The US National Operations Centre of Excellence launches website

RSSIn the United States, the National Operations Centre of Excellence has officially launched a web site to provide the transportation sector with the latest knowledge and management tools.

Practitioners, researchers and policymakers will find on the site the latest resources and have the opportunity to discuss topics related to systems management and operations.

The centre launched its website at the 2774 Transportation Research Board annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in mid January. Click here to view the site.

"The TRB Annual Meeting is a fitting backdrop for the launch of this innovative new centre," said Bud Wright, executive director of the 3510 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

"Transportation professionals in general and our state Department of Transportation members in particular will benefit from the professional assistance, technical resources and support to be provided by the centre," said Wright, who also will be speaking at the upcoming Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit in Paris.

Wright’s presentation during the opening session on February 23 is entitled Communicating the Value of Preservation. He will be joined in the morning session by William Finerty, vice president of 178 Caterpillar and who will talk about a more sustainable paving and road building industry.

Also speaking on the first day will be Jacques Tavernier, president of the French road trades industries union, Union des Syndicats de l'Industrie Routière Française (1501 USIRF). Other speakers during the three-day event include Mark Harvey from Australia’s Department of Infrastructure, Christophe Nicodeme of the Paris-based 1202 European Road Federation, John Roberts of the International Grooving and Grinding Association in the US and Sun Bin at the Beijing Saint Ground Highway Technology Company.

Jean-Francois Corte, secretary general of the World Road Association (3141 PIARC), based in Paris, will open the conference. “What’s needed right now is at least a medium-term vision to embrace the right type of maintenance, a strong strategy,” said Corte.

“Because there has been insufficient maintenance, road networks are degrading faster. Many highways authorities don’t have this medium- or long-term approach to highway maintenance because they are bound by their government’s annual budgets.”

Importantly, attendees to the Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit in Paris next month will learn how, during these austere times, to put the business case forward to ensure more investment is forthcoming when and where it is needed most.

To find out more about the PPRS 2015 event and register, please visit the official 7924 PPRS 2015 website.

The NOCoE is a collaboration of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the 1606 Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America with support from the 2410 Federal Highway Administration.

"We know that by doing an optimal job of managing and operating our highways we can dramatically improve safety and travel-time reliability," said NOCoE Executive Director Dennis Motiani, the former assistant commissioner for transportation systems management for the 2555 New Jersey Department of Transportation. "I'm honored to be asked to lead the NOCoE effort," said Motiani.  "It's our goal to provide support and information about effective operations and management practices, so transportation agencies can better utilize taxpayer dollars."

The NOCoE will offer an array of peer exchanges, webinars, assessments, on-call assistance, and training on topics such as integrated corridor management, active traffic management, traffic management centers, and incident response.

"I am very proud that AASHTO and our partners conceived, planned, funded and launched the Center in just two years" said Don Hunt executive director or the 5406 Colorado Department of transportation and Chairman of the National Operations Center of Excellence Board of Directors. "The Center will be invaluable to a range of public and private entities working to improve the operational performance of the transportation system," said Hunt. "The knowledge sharing benefits of the Center are critically important as we enter a period of rapid technological shifts in transportation."

The 1606 Institute of Transportation Engineers provided specific assistance to the Center's website which was developed through the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2). The website includes case studies, a knowledge center, links to key sites, discussion forums, and a comprehensive calendar.

Thomas W. Brahms, ITE executive director and chief executive officer, said, "Our expectation is that the Center will provide resources to improve the transportation experience of the traveling public to enable them to get where they want to go in a timely, safe, and reliable manner. This new partnership brings together the transportation community's different perspectives by sharing best practices, good and bad experiences to form lessons learned as well as engaging a network of peers to improve the operation of the transportation system for all users."

4041 ITS America also provided significant guidance in the development of the Center. "ITS America is thrilled to have been a partner from the beginning in the planning, design, and implementation of the National Operations Center of Excellence," said Thomas E. Kern, ITS America's interim president and chief executive officer. "It is incumbent on all of us who have a stake in the transportation systems management and operations community to support all efforts to mainstream our work and ensure that we make an effectively managed road network integral to our work."

For more information, visit the National Operations Center of Excellence website, or email [email protected]