Two Portland State Students Receive Eisenhower Fellowships

Two PSU students were awarded Dwight D. Eisenhower transportation fellowships this month at the 104th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Kayla Sorenson and Ana Tijerina Esquino, both graduate students in civil engineering were presented with the awards by the US Department of Transportation. This was the second Eisenhower for Sorenson, who also received the fellowship last year.

"The fellowship is a huge motivator to keep working toward solutions that make our region safer and more resilient," said Tijerina Esquino.

"I consider it a special distinction as a geotechnical student to be awarded a transportation-focused fellowship.  I'm glad other people see value in my research and its potential to cross engineering disciplines," said Sorenson.

Two Online Data Workshops Coming Up:

Registration is first-come, first-served, and space is limited.

Introduction to APIs with PORTAL

Thursday, February 20, 1–4 PM, Pacific

Interested in APIs and how to use them? We are offering a free three hour introductory workshop about APIs that includes practical examples using PORTAL's API.

How To Format Count Data For BikePed Portal

Thursday, February 27, 11 AM–1230 PM, Pacific

Organizations and agencies interested in using BikePed Portal to host their manual count or short-term bicycle and pedestrian counts should attend this workshop. We will go over what metadata are required and how to format your data into an acceptable, machine-readable format to be ingested into BikePed Portal.

PSU Researchers To Develop Guide for the Design, Spacing, and Placement of Marked Crosswalks

Pedestrians are unlikely to use a marked crosswalk if it is too far out of their way. So how far is too far? Like so many other things in transportation engineering, the answer is dependent on the context. In this case, factors may include the surrounding roadway characteristics, traffic, and land uses; how far the person is walking; and how many streets they need to cross. Researchers at PSU are launching a new study to determine the optimal spacing between marked crosswalks. Based on their findings, the team will create a tool to inform transportation agencies when to add marked crosswalks (also known as zebra crossings) at unmarked intersections and midblock crossing locations. Funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the research team is led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and includes Joe Broach, Sirisha Kothuri and McNeil of PSU and Rebecca Sanders of Safe Streets Research & Consulting.

PSU Transportation Seminar: Preventing Carbon Emissions With Imaging-Based Civil Infrastructure Assessment And Evaluation

Friday, February 21,12 PM Pacific

For concrete bridges without existing plans, simplified and highly conservative load rating (structural evaluation) methods may be used, which can lead to unnecessary load restrictions, unjustifiable strengthening, or in the worst case, preventable replacements. Avoiding these outcomes not only saves money but it prevents carbon emissions from longer travel and construction activities and resources associated with replacement. In this presentation, Thomas Schumacher of PSU's Maseeh College will discuss a case study of a prestressed concrete bridge that required a load rating, and for which no plans existed. Using radar and ultrasonic measurements, researchers were able to complete a structural evaluation via a digital-cross section and determine that load restrictions were not necessary for the bridge.

PSU Transportation Seminar: Active Transportation Data Fusion: Incorporating Big Data to Estimate Volumes

Friday, March 14,12 PM Pacific

Planners and decision-makers have increasingly voiced a need for network-wide estimates of bicycling and walking. Such volume estimates have for decades informed motorized planning and analysis but have only recently become feasible for non-motorized travel modes. Recently, new sources of activity data have emerged derived primarily from GPS-based smartphone location data, both app-based and passively collected. The project team has led several research projects aimed at evaluating and integrating the emerging sources with conventional demand data, including observed bicycle and pedestrian counts, to assess the value added of various emerging sources and the potential for estimating network-wide volumes. In this seminar, Nathan McNeil, Sirisha Kothuri, and Joe Broach will summarize lessons learned and propose next steps for agencies and researchers who want to incorporate big data into active transportation volume / exposure estimates.

WTS February Speaker Series: PSU Transportation Research Panel

Tuesday, February 11, 5:30 PM Pacific

Join WTS Portland for a happy hour event with a panel of PSU researchers. Jennifer Dill will share findings from 15 years of research on the benefits of neighborhood greenways (aka bicycle boulevards). Nathan McNeil will share an evaluation of the new shared bicycle and pedestrian transit platform on the FX2-Division line. Sirisha Kothuri will share her work exploring data fusion techniques to derive network-wide bicycle and pedestrian volumes, and Jason Anderson will share research on pandemic freight regulatory relaxations and its impacts on safety. The panel discussion will focus on sharing their research and how it impacts the transportation industry. Registration includes a drink ticket and light snacks. For more local transportation events, sign up for WTS Portland's newsletter!

Study Abroad: Sustainable Transportation in Denmark

Program dates: June 21 - July 5, 2025
Application deadline: March 1, 2025

There's just over a month left to apply for our Sustainable Transportation in Denmark study abroad program, and there are still a few spots remaining! This two-week program offered through Portland State University (PSU) and the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) is open to college juniors/seniors and graduate students from any university as well as professionals, and includes an immersive experience to explore European approaches to cycling, transit, innovative mobility, and land use. An online information session was held last Friday, January 17. Watch a recording of it at the link below.

"By examining the biking strategies of Copenhagen... we can gain valuable insights into effective urban planning and cycling infrastructure," said one 2024 participant.

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

• Justin Timberlake joins Portland Bike Bus as special guest: After a viral plea last October for him to join the Bike Bus, Timberlake delivered on January 12 (Oregonian)

• 2025 Oregon Active Transportation Summit RFP is Open: The Street Trust is now accepting proposals for presenters at OATS 2025. Proposals are due by February 14.
• $5 Million for Sustainable Community Development Projects in Portland Metro Area: PBOT receives funding from the USDOT's Reconnecting Communities Grant.
• OR ITE Winter Workshop Call for Abstracts: Oregon ITE is seeking abstracts for this year's Winter Workshop, due by January 31. Students may submit abstracts here.
• Third Edition of NACTO Bikeway Design: See the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)'s newly updated Urban Bikeway Design Guide.
• Complete Streets: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released an Introduction to the Role of Operations Strategies and Treatments in Complete Streets Projects.

Transportation Research and Education Center, PSU

Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) is a multidisciplinary hub for all things transportation. We are home to the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), the data programs PORTAL and BikePed Portal, the Better Block PSU program, and PSU's membership in PacTrans, the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium. Our continuing goal is to produce impactful research and tools for transportation decision makers, expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engage students and professionals through education, seminars, and participation in research.