Volpe Center: Volpe Center Highlights

Information Resources

Volpe Center Highlights - January 1999

Human and Natural Environment

Protect and enhance communities and the natural environment affected by transportation.

Monitoring Customer Satisfaction

Ms. Marilyn Mullane, Chief of the Management Systems Division, provided updates of the Customer Satisfaction Monitoring System (CSMS) at the Volpe Senior Managers' meeting and the Management Team’s meeting. Ms. Mullane’s presentation included a status report on customer satisfaction interviews, results of the project-level interviews to-date, and an identification of the next steps in the process. With about 90% of scheduled project-level interviews completed, preliminary results show that four out of five project level customers said they came to Volpe, in part, because of the Center’s "technical expertise" and "accessibility to quality staff." The survey also showed that 44% of project-level customers gave an overall satisfaction rating of either "9" or "10," on a scale where "0" means "extremely dissatisfied" and "10" means "extremely satisfied." These results are an improvement over the 1994-1995 round 1 survey which found that 29% of Volpe’s project-level customers provided an overall rating of either "9" or "10".

Volpe Supports DOT Climate Change Task Force

For the transportation system, the safety, mobility, and economic impacts of adverse weather conditions are considerable. Moreover, the continued emission of greenhouse gases may lead to even more severe weather in the coming decades. As part of the Volpe Center’s ongoing support to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on researching the impacts of weather on transportation safety, Mr. Kevin Green, of the Transportation Strategic Planning and Analysis Division, recently presented a draft report on climate change to the DOT Climate Change Task Force. A revised report will be submitted by the Task Force to the Deputy Secretary to support deliberations of the Department's Guiding Coalition in late February or March. This work is in conjunction with Mr. Green’s position as Volpe Co-Executive Agent for the NSTC initiative on the Environment and Sustainable Communities.

Milestone Achieved in U.S. Army Watercraft Halon Replacement Program (USCG)

The Volpe Center has been providing ongoing technical and project management support to the U.S. Army Tank, Automotive, and Armament Command’s (ATCOM), Transportation Systems Management Office, Watercraft Program Manager. One project in which the Volpe Center was involved was researching, developing, and implementing a suitable replacement for the current Halon 1301 fire extinguishing system. Several water mist systems and alternative gaseous agents were tested for effectiveness in engine rooms and flammable storage spaces through a cooperative effort with the United States Coast Guard (USCG), Naval Research Laboratory, Hughes Associates, Factory Mutual, and various industry manufacturers. Results of these various test initiatives provided adequate data to aid in selecting a suitable Halon alternative for Army watercraft retrofits. The chosen solution was to install FM-200^TM (Hepta fluoropropane) total flooding, fire protection systems, coupled with additional water washdown systems (low pressure, fine spray, overhead deluge systems) for the purpose of overhead cooling and hydrogen fluoride gas removal. Recently, a major milestone was met with the successful installation of four prototype FM-200^TM systems. Extensive prototype testing was conducted to ensure the systems met safety and performance requirements. These included system functional testing and cold agent discharge tests in several critical spaces (main propulsion, thrusters, and electric generation). As a result of the testing, the equipment manufacturer, Kidde-Fenwal, and the Approval Authority, USCG, are re-designing and re-evaluating some of the system hardware to meet the required design parameters. Further work for the Volpe Center will include management oversight and acceptance testing on behalf of the USCG for production installations of approximately 60 additional watercraft worldwide.

Environmental Support Provided to the USPS

Through ongoing environmental work with the US Postal Services (USPS), the Volpe Center's Environmental Engineering Division currently supports the USPS Allegheny Area Asbestos Containing Building Material (ACBM) and Lead-Based Paint Projects. After assessing 250 sites in both Delaware and New Jersey to identify and locate ACBM and lead based paint, the Center produced reports for each of the 250 sites surveyed. Those sites found to be contaminated were documented with an additional Operations & Maintenance section which served to inform the District Environmental Coordinator, the Postmaster, and postal personnel about the location of potentially hazardous materials and, where necessary, suggest appropriate action. Eighteen classes were recently held at three locations, so all Postal supervisory and maintenance personnel received training in asbestos and lead paint awareness. Two training sessions were video taped for future training of new USPS personnel. Additionally, warning labels were installed at all facility locations where asbestos or lead paint were present.

ITS Transit Management Course Presented at Virginia Tech (FHWA/JPO)

The Volpe Center provides ongoing support for the Professional Capacity Building (PCB) program of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Joint Program Office. The PCB program was established to ensure that public transit, highway agency, and motor vehicle regulatory professionals have the necessary core competencies, as well as the knowledge, skills, and abilities to meet the challenges of deploying ITS as a key element of the 21^st century’s transportation system. As part of this effort, the Volpe Center's PCB team recently completed the first phase of a comprehensive training and education needs assessment. This effort confirmed that inadequate ITS professional capacity remains the largest non-technical barrier to the widespread deployment of ITS technologies in surface transportation. Moreover, the assessment identified the need to expand the definition of training to include such non-traditional methods as distance learning; technical assistance programs (such as scanning tours and the Peer-to Peer Program); and information dissemination programs. In support of the PCB Program, the Volpe Center developed a two-day course entitled "Transit Management Course." Recently, Ms. Sylvia Harris and Mr. Joseph LoVecchio, of the Telecommunications Division, directed and participated in the delivery of the "Transit Management Course" at Virginia Tech in Falls Church, VA.

Center Presents on Land Use and Transportation

As cities grow and the demand for transportation increases, changes in land use, traffic congestion, and air and water quality can be adverse. The Volpe Center, through its research on transportation and land use, has begun to identify key energy and environmental concerns. For example, the emissions caused by petroleum consumption contribute to both human health problems and global climate change. Cars, trucks, and other vehicles are major sources of carbon monoxide and of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides— all precursors of ozone and acid rain. Highways have been blamed for erosive and contaminated runoff and the destruction of wetlands. These issues, combined with the dramatic forecasts for growth in world population and transportation demand, have given environmental and energy concerns prominence on the national agenda. As part of this effort, Mr. Don Pickrell, of the Office of System and Economic Assessment, presented a paper entitled, "Transportation and Land Use: How Strong is the Connection?" at the TRB session, "Land Use and Transportation."

TRB Presentation on Noise Measurement

The Volpe Center is supporting the FAA by providing measurement expertise on problems associated with aircraft noise and by developing and maintaining a computer model for airport noise prediction and analysis. The Center is also supporting the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by developing an improved highway noise prediction model. Staff from the Safety and Environmental Technology Division shared their work in this area at this year’s TRB annual conference. Mr. Gregg Fleming chaired a TRB Committee on Transportation Related Noise and Vibration, Ms. Cynthia Lee, presented the paper entitled, "FHWA Highway Noise Barrier Design Manual," and Ms. Judith Rochat presented the video "Highway Traffic Acoustics." Before we enter the new millennium, we must concern ourselves with the steps that we must take to renew and strengthen our Federal workforce. The Volpe Center--and indeed the entire Federal government--is in the midst of a major human resource transition. A large number of those in Federal leadership and critical technical positions are eligible for retirement. This, coupled with minimal hiring during the downsizing years, has created a sense of urgency around succession planning and Federal workforce renewal. The Volpe Center is vigorously addressing workforce planning issues to ensure the future of the Center’s Federal technical capability. As we face this pressing issue together, we must work to see that critical knowledge is transferred to our successors to ensure the continued viability and vitality of the Volpe Center. I have challenged the Center's leadership to commit to achieving this goal and am confident that they will rise to the occasion. Over the course of the next five years, we will be faced with the challenge of recruiting and assimilating as many as 250 new Federal employees into our technical team. To meet the changing nature and demands of the 21st century marketplace, we will be hiring full time, permanent people.

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