The Every Day Counts (EDC) program promotes the accelerated use of tools, technologies and methods nationwide to improve road and bridge projects, reduce cost and shorten their time to completion.
“Every Day Counts is a key Department initiative that provides state, local, and Tribal transportation leaders with opportunities to learn about ready-to-deploy innovations that best fit their individual needs,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
Since the creation of “Every Day Counts” in 2010, FHWA has worked with state, local and Tribal governments, as well as federal agencies to widen the use of dozens of innovations that lead to better roads, bridges and highways, reduced project delivery times and more cost-effective transportation improvements. Later this year, FHWA will hold three virtual summit meetings, focused on “People,” “Products,” and “Process,” to discuss the EDC-6 innovations in more detail.
“This round of innovations has incredible potential to help agencies with limited resources deliver projects more effectively, improve safety, and support the nation’s economic recovery,” says Federal Highway Administrator Nicole R. Nason.
The solicitation for EDC-6 ideas this year generated more than 100 suggestions and comments from stakeholders across the country. The seven innovations selected are:
Crowdsourcing to Advance Operations – Transportation agencies are increasing their situational awareness using crowdsourcing, which enables them to cost-effectively improve the real-time management of traveler information, traffic incidents, work zones, traffic signals and more. With crowdsourced data, agencies can capture in real time travel information from a wider array of sources than currently possible. The benefits of crowdsourced data include improved travel reliability, fewer crashes and other safety improvements, and a reduction in costs associated with installing and maintaining additional data-gathering road sensors.
e-Ticketing and Digital As-Builts – State departments of transportation (DOTs) and other agencies use these methods to more efficiently gather, share and manage the massive amounts of data generated by a typical highway construction project. Converting paper-based systems for project materials tickets into electronic ones, known as “e-Ticketing,” improves the tracking, exchange and archiving of construction materials information. e-Ticketing also improves safety by reducing inspector and work crew interaction with traffic and construction equipment. More than a dozen state DOTs, including Minnesota, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, currently use e-Ticketing for construction contracts. Digital “as-builts” are modern project information models that capture data about utilities and other valuable construction information to support future operations, maintenance and asset management, and create a digital twin of an agency’s transportation system. State DOTs in Michigan and Colorado use digital as-builts to improve worker safety by identifying the exact locations of potentially dangerous underground utilities.
Virtual Public Involvement (VPI) – Soliciting public input during the transportation decision-making process helps to identify issues and concerns that can be addressed or modified early in the process. VPI allows state DOTs to do so more effectively by using technology platforms to increase the number and variety of methods for engaging the public, obtaining feedback and considering comments. For reasons related to the nation’s current health crisis, several states have begun to use VPI, and the Iowa Department of Transportation has gone further in developing a web-based tool to compile public comments throughout all phases of project delivery.
Next-Generation Traffic Incident Management (NextGen TIM) – While crashes and other traffic incidents increase risk to first responders and…
Read More: US DOT Will Push Innovation with E-Ticketing, Digital As-Builts, Overlay