The I-278 Intermodal Corridor is the term used in this project to define the interconnected network of roadway and railfreight facilities that arc between the New Jersey-New York connection at the Goethals Bridge and the Queens-Bronx connection at the Triborough Bridge, including the existing and proposed rail-freight connections across New York Harbor between Bayonne, New Jersey and Southwest Brooklyn.

Assessing the importance of transportation facilities is an increasingly growing topic of interest to federal and state transportation agencies. This work proposes an optimization based model that uses concepts and techniques of complex networks science to assess the importance of transportation facilities.

NJDOT has adopted “AASHTO Guide Specifications for LRFD Seismic Bridge Design” approved by the Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures in 2007. The main objective of research presented in this report has been to resolve following issues for an effective implementation of AASHTO Guide Specifications: (i) AASHTO Guide Specifications don’t provide any specific guidelines for classification and performance requirements for critical bridges.

Bridges in New York State have been experiencing close to 200 bridge hits a year. These accidents are attributed to numerous factors including: improperly stored equipment on trucks; violation of vehicle posting signs; illegal commercial vehicles on parkways, etc.

This project focused on the feasibility of the use of natural brine for anti-icing and pre-wetting in Onondaga County, Syracuse, New York. A thorough literature review was conducted on the use of brine as an anti-icing and pre-wetting agent both in the U.S. and abroad. The review indicated that the use of brine as an anti-icing and pre-wetting agent has gained popularity in most of the Departments of Transportation (DOT) in the U.S. and abroad over the years.

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are considered to have potential for chemical sensing application because of their high surface to volume ratio and unique size tunable properties like photoluminescence (PL).

This project will use fundamental heat and mass transfer principles to predict the temperature. water content. and unreacted cement profiles that exist during the first 72 hours of curing in concrete pavements and bridge decks. The goal of the project is to determine under what conditions concrete can be successfully placed. All pertinent heat and mass transfer mechanisms will be considered. A two-dimensional model of a bridge deck will be developed and model results will be compared with actual experimental data.

NJDOT has adopted “AASHTO Guide Specifications for LRFD Seismic Bridge Design” approved by the Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures in 2007. The main objective of research presented in this report has been to resolve following issues for an effective implementation of AASHTO Guide Specifications: (i) AASHTO Guide Specifications don’t provide any specific guidelines for classification and performance requirements for critical bridges. This issue is resolved by proposing performance requirements and classification criteria for critical bridges in New Jersey.

Weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems might soon replace the conventional techniques used to enforce weight restrictions for large vehicles on highways. Currently WIM systems use a piezoelectric polymer sensor that produces a voltage proportional to an applied pressure or load. Using this phenomenon, these systems are already being tested for collecting traffic data, including weigh-inmotion, measuring vehicle speeds, classifying vehicles by category and counting axles etc. The polymer sensors are usually in the form of a long tape or cable embedded within a long block of elastomeric material.

Recruiting entry-level civil engineers and information technology specialists has become more competitive and the New York State Department of Transportation is experiencing difficulty in attracting people to these positions. Compared to the private sector, NYSDOT’s entry level salaries are lower but rise more quickly. NYSDOT believes their benefit package is better, however, this has never been quantified. If their benefit package is more valuable than that of NYSDOT’s competitors, that would offset lower starting salaries and be an attractive component of a total compensation package.