NJ Transportation Research Ideas Ideas

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 »

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 »

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?

In an effort to minimize/eliminate vehicle/overhead structure conflicts, construct advance monitoring and warning systems regarding vehicle height. There has to be something in addition to signage.

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

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 »

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?

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 »

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 »

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 »

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.

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 »

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 »