WTI

Development of a Cold Region Rural Transportation Research Test Bed in Lewistown, Montana

Primary Investigator Contact Information

External Project Contact(s)

Report(s)

There are no reports associated with this project.

Project Objective

To improve transportation maintenance, operations and safety with cold-regions research through the collaboration of academia, industry and government.

Project Abstract

Northern tier states as well as many countries must address similar issues regarding the impacts of harsh winter conditions on operation and maintenance activities, and how these activities affect the environment, roadway infrastructure, and travelers safety. Oftentimes it becomes necessary to research innovative designs, maintenance practices and technology applications to address these challenges. However, conducting this type of research can create a public nuisance or safety hazard. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, transportation research can oftentimes be one-dimensional. For example, winter maintenance has many interrelated issues such as road surface friction and travelers safety, environmental concerns to surrounding ecosystems, optimal timing of mitigation measures, and impacts to infrastructure. Researchers worldwide recognize and appreciate the multidimensional aspects of this type of research, yet do not have the opportunity to simultaneously study them in a controlled environment. The Western Transportation Institute was recently given the opportunity to create a nationally recognized transportation research test bed for national and international researchers to study rural transportation issues related to design, maintenance and operations in a colder climate using the runways, taxiways, and other underutilized assets at the Lewistown airport. This transportation research test bed will provide an excellent opportunity to pool resources from various partners to answer a variety of basic and applied transportation research questions. For instance, a research project to study the performance of various roadway deicing chemicals may coincidentally investigate a host of concerns related to their use such as, their affect on the frictional characteristics of the road surface, impacts to adjacent vegetation and bodies of water, or corrosive impacts to vehicle or highway infrastructure. The opportunity to control and study multiple test variable associated with a particular research topic is afforded by the large-scale laboratory-like facility at the Lewistown airport. The overall objective of this efforts is to develop the existing Lewistown airport facility to be a state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary research facility capable of addressing multiple transportation challenges. By establishing a single research facility that has the capability to conduct a broad array of transportation research will save much needed resources over time.

Task Descriptions

1. Final Report
   1. The final report will summarize all of the aforementioned activities and develop a detailed implementation plan to proceed with putting together a full-scale, state-of-the art research facility at Lewistown. This plan will identify next steps to establish funding sources, strategic direction, operational aspects, and overall design of the equipment and/or facilities needed to conduct high-quality research.
2. Project Management
   1. The principal investigator will coordinate all meetings and activities associated with the project, meeting with the technical panel and advisory committee to facilitate communication. Documentation consisting of quarterly reports and a final implementation plan will be written.
3. Determine Research Priorities
   1. The advisory committee will meet to discuss the potential research projects identified in the previous task.
4. Inventory of Existing Research Test Facilities
   1. A comprehensive review of transportation research test sites will be conducted to identify existing large-scale transportation research capabilities. This inventory will also document goals, objectives and strategic direction of these entities. Work in this task will also include communication and site visits to test facilities and meetings with facility managers. A summary of potential research partners, administrative partners, and funding sources will be compiled.
5. Develop Partnerships and Assemble Advisory Committee
   1. An advisory committee will be made up of public and private entities to help pool resources and expertise. Advisory committee members will be required to follow the progress of this project, participate in the decision making process, provide input as to the direction of the various tasks, and review formal requirements analysis and implementation plan. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) clearly outlining expectations, land use, costs, and communications will be established.
6. Conduct Requirements Analysis and Initial Project Identification
   1. A formal analysis will be conducted by WTI to determine potential research projects to be conducted at the Lewistown test facility. A functional requirements analysis will ensure that specific requirements of the system designed for the Lewistown airport are realistic and attainable.

Milestones, Dates, Schedule

Student Involvement

False

Relationship to Other Research Projects

True

Technology Transfer Activities

True

Transportation Research Board Keywords

Cold-Region Transportation Test Bed

Partners

USDOT/Office of Innovation, Research and Education