Background
Established in 2011, the No Boundaries group was created to promote innovation in roadway maintenance practices through a variety of technology transfer activities. Members exchange ideas to make a difference for all transportation employees.
No Boundaries is a pooled fund project sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration research arm that fosters collaboration within the transportation community, academia and industry to implement innovative roadway maintenance technologies into day-to-day practices. Increasingly, state departments of transportation (DOTs) are challenged to maintain highway facilities to fluctuating budgets, policies and unknown future issues. Maintenance is a long-term activity to extend the life of highways. One of the strategies for achieving longer life facilities is to use innovative maintenance technologies and practices.
In the last decade, DOT’s have begun actively sharing ideas more effectively. Idea programs like Colorado’s “Everyday Ideas” have been started at many of our 50 state DOT’s to share internal process improvements. These programs actively harness ideas to keep a competitive edge in the market place. No Boundaries shares ideas across all regional, district and state lines to solve today’s maintenance challenges. This project will assist in promoting successful technology transfer among participating DOTs, in which partner states will contribute and identify their innovations that can be used by other DOTs.
This forum gives a direct line of communication to District and Regional level Maintenance leaders outside of their own state DOT. The interaction can rapidly address the challenges facing DOTs with the adoption of new technologies and ideas. The implementation of cost effective research and new technologies is important to change how DOTs do business by improving their products and services. Implementation of innovations requires considerable resources (time and money) to integrate the technologies into the day-to-day business practices for DOTs. This project will promote promising ready to deploy innovations that can be used by other DOTs resulting in saved time and money for all agencies.
The focus will not include snow and ice operations, since the pooled fund TPF-5(218) Clear Roads Winter Highway Operations is covering that topic
Goals
Through this pooled fund project, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will work with other State DOTs to facilitate the implementation of promising maintenance innovations and technologies.
Resources will be provided for implementing the innovations that includes administration, marketing, travel, training and other technology transfer activities.
Goal #1 – Bi-Annual Meeting
Hold two (2) Technical Action Committee (TAC) meetings annually in member states. The face-to-face meetings are critical to discuss challenging issues and share common concerns and trends.
Goal #2 –Innovative Database
Maintain and keep updated searchable database or warehouse.
Goal #3 – Industry Showcase
Collectively engage Federal Highway Administration and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and industry in discussions and activities by being able to present or demonstrate innovations.
Goal #4 – Innovation Idea Tracking
Measure timesaving of pool fund idea-sharing technology transfer. This project will help DOTs to save time and money by not investing in the same research that has already been performed by other State DOTs. Hence rather than having each DOT identify and implement research separately, DOTs can work collectively through this pooled fund project.
Statewide