ILLINOIS TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH CENTER

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

ITRC PROJECT VD-H1, FY 04

NIGHTTIME CONSTRUCTION: EVALUATION OF LIGHTING GLARE FOR HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION IN ILLINOIS

KEYWORDS: Nighttime highway construction, illumination, lighting design

RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMENT

An increasing amount of highway repair and construction work in Illinois is being performed in the off-peak nighttime hours. Nighttime construction is advocated as a way to mitigate the impact of construction operations on the traveling public, shorten the duration of construction operations, and reduce the potential for work zone accidents. However, nighttime construction operations may in fact be more hazardous for both drivers and construction personnel. Statistics show that a higher percentage of nighttime drivers are impaired by drugs, alcohol, fatigue, or age-related vision impairments. Driver difficulty adjusting to the extreme changes in lighting level when entering a construction zone from a relatively dark roadway environment is of concern. Adequate placement of lights to illuminate the work may cause glare for drivers or equipment operators. The impact of lighting of construction operations at night on work zone safety was recently studied in the Illinois Transportation Research Center report “Nighttime Construction: Evaluation of Lighting for Highway Construction Operations in Illinois” (project VD-H1, FY00/01). The Illinois Department of Transportation will propose specifications for lighting of nighttime construction based on the recommendations of that report.

The “Nighttime Construction: Evaluation of Lighting for Highway Construction Operations in Illinois” study identified a number of significant research areas that require further in-depth analysis and investigation. This research includes developing practical tools for evaluating glare on nighttime construction sites and developing objective lighting design criteria for nighttime construction operations.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are:

1) To survey additional types of glare measurement practices currently being uses in the industry.

2) To evaluate and recommend objective lighting design criteria for nighttime construction to mitigate glare.

3) To develop practical tools for evaluating glare at nighttime construction sites and evaluate their performance with selected lighting arrangements that are common to nighttime construction.

4) To evaluate and recommend acceptable levels (maximum values) of glare and trespass light that take into account construction workers, the traveling public, adjacent property, and overall light reflection from the work zone.

DELIVERABLES

This project will require, at a minimum, the following deliverables.

1) A review of additional literature on glare and its effects as it would relate to construction work zone lighting at night, the impact of lighting on drivers and construction workers. This will be in addition to and supplement the literature collected as part of the “Nighttime Construction: Evaluation of Lighting for Highway Construction Operations in Illinois” study.

2) Based on the results of Deliverable 1 and previous research, develop, evaluate and recommend an objective and systematic approach for determining required illuminance levels for various nighttime construction activities. The objective approach can be developed using a similar concept utilized in the small target visibility procedure for roadway lighting design in Section 2.2.3.4 of the ITRC study.

3) Based on the results of Deliverable 1 and previous research, develop, evaluate and recommend a practical tool to be used to measure and quantify glare and trespass of light on nighttime construction projects.

4) Based on the results of Deliverable 3, recommend lighting arrangements to reduce glare and trespass of light for nighttime construction operations and provide recommended maximum levels.

5) In cooperation with the project Technical Review Panel, conduct a field evaluation of the performance of selected lighting arrangements designed to reduce nighttime glare and trespass of light. Videotaping and/or other presentation of these evaluations is required. The evaluation will include the impact of glare and trespass of light, and the tools for measuring those factors.

6) Based on the field evaluation, review the tools for measuring glare and trespass of light identified in Deliverable 3 and lighting arrangements identified in Deliverable 4 for possible modification and make final recommendations.

The researcher will prepare Interim Reports for each of the Deliverables and a Final Report that summarizes the findings, including all pertinent data, computer models, and presentation materials as appendices. A project schedule should be included in the proposal. It shall include proposed timing for delivery of the Interim Reports to the project’s Technical Review Panel and 15-day review periods for each. Quarterly Reports are required as noted in the attached FY 04 Proposal Guidelines. The Final Report is due 60 days prior to the end of the project contract (see Proposal Guidelines).

PROJECT TIME AND COST

This project will not exceed 24 months for completion at an ITRC/IDOT contract cost not to exceed $150,000 (total project cost = ITRC/IDOT contract cost plus a minimum of 15% of the total project cost as University Match). Researchers may select a project start date no earlier than May 16, 2004 and no later than August 16, 2004. Award of the contract is subject to the availability of funding as determined by the ITRC Executive Board.

MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING

A mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Friday, January 30, 2004, at the IDOT headquarters building in Springfield, third floor Conference Room (Room 342). All researchers interested in submitting a proposal are required to attend or send an authorized representative to this meeting. Proposals will not be accepted from researchers who do not attend or send a representative to this meeting. Researchers must register with ITRC via e-mail no later than 5 working days prior to the meeting so that an adequate number of handouts will be available.

PROJECT COORDINATION

The project will have a Technical Review Panel (TRP) comprised of IDOT and RTA personnel who will guide the research team. The proposal budget should include time for coordination meetings with the TRP not less than quarterly for the duration of the project.

IDOT contact: ITRC contact:

Chuck Abraham Dianne H. Kay or Steven J. Hanna

IDOT Division of Public Transportation Illinois Transportation Research Center

310 S. Michigan Avenue, 16^th Floor Engineering Building, Room 3052

Chicago, IL 60604 Edwardsville, IL 62026-1803

Phone (312) 793-3510 Phone: (618) 650-2972

abrahamcw@nt.dot.state.il.us dkay@siue.edu or shanna@siue.edu

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Proposals are to be submitted electronically (see Proposal Guidelines) and must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 1, 2004.

ILLINOIS TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH CENTER

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

FY 04

INTRODUCTION

The Illinois Transportation Research Center (ITRC) is a public-private-university joint cooperative transportation research unit financed through the Illinois Department of Transportation. The purpose of the Center is to conduct research in all modes of transportation to provide the knowledge and technology base to improve the capacity to meet the present and future mobility needs of individuals, industry and commerce of the State of Illinois. The research conducted by the Center shall include both short-term applied research in support of sponsor needs and basic research aimed at providing new tools, technology, materials and analysis techniques in the various modes and areas of transportation.

The Objectives of the Center are:

· To provide a Center to conduct high-quality transportation research involving governmental, educational and private agencies

· To take a lead role in transportation research nationally and internationally

· To provide opportunities for interdisciplinary exchanges through research, seminars, symposia and informal meetings

· To provide for expansion and further development of transportation research in colleges and universities in Illinois

· To expand research and educational opportunities for transportation students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at colleges and universities throughout Illinois

· To provide for the transfer of knowledge among transportation elements

· To advise and assist government, education and private agencies on issues related to transportation.

To meet the FY 04 Objectives, the Illinois Transportation Research Center has prepared requests for research proposals on several topics including bridge inspection and assessment, construction work zone operational issues, and nighttime construction issues. At this time, research proposals are requested for the following projects:

· Determining the State of the Practice in Structure Health Monitoring

· Establishing an Economic and Land Use Evaluation Framework for Commuter Park-and-Ride Facilities

· Nighttime Construction: Evaluation of Lighting Glare for Highway Construction Operations in Illinois

PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

To conform with IDOT contract format guidelines and for electronic submission, the following format is required.

Document must be in Microsoft Word

File Size – limited to one (1) MB and must be one document

Font Type – Arial, Font Size – 11

Margins – one (1) inch

Do not indent paragraphs and provide two spaces between paragraphs

Section Headings – All caps, underlined: Arial, 12 (no bolding)

No abbreviations – acronyms such as IDOT, ITRC, etc. may be used

No photographs (to minimize file size)

Tables and Figures should be limited and must be part of the single document file

The proposal format and content shall include:

A. A proposal summary not to exceed five (5) pages in length, including:

1. A clear statement of the scope of the research study, statement of work, and objective(s).

2. A listing of specific research tasks (Task A, Task B, etc.) with a summary of methodology.

3. A listing of specific project deliverables (in addition to the statements as shown in the example).

4. A timeline, as per the attached example, which must include sixty days for final report review. The Project Start Date may be considered as August 16, 2004 (the beginning of the fall semester) for the purpose of the timeline.

5. A statement regarding project coordination.

B. A description of the proposed research not to exceed fifteen (15) pages including:

1. Introduction and problem statement.

2. Objective(s) of the research.

3. Proposed techniques and methodology, using specific examples of proposed techniques.

4. Analytical techniques and procedures, using specific examples.

5. Project deliverables.

6. Form of results for presentation.

C. A budget per attached example. The line items will include:

1. Personnel Salaries:

· List senior personnel (faculty) by name and other personnel with percent time and wage rate or hourly rate as appropriate.

· List technicians by name or “skill” with respective percent time, or hours and dollar rate.

· List graduate assistants and their respective percent time and dollar rate.

· List student workers and their respective hours and dollar rate.

2. Fringe Benefits – list all fringe benefits and their respective percentage (include base) or dollar rate.

3. Equipment – Identify equipment by name and function with estimated cost per item. Justification for the need to purchase or fabricate any equipment for the project must be given in the Budget Narrative. Equipment purchased or fabricated as part of this project will become the property of the University upon acceptance of the Final Report by the Illinois Transportation Research Center unless specifically identified in the project Request-For-Proposal as remaining the property of IDOT. NOTE: THE PURCHASE OF PERSONAL COMPUTERS WITH PROJECT FUNDS IS NOT ALLOWED UNDER IDOT POLICY.

4. Travel – list specifics including number of trips, destination, purpose, estimated cost per trip detailing per diem, transportation, etc.

5. Commodities

6. Contractual Services

7. Computer Time – provide information on established university computer time rates, etc.

8. Other Direct Costs (list)

9. Indirect Costs (percentage and base)

10. University Matching Costs at 15% of Total Project Costs (minimum)

D. Budget Narrative – A narrative budget explanation shall be included and shall describe the proposed involvement of the principal researchers in supervision, directing research, report writing, etc.; the proposed roles for graduate students and student workers including percent time or hours; existing university resources committed to the project including equipment; justification for any equipment expenses including both purchased and fabricated equipment and how the equipment will be used; identify the need for travel including number of trips and estimated cost per trip; specify types of commodities required; justification for contractual services including any non-university personnel, equipment leases, and other services so classified; and an explanation of any charges for computer time.

The ITRC Research Committee has adopted the following policy with regard to non-university consultants:

“The use of consultants from the private sector on ITRC research projects is to be kept to a minimum in complying with the mission of ITRC support for university research. In some situations where it can be demonstrated that research expertise is not available in the university research community, consultants may be used; however, their use will normally be limited to a maximum of 20% of the personnel line item budget. All requests for use of an outside consultant must be justified in the budget explanation.”

E. References not to exceed two (2) pages.

F. A statement of professional experience or vitae for each principal researcher with each not to exceed three (3) pages in length, including publications.

CONTRACT PERIOD

The contract period will start with the effective date of each contract and continue on an individual contract basis as specified in the respective RFP. The contract period must include a 60-day time period for review of the final report. ITRC projects are funded under the Grant provisions of IDOT. In 30ILCS705/5 of the Illinois Grant Recovery Act, it specifically states that no grant funds may be made available for expenditure by a grantee for a period longer than two (2) years. All Deliverables for ITRC projects are due and funding will terminate as of the contract end date specified in the individual project contract and in no case shall exceed two (2) years. There will be no contract extensions past the two (2) year limit. Failure to provide Reports or Deliverables in a timely manner may be considered non-compliance and cause for contract termination and loss of funding.

REPORTS

Quarterly Reports: Quarterly progress reports describing the activities during the quarter with respect to the specific tasks identified in the project summary are required. The reports are to be a concise summary of the progress to date and must contain a statement indicating the overall percentage completion of the project. The reports are due within five (5) working days of March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. The reports are to be sent electronically to all Technical Review Panel members and ITRC. The Technical Review Panel may call a meeting with the researcher to monitor progress on the project after each quarterly report.

Interim Reports/Technical Memorandum: Interim Reports and/or Technical Memorandum will be due within 15 days of the completion of the Tasks included in the report requirements as given in the RFP and defined in the project timeline. The Technical Review Panel may call a meeting to review the contents of each Interim Report or Technical Memorandum with the researcher.

Final Report: Research shall be completed and the final report submitted in its completed form to the Illinois Transportation Research Center for review no later than sixty (60) days prior to the end date of the contract. The project Technical Review Panel shall have up to thirty (30) days for review and the researcher thirty (30) days to respond and submit a final copy of the report. The final copy must be an original in camera ready form and be accompanied by a CD disc with the report in both Word and PDF formats.

MATCHING REQUIREMENT

For FY 04 the university matching requirements are at least 15% of the total project costs (total project costs equal ITRC/IDOT portion plus University Match).

INVOICES

Billings must include the same line items as the submitted budget showing the approved budget amount, current expenditures, cumulative expenditures, and remaining balance for both the ITRC/IDOT contract amount and the University Match. Supporting documentation in the form of official university printouts must be included for all charges including those in the match. A maximum of 85% of the ITRC project costs will be paid prior to acceptance of the Final Report by the project Technical Review Panel and ITRC. A revised budget must be submitted to ITRC for approval if any line item exceeds the budget estimate by ten (10) percent. The ITRC may periodically ask for backup information on billings in line with usual accounting practices.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION

Each research proposal submitted will be evaluated on:

A. How the proposed research meets the Center Objectives,

B. Techniques and methodology,

C. Resources including staff, and

D. Cost

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Proposals must be submitted electronically to the Illinois Transportation Research Center at dkay@siue.edu and are due no later than Monday, March 1, 2004.

Only complete proposals received prior to 4:30 p.m. local time on Monday, March 1, 2004, will be considered.

EXAMPLE SUMMARY

The scope of this research study, Transportation Mode Systems, is to develop and evaluate a system that can function successfully as a transportation mode organized system. Both laboratory and field investigations will be involved to determine the effectiveness of the system. Influencing factors such as position, traffic direction, and system capacity will be evaluated. An important factor in the success of such a system is its effectiveness in both daytime and nighttime situations.

The specific research tasks are:

Task A: Evaluation of Existing Systems – Numerous types of systems now available for transportation mode use will be evaluated and a broad ranges of innovative new systems that could be adapted to transportation mode will be investigated. An Interim Report will be submitted to the project Technical Review Panel.

Task B: Laboratory Development and Evaluation – In this research task, a system that can be easily identified both in the daytime and at night will be developed and evaluated through laboratory experimentation and evaluation.

Task C: Fabrication of Prototype System – One or more prototype systems from the laboratory development and evaluation task will be prepared for field trial in consultation with the project Technical Review Panel. A Technical Memorandum summarizing the results of Tasks B and C will be submitted to the project Technical Review Panel.

Task D: Primary Field Evaluation – The system will be subjected to primary field evaluation through vehicle operators based at the University. The influence of position, traffic direction, and system capacity will be evaluated.

Task E: Final Report – A final report on research Tasks A, B, C, and D will be completed and delivered to ITRC for distribution to the project Technical Review Panel.

Deliverables: The project deliverables include the Interim Report, the Technical Memorandum, the Final Report, and Quarterly Reports. Quarterly Reports are due within 5 working days of March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year of the study. Interim Reports and Technical Memorandum are due 15 days after the task completion and final reports are due 60 days prior to the contract end date.

(List and briefly define each of the Deliverables)

Example Timeline: The project tasks will require 24 months for completion as shown below.

Months	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Task A

Interim Report

Task B

Task C

Technical Memo

Task D

Task E

Final Report Review