AASHTO RAC Region 4 Monthly Teleconference

September 18, 2014

Participants:

Present / Name / Organization
Carolyn Morehouse / Alaska DOT
Yes / Thor Anderson for Jean Nehme / Arizona DOT
Anne Ellis - non-voting / Arizona DOT
Coco Briseno – Vice Chair / California DOT
Pete Zaniewski / California DOT
Wayne Kawahara / Hawaii DOT
Yes / Ned Parrish / Idaho TD
Yes / Sue Sillick / Montana DOT
MostafaJamshidi / Nebraska DOR
Yes / Ken Chambers - Secretary / Nevada DOT
Scott McClure / New Mexico DOT
Robert McCoy / New Mexico DOT
North Dakota DOT
Yes / Ron Curb / Oklahoma DOT
Gary Hook - non-voting / Oklahoma DOT
Yes / Michael Bufalino / Oregon DOT
Yes / Dave Huft / South Dakota DOT
Texas DOT
Yes / Cameron Kergaye - Chair / Utah DOT
Yes / David Stevens - non-voting / Utah DOT
Yes / Leni Oman / Washington DOT
Yes / Rhonda Brooks / Washington DOT
Yes / Enid White for Tim McDowell / Wyoming DOT
Ye / Allison Hardt / Maryland SHA

Agenda Items

1. The minutes from the August 21, 2014RAC were reviewed and approved. Cameron Kergaye presented a new process regarding posting of the minutes: he will ask the Secretary to have the minutes reviewed by two attendees, and if complete send them to Natassja to be posted on the AASHTO SCOR/RAC web page so the minutes are available within a couple days of the meeting. This month the reviewers will be Cameron and Ned Parrish as Coco Briseno is absent.

2. Allison Hardt, Maryland State Highway Administration presented the updated: RAC Mentoring Program.The new Guidelines, along with checklists for mentors and mentees will be reviewed annually and updated as needed by the Administration task force.

3. The performance indicators discussion was postponed.

4. Michael Bufalino discussed the 2015 summer RAC meeting progress: the 2014 agenda aligns favorably with the available conference space in Portland; there may even be a bit more space than was available at the 2014 meeting. Dave Huft confirmed that he has recently been added to the RAC leadership listserv, and can participate in the RAC Leadership teleconferences for updates.

5. Ken Chambers gave highlights from the September 11, 2014 RAC Leadership teleconference:

  • AASHTO Technical Service Program invoices were sent in early July [for the July 1-June 30 AASHTO fiscal year]. Lists of SPR-eligible programs were also sent. Two programs (TRAC and RIDE) are in critical condition and may dissolve.
  • Sixteen CEOs are drafting a strategic plan for AASHTO. Sue Sillick will see about getting a copy for RAC 4, or at least more details.
  • Honda presented an autonomous vehicle at the ITS World Congress in Detroit. News.
  • The Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) initiative has been adopted by AASHTO and others, including the National LTAP Association and the National Association of County Engineers.
  • Cynthia Gerst will be sending out detailed survey results from the 2014 RAC meeting to AASHTO leadership.
  • Mark Norman will be sending out TRB Standing Committee travel instructions.
  • NCHRP problem statements due Monday, September 15, 2014.
  • Apportionment tables are expected to be out mid-October.
  • John Moulden announced that there will be a pooled-fund webinar this fall.
  • FHWA Division Offices have been asked to report their three biggest issues in each state; the hope is to address major or common issues in broad strokes.
  • Ken asked if there had been follow-up on a question in the July meeting by Cynthia Gerst about tuition being eligible for SPR funding. Mr. Moulden confirmed that tuition was not SPR-eligible.

There was significant discussion about this item. Each state in Region 4 currently allows tuition for students working on research projects with varying restrictions. It was pointed out that the students’ theses or dissertations are often the final product of a research project. It was agreed this is a bigger issue than the effects on Region 4: Michael Bufalino will raise the issue at the September 30 Administration Task Force meeting, and Cameron will bring it up at the national/leadership level.

  • Sue Sillick asked about support from NCHRP for RAC (website hosting and maintenance, etc.) Chris Jenks suggested a problem statement for a specific dollar amount and tasks/services.
  • Mark Morvant will be retiring in January.

6. Topics for next month.

  • Leni Oman will discuss Washington’s recent peer exchange.
  • [Maybe Pete Zaniewski can talk about performance indicators since he was unable to attend today.]

6. Open Q&A:

  • Ned Parrish and Coco Briseno have submitted a problem statement via Conduct of Research about organizational readiness to accept innovation and would appreciate support from Region 4.
  • Leni has submitted a problem statement to update the Transportation Thesaurus, and another to address open data requirements for research using SPR money and guidance to administer data and deal with IP issues.
  • Sue Sillick in Montana has submitted a problem statement with Michigan regarding differential speed limits.
  • Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and South Dakota have also submitted NCHRP problem statements.

Our next conference call is scheduled for Thursday, October 16th (10:00 Hawaii Time, 11:00 Alaska Time, 12:00 Pacific Time, 1:00 Mountain Time, and 2:00 Central Time)

Please e-mail potential agenda items to Cameron.