Other training tools being developed include virtual flashcards, AI-generated podcasts and videos, and virtual notebooks on topics related to the environmental permitting process, he added.

Nick Fields, administrator for utilities at the Georgia Dept. of Transportation, said the agency is working with the tech firm 4M to creative a unified digital utilities map for projects. Existing data from public records, as-builts, permits, satellite imagery, GIS and visual observations are merged into the map, to be used for conceptual reviews—and eventually for construction, he said.

Allie Kelly, executive director of The Ray, a non-profit dedicated to innovation in transportation, noted that several states, including Georgia, Maine, Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri, are involved in projects to co-locate energy infrastructure such as transmission lines and solar arrays within highway rights of way. Noting the soaring energy needs created by the boom in data centers, “we need to maximize the value of public lands,” she said.

State DOTs and tollway authorities could earn royalties and fees from the utilities that locate infrastructure within their road alignments, even paying for enhancements and maintenance of those roads, she added.

The Ray has developed modeling tools to help identify which road alignments would be suitable for placement of energy infrastructure, produce cost estimates, determine what type of construction is needed and provide a common ground for the two industries. “Transportation and energy speak different languages,” Kelly said.

Collaboration between different groups—even within the same agency—was a common theme. 

The biology and noise departments at the Arizona Dept. of Transportation are working together to more efficiently track habitats of the Mexican spotted owl to inform the permitting process for a highway project, said Ivan Racic, senior environmental program manager. The study aims to identify areas and construction activities that might affect the at-risk species’ breeding and feeding habits.

The Virginia Dept. of Transportation's structures and environmental departments are also trying to work more effectively together through a shared dashboard that informs environmental reviews and statuses, and can help maintenance crews work more effectively by knowing which bridge is cleared for construction activity, said Sara Felker, agency environmental specialist. Another goal with the technology is, “Can we predict which structures will be easier or harder to clear environmental permitting?” she said.

The state of Virginia’s Permit Transparency system, started in 2022, has enabled processing times for some 200 types of permits to decrease by as much as 65%, “without significant tradeoffs” on the environmental side through a website that lists exactly where a given project is in the process, said Brent Efron, senior manager for environmental innovation at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center. It offers a prediction of when a given step in the process will be completed. This “opens up the black box of a [formerly] opaque process,” he said, adding that it holds staff accountable if it’s their turn to act on that step.

New Funding Approaches

A panel of state DOT leaders discussed the legacy of the 2021 infrastructure fundng law on their respective programs, and how their efforts over the past five years to optimize use of the measure’s historic $550 billion for transportation systems hopefully will make a strong case for an equally impactful long-term surface transportation measure that also keeps pace with inflation.

“There’s a lot we can do to build on [it],” said Vicki Kramer, director of the Nebraska Dept. of Transportation, adding that while achieving sufficient long-term funding for DOTs' many needs will be difficult, “there are things we can do to be more efficient.”

A panel discussion on public-private partnerships examined the many ways the project delivery method has evolved in the decades since the first tentative projects in the 1990s. Along with becoming more prevalent in states with enabling legislation, panelists noted that they have grown in scope and complexity, encompassing entire corridor improvement programs rather than stand-alone projects. Along the way, owners, developers and contractors have learned some hard lessons about risk allocation, especially as projects have evolved from mostly greenfield settings to metropolitan areas with often complicated utility issues.

“With de-risking, collaboration and lessons learned, there’s a market of contractors and designers who understand the project, are willing to invest, and know the project will be successful,” observed Tom Curtin, senior policy advisor with transportation developer Meridiam.

Faizan Habib, director of the Virginia DOT’s public-private partnership office, agreed, adding that good interface with the private sector has become extremely valuable.

“We do a lot of sounding before the program to see if there’s an appetite for the concept,” Habib said. “It helps us decide if we should pursue it or not.”

Still, given the large value and lengthy nature of public-private partnership programs, early public involvement and process-long transparency are essential, Habi said, adding that owners need “a nimble contract” to allow for enhancements, and to address changing conditions and needs.

“Once you sign a contract, the negotiations don’t stop,” agreed Greg Snider, director of the Texas DOT’s Alternative Delivery Division. “It’s a long-term relationship.”

Driving Forward with AVs

Autonomous vehicles continue to make small, albeit highly regulated inroads onto the nation’s streets and highways. Several conference sessions provided efforts on efforts to ensure the nation’s transportation is infrastructure is fully ready for their larger-scale deployment. Pavement markings are a particular concern, as they play a critical role in helping the vehicles make safe, predictable decisions.   

One National Cooperative Highway Research Program study underway is using field and simulator data to develop recommendations for the design and maintenance of pavement markings, as well as signs, signals and unique situations such as work zones. The study’s final report is due later this year. Other state- and manufacturer-sponsored research is evaluating attributes such as marking width and retro-reflectivity, and how future generations on onboard cameras and sensors will affect detection and vehicle response. 

Meanwhile, state and local regulators are addressing the challenge of overseeing the continued safe deployment of autonomous vehicles in their jurisdictions, protecting other transportation system users without unnecessarily constraining the technology’s evolution. San Francisco, a major center for autonomous vehicle testing and deployment, last year approved a conceptual framework for incremental, performance-based permitting of the vehicles to enhance transparency and manage public risk in their operation by tying deployment stages with performance on key safety metrics.