across any flat dimension) typically consists of individual members which are separately cut and then welded or bolted into a truss structure. This type of structure, while popular in the industry for use as sign support structures, tolling gantries, and rail signal / catenary support structures, is also costly to produce and... more »

Did you ever drive onto an on-ramp and go around the bend only to see that the highway is actually a linear parking lot? Didn't you wish that you had a heads-up with that information so you could have not taken the ramp and maybe had a meal or made a pit stop while planning an alternate route (or time) for the trip? DOT can place a traffic camera showing live traffic on the highway (attach it to the bridge) and... more »

Can 3D printing have enough quality control to make safe, fatigue-resistant Overhead and Cantilever signs?

Dr. Pietro Milillo (currently working with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) is working on a method of performing bridge inspections using, "computer modeling and high-resolution satellite images to detect subtle shifts in a bridge's structure that could indicate that it's starting to fail." (as stated by Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky in her article at https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/tragic-bridge-collapse-spurs-creation-new-space-based-inspection-method-ncna1028281... more »

When considering how many dredging contracts we have just to maintain a navigable channel that will naturally, continually attract sediment, you cannot help but realize how much is unnecessarily spent. Each contract has ancillary costs, such as mobilization and field office set up, and of course the allowable profit and overhead. This is all extra money on top of the cost of keeping the waterway clear. In effort to... more »

Existing pavement markings are made of latex and glass beads, and they wear off quickly. When the road is wet or dark, pavement marking is hard to see. Low visibility is one of the reason more accidents happen on wet road or after dark. Pavement marking, when made of more durable material and inlay into the pavement, can last longer. Pavement marking, when combined with Fluorescent, Optic tube, UV LED, reflectors,... more »

With both the health of the roadways and the need for recycling constantly in our minds, I think that both can be helped by designing a mass producible custom aggregate for use in asphalt and concrete, that can be made with recycled materials. We could design a shape that would aid in the transfer of stress within the material while minimizing the movement of the aggregate after curing of that material. This would... more »

Hydraulic failure of bridges because of scour has been considered to be the leading cause of failure of bridges all across the country. Although NJDOT has been managing scour through inspections and countermeasures, accurate assessment of bridge foundation for scour and scour countermeasures is still a major challenge. Recent advances in autonomous robotic technology can be utilized to develop a smart and innovative... more »

In service fatigue fracture of highway signs and signal support structures due to wind induced oscillations is the primary concern for cost-effective life cycle performance of these structures. Recognizing the impact of potential life and property damage from structural failures and economic burden of inspecting, maintaining and replacing the sheer volume of these structures in the inventory, the American Association... more »

Of the 50 states New Jersey ranks third for the number of movable bridges. With an average age of approximately 40 years, more than 50 percent of these bridges are structurally deficient, mainly due to their bridge decks. Many of these bridges, whether state or locally owned, are subjected to significant average daily truck traffic (ADTT). Because of their condition and their location on significant commercial routes... more »