Technology solutions are in no short supply for state departments of transportation across the United States. With advancements in geospatial accuracy, cost reduction for technology components, and a need for effective staff utilization, a wealth of products and systems are becoming attractive options in the delivery of highway projects. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 594: Technological Capabilities of Departments of Transportation for Digital Project Management a...

There are few inventories of state investments in active transportation, at least partially because there is no federally mandated requirement to report on these investments. They are often accomplished as part of larger infrastructure projects, in order to realize the efficiencies inherent in making changes across modes on a network at the same time. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 596: Measuring Investments in Active Transportation When Accomplished as Part of Ot...

Initial efforts to define and collect bridge element data in the United States started in the late 1990s with the development and implementation of bridge management systems (BMSs). Over the years, the bridge management community provided feedback and made suggestions to improve the bridge element inspection methodology. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 585: Bridge Element Data Collection and Use documents current state departments of transportation (DOTs) practices...

Incompatibility between aggregate type and asphalt binder, presence of standing water or water under pressure in the pavement layers, and improper construction practices are some of the many factors that influence moisture susceptibility of flexible pavements. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 595: Practices for Assessing and Mitigating the Moisture Susceptibility of Asphalt Pavements documents practices used by state departments of transportation to prevent or to mi...

Automated collection of pavement data allows agencies to collect data on pavement health, including cracking, rutting, faulting, and roughness, at highway speeds. This provides important information for better pavement decision-making. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 589: Automated Data Collection and Quality Management for Pavement Condition Reporting documents the experiences, challenges, and state-of-the-practice solutions used by state departments of transporta...

State departments of transportation (DOTs) have been investing in 3D modeling and sharing 3D digital models with contractors. Some DOTs have piloted the use of 3D digital models as contract documents, others continue to provide contractors with 3D digital models for information purposes, and some have not begun using 3D digital models in construction. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 593: 3D Digital Models as Highway Construction Contract Documents details the curre...

Safety and health programs are vital to the success of state departments of transportation (DOTs). While the safety of all DOT employees is paramount, maintenance and other field workers are exposed to unique hazards that demand a higher level of management than traditional office-based positions. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 591: Use of Safety Management Systems in Managing Highway Maintenance Worker Safety documents the state of the practice of safety manageme...

The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a core federal-aid highway program with the purpose of achieving significant reductions in fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. Although there are federal requirements that guide state HSIP efforts, there are several variations in how state departments of transportation (DOTs) identify, prioritize, and evaluate HSIP projects. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 592: Practices for Balancing Safety Investme...

For years, state departments of transportation (DOTs) were solely responsible for quality control (QC) and performed testing and inspection to verify construction quality. However, since the 1970s, many state DOTs have transferred the responsibility for QC processes of their highway-construction projects to contractors. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 590: Agency Use of Quality Control Plans for Administering Quality Assurance Specifications identifies and document...

Visualizations are tools for analyzing, reporting, and communicating the complexities of a transportation system and for synthesizing these intricacies into presentations that can be easily understood. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 584: Visualization of Highway Performance Measures documents current practices and methods used by state departments of transportation (DOTs) for visualizing highway performance measures and their use of visualization techniques for co...