NCHRP 2018 Annual Report (2018)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

16 Nat i on al Coo perat ive Highway Research Program ENABLING IMPACTS The Final Deliverable As an applied research program, NCHRP expects final research deliverables to be presented in language understandable to both administrators and practitioners and in a format that permits easy assimilation and application. The detailed research techniques and analyses in which a researcher would be interested are generally presented in report appendices. NCHRP specifies the style and organization of all research reports to guide the researchers. The NCHRP project manager writes a foreword for each published report that (1) identifies the fields of specialty of those likely to be most interested in the results and (2) suggests how the results fit into present knowledge and practice. All published reports are offered for sale through TRB’s Business Office. Published reports are also available electronically on TRB’s website. Promoting useful results before publication NCHRP undertakes a number of activities before formal publication of the final deliverables to increase the probability that results will be applied: • Initial research proposals are required to state how the anticipated results can be used to improve practice. • Panel members who are experts in the particular problem area and have a good understanding of practitioner needs define the research problem and its objectives and keep the focus of the research on producing implementable results. • Investigators are selected because of the likelihood that the research results will be usable and readily implementable. • NCHRP staff and panel members engage with the contractor throughout the research to ensure it is conducted according to the approved research plan. NCHRP comprehensive communications plan In late 2018, NCHRP initiated development of a comprehensive communications plan to guide presentation and dissemination of research results. The plan will help NCHRP to more effectively and efficiently inform interested stakeholders and other audiences about program activities and research results. The plan will also provide guidance on developing relevant communications products to meet the specific needs of those stakeholders and audiences. Implementing research results Implementation is the last step in the research process—the benefits of research cannot be realized unless put to use. To ensure that the research products are implementable, NCHRP considers implementation throughout the course of a project from the development of the problem to the awarding of the research contract and beyond to the completion of the research.

17 2018 Annual Repor t The selection of implementation strategies depends on the research product and the needs of state DOTs. Each research product requires a tailored approach to dissemination and, if appropriate, to supporting activities designed to help state DOTs and other agencies put the results into practice. Since 2010, NCHRP has published short summaries of how state DOTs have implemented specific NCHRP research products. These Ready Results briefs—targeted at practitioners— outline the problem to be addressed by research, provide an overview of the research results, and, most importantly, offer guidance on immediate next steps for putting the results into practice. Recent titles include • Choosing Safe, Cost-Effective Intersection Designs • Extending Bridge Life by Maintaining Expansion Joints • Measuring Modulus for Better-Performing Pavements • Modern Inspection Practices for Culverts & Storm Drain Systems • New Guidelines for Lighting Overhead Signs • New Tool Supports Watershed-Based Stormwater Management • Updating Fuel Factors for Today’s Construction Projects NCHRP’s Research Topic Highlights publication series features NCHRP research products for a single subject area in each issue. Three Highlights publications have been produced: practice-ready solutions in the areas of warm-mix asphalt, bank erosion and bridge scour, and roadway tunnels.

18 Nat i on al Coo perat ive Highway Research Program NCHRP implementation support program To facilitate the implementation of NCHRP research products by state DOTs and others, R&I has made consultant support available through the NCHRP Implementation Support Program (NCHRP Project 20-44). State DOTs, AASHTO committees and councils, and NCHRP project panels can apply for funding for consultant support in delivering a range of implementation products and activities, including pilot/demonstration projects, workshops, peer exchanges, training, and briefing materials. If approved, NCHRP will procure consultant services. In FY 2018, the program approved 14 implementation projects, totaling $1,221,309. Exhibit 4 provides a summary. For more information on the NCHRP Implementation Support Program, visit the TRB website (www.trb.org/NCHRP/NCHRPImplementationSupportProgram.aspx). Exhibit 4. Implementation Projects Funded in FY 2018 Source Implementation Project Name Amount NCHRP Report 750 and NCHRP Report 845 Consultant Support for Massachusetts DOT’s Commission on the Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth $100,000 NCHRP Project 03-113 Guidance for Traffic Signals at Diverging Diamond Interchanges and Adjacent Intersections $99,934 NCHRP Project 03-121 Incorporating Freight, Transit, and Incident Response Stakeholders into Integrated Corridor Management (ICM): Processes and Strategies for Implementation $149,743 NCHRP Project 03-127 Cybersecurity of Traffic Management Systems $32,200 NCHRP Research Report 893 Conducting Systemic Pedestrian Safety Analyses $154,000 NCHRP Project 10-86A Implementing Single-User Software for Bidding Alternative Drainage Pipe Systems $50,530 NCHRP Research Report 887 Underwater Installation of Filter Systems for Scour and Other Erosion Control Countermeasures $50,000 NCHRP Report 750 and NCHRP Report 845 Phase 2: Consultant Support for Massachusetts DOT’s Commission on the Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth $145,570 NCHRP Report 748 Guidelines for the Use of Mobile LIDAR in Transportation Applications $6,000 NCHRP Report 706 and NCHRP Report 754 Target-Setting Methods and Data Management to Support Performance-Based Resource Allocation by Transportation Agencies and Improving Management of Transportation Information $80,000 NCHRP Research Report 853 Design Hydrology for Stream Restoration and Channel Stability at Stream Crossings $99,988 NCHRP Report 814 Implementing a Transportation Agency Data Self-Assessment $220,000 NCHRP Project 20-44R Loaned Internal Staff for Impact Analysis $28,344 NCHRP Project 20-44TS Travel Support for Implementation Activities $5,000 $1,221,309

19 2018 Annual Repor t “I have presented the information in NCHRP Report 731: Guidelines for Timing Yellow and All-Red Intervals at Signalized Intersections to our regional staff. We are working to update our policy to match the outcomes of this study.” – Joanna L. Bush Wisconsin DOT 2018 Annual Repor t 9 Documenting success For the past several years, NCHRP has addressed the challenge of documenting or showcasing successful research products. Several approaches are being used, and NCHRP will continue to explore new and better ways to meet this challenge. Every four years, NCHRP surveys panel members from completed projects to identify known applications of research results. Feedback from these surveys enables NCHRP to confirm high usage and application of research results, to improve the implementation of future research results, and to identify successful applications of research. These successful applications of NCHRP research are showcased in a series of case studies, “Impacts on Practice,” based on interviews with DOT practitioners. More than 35 of these case studies are posted on the TRB website. In addition, the interviews with DOT practitioners have identified the various ways that states implement NCHRP research results. NCHRP documents some of these implementation efforts and methods in the “Paths to Practice” series. In 2018, NCHRP produced its first Impact Report. This report highlights where and how NCHRP research is used by state DOTs. Containing several anecdotal accounts on the benefits and impacts of NCHRP research in different states, this report will be updated on a regular basis and made available through the NCHRP website.