vol27no012013.pdf

1 TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 27, NO. 1, 2013

(Continued in page 4)

IN THIS EDITION

EELL PPUENTEUENTE

This edition is the sixth of a series that focus on the implementation activities of

EVERY DAY COUNTS (EDC) in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Intelligent Compaction: New Initiative of the

Federal Program Every Day Counts 2

By: Antonio Nieves Torres, FHWA Office of Infrastructure

[email protected]

Page

Message from the Director 2

Meet Your new DTPW Secretary and

PRHTA Executive Director 3

Intelligent Compaction: New Initiative

of the Federal Program Every Day

Counts 2

4-5

Prevention and Fatal Risks Control

Standards in Road Works 6-7

Why is High Friction Surface Treatment Part of the Next Wave of Innovation in Preventing Roadway Departure Crashes?

8-9

UPRM’s Representation at the 2013

TRB Annual Convention in

Washington, D.C.

10-11

2013 National Work Zone Awareness

Week 12

Emeritus Member Recognition at

2013 TRB 13

Future Seminars, Conferences,

Symposiums and Webinars

Citizen’s Commitment to Road Safety

14

15

The Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer Center is part of a network of 58 Centers through the United States that comprises the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and the Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP), which enable local governments, countries and cities to improve their roads and bridges by supplying them with a variety of training programs, an information clearinghouse, new and existing technology updates, personalized technical assistance, and newsletters.

Newsletter of the Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer Center

University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus

Intelligent Compaction (IC) refers to the compaction of

road materials, such as soils, aggregate bases, or asphalt

pavement materials (HMA/WMA), using modern

vibratory rollers equipped with an integrated

measurement system as is Global Positioning System

(GPS), accelerometers, onboard computer reporting

system, and feedback control.

Volume 27, Number 1, 2013

Puerto Rico LTAP

2 TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER

M essage from the Directoressage from the Director

W elcome! Best regards to all our readers in our first edition of the Newsletter El Puente for 2013.

El Puente is an important tool used by the Center to transfer and share emerging technologies and

innovative research initiatives related to transportation, with emphasis on road safety, workforce

development and management of the built road infrastructure.

Our feature article, Intelligent Compaction: New Initiative of the Federal Program Every Day Counts

(EDC) 2, written by Eng. Antonio Nieves Torres of the Office of Infrastructure of the Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), presents an overview, benefits and advantages associated with the

implementation of Intelligent Compaction (IC) technology. In synthesis, this innovative technology

makes use of real-time density, temperature, roller speed, mat stiffness combined with control

measurement systems that allows real-time corrections in the compaction process.

In this edition, I want to congratulate Eng. Miguel A. Torres-Díaz, incoming Secretary of the Puerto

Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) and Eng. Javier E. Ramos-Hernández,

recently appointed Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority

(PRHTA), for accepting to lead these administrative agencies to address the challenges of our highway

systems in this 21st ͭ century. The administrative and professional capacity of these two professional

engineers is presented in this edition.

The second article related to the control and prevention of fatal risks in road works, written by Eng.

Fernando Cortés, Safety and Health Director of Ferrovial Agroman, presents a series of Standards that

have been developed through his experience in highway construction projects manage by this company.

These guidelines are a tool that has the potential to be used and adapted by other contractors

performing highway construction work in Puerto Rico.

Another innovative technology associated with the federal program Every Day Counts (EDC) 2, known

as High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) is presented herein. The article author by Gregg Freeman,

Business Development Director of Kwik Bond Polymers, presents a background, benefits and

advantages of implementing this new technology that has been driven by the FHWA as part of the

program Surface Enhancements at Horizontal Curves (SEAHC).

In this edition, the Center Staff congratulate the student delegation of the Dwight David Eisenhower for

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI-DDETFP) fellowship program who represented the UPRM at the

2013 Transportation Research Board conference. Graduated student Davis Chacón presented his

research entitled "Before and After Highway Safety Evaluation Using Empirical Bayes Approach: A

Case Study in Indiana", and undergraduate student Valeria Arocho presented her summer research

findings in a paper entitled "Pavement Condition Ratings for Parking Lots Using Modified PASER ".

The highlights of the 2013 National Work Zone Awareness Week that emphasize the education and

awareness to drivers and all roads users regarding the importance of highway safety in construction

zones is presented. Our awareness campaign theme is All together we can raise awareness and make a

difference in saving lives on our public roads.

The Center Staff congratulates Dr. Nigel H.M. Wilson for being appointed Emeritus Member of the

Transportation Research Board (TRB) for his outstanding contributions in technical committees

associated with Transit Management and Performance.

The electronic version of El Puente Newsletter is available at www.uprm.edu/prt2 and also you can

contact us to submit technical articles for the Newsletter of interest to municipalities oriented to

transportation with emphasis on road safety, workforce development and management of the built

infrastructure.

I hope that the selection of these articles in this first edition of Newsletter El Puente for 2013 are of

benefit to our readers and other professionals in local transportation agencies in the 78 municipalities of

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Benjamín Colucci Ríos


Secretary of Puerto Rico Department of

Transportation and Publics Works (DTPW)

Professional engineer

Miguel A. Torres-

Díaz was appointed

Secretary of the

Department of

Transportation and

Public Works

(DTPW) the January

2013. Engineer Torres

-Díaz has a Bachelor

of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master’s

degree in Management Engineering from the

Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR)

and is a licensed professional engineer of the

College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto

Rico (CIAPR).

Engineer Torres-Díaz, who chaired the Institute

of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the CIAPR, has

over 16 years of experience in the field of

infrastructure project management with a wide

experience in the planning, preparation and

development of projects during the design,

bidding and construction phase.

Engineer Torres-Díaz was Vice-President of the

Beta Engineering Company, an independent

consultant for the Infrastructure Financing

Authority (AFI) in regional infrastructure

projects of the Central American and Caribbean

Games Mayagüez 2010, Negotiated Director

and Coordinator of construction projects for the

Public Housing Administration, among other

professional experiences.

For his contribution to the construction industry

in Puerto Rico, engineer Torres-Díaz has been

recognized as the Distinguished Young

Engineer by the CIAPR and Engineer of the

Americas by the Pan-American COPIMERA

Engineering Organization, among others

professional recognitions.

Executive Director of Puerto Rico Highway

and Transportation Authority (PRHTA)

Professional engineer Javier E. Ramos-

Hernández was appointed Executive Director

of the Puerto Rico Highway and Transporta-

tion Authority (PRHTA) in January 2013.

Engineer Ramos-Hernández has a Bachelor

of Science in Civil Engineering from the

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

(UPRM) and is a licensed professional

engineer of the College of Engineers and

Surveyors of Puerto Rico (CIAPR).

Engineer Ramos-Hernández has an extensive

experience in the coordination and develop-

ment of highway projects in the design and

construction phase. He has served as director,

project manager and highway engineer of the

Barrett, Hale & Alamo Consulting Engineers

firm.

During the period of 2001 to 2003, engineer

Ramos-Hernández served as the Design Area

Director of the Puerto Rico Highway and

Transportation Authority (PRHTA).

Engineer Ramos Hernandez also occupied

important leadership positions in the CIAPR

San Juan Chapter that included President,

Vice-President, Secretary, among others.

Meet Your New Secretary of the DTPW and the Executive Director of the PRHTA

The Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer Center Family wishes success to both

public officials in their new roles as Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public

Works and Executive Director of Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority, respectively

and welcome local transportation officers and the general public to provide the necessary support

for them to fulfill their respective duties and carry Puerto Rico to an economic development

through an efficient and reliable highway transportation system with the highest safety standards

for all road users. Congratulations!


By integrating measurement, documentation,

and control systems, the use of Intelligent

Compaction (IC) rollers allow for real-time

corrections in the compaction process. IC

rollers maintain a continuous record with col-

or-coded plots that include the number of pas-

ses, stiffness values, temperature (HWA/

WMA), frequencies, amplitude, and roller

speed as well as the location of the roller

drum.

Compaction is one of

the most important

processes in roadway

construction. It is

needed to achieve

consolidation and

uniformity of the

materials, which in

turn better ensures a

stable base platform

and pavement

surface. Construction materials possess

optimum densities that ensure adequate

support, stability, and strength. Achieving

these densities consistently and uniformly is

extremely important. Current processes using

conventional compaction equipment may

result in inadequate and/or non-uniform

material densities, which can be one of the

factors that result in premature

failure. Intelligent Compaction helps to

overcome this.

Benefits of IC

The benefits of Intelligent Compaction

include:

Continuous record of material stiffness

values, coverage and temperature.

Improved uniform and consistent

densities.

Intelligent Compaction: New Initiative of the Federal Program Every Day Counts 2

Identification of non-compacted areas.

Increased productivity in terms of knowing

when and where to apply compaction

effort.

Elimination of over and under compaction.

Encourages best roller compaction

practices.

Uniformity in Density

The potential for IC technology to improve the

in-place density of construction materials, is

well documented from projects in Europe,

Asia, and the United States. The biggest

improvement is in a significant decrease of the

variability of measured density. Compaction

processes that can produce consistently high

and more uniform density offer agencies and

the public roads users a much better return on

their capital investment increasing the service

life and reducing maintenance costs in the life

cy- cle.

Sheep Foot Roller (Source: www.Intelligentcompaction.com)

Continuous Record of Material Stiffness Values

The ability to continuously measure stiffness

during the compaction process, aids in

determining optimum compaction throughout

the entire project which in turn provides a

unique way to guarantee full coverage of the

entire project area. Also, another benefit is the

"on the fly" identification of weak areas that

need to be corrected, re-done, or re-compacted,

to avoid pavement performance issues in the

future.

Interior Display for IC (Source: www.fhwa.dot.gov)

TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER 5 EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 27, NO. 1, 2013

technologies FHWA should move forward in

the years to come. Also this technology has been

selected under the second phase of the federal

program Everyday Day Counts (EDC).

The island of Puerto Rico in cooperation with

the Transportation Technology Transfer Center

at UPRM, under contract with the Puerto Rico

Department of Transportation and Public

Works (DTPW), the Virgin Islands Department

of Public Works (DPW) and the FHWA, serve as

the Technical Oversight leaders for the

implementation of the technologies of the EDC

Initiatives for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin

Islands. The four (4) initiatives selected by

Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands are Intelli-

gent Compaction, Accelerated Bridge Construc-

tion, 3D Engineered Models for Construction,

and Programmatic Agreements.

As part of the implementation plan for these

activities the Transportation Technology

Transfer Center will be conduct-

ing a EDC II Research-to-Practice Symposium

in St. Thomas, USVI on June 17 & 18, 2013.

IC Data Management-Veda Workshops

Learn more about Intelligent Compaction

enrolling in the following one day duration

workshop series:

Introduction and Overview ( 30min.)

Fundamentals of IC (40min.)

Global Positioning System (GPS) (40min.)

IC Systems and Measurement Values (50min.)

Practical Implementation of IC – I (50min.)

Practical Implementation of IC – II (50min.)

More Hands-on with Veda ( 50min.)

For more information you can visit the website:

www.IntelligentCompaction.com or you can

contact Antonio Nieves at (202)-366-4597 or at

email: [email protected].

Identification of Non-Compactable Areas

By comparing the results of subsequent passes,

an evaluation can be conducted to determine

whether support from the underlying materials

is adequate to allow compaction of the new

material. The capability to detect projects or

portions of projects that will not allow sufficient

support in a non-subjective way is an innovative

and important tool for the project personnel.

Using this technology, the project personnel can

then make a rational decision about the proper

course of action to address this problem. The

decision may be: remove and replace the under-

lying materials, stabilize and re-compact the

underlying materials, or modify the compaction

requirements for the material being used.

IC is ready to be implemented in Puerto Rico

Intelligent Compaction is a technology that is

proving to be effective. It has been piloted

already in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Te-

xas, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, Tennessee

and Georgia. Contractors are using this tech-

nology to improve productivity in terms of time

and money. The Federal Highway Administra-

tion (FHWA) has conducted a series of IC

workshops which have been very successful in

providing demonstrations and information to

states and Contractors. Consequently, IC was

identified by the Intelligent Construction

Systems and Technologies workshop conducted

by FHWA in September 2011 as one of the key

Roller with IC (Source: www.fhwa.dot.gov)

Intelligent Compaction: New Initiative of the Federal Program Every Day Counts 2


By: Fernando Cortés, MSc OSH

Email: [email protected]

Director of Safety and Health - Multinational Construction Company in Puerto Rico

Introduction

This is the first of a series of technical articles

associated with the prevention and fatal risk

control during road work.

A careful review of roadwork incident statistics

from 2005 to 2009, has identified a number of

risk factors on individual projects of the compa-

ny. These risks require the development of good

practices to eliminate any potential death and

reduce incidents that could cause potential dam-

ages or fatalities.

These prevention and control standards of

significant or fatal risks have been developed

through the experience of current and past

construction projects. They establish minimum

performance expectations for managing risks at

an acceptable practice level.

The existence of these standards does not ensure

control of risks facing all areas of our activities

(including some that have caused many

injuries). These other risk areas are addressed

through the risk management process, that is a

key element of the management standards of

safety and health of the company.

Standards Context

Standards should be read and used in relation

with health and safety policies of the company.

The management system is a hierarchical

approach where the highest level of the organi-

zation must effectively support the needs of the

standards.

Application of the Standards

The standards apply to all places and activities

where the company is the Contractor that

manages the job site (policy of Puerto Rico

OSHA for Construction site), which applies to

all company employees, subcontractors, suppli-

ers and visitors involved in controlled activities.

General Requirements

The implementation of the standards for preven-tion and control of significant or fatal risks is mandatory in all sites and operations controlled by the company. The mandatory nature is indicated by the use of the verb "shall" included in the standards. In some cases, the phrase "shall be or must be" is used. It means that the primary intent remains, but specific circumstances may make the implementation of the requirements be unreasonable.

Any deviation from the specifications of these standards must be formally approved under a procedure to manage exceptions, according to the following steps:

a. Documented and detailed description of the difficulties of the implementation of the stand-ard.

b. Detailed and documented assessment of the risks associated with the situation under the proposed alternative control measures.

c. Formal approval documented by the Project Manager (or maximum authority) and site safety representative, indicating that the level of risk in the alternative control measures is understood, is acceptable for the organization and is consistent with the Vision "Zero Injury" of the Safety and Health Culture of the company.

Standards Implementation Requirements

As previously stated in these standards, when using the word "shall" it means that this require-ment is mandatory. The phrase "shall be" indicates that the main objective is to fulfill all requirements as if they were mandatory. However, there will be circumstances where local conditions may demonstrate that the requirement is either not applicable or an alter-native approach is necessary. When the verb "shall” is used, the change can only be consid-ered as compliance if the company representa-tive of highest level of the operation approves it on the basis of a risk assessment, that weighs the risk level and the control measures.

The risk management approach to be adopted must be consistent with the occupational safety and health policy of the company by monitoring risk control hierarchy.

It is recognized that the principles of risk management are still necessary (i.e. beyond compliance with a mandatory standard) to identify, measure, monitor and reduce the probability of incidents through research, evalua-tion and understanding of the hazards associated with the activities covered by these standards.

Prevention and Fatal Risks Control Standards in Road Works


Take 3 (routine) or Take 5 (high risk).

c. Verify safety conditions through a checklist that meets the minimum standards to eliminate or control risks, according to the hierarchy of risk control. In road works, this preventive tool is called "Maintenance Inspection and Traffic Control”.

3. Reduction and Risk Control

A hazard is a danger source that is defined as "a condition or situation that exists within the workplace that could cause physical harm, injury and/or damage to property or the environment."

Risk assessment refers to the technical study of the adverse effects to health, safety and environ-ment, as a result of human exposure to hazards transmitted by physical, chemical and biological agents, and consists of the identification and characterization of hazards, exposure assessment and risk characterization.

4. Risk Treatment

After identifying or recognizing a hazard and evaluating the risk, is required to select a control method and apply it to each recognized risk. The main objective is to select the most practical and effective as possible. The Risk Control Hierar-chy is shown below:

Elimination: methods that eliminate the risk entirely.

Replacement or substitution: methods using a safe alternative for substitution or mitigation (ex. less toxic chemicals for cleaning).

Engineering controls: methods to isolate, confine and contain the risk.

Separation: isolate the hazard by shielding or enclosure.

Administrative controls: are control measures, such as isolation and blockade, job rotation, training and instruction, rules and safe work procedures, among others.

Personal Protective Equipment: should be seen as the "last defense barrier" against risky situations. It should only be considered if all oth-er previous methods are not practical.

In the next edition Critical Aspects of Occupa-

tional Safety and Health, Operational Implemen-

tation of Standards and Roadwork Standards

will be presented.

This technical article is protected by cop-

yright ©.

Prevention and Fatal Risks Control Standards in Road Works (CONT.)

Approval of Alternatives Control Measures

In exceptional circumstances where the specific

requirements of a standard for significant or

fatal risks control can not fully achieve the

objectives, the approval of alternatives control

measures will be applied and documented based

upon the Risk Control Management Plan that

includes the following:

a. Standard details in accordance to the existing

gap.

b...Alternatives Control Measures that should be

implemented.

c. Time required to meet the priority, based on

the associated conditions to achieve it.

d. Establish a point of compliance and authoriza-

tion signed by the Senior Manager in charge of

the project.

Standards Structure

The requirements of these standards are classi-

fied into three priority areas:

a. Reason for inclusion and contributing factors.

b..Requirements associated with systems and

procedures.

c. Requirements associated to the persons.

These three areas cover the essential manage-

ment controls that must be in place to integrally

manage these risks categories.

Critical Aspects of Occupational Safety and

Health

These are the scenarios with the highest

frequency of incidents and the consequences are

significant or fatal in the activities within in the

Construction Industry. To control, reduce and

eliminate risks in road works and reduce

incidents with high severity potential, adequate

practices and procedures should be applied in

the following work areas:

1 . Health and Safety Trainings

In risk assessment, prior to starting any road

related activity, a specific training for employee

exposure to traffic and work within road areas

should be contemplated.

2. Evaluation of Significant Risks

All jobs considered will have a special focus for

which, in risk assessment, should: a. Assign the task to employees, considering its planning, using the preventive tool called “Work Assignment”. b. Evaluate by means of a safety analysis and/or evaluation of the task using the technique called


Why is High Friction Surface Treatment part of the next wave of innovation in preventing roadway departure crashes?

Author: Gregg Freeman, Business Development

Director of Kwik Bond Polymers

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (720) 626-6643

As a member of the American Traffic Safety

Services Association (ATSSA) High Friction

Surfacing Council, I feel as though we are riding

the wave of a new, life-saving technology that is

gaining strength at an exponential rate. The

reality is that High Friction Surface Treatment

(HFST) has been applied in roadways for over

35 years in Europe. In United States, HFST is

being adopted because it has noticeably

demonstrated the ability to save lives and reduce

roadway departure (RwD) crashes. Currently,

what’s new now is that data and statistics are

becoming available.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Surface Enhancements at Horizontal Curves

(SEAHC) program may have initiated this

momentum. The purpose of the Federal High-

way Administration (FHWA) field trials under

the SEAHC program is to determine how

effective high friction surfacing is on reducing

crashes and fatalities on horizontal curves. This

data along with other recent studies have all had

a positive contribution to the impact. Nine states

in the U.S. have aggressive HFST programs in

place already.

The champions of HFST are working

diligently. The FHWA is promoting the ben-

efits of HFST through its Every Day Counts

(EDC) 2. The goal of EDC is to advance

innovation into daily practice and reduce project

delivery time. HFST happens to be one of the

thirteen initiatives for EDC 2. “With friction

values far exceeding conventional pavement

friction, high-quality aggregate is applied to

existing or potential high-crash areas to help

motorists maintain better control in dry and wet

driving conditions” states the FHWA.

High Friction Surface Treatment application 12

feet wide lane (Source: DBI Inc.)

At least 39 states in the U.S. have applied HFST

on at least one project site to date. Kentucky

has installed HFST on over 100 curves. Initial

evaluation of the first 26 locations has

demonstrated a 69% reduction in crashes per

year at those locations. Other states are seeing

similar results. A recent study of the benefits of

HFST relative to cost suggests a cost to benefit

ratio of 24:1.

According to a report released by the American

Automobile Association (AAA) in November

2011, crashes involving injuries or fatalities

cost Americans more than $299 billion a

year.

HFST installed in Highway 17 in Santa Cruz,

California (Source: Gregg Freeman)


Why is High Friction Surface Treatment part of the next wave of innovation in preventing roadway departure crashes?

Why is High Friction Surface Treatment part of the next wave of innovation in preventing roadway departure crashes? (CONT.)

Another strategy the American Association of

State Highway and Transportation Officials

(AASHTO) is working on is National Initiative

for Highway Safety “Towards Zero Deaths

(TZD)”. TZD will be a data-driven effort

focusing on identifying and creating opportuni-

ties for changing American culture as it relates

to highway safety. The American Traffic Safety

Services Association is working on supporting

these efforts in many ways. One way is to lob-

by legislation to eventually include HFST as a

part of the TZD strategy. Safety strategies such

as these have proven to be effective in reduc-

ing fatalities and serious injuries. There was a

24% reduction in fatalities from 2006 to 2011

as (HSIP) obligations and expenditures steadi-

ly increased in all states.

So where is this wave headed? Eventually every

state, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Island will end

up with a Program to deploy HFST. Nationally,

EDC 2 is being coordinated through the Division

Office in every state and Puerto Rico. They are

tasked with the introduction of EDC 2 to each

state highway agency. The High Friction Surface

Treatments implementation process is being done

by national webinars, engineering presentations,

project fact sheets, and industry co-information

sharing presentations at state and federal meet-

ings. We have been presenting this information

in conjunction with FHWA Safety Engineers at a

statewide level. Everyone wants to ride the “new

wave.” Sometimes it’s just a matter of crunching

the numbers before the enthusiasm turns in to

action.

High Friction Surface Treatments as well others

safety countermeasures in combination with the

increase federal funding for the implementation

of these strategies are saving lives.

As we all paddle out towards the horizon, let’s

work together in the public policy to integrate

these innovations in our roads to safe life. Let’s

ride the wave together. Momentum is a power-

ful thing.

Surface with Applied HFST (Source: DBI Inc)

Installation of HFST with DBI’s automated

truck. (Source: DBI)


During the period of January 13-17, 2013, the

92nd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Re-

search Board (TRB) was held in Washington,

D.C., where more than 11,700 transportation

professionals attended. A delegation of eight

students from the University of Puerto Rico at

Mayagüez (UPRM), Dr. Alberto M. Figueroa

Medina, Director of the DDETFP-HSI program

at UPRM and Dr. Benjamin Colucci, Director of

the Puerto Rico Transportation Technology

Transfer Center also attended to this conference.

UPRM’s Student Delegation with Henry Mur-

daugh, Program Director and Víctor Méndez,

FHWA Administrator.

Over 70 countries worldwide were represented at

TRB and shared the research findings related to

transportation. In the conference, over 4,000

technical presentations in 750 different technical

sessions and workshops of topics of interest

about transportation are presented. This year’s

theme at TRB was Deploying Transportation

Research - Doing Things Smarter, Better and

Faster.

UPRM’s Representation at the 2013 TRB Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.

The UPRM’s student participation was spon-

sored by the Dwight David Eisenhower Trans-

portation Fellowship Program for Hispanic

Serving Institutions (DDETFP-HSI) of the

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

This fellowship program cover travel costs to

the convention, provides research assis-

tantships to undergraduate or graduated stu-

dents and allows a group of students to partic-

ipate in the 2012 Summer Internship Program

between Purdue University and UPRM.

Among the students who participated in this

program in year 2012-2013 include: Davis

Chacón, José Silvestre, Jean Elías, Heriberto

Pujols, Dafne Valley, Valeria Arocho, David

Soto and Erika Jaramillo. This delegation

exchanged research ideas with participants

from different countries and had the oppor-

tunity to attend to several technical and post-

ers sessions as well as exhibitions associated

to transportation products and services.

The engineer and graduate student Davis

Chacón, a Peruvian national, as part of the

2012 Summer Internship Program at Purdue

University in Indiana, presented his research

project entitled "Before and After Highway

Safety Evaluation Using Empirical Bayes

Approach: A Case Study in Indiana". The


research focused in highway safety aspects

evaluating the effectiveness of potential treatments

based on the Highway Safety Manual (HSM)

methodology.

Graduate student Davis Chacón

Similarly, the undergraduate student Valeria

Arocho presented her research conducted as part

of the Internship Program at Purdue University,

entitled "Pavement Condition Ratings for Parking

Lots Using Modified PASER". The research fo-

cused on the inspection and evaluation of the

parking lots and pavement quality to determine

cost-effective rehabilitation strategies thereof.

Valeria Arocho, Praprut Songchitruksa, and Dr.

Alberto Figueroa (Source: Valeria Arocho)

Besides the participation at TRB, the UPRM’s

student delegation had the opportunity to visit

the headquarters of the Institute of Transpor-

tation Engineers (ITE) in Washington, D.C.

Zaki Mustafa, International President, David R.

Soto and Rock E. Miller, Past Int. President at

ITE Headquarter in Washington D.C.

The DDETFP-HSI Fellowship Program is an

excellent opportunity to attract the next

generation of professionals and motivate them

to consider the transportation discipline in

their professional life or to pursue graduate

studies in transportation or related disciplines.

The Transportation Technology Transfer Cen-

ter Staff congratulates the UPRM delegation

and encourage them to pursue a transportation

career and assist decision makers resolving the

challenges and issues in the built transporta-

tion infrastructure.

For more information regarding the DDETFP-

HSI Program visit http://prt2.uprm.edu

webpage or www.fhwa.dot.gov.

UPRM’s Representation at the 2013 TRB Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. (CONT.)

https://www.facebook.com/prapruts


2013 National Work Zone Awareness Week

The 2013 National Work Zone Awareness

Week will be held on April 15-19, 2013. Dur-

ing this week, all state highway and transporta-

tion agencies in the United States and Puerto

Rico will be participating. The purpose of this

coalition is to educate and create awareness

among all public roads users of the importance

to take the necessary precautions while traveling

a temporary construction work

zone in a safe manner.

In Puerto Rico, the fatalities

associated with motor vehicle

crashes have decreased over the

last 11 years from 567 to 361,

according to the Puerto Rico

Traffic Safety Commission

(TSC). The work zones crash

data in Puerto Rico will be in-

corporated as part of the strategy highway safety

plan for 2013. In 2011 in the United States, near

32,367 fatalities were reported approximately

580 fatalities were in work zones.

This is the fourteenth year that this activity is

carried out nationwide. The theme for this year

is “Roadway Work Zone Safety: We're All in

This Together." The Puerto Rico Department of

Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) and

the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation

Authority (PRHTA), in coordination with the

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Puerto Rico Division, the Puerto Rico Trans-

portation Technology Transfer Center and the

Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission (TSC)

have established a series of activities to be held

during this week. For more details about these

activities, visit the website of the Puerto Rico

Transportation Technology Transfer Center

http://prt2.uprm.edu. Also you can find us in

Facebook as Puerto Rico LTAP or contact

Irmalí Franco or Dr. Benjamin Colucci at 787-

834-6385. For more information regarding the

national activity, visit the website http://

www.workzonesafety.org.

The Work Zone Awareness Week in Puerto Ri-

co is expected to start with a

minute of silence island wide.

A press conference is being

planned to be held in a real

project of the state highway PR

-52 near Coamo. The Governor

and various administrative

agencies that work directly

with highway safety and

prevention including PRHTA,

PRTSC, the Puerto Rico Police

and Department of Health, among others, are

expected to participate.

It is important to recognize that highway safety

is not only for drivers, but also for the workers

who are working every day to improve our road

infrastructure and help promote socio-economic

development of our country.

Give your hand to save the lives of highway workers

that contribute to the socio-economic development

of our Puerto Rico!

Source: www.fhwa.dot.gov

Source: www.fhwa.dot.gov


The Transportation Research Board (TRB)

granted Dr. Nigel H.M. Wilson the prestigious

recognition as an Emeritus Member by his

performance in the Transit Management and

Performance Committee. Dr. Wilson,

professor of Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT), was granted this

recognition during 92nd Annual Convention of

the Transportation Research Board held in

January 13-17, 2013, in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Wilson, of English nationality, is an expert

in Transit Management at international level,

where he has published hundreds of technical

publications as well as masters and PhD thesis

in Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT).

Nigel, as we affectionately call him, was

associated with the Innovative Professional

Development Program UPR / MIT / Tren

Urbano as the program director representing

MIT. During the period of 1993-2000, approxi-

mately 300 undergraduate and graduate

research publications associated with the

planning, design, construction, operation and

maintenance of the Tren Urbano, a heavy rail

project of 17.2 kms built and currently

operating in the metropolitan area of San

Juan, Puerto Rico, were published.

The Puerto Rico Transportation Technology

Transfer Center recognizes the outstanding

work that Nigel has performed at TRB

Committees and congratulates him for this

lifelong achievement as Emeritus Member of

this worldwide prestigious research

organization.

Professor of Professors, Mentor of Mentors

in Innovative Professional Development

Initiatives in Public Transit and Manage-

ment in Puerto Rico, United States and at

the international level. Congratulations!

Emeritus Member Recognition at 2013 TRB


Future Seminars, Conferences, Symposiums and Webinars

A. Puerto Rico and USVI

1. Procurement and Claims to Projects Related to Transportation and Public

Works Construction

Speaker: Dr. José L. Perdomo

Date: April 19, 2013

Location: Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

2. Practical Guidelines for the Selection, Location and Inspection of Highway

Safety Barriers

Speaker: Dr. Benjamín Colucci

Date: May 6 & 7, 2013


3. Basic Concepts in Construction, Inspection and Maintenance of Bridges in Puerto Rico Speaker: Dr. Daniel Wendichanski

Date: May 13, 2013

Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

4. Basic Concepts in Construction, Inspection and Maintenance of Bridges in Puerto Rico Speaker: Dr. Daniel Wendichanski

Date: May 17, 2013


5. Introduction / Basics Concepts of BIM and Applications to Highways

Speaker: Dr. José L. Perdomo

Date: May 21, 2013


6. Construction Project Management Speakers: Dr. José L. Perdomo and Dr. Omar Molina

Date: June 10 & 11, 2013


7. Practical Guidelines on Construction Inspection of Highways and Public Works Projects Speaker: Dr. Omar Molina

Date: June 25 & 26, 2013


B. Other Conferences and Symposiums

1. 2013 National Work Zone Awareness Week

Date: April 15-19, 2013

2. IRF Executive Seminar Series: Road Safety Across Six Continents (http://www.irfnews.org/)

Date: April 21-30, 2013

Location: Orlando Florida

3. 2nd IRF Caribbean Regional Congress (http://www.irfnews.org/)

Date: May 6-10, 2013

Location: Bridgetown, Barbados

4. IRF Executive Seminar Series: Performance-Based Maintenance (http://www.irfnews.org/)

Date: June 9 to 18, 2013

Location: Orlando, Florida

For more information regarding our seminar program in Puerto Rico and USVI and how to register please contact Grisel Villarubia ([email protected]) or Irmalí Franco ([email protected]) at (787) 834-6385 or visit our website at www.uprm.edu/prt2.


Walking together we will

achieve it!

riding on a motorcycle


EL PUENTE is published by the Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer

Center located at the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying of the

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

PUERTO RICO TRANSPORTATION

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying

Call Box 9000, Mayagüez, PR 00681

787.834.6385 PHONE

787.265.5695 FAX

www.uprm.edu/prt2

EL PUENTE

NEWSLETTER

The opinions, findings or recommendations expressed in this newsletter are those of the Center Director and Editor and do not

necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Highway Administration, the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public

Works, the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority, or the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Public Works.

Benjamín Colucci Ríos Director & Editor

Gisela González Program Administrator

Grisel Villarubia Irmalí Franco Administrative Coordinators Kevin Y. Rodríguez Editor Assistant Marivic Hernández Carlos D. Fuentes Anne M. Méndez Adlin Santos Verónica Feliciano

Students Interns

EL PUENTE Newsletter

VOL. 27, NO. 1, 2013

PR LTAP Center Staff

vol27no012013.pdf

Documents

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