With traffic down, Oregon DOT can move more vehicles at twice the speed

With overall traffic down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one highway in Oregon is now moving higher traffic volumes at twice the typical speed, according to an analysis by Joe Cortright at City Observatory. This might seem counterintuitive, but it perfectly illustrates the benefits of managing traffic demand, based on simple traffic engineering principles.

Oregon moves toward a safer speed-limit approach

The Oregon Transportation Commission last month approved a revised speed-limit guidance that abandons the long-standing-but-arbitrary 85th percentile rule in many cases. Instead of relying on drivers to set speeds by their behavior, the new guidance provides context-based safe speed ranges for urban and suburban roadways, ranging from 20-25 mph in urban cores to 25-35 mph in more suburban areas. The rule gives leeway for setting limits outside of those ranges. Rationales for exceptions do include observed motorist speeds, but they are based on the slower 50th percentile rather than the 85th.

Oregon regulators require public utilities to adopt plans for electric vehicles

While electric vehicles only make up a small share of the current U.S. vehicle fleet, by 2040 they are expected to comprise approximately 55 percent of all new vehicle sales. Accommodating for growing EV demand, however, will require major changes in how utilities supply electricity. At the moment, the electrical grid is simply not equipped to handle widespread EV adoption. In Oregon, regulators are attempting to address this problem.

Sidewalk evaluation app Project Sidewalk launches in Seattle

Project Sidewalk, newly launched in Seattle, is crowdsourcing the evaluation of sidewalks and ramps with the intent to help DOTs locate and prioritize needed repairs and improvements, educate the public, and collect data to train AI. Poorly planned sidewalks and ramps, those in disrepair or with other impediments can dramatically reduce the mobility of people with disabilities and decrease walking accessibility. The gathered data could eventually be incorporated into interactive routing software such as Access Map, which is aimed primarily at helping sidewalk users maximize their mobility.

SSTI webinar and AASHTO article highlight DOT workforce development and retention

Attracting and retaining talented staff at state DOTs has been on the minds of many transportation leaders, as noted in a recent AASHTO Journal article. It was also a topic at the July SSTI Community of Practice meeting and will be the topic of our webinar next week on September 5. Each state has slightly different challenges, but many are concerned with staff having the appropriate skills for the work they need to do. Retaining talented staff and sharing institutional knowledge as retirements loom is also a common theme.

Mainstreaming transportation and land use modeling within Oregon DOT

States interested in modeling transportation and land use can now learn from Oregon’s experience building its Statewide Integrated Model (SWIM), thanks to a new study published in the Journal of Transport and Land Use. The model, now used in ODOT’s regular operations, grew out of its decades-long Transportation and Land Use Model Integration Program (TLUMIP), launched in the late 1990s. Several keys to its success were committed staff, a sharp focus on meeting agency needs, and the ability to adapt as those needs changed.

FHWA encourages ROW solar facilities

As DOTs look to meet environmental goals and bring in revenue, several have turned to using building roofs and surplus ROW to site solar-electric generating systems. To help give practitioners a grounding in some of the issues they may encounter, FHWA has published a new online guide: Renewable Energy Generation in the Highway Right-of-Way.

FHWA encourages ROW solar facilities

As DOTs look to meet environmental goals and bring in revenue, several have turned to using building roofs and surplus ROW to site solar-electric generating systems. To help give practitioners a grounding in some of the issues they may encounter, FHWA has published a new online guide: Renewable Energy Generation in the Highway Right-of-Way.