The assessment and evaluation of the impacts caused by new highway, rehabilitation or improvement

projects, in terms of the operational aspects of mobility and accessibility and the environmental

considerations, have been effectively promoted to the road development and transportation

community since the late 1950’s. In contrast, the assessment and safety performance evaluation of the

road geometric design and roadway condition alternatives has had limited progress in the state of the

practice. The identification and selection of roadway design elements and safety countermeasures

have relied substantially on recommended practices or the intuitive application of the safety

treatments based on past experiences from local or national projects, without the use of data and

scientific methods.

Objective of the 1st Edition of the Highway Safety Manual

The Highway Safety Manual (HSM), published in the year 2010 by the American Association of State

Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), provides highway engineers with a series of analytical

tools that incorporate quantitative methods and the accepted procedures needed to estimate the level

of safety of future design alternatives at different stages of highway development projects. These tools

will allow highway agencies to establish effective safety management systems through the use of

informed decisions sustained with crash and safety data and with the identification of the costs and

benefits of the possible alternatives. (article continues on page 4)

In this Issue

EELL PPUENTEUENTE Newsletter of the Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer Center University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Volume 25, Number 01, 2011

New technical resources

in our library:

● APTA. April 2010. Pub-

lic Transportation Fact

Book.

● NHTSA. 2010. Speed

Enforcement Program

Guidelines.

● NHTSA. 2010. Speed

Enforcement Camera

Systems Operational

Guidelines.

● NHTSA. 2010. Motor-

cycle Crash Causes and

Outcomes: Pilot Study

The Manual provides information and data-driven scientific methodologies for

the estimation of impacts from road safety project alternatives.

The Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer Center is part of a network of 58 centers through the United States that com-prises the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and the Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP), which enable local gov-ernments, counties, and cities, to improve their roads and bridges by supplying them with a variety of training programs, an infor-mation clearinghouse, new and existing technology updates, personalized technical assistance, and newsletters.

AASHTO Publishes 1st Edition of the Highway Safety Manual

AASHTO Publishes 1st Edition of the Highway Safety Manual

P.1

Bicycles in the City: The Experience of the “Ciclo Vías”

P.2

Online Discussion Forum and Estima-tion Spreadsheets for HSM Users

P.5

Center News P.6

UPRM Students Stand out at the 2011 TRB Annual Meeting

P.6

Ten Tips to Motivate your Employees at Work

P.7

Safety Principles for Flaggers on High-way Work Zones

P.8

Resources Available to Improve Rural and Local Road Safety

P.9

Future Seminars and Conferences P.10

Know your Trainer P.10

Message from the Editor P.11

Bicycles in the City: The Experience of the “Ciclo Vías”

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 2

“Ciclo vía”, “ciclo ruta”, “bici-carril”, “carril-bici” or

“bici-senda”: Spanish terms given to bikeways, or

the part of the public roadway infrastructure or

other trails or paths reserved for the exclusive or

shared traffic movements of bicycles, pedestrians,

skates, and other non-motorized transportation

modes. The “Ciclo vía” could be placed on any

roadway lane that has been temporary signalized

for this purpose in a proper manner, or on an

exclusive right-of-way for the only purpose of

serving bicycle traffic.

“Ciclo Vías” in Colombia

The “Ciclo vía”, as known in Colombia, is an activity

held on every Sunday and public holiday in the

cities of Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. The city of

Bogotá first gave the name of “Ciclo vía” in 1975 to

the practice of temporary closing of streets in the

major avenues of the city in order to provide

spaces to the population for recreational and sport

activities during the weekends. The objective of

the street closing was to also motivate people to

travel in bicycle to the city to ride and play. There

are other recreational end entertainment events

along the “Ciclo vía”, such

as fit workouts and

aerobics contests, extreme

sports, yoga classes, and

musical events.

The “Ciclo vía” in Bogotá

has a total length of

120 kilometers of routes

and is being held on

Sundays and public holidays from 7AM to 2PM.

Tipically, near 2 million people enjoy the activities.

During special holidays, such as Christmas, the

“Ciclo vía” is organized for the entire day, ending at

midnight.

“Ciclo Vías” in México

Mexico City has developed three “Ciclo vía”

circuits in the urban area. One of the circuits has a

total length of 59 kilometers, and is located over

the right of way of the México – Cuernavaca

Railroad, going from the “Ejército Nacional”

Avenue in the Polanco neighborhood to the “Fierro

del Toro” neighborhood in the State of Morelos.

Another circuit was opened in the Chapultepec

Park going over three sections of the park. The

third circuit goes from the Chapultepec Park to the

“Zócalo” area in Mexico City through the “Paseo

de la Reforma” Avenue. The “Paseo de la

Reforma” is one of the most important and

congested avenues in the city, providing evidence

of the government commitment with non-

motorized transportation alternatives and

recreational options to the residents of this 20

million metropolis.

Other cities in Mexico, like Guadalajara, have

follow the example of the Federal District

successfully implementing the “Ciclo vía” concept.

The Region of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo has integrated

the “Ciclo vía” with the natural features of the

region connecting

the resort area in

Ixtapa through the

coastal area. The

region of

Tulancingo has five

“Ciclo vías” that

cross the cities of

Tulancingo, Santiago

Tulantepec and

Cuautepec de

Hinojosa.

“Ciclo Vías” in Madrid, Spain

Madrid has had difficulties implementing the “Ciclo

vía” concept due to the belief of the governments

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 PUERTO RICO TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER 3

that the city of Madrid was not built for bicycle

travel. The Madrid Pro-Bici Association,

composed of different stakeholders of bicycle

groups in the city, was created with the objective

of promoting the use of bicycles in the city and

inform the government about the “Ciclo vía”

experience in other cities. Today, Madrid has

implemented many kilometers of bikeways

surrounding the city with the expectation of

establishing

bike stations

throughout

Madrid.

“Ciclo Vías” in the United States

The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, opens its

Memorial Drive Avenue for the exclusive

movements of bicycle and pedestrian traffic

during Sundays between the months of April and

November since the 1990’s.

The city of New York carried out “Ciclo vía”

activities through three Saturdays in the years

2008 and 2009, converting around 7 miles of

roadways, from 96th Street to the Brooklyn

Bridge, to exclusive bicycle and pedestrian routes

from 7AM to 1 PM.

The city of Miami had its first “Ciclo vía”, called

Bike Miami, in November 2008. Miami became

the first city in the United States in March 2009 in

having five “Ciclo vía” activities. This monthly

activity called Miami Days looks to promote

livable streets and a sustainable city, in addition

to promoting people to walk and use the bicycle

as transportation

options.

The city of San

Francisco carries

out “Ciclo vía”

events called

Sunday Streets since 2008. This monthly activity,

held during a Sunday, consists of closing out 3 miles

of the Embarcadero Street to motorized traffic. In

addition to the “Ciclo vía”, there are different

activities held

along the street,

like bike riding

lessons, dance

classes, music

events,

entertainment

machines and

kiosks with food

samples from street merchants.

The “Ciclo Día” in Ponce, Puerto Rico

The Municipality of Ponce held its “Ciclo día” event

on January 16, 2011, as part of the transportation

project called “Sistema Integrado de Transportación

del Sur” (SITRAS), that is expected to start

operations by summer.

The system will connect

different neighborhoods

with the urban district of

the city by using buses

and tourist shuttles,

providing daily service

for 12 hours free of

charge.

The integration of the “Ciclo vía” to SITRAS was the

starting point to the “Ciclo Día” event, serving as a

rehearsal. This activity is planned to be held

monthly, by petition of those persons that have

made the bicycle part of their routine and quality of

life.

(article continues on page 7)

“A high-quality

city is not the

one with the

biggest streets,

but the one that

allows children

to go every-

where by bicycle

in a safe man-

ner.”

Enrique Peñalosa,

Former Mayor of

Bogotá

AASHTO Publishes 1st Edition… (from page 1)

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 4

HSM CONTENTS

The HSM is organized in four parts:

Part A - Includes an introduction to HSM and

provides the scientific basics associated with the

human factors and theoretical concepts that are

incorporated in the tools and analytical

methods.

Part B - Includes the tools and methods

necessary to support the highway safety

management systems. These chapters contain

information about how to perform an

assessment of the road network, how to

perform the diagnostics of the safety issues and

how to identify and perform the economic

evaluation of the safety countermeasures. In

addition, this part contains tools to establish

priorities between the road alternatives and

how to assess the effectiveness of the safety

measures.

Part C - Includes the predictive methods with

the application of safety performance functions

for:

Two-lane rural highways,

Multiple lane rural highways, and

Urban and suburban arterials.

Part D - Includes the crash modification factors

(CMF) that were available in 2007. The included

CMFs in the HSM were submitted to a rigorous

assessment to assure their validity for the

evaluation of the safety performance. CMFs

were included in the HSM for the following

conditions:

Road segments,

Intersections,

Interchanges,

Special facilities, and

Highway networks.

For more information about HSM and how to

purchase the manual please visit the AASHTO

Internet site at:

The HSM is the direct result from the completion

of multiple recent scientific research studies.

These studies were directed to the identification

of the roadway crash frequency and severity

factors for different highway functional classes.

In addition, the HSM uses analytical tools for the

evaluation, analysis, and assessment of the

safety impacts from road design alternatives.

The development of the HSM was carried out by

a group of experts from the Transportation

Research Board, the National Cooperative

Highway Research Program, and researchers

from renowned universities that helped establish

the scientific focus of the Manual.

Instead of being prescriptive, the HSM provides

tool that can predict the crash reduction

potential of safety decisions taken during the

road planning, programming, design, operation

or maintenance stages. These tools are

presented in the Manual by discussing their

strengths and limitations.

The HSM is directed toward highway engineering

officials, from state, county and local agencies,

and regional and metropolitan planning

organizations in the United States.

HSM APPLICATIONS

The expected benefits from the implementation

of the HSM should include reductions in road

crashes and costs due to the enhancement of the

decision making process and the effectiveness of

the selection process of safety countermeasures

made by highway engineers.

System Planning

Identify needs and

program projects

Project Planning & Preliminary Engineering

Identify alternatives and choose the preferred solution

Design & Construction

Develop design plans and build project

Operations & Maintenance

Modify existing conditions to maintain and improve safe and

efficient operation

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 PUERTO RICO TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER 5

NCHRP Project 17-38 has made available to HSM users three sample spreadsheets to help in the training

efforts of Part C of the Manual. The sheets include examples of the procedures and calculations of the

crash predictions for two-lane and multiple lane rural highways, and urban and suburban arterials.

Online Discussion Forum

and Estimation Spread-

sheets for HSM Users

The online discussion forum allows

HSM users to interact and consult

possible applications and use of the

manual. In addition, the forum

shares discussions about users’

experiences with

HSM.

The spreadsheets can be modified by trained professionals in the use of HSM to meet the particular needs

of the highway agency. For questions or comments about the calculation sheets please contact Karen Dix-

on from Oregon State University at (541) 737-6337 or by e-mail at karen.dixon@oregonstate.edu.

The information in the fo-

rum is freely available to the

general public. The only re-

quirement to participate is

the completion of the online

registration process.

AADTMAX = 17,800 (veh/day)

Right Shld: 4 4

Right Shld: Gravel Gravel

Auto speed enforcement (present/not present) Not Present Not Present

Calibration Factor, Cr 1 1.10

Roadside hazard rating (1-7 scale) 3 4

Segment lighting (present/not present) Not Present Present

Passing lanes [present (1 lane) /present (2 lane) / not present)] Not Present Not Present

Two-way left-turn lane (present/not present) Not Present Not Present

Driveway density (driveways/mile) 5 6

Centerline rumble strips (present/not present) Not Present Not Present

Superelevation variance (ft/ft) < 0.01 0

Grade (%) 0 2

Radius of curvature (ft) 0 0

Spiral transition curve (present/not present) Not Present Present

Paved

Length of horizontal curve (mi) 0 0.0

Left Shld:Shoulder type

Lane width (ft) 12 10

6 Left Shld:Shoulder width (ft)

Length of segment, L (mi) -- 1.5

-- 10,000AADT (veh/day)

Analysis Year 2010

Input Data Base Conditions Site Conditions

Agency or Company OSU Roadway Section MP 0.0 to MP 1.5

Date Performed 03/31/10 Jurisdiction Anywhere, USA

Worksheet 1A -- General Information and Input Data for Rural Two-Lane Two-Way Roadway Segments

General Information Location Information

Analyst KKD Roadway SH 321

Property Damage Only (PDO) 0.679 3.8 1.5 2.5

Total 1.000 5.6 1.5 3.8

Fatal and Injury (FI) 0.321 1.8 1.5 1.2

Crash severity level Crash Severity Distribution

(proportion)

Predicted average crash

frequency (crashes/year)

Roadway segment

length (mi)

Crash rate

(crashes/mi/year)

(4) from Worksheet 1C (8) from Worksheet 1C (3)/(4)

Worksheet 1E -- Summary Results for Rural Two-Lane Two-Way Roadway Segments

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Center News 25 Years Dedicated to the Training of State and Municipal Transportation Officials

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 6

The Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer Center celebrates 25 years of continuous operation on April 1st. The Center was established in 1986 at the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez as part of the Rural Technical Assistance Program of the Federal Highway Administration.

During this first 25 years, the Center has provided training and technical assistance to more than 25,000 state and local transportation officials from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The Center has significantly evolved to satisfy the constantly changing transportation needs at the local and international level, making the most out of our strategic location inside an academic setting in the Caribbean, having direct access to the brightest students and faculty from different disciplines and UPR campuses and our bilingual skills.

In addition, the Center has carried out multiple research projects and professional development activities directed toward the next generation of transportation professionals and the planning and coordination of local, national, and international transportation summits.

Special Projects and Collaborations during 2006-2011 Period

We want to deeply thank all the professionals that have serve as instructors in our training activities and thank to all of our participants. During 2011 the Center will have a series of technical activities in dedication to our first 25 years or training and technical assistance. Visit our site on the Internet (www.uprm.edu/prt2) and our Facebook group for more details.

student had the opportunity to interact with Víctor

Méndez, FHWA Administrator, during the

Eisenhower Program Reception Activity.

From the left: Juan Balbuena (FHWA and UPRM

Alumni), Elinic Almonte, Máximo Polanco, Carlos

Calero, Alberto Figueroa, Yesenia Cruz, Víctor Méndez

(FHWA), Pedro Pérez, Mireya Quiñones, Benjamín

Colucci and Richard Valencia.

A group of seven students from the UPR-

Mayaguez participated in the 90th Annual

Meeting of the Transportation Research Board,

held in Washington, D.C. on April 23-27, 2011.

The student participation at TRB is supported by

the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation

Fellowship from FHWA. The PR LTAP Center

Directors, Dr. Benjamín Colucci and Dr. Alberto

Figueroa (Eisenhower Campus Manager) were

also present at the Conference.

Yesenia Cruz presented her poster “Dynamic

Transportation and Humanitarian Logistics’

Conceptual Model: A Decision Tool to Prioritize

Critical Supplies Distribution during Emergency

Relief Operations” and Mireya Quiñones

presented her poster “Determination of

Saturation Flow Rates at Urban Signalized

Intersections Based on Local Conditions” showing

the results of their research projects at TRB. The

UPRM Students Stand out at the 2011 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 PUERTO RICO TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER 7

1. Exhibit an impeccable work ethic and be

a leader by example.

2. Promote a broad vision of the relevance

of the work that your

colleagues are doing and

make them feel that what

they are doing is important

to others.

3. Establish goals and make people

responsible for the performance and

accomplishments.

4. Offer a genuine evaluation, and on time,

about the job performance. Ask the

same for you.

5. Disseminate achievements and assume

the responsibilities for the team failures.

6. Provide the tools that your employees need

to be effective.

7. Assign responsibilities and tasks in

accordance to the individual

skills of each person.

8. Communicate openly with

your employees about situations

so everybody know the details

necessary for them to perform their duties.

9. Allow personal time to your employees to

take care of relevant situations that require

them to be carried out during work hours.

10. Have empathy, modesty, and sense of

humor with everyone.

Edited from The Corner Office by Steve Tobak,

BNET.com

Ten Tips to Motivate your Employees at Work

"This event is part of a plan that will have this

type of activity occurring several times during

the year. Let’s see how this event goes and

maybe we can carry out two events this year

and subsequently have a monthly event",

indicated Lic. Jessica Sinigaglia, from the Legal

Services Office from the Municipality of Ponce

and Event Organizer.

The “Ciclo Día” had near 1,500 participants

riding their bikes along the major avenues of

the southern city. The City Major, Hon. María

Meléndez, praised the family and

sportsmanlike atmosphere of the event. The

Major indicated that the participants from

children to elderly people, that ride their bicycles

along the city streets. The “Ciclo Dia” route

started from the historic “Parque de Bombas” and

went through the Marina Street, the Ponce

Massacre Museum, the Dora Colón Clavel Urban

Park, Concordia Street, the Ponce Art Museum,

Las Américas Avenue, Comercio Street, the José

Labrador Boulevard, the Bridge of the Lions,

Tercentenary Park, and the Cristina Street, and

returning to the Plaza Las Delicias.

Thanks to Eng. Iván López, from the Municipality

of Ponce, for sharing the event pictures.

Bicycles in the City… (from page 3)

Always stay trained and updated on the right flagger practices. The National Work Zone

Awareness Week is going to be held on April 4-8, 2011. To observe this week, the PR LTAP

Center will host the OSHA 10-hour certification training on Highway Work Zone Safety, with

the support of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. The training

sessions are going to be held on April 4-5 at CIAPR—MAYAGUEZ, April 7-8 at CIAPR-

GUAYAMA, and April 11-12 at CANOVANAS. Please call us for registration details.

Safety Principles for Flaggers on Highway Work Zones

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011

The Right Training

Flaggers play a fundamental role in keeping the safety of road users and the personnel working on or near roadways.

Near to 20 flaggers die annually after being hit by a motor vehicle going through a work zone or by machinery located

within the work zone; while much more flaggers are severely injured. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

contain rules and guidance that all flaggers must know in order to carry out his/her duties in a safe and effective manner.

All flaggers must know the following 6 safety principles on work zones and for temporary traffic control duties.

The Right Signals

TO STOP TRAFFIC

TO LET TRAFFIC PROCEED

TO ALERT AND SLOW DOWN

TRAFFIC

The Right Advanced Warning Sign Spacing

A

B

The selection of signs, their message and

spacing vary depending on factors such as the

work type and duration, highway class, traffic

volume, road geometry, speeds and other

conditions. Verify MUTCD for guidance.

The Right Traffic Control Plan

The MUTCD and the Standard

Drawings include typical applications

of traffic control plans for different

types of highway work zones.

Stand on the shoulder in a visible place. Always face traffic. Use hand signals in combination with

the flagger paddle or the red flag. Be always alert and focused on traffic

control duties. Be polite with road users.

The Right Practices

Always be located at the flagger station. Have a radio or other communication

device with your work group and supervisors.

Plan an emergency escape route. Never be distracted with cell phones,

music radio, MP3 or IPODs.

Always use high visibility safety

garment that comply with

standard ANSI/ISEA-107 Class 2

or 3.

The Right Garment and Gear

Always use flagger paddle or automated

flagger assistance devices. Always have

available a radio, and overhead lamps for

nighttime work.

8

Information edited from the MUTCD and

the Flagging poster prepared by the ART-

BA Work Zone Safety Clearinghouse

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 PUERTO RICO TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER 9

Highway fatalities had an average reduction of 10% in the United States, as in Puerto Rico, between the

years 2008 and 2009. Nevertheless, a total of 33,808 persons lost their lives as a consequence of a

highway related crash in the United States. At the same time, a total of 365 highway related fatalities

were recorded in Puerto Rico for an average of one live lost per day.

All safety initiatives directed toward reducing road related fatalities are require to focus on the existing

conditions on rural roads and roads of lower functional classifications to accomplish substantial results.

Fatalities on rural roads accounted for 57% of the total number of fatalities in 2009; meanwhile, 38% of

the fatalities occurred on collector and local type roads in Puerto Rico.

The Safety Office of the Federal Highway Administration has taken a leading role to promote nationally

the need to analyze and evaluate rural and local road safety. To accomplish this objective the Safety

Office has made available online a series of tools and resources to assist engineers and transportation

officials in charge of local and rural highway systems.

Noteworthy Practices: Addressing Safety on Locally-Owned and Maintained Roads - A Domestic

Scan— Includes information about best practices implemented by state transportation agencies for

the planning, programming, and implementation of safety projects for local roads.

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa10027/

Implementing the High Risk Rural Roads Program - This resource shows successful examples from

states that have implemented programs and policies from this federal program directed to improve

the safety of high risk rural roads. http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa10012/

Local Roads Safety Resource CD - This CD includes information about recent research projects

related to rural roads. http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/resourcecd/

Local and Rural Safety Peer-to-Peer Program - FHWA establish this peer-to-peer

program as another type of technical assistance for rural and local highway officials to

resolve safety issues. The program provides access to voluntary professionals, experts

in the safety of rural and local roads, to offer assistance to their peers.

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/p2p/

Road Safety Tools for Local Agencies - http://trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_syn_321.pdf

Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse - http://www.ruralsafety.umn.edu/clearinghouse/

FHWA has developed a series of guidebooks to assist roadway maintenance crews with strategies and

tools for the inspection and fix different highway components with the objective of providing an

acceptable level of safety. The Center Library has copies available of these guidebooks, and they are also

available online from the FHWA Internet site.

Maintenance of Drainage Features for Safety - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/

fhwasa09024/

Maintenance of Signs and Sign Supports - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/

fhwart0000/

W-Beam Guardrail Repair - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa08002/

Vegetation Control for Safety - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa07018/

Resources Available to Improve Rural and Local Road Safety

Future Seminars and Conferences

Dr. Sangchul Hwang completed his Bachelor

degree in Civil Engineering and his Master

degree in Environmental Engineering from the

Kyungpook National University at South

Korea. He worked at Kansas University and

completed his Ph.D. in Environmental

Engineering from Akron University in Ohio in the

year 2002. His doctoral dissertation was related

to the sorption, desertion and biodegradation of

aromatic poly-cyclical hydrocarbons. Dr. Hwang

had post-doctoral research works with the

Research and Development Center of the United States

Army in Vicksburg, MS, and later with the Johns

Hopkins University working with the rehabilitation of soils

and underground waters contaminated by explosives. He

was awarded with the National Research Council

Postdoctoral Research Associateship from the Environment

Protection Agency for his work related to chemical oxidation.

Dr. Hwang is Associate Professor from the UPRM

Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying since January

2005. His recent research project includes the earth bio-

viable restoration, the remediation of contaminated soils

and underground water, potable water and sewer

treatments, the earth bio-decomposition, and the

application / design implications of nano materials for the

environment.

Dr. Hwang teaches Water Bio-remediation and

Treatments, Design of Sewer Systems,

Introduction to Environmental Engineering and

Solid Waste Management courses at UPRM.

As part of the family of trainers of our Center, Dr.

Hwang offers seminars in topics related to the

consideration of environmental impacts associated with

transportation practices and projects, regulations and practices for

the reduction of solid waste, engineering fundamentals in

municipal projects of transportation and water resources, and

NEPA-related aspects in transportation decision-making. He is a

member of the AWWA and ACS Professional Organizations and

the World Economic Forum.

Even though the extended time dedicated to his research projects

and teaching at UPRM, Dr. Hwang always saves time to enjoy

watching his kids play on the beautiful beaches of Puerto Rico. He

possess a Second Dan Black Belt in Korean Martial Arts and Tae-

Kwon-Do and he frequently offers classes to the public by request.

The main hobby of Dr. Hwang is thinking how to make the world a

better place, as indicated by the meaning of his first name.

Know your Trainer:

Dr. Sangchul Hwang

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 10

Seminars and Workshops

Introduction to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Transportation Decision-Making Instructor: Dr. Sangchul Hwang Date: April 1, 2011, Time: 8:00 AM to 4:30PM Place: Civil Engineering Auditorium, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

Infrastructure Procurement Systems: Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Instructor: Dr. Omar I. Molina Bas

Date: April 14, 2011, TIme: 8:00 AM to 4:30PM Place: Sub–sede CIAPR Gurabo

Date: April 15, 2011, Time: 8:00 AM to 4:30PM Place: Sala Ernesto Álvarez Lazzarini, Autoridad Metropolitana de Autobuses

For more information about our seminars and how to register please contact: Ms. Grisel Villarrubia at (787) 834-6385 or at grisel.villarubia1@upr.edu or visit our website at www.uprm.edu/prt2.

Conferences and Summits

2011 Institute of Transportation Engineers Technical Conference and Exhibit: April 3-6, 2011, Walt

Disney World Swan Hotel, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (www.ite.org/conference/default.asp)

10th Low Volume Roads International Conference: July 24-27, 2011, Hilton–Walt Disney World, Lake Buena

Vista, Florida. (www.trb.org/lowvolumeroadsconference/lvr10.aspx)

2011 LTAP/TTAP National Conference: August 1-4, 2011, Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts.

(www.boston2011.org)

I hope that you enjoy this First Edition for 2011 of EL PUENTE. In this newsletter we have included interesting articles

and information related to the new AASHTO Highway Safety Manual, the implementation of “Ciclo Vías” in urban

transportation networks, important safety tips for flaggers, and newly-available resources for rural and local highway

officials to deal with safety issues. In addition, the newsletter includes recent news from our PR LTAP Center and in

this issue we have included the profile of Dr. Sangchul Hwang, one of our most young and popular trainers.

This year 2011 promises to be very interesting for our Center as we celebrate its first 25 years of service at the UPRM

Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying, in conjunction with the UPRM Centennial Celebration. We invite you

all to come with us and celebrate the Center’s 25th Anniversary on March 31, 2011 at the CIAPR-Mayaguez. Our

keynote speaker will be Dr. Felipe Luyanda, Former Co-Director of the Center.

Alberto M. Figueroa Medina, Ph.D., P.E.

Message from the Editor

EL PUENTE NEWSLETTER, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 2011 PUERTO RICO TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER 11

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The Center’s staff welcomes all your comments and suggestions. To contact the Center, please send all correspond-

ence to the following e-mail address or contact us at:

Phone: (787) 834-6385, Fax: (787) 265-5695,

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EL PUENTE is published by the Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer Center

located at the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying of the University of Puerto

Rico at Mayaguez.

PUERTO RICO TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying

Call Box 9000, Mayagüez, PR 00681

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EL PUENTE

NEWSLETTER

The opinions, findings, or recommendations expressed in this newsletter are those of the Center staff and do not necessarily reflect

the views of the Federal Highway Administration, the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works, the Puerto Rico

Highway and Transportation Authority, or the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Public Works.

PR LTAP Center Staff

Benjamín Colucci Ríos Director

Alberto M. Figueroa Medina

Deputy Director

Gisela González Program Administrator

Grisel Villarubia Irmalí Franco Administrative Coordinators

Alberto Almodóvar Mercado Freddie Salado Students Interns

EL PUENTE Newsletter

VOL. 25, NO. 01, 2011