Volpe Center Highlights - June/July 2001
Safety
Director's Notes |
Focus |
Safety |
Mobility |
Human and Natural Environment |
Economic Growth and Trade |
National Security |
Papers and Presentations |
Awards
Promote public health and safety by working toward the elimination of transportation-related deaths, injuries, and property damage.
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Volpe Staff Member Chosen for Committee on Weather Radar Technology Beyond NEXRAD
Dr. Thomas Seliga of the Surveillance and Sensors Division has been chosen to serve on the National Research Council's (NRC) Committee on Weather Radar Technology Beyond NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar). The NRC's Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate charged this Committee to study the state of knowledge regarding ground-based weather surveillance radar technology and to identify the most promising approaches for the design of the replacement for the present NEXRAD Doppler Weather Radar.
Weather radar, a vital element of the nation's surface-based observing systems for monitoring the state of the atmosphere, is critical for weather forecasting and warning. The current NEXRAD system of weather radars, which was designed in the 1980s, was procured in the1990s via a joint-agency
procurement by the National Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the U.S. Air Force. Its operation has proven critical to the quality and operational integrity of many related services, including severe weather monitoring and warning, and safe and efficient operation of the National Airspace System. Thus, there is great value in planning for replacement of the current system, including consideration of the benefits of new technologies. Dr. Seliga has been a radar meteorology pioneer in one of these technologies, the use of polarimetry to improve quantitative rainfall estimation, to detect hail, and to discriminate among various types of hydrometeors. He also has been actively involved in several FAA-related applications of weather systems that include the NEXRAD system. Dr. Seliga attended the first meeting of the Committee on April 23 and 24, 2001, in Washington, DC. The meeting was held to review current operational uses of the NEXRAD system by representatives of the National Weather Service, the FAA, and the Department of Defense, and to plan for future activities.
Volpe Submits Report on Grade Crossing Improvements to Congress (FRA)
North Carolina DOT believes that median barriers have proven to be a low-cost investment with a high rate of return in safety at grade crossings. The barriers reduce drivers' ability to drive around lowered gates. |
As delays on roadways and at airports continue to increase, high-speed rail may offer a cost-effective alternative form of transportation. The Volpe Center actively supports the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in determining if higher train speeds in rail corridors will affect safety. As part of this effort, Volpe staff assessed recent grade crossing improvements on the State of North Carolina's high-speed rail "Sealed Corridor." The Sealed Corridor is one of several high-speed corridors included in an ISTEA/TEA-21 program for eliminating hazards at highway-railroad crossings. The assessment report was requested by Congress to determine if the grade-crossing safety improvements in North Carolina are effective and sustainable and could be implemented on other high-speed rail corridors in the country.
Four-quadrant gate systems are sometimes used with a median barrier to further deter violations. |
In May 2001, Ms. Anya A. Carroll of the High-Speed Ground Transportation Division transmitted to the FRA's Office of Railroad Development the final report titled "North Carolina Sealed Corridor' Phase I: U.S. DOT Assessment Report, Report to Congress." The report documents the benefits of the Sealed Corridor initiative and improvements completed at highway-rail grade crossings from March 1995 through September 2000. Improvements include median barriers, four-quadrant gates, longer gate arms, crossing closures,
a grade separation, and a photo enforcement system. The study concluded that the improvements to grade crossings were cost effective and saved lives. Furthermore, the study predicted that, even with increasing passenger train speeds in the future, savings in lives will continue and are sustainable through the year 2010, when train speeds along the corridor should reach 110 mph. The FRA and the Volpe Center will monitor the remaining phases of the Sealed Corridor project to determine effectiveness. Other high-speed rail corridors also will be analyzed in the future.
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