RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION REPORT
ARIZONA TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH CENTER
MARCH 2004
Arizona Department of Transportation
Welcome
The Arizona Transportation Research Center is
charged with directing the Arizona Department
of Transportation (ADOT) research program. An
integral part of a successful research program is
implementation of research results. This report
highlights research implementation from
calendar year 2003.
The ADOT research program is focused on
applied transportation research. As such, the
principal measure of its success is the extent to
which research results are carried out.
Implementation of research can take many forms,
from assisting decision-makers to improved
methods, materials and practices. Research
implemented during 2003 included completion of
a hazardous materials inventory which assisted in
preparation of a Pollution Prevention Plan,
development of transportation congestion
management strategies, and use of a new
integrated data management system.
Some research implementation had direct financial benefits. A study on the aging driver
population helped ADOT secure grant funding in the amount of $91,950 to study this issue in
detail with the intent of making roadways safer for older drivers. The study on the use of third
parties to conduct some Motor Vehicle Division transactions demonstrated that this results in
significant savings to ADOT. This is critical information when deciding whether to continue or
expand this program.
To gain the greatest value from the research performed it’s important to evaluate and learn from
the results of the research. This maximizes the benefits of completed research and improves the
selection and design of future research efforts.
Frank T. Darmiento, P.E., Manager
Arizona Transportation Research Center
2739 East Washington Street
mail: 206 S. 17th Avenue, Mail Drop 075R
Phoenix, Arizona 85007-3213
(602) 712-3134
fdarmiento@dot.state.az.us
Arizona Department of Transportation Research Implementation Report March 2004 1
About the Arizona Transportation Research Center
The Arizona Department of Transportation
(ADOT) conducts research on a wide range
of transportation topics. The Department's
research effort is administered by the
Arizona Transportation Research Center
(ATRC), which has immediate responsibility
for the management and conduct of
research. During 2003 the ATRC research
program was guided by two internal
Research Councils that provide direction on
research priorities, and a research Steering
Committee. The Steering Committee
provides policy guidance for the total
research effort.
The Arizona Transportation Research Center is located at 2739 East Washington
Street, Phoenix, Arizona. A list of ATRC staff is shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1 – ATRC STAFF
Frank T. Darmiento, P.E. – Manager & Product Evaluation (PRIDE) Program
Rosendo Gutierrez, P.E. – Research Project Manager
Estomih (Tom) Kombe, Ph.D., P.E. – Research Project Manager
Steve Owen, P.E. – Research Project Manager
Nick Samuelson – PRIDE Program Engineering Assistant
Larry Scofield, P.E. – Research Project Manager
John Semmens – Research Project Manager
Dale Steele – Librarian
Nate (Nathanael) Woolfenden – Field Technician
ATRC manages the ADOT transportation research program, including conducting in-house
research, coordinates the ADOT product evaluation program, houses and
operates the ATRC Library, and provides direct financial support for ADOT’s Local
Technical Assistance Program (LTAP).
Each year ATRC solicits research proposals throughout ADOT and the transportation
community. In meetings with individual offices or in Department-wide needs
assessment meetings, ADOT personnel are asked to suggest research pertinent to their
2 Arizona Department of Transportation Research Implementation Report March 2004
areas. ATRC also invites suggestions from academia, consultants, and industry.
Research suggestions are solicited through personal contact, newsletters, electronic
communications, and the Internet.
The ATRC research program is currently grouped into seven emphasis areas. These
areas are:
• Environment
• Intelligent Transportation Systems
• Maintenance
• Materials and Construction
• Planning, Administration, Motor Vehicles, and Information Technology
• Structures
• Traffic and Safety
New projects are assigned to one of these areas. A project manager is assigned to
each project. Technical advisory committees are formed for each project to work with
the project manager on developing work scopes, reviewing and guiding the progress of
the research, and reviewing the final report.
Student Research Outreach
The ATRC research program incorporates the use university students wherever
possible. Each year ATRC allocates up to $100,000 for small budget projects ($15,000
or less) that often provide opportunities to contract university students for transportation
research. ATRC enthusiastically encourages future transportation professionals and
offers students the opportunity to learn first hand about the role of research and
technology in the Nation's transportation system, and the variety of available
transportation career options. The results have been high quality research that makes
effective use of the ATRC research budget while providing valuable professional
experience for students.
Arizona Department of Transportation Research Implementation Report March 2004 3
Research Implementation
During calendar year 2003, 12 research projects were completed under ATRC
management. (Appendix A includes a list of these projects.) All these projects are
examples of applied research. As such, implementation of the research results is the
ultimate measure of the success of the research.
Implementation may range from assisting an entity in making a decision, to a change in
operational strategies or activities. The results of the Hazardous Materials Inventory
Status and Action Plan for ADOT (SPR-509) research assisted ADOT in complying with
environmental laws at a cost of under $30,000. Penalties for violating these laws could
extend to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The results of the $12,898 study, Highway
Facilities for an Aging Arizona Population (SPR-486), enabled ADOT to secure a grant
of nearly $92,000 to study this problem in depth.
This report highlights some of the key research implementation activities that occurred
during 2003. The discussion is grouped by research emphasis area.
Knowledge is not achieved until shared.
4 Arizona Department of Transportation Research Implementation Report March 2004
ENVIRONMENT
SPR-509, Hazardous Materials Inventory Status and Action Plan for ADOT
Project Cost: $29,575
Summary: In order to comply with regulatory requirements ADOT needed to
develop an internal statewide inventory of hazardous materials quantities used,
purpose, and disposal methods. Results of the inventory were intended to form
the basis for a “Pollution Prevention Plan” (P3) to limit unnecessary hazardous
materials use, and to train employees in finding and using less hazardous
alternatives.
Implementation: ADOT has completed and submitted a Pollution Prevention
Plan. The inventory indicated that ADOT reached the threshold requiring
compliance with this requirement. The Plan was developed as part of the
research effort. The documentation gathered in this study provides a framework
for future development of the similar evaluations and plans, and further
exploration of the subject. This year the Environmental and Enhancement Group
will use the same framework to satisfy the statutory documentation requirements.
Arizona Department of Transportation Research Implementation Report March 2004 5
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
SPR-542, Congestion Management Strategies
Project Cost: $100,000
Summary: The project developed an ADOT database of congestion
measurements and mitigation tools, which will be very significant if and when
implemented. This was an ADOT Core Team (Executive Management) urgent
project to identify appropriate congestion measures for rural and urban highways
in Arizona. The effort involved a team of consultants and university research
groups, including the Texas Transportation Institute. The team determined a
unique Arizona approach based on ADOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems
(ITS) infrastructure and related resources to monitor traffic flow in rural areas.
They developed a Microsoft Access database of approximately one hundred
congestion mitigation strategies deemed valid and of value for rural and/or urban
Arizona conditions.
Implementation: The database was assigned by the Core Team to the
Transportation Planning Division (TPD). While not implemented immediately on
a stand-alone basis, it is a resource in use by TPD and its consultants on long-range
planning activities since late 2002.
6 Arizona Department of Transportation Research Implementation Report March 2004
PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION
SPR-486, Highway Facilities for an Aging Arizona Population
Project Cost: $12,898
Summary: This research aimed at facilitating measures to improve highways for
older drivers. Data was gathered on elderly users of highway facilities in order to
ascertain their special needs and determine the extent to which these needs are
currently being met. Increased life expectancies combined with declining
birthrates mean that people over 65 years of age will comprise larger proportions
of the population. In Arizona, over 99% of personal travel is made in owner-operated
automobiles.
Implementation: The immediate outcome of this research was Arizona’s
successful competition for a federal grant to set up a demonstration project on
US 60 near Sun City to study this issue in detail. The grant amount is $91,950
($73,560 in Federal and $18,390 State funding). In the long run the
improvements made to better accommodate older drivers are expected to reduce
the frequency of crashes. This will save money and lives. Each future fatality
avoided saves over a million dollars, each incapacitating injury crash avoided
saves over $50,000, each non-incapacitating injury crash avoided saves over
$17,000, each possible injury crash avoided saves nearly $10,000 and each
property damage-only crash avoided saves over $6,000.
SPR-515, Program and Project Financial Management Needs Assessment
Project Cost: $139,978
Summary: The ADOT accounting software does not report all construction-related
costs budgeted in the Five-Year Highway Construction Program for the
current fiscal year. Therefore there is not a direct correlation between the
Highway Construction Program budgeted and the related costs of the Program.
The research evaluated ways to review project costs on a regular basis to
determine the appropriateness of costs being charged to those projects and
estimated costs to complete for the purpose of requesting additional budget, if
needed. The research also looked at ways to add construction contract change
orders to the Contract Accounting system.
Implementation: A total of 78 recommendations were identified and
documented from focus group meetings, executive interviews, and the responses
to the ADOT internal survey. The requirements for the financial improvements,
those that have a direct impact on improving project budgeting and accounting
Arizona Department of Transportation Research Implementation Report March 2004 7
processes and systems were identified. Financial improvement projects and
phases were developed to address related groups of requirements.
During the process of identifying requirements the contractor determined that
ADOT’s financial system (ADVANTAGE) meets many of ADOT’s financial
reporting needs. Requirements identified for project budgeting, accounting, and
reporting would not necessarily be fully met by implementing a replacement
system. In addition, implementing a new financial and project accounting system
or even upgrading the current ADVANTAGE system is viewed as cost prohibitive.
Future implementation may focus on financial improvements that can be
implemented by enhancing the current system.
SPR-517, Evaluation of Integrated Document Management System (IDMS) Options
for ADOT
Project Cost: $100,000
Summary: This research was aimed at improving ADOT document retrieval and
management. The objective of the research was to evaluate the concept of an
Integrated Document Management System (IDMS). The IDMS would bring
together the various document types in a software solution that would make
corporate information accessible via ADOT’s Intranet. It would be a
comprehensive solution to managing all documents for both enterprise and line-of-
business applications.
Implementation: Based on the analysis and research into the IDMS
deployments at ADOT it was recommended that IDMS implementation proceed
in the application areas with highest impact, visibility, and need for the IDMS
solutions. The ADOT Bridge Group already has implemented a document
management system. The Motor Vehicle Division is now taking steps toward
implementing a similar system.
SPR-539, Third Party Transaction Cost-Benefit Analysis
Project Cost: $25,000
Summary: Third parties are private or public entities authorized by the Motor
Vehicle Division (MVD) to provide services to the public that otherwise would be
done in a Motor Vehicle Division field office. These services include motor
vehicle title and registration transactions, driver license testing and application
processing, and vehicle identification number verification inspections on out-of-state
vehicles transferring to Arizona. The research quantified the benefits and
cost savings of third parties in offloading work and expense from MVD.
8 Arizona Department of Transportation Research Implementation Report March 2004
Implementation: The research showed that the cost per transaction for MVD
Customer Service is $10.66 versus $9.54 for Third Party (a savings of over $2.1
million per year). In addition to the cost savings of the Third Party Program, the
Program provides a number of significant intangible benefits, such as: reduced
wait times in existing Customer
Service offices, more convenient
hours and days of service
availability, reduced customer
travel time and improved
customer goodwill, reduced need
for new buildings, MVD staff, and
equipment, improved image of
MVD responsiveness, process
improvement, and demonstrated
success of e-government and
private-public partnerships.
Research: The relentless pursuit of excellence.
Appendix A
List of Projects Completed During 2003
Project # Project Title
439 Pasco Digitization
482 Evaluation of In-Service Highway Safety Features
486 Highway Facilities for an Aging Arizona Population
499 An Environmentally Sound Noise Reduction System
509 Hazardous Materials Inventory Status and Action Plan for ADOT
511 Best Project Management Practices for ADOT
515 Program and Project Financial Management Needs Assessment
517 Evaluation of Integrated Document Management System (IDMS)
Options for ADOT
526 Coordination of Commercial Vehicle Data Collected by Automatic
Traffic Counter (ATC) & Weigh-In-Motion (WIM)
539 Third Party Transaction Cost-Benefit Analysis
542 Congestion Management Strategies
554 Light Use Study for Vertical Channelization Devices
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Arizona Transportation Research Center
2739 East Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85034-1422
Mailing address:
Arizona Transportation Research Center
206 S. 17th Ave., Mail Drop 075R
Phoenix AZ 85007-3213
Phone: (602) 712-3134
Fax: (602) 712-3400
E-mail: fdarmiento@dot.state.az.us
Internet: www.dot.state.az.us/about/atrc/index.htm
