Meeting Notes

RAC Leadership Teleconference

Thursday, July 11, 2013

1:30 – 3:30 pm

Participants:Skip Paul (Chair), Dale Peabody (Vice Chair),Michael Bonini, Camille Crichton-Sumners, Allison Hardt, Chris Hedges, David Jared, Chris Jenks, Cameron Kergaye, Tim Klein,Jim McDonnell, Mark Morvant, John Moulden, Leni Oman, Dale Peabody, Neil Pedersen, Steve Pepin, Amy Schutzbach, Sue Sillick,Leslie Wright. Guests: Gavin Gautreau (LTRC), Pam Hutton (AASHTO), Neil Pedersen (SHRP 2), Michael Trentacoste (FHWA).

Action items are underscored

Adjustments to the agenda

Notes from previous meeting

A MOTION(JARED/PEABODY) to accept the meeting notes was APPROVED.

1:35 Old Business

AASHTO Report -Jim McDonnell

  • Announcement of states getting SHRP2 Implementation financial assistance went out
  • 34 states and DC
  • 108 opportunities
  • 6 products
  • Innovative Bridge Designs for Rapid Renewal (R04)
  • Managing Risk in Rapid Renewal Projects (R09)
  • Innovative Strategies for Managing Complex Projects (R10)
  • Preservation on High-Volume Roadways (R26)
  • Implementing Eco-Logical (C06)
  • Organizing for Reliability Tools (L01/L06)
  • SHRP2 Implementation Advisory Committee meeting (and SHRP2 Research Oversight Committee meeting) occurred June 18-19, DC
  • Presented joint recommendations for implementation of add’l products utilizing the funding that the RAC members provided through SP&R
  • Approx. $168 million total available
  • Most products now have some sort of implementation effort associated with them
  • Major update: $25 million set aside for the safety database implementation
  • Next round of implementation assistance has been announced – 4 products
  • R15, Reducing Utility Conflicts
  • R16, Railroad Coordination
  • R07, Performance Specs to Accelerate Project Delivery
  • C19, Expediting Environmental Reviews
  • Schedule for roll-out
  • Product webinars in late July
  • Solicitation in early August
  • Applications due in early September
  • Announcement of awards in October
  • IPWs also still underway
  • Buy America is still a big issue
  • CA and FL are actively having problems, we need other states to come forward with problems so we can work to get a change either in law or regulation
  • This issue was also discussed at length at the ROW U OAC meeting
  • Letter from AASHTO and 9 other organizations sent to USDOT (and Capitol Hill)
  • Another letter commented on the proposed waiver for PG&E in California

TRB/SCOR Report – Chris Jenks

NCHRP – FHWA has now collected all FY2013 funding from the states. Projects for FY2014projects were selected at the SCOR meeting last March; the program has been approved by FHWA and the AASHTO Board of Directors. Mr. Jenks thanked RAC members who helped get the AASHTO ballots completed. Panels are being formed now for FY2014 projects. First panel meetings will start in mid- to late-August and continue into October and early November. A solicitation for FY2015 problem statements was distributed recently and they are due September 15, 2013.

Chris Hedges will be the next manager of NCHRP upon Crawford Jencks’s retirement at the end of the year. He will be working with Crawford for the next six months.

In the past, annual TCRP funding was typically around $10 million; it was cut back to $6.5 million in 2012. The most recent appropriations bill walled off a large amount of money for the FTA research and technology program; as a result, only $8.5 million remained for other programs originally authorized at $19 million. Consequently, FY2013 funding for TCRP has been reduced to $3.5 million. A number of projects had to be deprogrammed at the most recent meeting of the TCRP oversight committee. RFPs for the remaining projects have been released. The President’s FY2014 budget has TCRP at $7 million butthe house appropriations subcommittee limits TCRP funding to $4 million.

The ACRP governing board is meeting this Sunday and Monday morning to pick FY2014 projects. Both the House and Senate appropriations bills funded ACRP at the full $15 million.

Publications since the last conference call:

  • NCHRP Report 746: Traffic Enforcement Strategies for Work Zones (
  • NCHRP Report 748: Guidelines for the Use of Mobile LIDAR in Transportation Applications (
  • NCHRP Report 751: Renewable Energy Guide for Highway Maintenance Facilities (
  • NCHRP Report 752: Improved Mix Design, Evaluation, and Materials Management Practices for Hot Mix Asphalt with High Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Content
  • (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 435: Recycled Materials and Byproducts in Highway Applications—Summary Report, Volume 1 (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 435: Recycled Materials and Byproducts in Highway Applications— Coal Combustion Byproducts, Volume 2 (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 435: Recycled Materials and Byproducts in Highway Applications— Non-Coal Combustion Byproducts, Volume 3 (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 435: Recycled Materials and Byproducts in Highway Applications— Mineral and Quarry Byproducts, Volume 4 (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 435: Recycled Materials and Byproducts in Highway Applications— Slag Byproducts, Volume 5 (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 435: Recycled Materials and Byproducts in Highway Applications— Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Recycled Concrete Aggregate, and Construction Demolition Waste, Volume 6 (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 435: Recycled Materials and Byproducts in Highway Applications— Scrap Tire Byproducts, Volume 7 (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 435: Recycled Materials and Byproducts in Highway Applications— Manufacturing and Construction Byproducts, Volume 8 (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 444: Pollutant Load Reductions for Total Maximum Daily Loads for Highways(
  • NCHRP Synthesis 446: Use of Advanced Geospatial Data, Tools, Technologies, and Information in Department of Transportation Projects (
  • NCHRP Synthesis 447: Active Traffic Management for Arterials (
  • NCHRP Research Results Digest 383: Potential Impacts of Federal Health Care Reform on Public Transit (
  • NCHRP Web-Only Document 194: Traffic Law Enforcement in Work Zones: Phase II Research (
  • NCHRP Web-Only Document 197: Guidelines for the Load and Resistance Factor Design and Rating of Riveted and Bolted Gusset-Plate Connections for Steel Bridges
  • (
  • NCHRP Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Final Report for NCHRP-IDEA Project 151: Development of a Simple Test to Determine the Low Temperature Strength of Asphalt Mixtures and Binders (
  • NCHRP Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Final Report for NCHRP-IDEA Project 153: Bridge Retrofit Laser System (
  • NCHRP Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Final Report for NCHRP-IDEA Project 155: Corrosion Resistant, Structurally Reinforced, Thermal Spray Coatings for In Situ Repair of Load Bearing Structures (
  • TCRP Synthesis 104: Use of Electronic Passenger Information Signage in Transit (
  • TCRP Synthesis 105: Use of Market Research Panels in Transit (
  • TCRP Legal Research Digest 43: Contractual Means of Achieving High-Level Performance in Transit Contracts (
  • ACRP Report 75: Airport Leadership Development Program (
  • ACRP Report 85: Developing and Maintaining Support for Your Airport Capacity Project (
  • ACRP Report 86: Environmental Optimization of Aircraft Departures: Fuel Burn, Emissions, and Noise (
  • ACRP Report 87:Procuring and Managing Professional Services for Airports (
  • ACRP Synthesis 40: Issues with Airport Organization and Reorganization (
  • ACRP Synthesis 41: Conducting Aeronautical Special Events at Airports (
  • ACRP Synthesis 42: Integrating Environmental Sustainability into Airport Contracts (
  • ACRP Synthesis 45: Model Mutual Aid Agreements for Airports (
  • ACRP Synthesis 46: Conducting Airport Peer Reviews (
  • ACRP Synthesis 47: Repairing and Maintaining Airport Parking Structures While in Use (
  • NCFRP Report 25: Freight Data Sharing Guidebook (

RITA Report – Tim Klein

  • UTC Competition (142 proposals for up-to-35 grants)
  • External review panels have completed their work
  • Internal DOT deliberations ongoing; on track for selection and award by October 1
  • 2013 Road Weather Management Stakeholder Meeting
  • July 16-18, 2013 in Little Rock, Arkansas
  • Focus on road weather connected vehicle research for maintenance activities, traveler information, and Traffic Management Centers; and strengthening the working relationships between State DOTs and the weather enterprise
  • More at:
  • TRB's Second Annual Workshop on Road Vehicle Automation
  • July 16-19, 2013 at Stanford University
  • TRB’s second annual Workshop on Road Vehicle Automation is the premier multidisciplinary research and policy conference in the field
  • Four-day event focuses on challenges and opportunities related to the increasing automation of motor vehicles as well as the environments in which they operate
  • ITS Asset Mapping
  • GIS view of ITS deployments and assets nationwide now available via Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • National Transportation Atlas Database 2013
  • The National Transportation Atlas Database 2013 is a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure. Datasets include spatial information and metadata documentation for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals.

FHWA Report – John Moulden

Anthony Foxx has been appointed the new Secretary of Transportation. Mr. Foxx was most recently the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. FHWA has also appointed a new Associate Administratorfor Infrastructure: Butch Waidelich, former Director of Field Services West.

A new research library has been constructed at Turner Fairbanks.

The R&T research agenda website should be launched by the end of July; it will have mechanism for stakeholder comment.

Leslie Wright reported that 9 FHWA staff, including four from Division offices, will attend the national RAC meeting next week in Baton Rouge.

Skip Paul asked about the recent White House directive concerning requirements for data availability and publication for federally-funded research? Tim Klein is co-chairing the group trying to implement the White House guidance. It will likely be limited to projects contracted directly to the federal government. The group hopes that that the requirements will be waived for trust fund transfers, including SP&R research and the NCHRP.

2:00New Business

SHRP2 Implementation Activities

Skip Paul invited the moderators from the second SHRP 2 session on the Baton Rouge agenda to participate in the call. They includedPam Hutton, Gavin Gautreau, Michael Trentacoste, and Neil Pedersen. Mr. Paul noted that about 50% of state dot research managers have been on the job for less than 3 years. The states have invested a considerable amount of funds to the program, and there has been some misunderstanding and confusion. The idea behind the two SHRP 2 sessions is to address this matter and make sure everyone understands the SHRP 2 products and the implementation process. The first session will discuss the status of ongoing work at TRB and will include presentations on products in each of the four program areas. The second session is devoted to implementation. RAC members will be taking a lead role in implementing many of the products and need to understand the process to apply for implementation funding. There is also a need to clarify how AASHTO is working with the SHRP 2 Implementation Committee and FHWA to identify and select priority products for implementation. Michael Trentacoste and Pam Hutton will give brief presentations on the role of FHWA and AASHTO, and Neil Pedersen will cover the ongoing role of the TRB implementation committee. Gavin Gautreau is managing a project with a SHRP 2 product in Louisiana and will be able to share his experiences to date.

Mr. Paul requested that a list of SHRP 2 coordinators in each state be available at the session.

Leni Oman – What process is being used to transfer funds to the states from FHWA? Mr. Trentacoste – Financial aid will come through the Division offices. He will check to see how it’s been done for the initial set of products. Mr. Trentacoste noted that 19 FHWA staff will be directly involved in the SHRP 2 implementation program, including15 new staff that will be hired by FHWA.

Mr. Paul – It is very important for states to know who to contact for technical assistance. Ms. Hutton suggested that this should be included in Mr. Trentacoste’spresentation.

Jim McDonnell asked for clarification of the objectives of the opening session from 8:00 to 9:15 on Tuesday morning. Mr. Paul confirmed that the opening session is intended for general status reports and updates, and should not focus specifically on SHRP 2 implementation issues.

Mr. Trentacoste– About half of the states that have given gave money to SHRP 2 used SPR funds prior to FY 2014 or from other sources. Funding needs to last through fy2017 and must be obligated by end of September. Mr. Trentacoste has gone back to the states and asked them to modify their accounting codes. He will make this more clear in the next funding transfer request.

Amy Schutzbach just got word today about the funding issue. Her agency submitted funds on January 10th and now have to come up with a large amount of additional funding within a month. This was putting a considerable demand on their staff to act in such a short time frame.

Region Chairs/Vice-Chairs Issues

Region 2 – David Jared noted that the Region 2 Vice-chair Elisha Wright-Kehneris on active duty and several others have recently retired.

Region 3 – Amy Schutzbach asked if any of the national organizations would like time on the regional breakout agendas. Leslie Wright confirmed that she plans to visit each of them.

Amy Schutzbach is making a presentation on SP&R funding next week and asked if she should discuss the use of SP&R funds for travel and training. The practice is handled differently from state to state and there are differences in how FHWA Division Offices interpret the guidance. It was agreed that the presentation should just refer to the FHWA reference for more information. Ms. Wright will distribute a web link to the FHWA guidance.

Region 4 – Cameron Kergaye announced that Ann Ellis is succeeding Ron Curb as Region 4 chair. The vice chair and secretary positions will be filled and announced in the near future.

Summer 2013 RAC/TRB meeting –Baton Rouge, LA,July 15-18, 2013

Mr. Jared – the final program and an errata sheet were distributed yesterday. A number of sessions will have Go ToMeeting connections as requested.

Mr. Morvant – 119 are registered to date; 88 members, 10 non-members, and 4 exhibitors, Projectedexpenses are $38,093; Projected income is $38,700.

Mr. Trentacoste – Due to federal government conference travel restrictions,FHWA been advised to avoid any social gatherings and will not be attending the Wednesday banquet.

Mr. Paul – Valerie Lefler will be attending the RAC meeting –she is a contractor to FHWA who produces a bi-monthly electronic publication Fast Forward aimed at high school students togenerate interest in transportation careers. She plans to conduct video interviews of the Sweet 16 recipients for posting on the Fast Forward website. Ms. Leflerhas asked permission to interview other RAC members to talk about their research programs. Mr. Jared – This is a good opportunity to publicize our research and help to address future workforce needs. Mr. Jared has asked Ms. Leflerfor the questions in advance. If he receives them, from he will share them with all RAC members.

Mr. Morvant – If anyone else needs a meeting room for an ad hoc event not on the agenda, pleaselet him know as soon as possible.

The organizers have not yet developed an evaluation form for the meeting. Ms. Crichton-Sumners will send mark last year’s to Mr. Morvant.

Summer 2014 RAC/TRB meeting, Madison, WI, July 20-24 – Amy Schutzbach

The planning committee is in place, and most of them will attend the close-out meeting in Baton Rouge. She is particularly interested in the response to the Go To Meetings connection. Sue Sillick – The web platform will be very helpful for those task forces that include RAC non-members.

Task Force Updates – Dale Peabody

Conference calls with the task force chairs have been organized and will take place quarterly.

Administration – Steve Pepin / Allison Hardt

The RAC 101 session will be held Monday morning. A sub-group led by Cynthia Gerst is conducting a review of the SCOR/RAC website and updating as necessary. A survey was recently conducted of RAC members’ views on the structure and format of the annual January RAC meeting. This will be the subject of discussion at the task force meeting next week. The Task Force is considering ways to expand their membership. There has also been discussion of having a RAC Officers’ meeting during TRB week in January.

Coordination and Collaboration – Sue Sillick

No update since last meeting.

Program Management and Quality – David Jared

This Task Force is working on a number of initiatives, including: (1) Implementation of NCHRP products; a contract is in place with Pat Casey of CTC and Associates; Mr. Casey will be presenting in one of the sessions on Thursday morning; (2) Coordination of website activities, focusing on the Research Performance Measurement (RPM) site; (3) Website long-term hosting and maintenance; (4) Working with FHWA to make their webinars available online after the event; Chris Hedges offered to put the webinars on the SCOR/RAC site to avoid security issues with FHWA servers; (5) NCHRP 20-89 intellectual property – they are looking forward to an update and have offered to review draft report; (6) Martin Pietrucha will be reporting on his white paper on the research problem statement development process; (7) Working with Leslie Wright to discuss the new SP&R guide and outreach activities, MAP-21, and performance measures: (8) TRB’s “Ahead of the Curve” initiative – Michael Bonini is a member of the panel and there will be an update at the meeting next week; delivery of course material is expected starting in 2014 – the initiative includes at least one member from each RAC task force; (9) Continuity of task forces – is RAC expecting to continue these indefinitely? How do they relate to the SCOR strategic plan? Ms. Sillick – the SCOR strategic plan has been be shortened and does not include individual tasks; this will put more onus on the task forces to identify activities and opportunities but provide them with more flexibility on the work they take on.

Value of Research – Mark Morvant

The High-Value Research summary has been edited by FHWA; itwill be available in electronic format only. The draft Research Makes a Differencebrochure has been sent out for review. The Sweet 16award certificates have been signed by John Halikowski and Mr. Paul. These awards will be formally presented to DOT CEOs at the fall AASHTO meeting. The long term future of the RPM website is under discussion. The task force is short a member from region 1; Mr. Peabody has reached out to Jim Fallon at Connecticut DOT.

TKN –Leni Oman.

No report.

Next Conference Call:Thursday,August 8,2013

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