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 »

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 »

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 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?

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 »

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 »

Organizations receiving federal funding have been required to evaluate Title VI issues and consider environmental justice impacts for decades but there has yet to be a comprehensive, systematic way to evaluate transportation projects for the disenfranchised populations protected under these mandates.

With mapping, data, and analysis tools being more democratized and readily available, a universal suite of tools should... more »

This is an extension of Nicole Einthoven's idea involving overhead and cantilever signs. Can 3D printing have enough quality control for objects other than signs, such as controls (pavement markings), barriers, and other features? Would it be feasible or a better/more efficient/more workable approach than traditional methods?

Much of New Jersey's existing transit infrastructure is oriented toward working commuters' needs, with peak services providing access to historic employment centers in major cities, especially New York. In an increasingly tight labor market, employers are looking to new sources for employees – and people with disabilities are experiencing historically high rates of employment. However, this "high rate" is still approximately... more »

Access Link is a good service provided help the community by picking up and dropping off passengers. Each of these stops take time, especially if a wheel chair is involved. The vans or small busses used have poor fuel efficiency, and they idle during the entire time the passenger is boarding or being dropped off. The air pollution, carbon monoxide, and smell travels over 100 feet during each such stop, inspiring neighbors... more »

Recently, towns such as Robbinsville have taken to using humor in dynamic message signs in an effort to warn drivers to slow down, obey traffic laws, drive safely, and otherwise make the road a safer place. Humor might be an effective technique to aid driver memory and reduce crashes and damage to New Jersey roads, as well as increase the effectiveness of passive law enforcement.

(For reference: news article, https://www.nj.com/news/2019/12/only-in-jersey-traffic-safety-served-up-with-a-side-of-attitude-humor.html)... more »