Principal Investigator(s):
Jim Grothaus, Former Sr Dir, Tech Assist, Center for Transportation Studies
Project summary:
The Local Operational Research Assistance Program (OPERA) funds innovations in construction and maintenance operations. The program strives to develop and promote research that makes a difference and is actively visible locally and statewide.
The program covers subjects related to local government maintenance; preservation; and improvement of the transportation infrastructure, equipment, materials, and methods. It encourages involvement by all counties and cities, and particularly strives to encourage maintenance employees to become actively involved in operational or practical research, and to share those ideas statewide.
The program promotes the implementation of new research and transfer of the research experience to all counties and cities. Research project selections are made by the program selection committee periodically or as projects are submitted. Local engineers, supervisors, and employees provide professional evaluations and results in their field test report submissions. The sponsor provides testing data and a written report of the results along with pictures of the research to qualify for final payment.