Attendees at tables listen to speakers.
ODOT Director Matthew Garrett (second from right) listens to members of the Oregon Work Zone Executive Strategy Session Committee at a meeting held at Oregon State.

Regional organizations are working together to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes in work zones. In winter, Oregon State hosted the Oregon Work Zone Executive Strategy Session Committee with participants from the American Automobile Association, Associated General Contractors Oregon-Columbia Chapter, Oregon Trucking Associations, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Oregon State Police. Chaired by ODOT Director Matthew Garrett, the committee works to ensure safety and maintain mobility within work zones.

“Oregon State participates in the discussion by adding input based on our work zone safety research,” said John Gambatese, professor of construction engineering and OEG Faculty Fellow. “For example, last fall we ran experiments on case study projects to determine the effects of flashing blue lights on traffic speeds and recently reported the results to ODOT.” 

By collaborating with fellow committee members, Oregon State researchers can demonstrate capabilities and contribute statewide on improving work zone safety.

“This significant multifaceted collaboration is uncommon in other states,” said David Hurwitz, associate professor of transportation engineering and committee member.

Dylan Horne, a doctoral student in transportation engineering.
Dylan Horne

Doctoral student Dylan Horne is one of 20 graduate students in the nation to be selected by the Eno Center for Transportation (Eno) to attend the Eno Future Leaders Development Conference in Washington D.C. as an Eno Fellow.

“The conference is the next step in my journey as a transportation leader, advancing my understanding of national transportation decision makers and policy,” Horne said. “In Corvallis, I’m advocating for Vision Zero, a transportation policy that sets the safety of all road users as the highest priority for our transportation systems by striving for zero road fatalities or serious injuries.”

In Washingon D.C., the conference will include a week of meetings with federal officials and leaders of business and non-profit organizations and will provide graduate students with a first-hand look at developing national policies.

Locally, Horne leads the Benton County Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund committee, which is tasked with developing a framework to allocate new transit funding across the county.

“My leadership and innovative ideas are helping to create a data-driven process for new investment,” Horne said.

Additionally, Horne chairs the Corvallis Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, a citizen group advising the city council on active issues.

“My vision for a safer, healthier, sustainable transportation future is clear, and the Eno Conference will extend this conversation that I am having locally to a national forum,” Horne said.

About Eno

William Phelps Eno (1859-1945), a pioneer in his field in the U.S. and Europe, founded Eno in 1921. Mr. Eno promoted safe mobility by ensuring that traffic control became an accepted role of government and traffic engineering a recognized professional discipline.

Eno focuses on all modes, with the mission of cultivating creative and visionary leadership for the sector. It pursues this mission by supporting activities in three areas: professional development programs, policy forums, and publications.

2016 ITE Transportation Education Council Innovation in Education Award At the August 2016 Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) international annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., four members of the ITE University Transportation Curriculum Project (UTCP) including David Hurwitz, associate professor in transportation engineering, received the Transportation Education Council Innovation in Education award. Hurwitz, along with project members Kristen Sanford Bernhardt, Rod Turochy, and Rhonda Young received the national honor in recognition of their innovative work over the last seven years on challenges related to undergraduate transportation engineering education.

The group tackled their project by identifying barriers to the adoption of improved and innovative teaching methods, developing course materials, and building of a community of practice for transportation educators throughout the country. The group received their award not only for their innovative methods but also for their perseverance in absence of a funding stream.

“It has been a personally and professionally rewarding experience working with my colleagues, Drs. Young, Turochy, and Sanford Bernhardt, to produce an educational impact worthy of national recognition,” said Hurwitz.

University-based transportation engineering education plays an important role in the recruitment and development of transportation professionals. Through their efforts, the UTCP is working to attract and retain undergraduate transportation engineering students and better prepare them for practice or graduate school.