Welcome to the NJ Transportation Research Ideas Portal

The New Jersey Department of Transportation's (NJDOT) Bureau of Research staff works directly with university and other research professionals to find solutions to improve the safety, mobility and accessibility of New Jersey’s residents, workers, visitors and businesses. Our goal is to enhance the quality and cost effectiveness of the policies, practices, standards and specifications that are used in planning, building and maintaining New Jersey's transportation infrastructure.

NJDOT’s Bureau of Research is interested in soliciting ideas from NJDOT’s research customers and other transportation stakeholders for the NJDOT Research Program.   We are interested in your research ideas – particularly, ideas that can turn problems into solutions that can be implemented.  We use this website to gather and share ideas as a first step in the development of fundable research proposals. 

Register to Participate. Registered participants can log in to submit a new idea, comment on submitted ideas, or vote on the ideas to show your support.  You may submit ideas at any time. Click on the “Submit New Idea” button on the top right-hand corner.

Deadline for Next Research Round.  The deadline date for submission of new research ideas to inform the next round of research RFPs is December 31, 2020. 

Who Can Submit a Research Idea?  NJDOT’s research customers and other interested transportation practitioners (e.g., MPOs, county and local governments, and other transportation subject matter experts from trade, universities and NGOs) can submit a research idea.  We are particularly interested in research ideas focused on addressing critical existing and emerging transportation needs in New Jersey.

Who Are NJDOT’s Research Customers?  Subject matter experts from NJDOT, NJ TRANSIT, and the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission are most often our research customers. Research ideas typically must have a "champion" among our research customers. Ideally, a "champion" is an individual holding a responsible position within a division, bureau, section or unit who is prepared to sponsor or advance a research idea from its inception to study completion. 

How Do Ideas Inform Research Needs Statement Development?  Ideas are not research needs statements or proposals. After the deadline date of a research idea solicitation round, research ideas are prioritized by the Research Oversight Committee and high priority research needs are posted as proposals. Submission of a research idea does not preclude individuals or groups from Institutes of Higher Learning or other eligible research organizations from subsequently bidding on a Request for Proposal prepared and issued by the Bureau of Research. RFPs will be posted on our research RFP web site: https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/research/requestsforproposal.shtm

How Do I Submit an Idea?  Only registered participants may submit an idea.  Click on the “Submit New Idea” button on the top right-hand corner.

What Happened to My Idea? Ideas submitted in 2017 and 2018 have been archived.  Several of these ideas have contributed to the development of RFPs, or are in the pipeline for the issuance of an RFP, or have been distributed to the appropriate research customer (i.e., agency, division, or unit) for consideration through other means. Other ideas may not have found their champion, or were not prioritized for funding.  Previously submitted ideas can be posted again.  We continue to encourage submission of new ideas.

Questions about How to Register?  Please email our site administrator: ideas@njdottechtransfer.net

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For more information about NJDOT Bureau of Research, visit our website: https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/research/

Questions about this NJ Transportation Research Ideas website?   Email us: Bureau.Research@dot.nj.gov or call us: (609) 963-2224. 

Submitted by (@gary.vetro)

Planning & Environment

Temperature Regulating Coating

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 »

Voting

5 votes
Ideate
Submitted by (@leighann)

Planning & Environment

Measuring the Benefits of Green Streets in New Jersey

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 »

Voting

10 votes
Ideate
Submitted by

Traffic & Safety

Heads-up prior to on-ramps

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 »

Voting

3 votes
Ideate
Submitted by (@agrawal)

Design and Construction

Smart Unmanned Surface Vehicles (drone boats) for scour management of Bridges in New Jersey

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 »

Voting

1 vote
Ideate
Submitted by (@rickyrab)

Design and Construction

3D Printed Traffic Controls, Roads, Barriers, Decor, and Other Features

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?

Voting

3 votes
Ideate
Submitted by

Policy and Organization

Four Gets You 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.

Voting

4 votes
Ideate
Submitted by

Traffic & Safety

Glowing Pavement Marking

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 »

Voting

2 votes
Ideate
Submitted by (@sodonnell)

Operations & Preservation

Evaluation of Operations, Maintenance, & Infrastructure Requirements for Battery-Electric Minibuses

New Jersey is on a path to a carbon-neutral future under the policy direction of Governor Murphy. Carbon emissions of motor vehicles, including passenger cars, trucks, and buses contribute to climate change, and efforts are being made at NJ TRANSIT to evaluate alternative bus power systems that reduce or eliminate such emissions. While great attention is given to heavy-duty transit bus power systems, less is known about... more »

Voting

2 votes
Ideate
Submitted by (@gary.vetro)

Planning & Environment

Vertical Cities – Reduce need for transportation and fuel consumption

In order to fit the ever increasing population into the same size areas, we have been growing our cities vertically for decades. However, we are still doing so based on the same old two dimensional zoning structure. We should modify the zoning laws to allow for vertical cities. Construct city high-rise buildings with multiple zones inside. So people can move from residential to commercial, to park, to school zones... more »

Voting

2 votes
Ideate
Submitted by

Operations & Preservation

Vehicle Occupants Counting and Facial Recognition

We have 3D LIDAR technology capable of at speed thru-windshield facial recognition of the driver and front seat passenger. This provides exceptional capabilities to provide security for bridges, tunnels, bus-stations and other transportation infrastructure sites.

In addition, reliable counting of vehicle occupants using the same technology allows for fully automated toll HOV discount programs implementations and HOV... more »

Voting

1 vote
Ideate
Submitted by

Traffic & Safety

Pedestrian signal lights

The pedestrian signal lights should correspond to the universal traffic signal colors. Red to stop and Green to cross. In New Jersey and some other states, the colors are orange to stop and white to go. Those colors may not be easily recognized in another language. Crossing a street should not make you hesitate to think if it is safe or not. The universal color of Red and Green will elicit a quicker response when faced... more »

Voting

1 vote
Ideate
Submitted by (@gary.vetro)

Planning & Environment

Virtual Reality State Highway System (VRSHS)

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 »

Voting

3 votes
Ideate