Co-hosts:
UWM Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Friday, October 4, 2024 – 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
UWM Student Union – Ballroom
2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.
PARKING: Parking garage on east side of building offers hourly parking for a fee.
- Bringing academics, students and practitioners together to network and share information on topics of interest to transportation professionals in southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.
- Showcasing practical applications of transportation related academic research.
- Providing an opportunity for Wisconsin DOT and other presenters to share their innovative practices with the broader transportation community.
Registration for this event is now closed. Questions? Contact uwm-ipit@uwm.edu.
Schedule
7:45 – 8:15 a.m | Registration and Continental Breakfast |
8:15 – 8:30 a.m | Co-Hosts Welcome Xiao Qin, Director, UW-Milwaukee, IPIT Joel Nilsestuen, Assistant Deputy Secretary, WisDOT |
8:30 – 9:15 a.m | Keynote Speaker Dr. C.Y. David Yang President & Executive Director AAA Foundation |
9:15 – 9:30 a.m | Break and Networking |
9:30 – 10:45 a.m | Breakout Sessions 1-2 Innovative Projects & Best Practices Research |
10:45 – 12 p.m | Breakout Sessions 3-4 Safety Mobility, Sustainability, & Equity |
12 – 1:00 p.m | Box Lunch with Speaker Kristina Boardman, Secretary WisDOT |
1:00 – 2:30 p.m | Interactive Workshop Transportation Safe Systems Approach: Improving Safety for Vulnerable Road Users |
For More Information
Thanks to our Symposium Sponsors:
Lead Sponsors:


Supporting Sponsors:







Speaker Biographies
Breakout Sessions and Afternoon Workshop
Join us for an afternoon workshop in collaboration with the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP), where Dr. Schneider will lead an inspiring campus tour showcasing cutting-edge pedestrian and bicycle facility designs. Following the walk, dive into an immersive experience at SARUP’s XRLab, where you’ll explore the future of planning and design through virtual reality and the latest technological innovations.
Innovative Projects and Practices (9:30 – 10:45 a.m.) Ballroom East – Moderator Rebecca Burkel, WisDOT
Topics | Presenter(s) |
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National Avenue Project Update, and Successful Grant Application Submittal for “Reimagining the National Avenue Interchange” The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works plan to rebuild 2.6 miles of W. National Avenue (WIS 59) between S. 1st Street and S. 39th Street. The proposed design includes modern transportation features so people can move from one place to another quickly and safety. This presentation will touch on the purpose and need of the project, proposed design details and improvements, and anticipated construction schedule. The second half of the presentation will discuss an upcoming study for the I-43/National Avenue interchange, and why it was a good candidate for the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Planning Grant. | Josh Leveque, WisDOT; Kevin Muhs, City of Milwaukee |
Vision Zero Milwaukee – Milwaukee’s Approach to Eliminating Fatal and Severe Crashes Vision Zero is a growing international movement to eliminate traffic deaths and life-changing injury. The City of Milwaukee adopted Vision Zero in 2022 and Complete Streets in 2018 to usher in a new era of road design with safety and modal choice prioritized. This session will provide a comprehensive look at how multiple interventions from various agencies within the city are working to meet this goal. | Jessica Wineberg, City of Milwaukee; Marissa Meyer, City of Milwaukee |
Research (9:30 – 10:45 a.m.) Room W191 – Moderator Xiao Qin, UW-Milwaukee
Topics | Presenter(s) |
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Connected and Automated Vehicles Attitudes and Perceptions. With the potential for imminent adoption of Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies in the near future, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is invested in exploring and implementing these emerging transportation technologies to make roadways safer and more efficient. Since CAV technology is still under development, market penetration is still low and the general population’s exposure has been minimal. Most knowledge about the public’s attitudes on CAVs have stemmed from national surveys and small-scale pilots. Despite the variety of methods and surveys deployed in the U.S. to study CAVs, currently little is known about Wisconsin specific attitudes towards them. This work presents the results of a detailed study of the Wisconsin public’s understanding of CAVs through a large-scale (N=915) survey based on a random sample of Wisconsin households. The results include Wisconsinites’ acceptance of early testing; their perceived benefits, drawbacks, and barriers to CAV implementation; and the implications for potential WisDOT action. Results indicate that Wisconsinites were generally willing to share the road with vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), were moderately comfortable with connected vehicle (CV) technologies, and not comfortable with automated vehicle (AV) systems. Results for willingness to use CAVs saw the same order of technology preference as comfort sharing the road. An exploratory factor analysis and latent class cluster analysis were conducted and yielded six factors and 5 latent clusters. These factors and clusters were used to create profiles of the Wisconsin population and document their attitudes and attributes. The presentation will document the work conducted and results. The key takeaways will include public perceptions of CAV technology and ways to use this data to target effective projects and communications. | Brad Basten, WisDOT; Andrew McFadden, UW Madison TOPS Lab |
Digital-Twin-Enabled Connected Intelligent Transportation to Enhance Vulnerable Road User Safety In the rapidly evolving landscape of transportation, integrating AI and connected intelligent transportation presents transformative opportunities. This presentation discusses the potential of a digital-twin-enabled platform with human-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop methodologies, allowing for data collections and analysis of real-time interactions between vulnerable road users (VRUs) and connected intelligent transportation systems. The presentation will highlight the development of such a multi-agent digital-twin-enabled traffic simulation platform under development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Leveraging virtual reality (VR), wearable devices, advanced algorithms, and real-time data integration, this platform aims to tackle safety challenges and improve the perception and decision-making mechanisms for both VRUs and connected/autonomous vehicles. | Sikai Chen, UW- Madison, School of Engineering |
Geographic, Temporal, and Socioeconomic Shifts in Pedestrian Injuries During the 2010s US pedestrian fatalities increased by more than 50% in the 2010s. To better understand system changes associated with the pedestrian safety crisis, we compared police-reported fatal and serious injury (K&A) pedestrian crashes from nine states, including Wisconsin, between 2008-2012 and 2017-2021. This presentation summarizes findings by neighborhood (census tract) and by hour of the week. Nationally, low-income, high-unemployment, and racial and ethnic minority populations were overrepresented in K&A pedestrian crashes in 2008-2012, and these groups were more likely to experience increases in K&A pedestrian crashes during the 2010s. Neighborhoods with at least one high-traffic arterial roadway, an interstate or other type of freeway, and higher proportions of retail jobs were also significantly more likely than other tracts to experience increases in K&A pedestrian crashes. Temporally, K&A pedestrian crashes were most likely to occur between 6 pm and midnight, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. However, the largest increases during the 2010s were between midnight and 6 am on weekdays, suggesting a time shift in pedestrian and motor vehicle activity levels or pedestrian and driver behaviors. In addition to national results, we will share preliminary findings from a Wisconsin pedestrian crash trend analysis and local practitioner interviews. | Bob Schneider, UW-Milwaukee |
Safety (10:45 a.m. – 12 noon) Room W191 – Moderator Casey Newman, WisDOT
Topics | Presenter(s) |
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Countermeasures to Prevent and Mitigate Bridge Hits by Motor Vehicles Learn more about the recently completed NCHRP study on preventing and mitigating the risk of bridge/tunnel strikes by motor vehicles. Specifically, the presentation will cover a prototype national clearinghouse for collecting and analyzing data, a risk-based method for prioritizing bridge/tunnel for safety improvements and an extensive list of strategies and countermeasures that consider bridge/tunnel design, policy and operation, and technologies to prevent bridge/tunnel strike; and training and outreach materials for motor carrier industry, traffic operation groups, vehicle permitting, and public safety agencies. | Xiao Qin, UW-Milwaukee, IPIT |
Uncovering the Spillover Effect from Posted Speed Limit Changes: A Tool to Examine Potential Safety Concerns Speeding is a significant safety concern and has contributed to almost one-third of road fatalities in the past 20 years. This research investigated whether changing to higher posted speed limits on Interstates can cause spillover effects, or a systemic propagation of speeding behaviors that results in more crashes at nearby road segments. Findings presented in this study are useful in raising awareness of the safety impact after regulatory posted speed limits on Interstates were raised, especially among local agencies that may not have the tools to quantify any unintended safety consequences along adjacent roadways within their networks. | Nick Jarmusz, AAA |
Safe System Approach Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Behavioral Countermeasures to Get to Zero The Safe System Approach is a paradigm shift in road safety that integrates engineering solutions with behavioral countermeasures to create a holistic strategy aimed at eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. Traditional approaches often focus on correcting human errors or improving infrastructure in isolation. However, the Safe System Approach recognizes that human errors are inevitable and thus emphasizes creating a transportation system that is forgiving and resilient to these errors. This presentation explores the synergy between engineering interventions—such as road design, vehicle technology, and traffic management—and behavioral strategies, including education, enforcement, and community engagement, to cultivate safer road environments. By examining case studies and data-driven examples, this presentation demonstrates how a collaborative approach that combines both disciplines can significantly reduce road traffic incidents. The goal is to outline a pathway to zero fatalities, emphasizing that safety is a shared responsibility among engineers, policymakers, and road users. This presentation will also discuss the challenges and opportunities in implementing the Safe System Approach, particularly in diverse urban and rural settings, and provide actionable insights for practitioners committed to advancing road safety toward the ultimate goal of zero fatalities. | Andi Bill, UW Madison TOPS Lab |
Mobility, Sustainability and Equity (10:45 a.m. – 12 noon) Fireside Lounge – Moderator Lea Collins-Worachek, WisDOT
Topics | Presenter(s) |
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Milwaukee County Department of Transportation Complete Communities: Increasing Multimodal Safety and Addressing Reckless Driving Across 19 Municipalities Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is in its second year of the Complete Communities Transportation Planning Project. This is an effort to increase multimodal safety and address reckless driving across all 19 municipalities in Milwaukee County. With support from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and as part of the USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, Milwaukee County is working collaboratively with municipal leaders across the County to develop a comprehensive, data-driven, countywide plan. All 19 of Milwaukee County’s municipalities have been involved in one way or another and many are in the beginning stages of developing their Comprehensive Safety Action Plan alongside Milwaukee County as they chart a path towards Vision Zero—zero fatalities and serious injuries on all roadways in Milwaukee County. This presentation will cover highlights of the project, thus far, and preview the next steps towards making all roadways in Milwaukee County safer and, ultimately, for the entire county to achieve Vision Zero. | Jeff Sponcia, Milwaukee County DOT |
Greening Mass Transit: A Public Transportation Racine-issance RYDE Racine, Racine’s public transportation system, encompasses fixed-route bus services, on-demand paratransit for seniors and disabled individuals, and a regional coach bus service linking Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee. Annually, RYDE Racine facilitates over one million unique rides across Eastern Racine County, spanning from Lake Michigan’s shores to Interstate-94. To realize objectives of cost-efficiency, enhanced service, and environmental stewardship, RYDE Racine has tapped into federal funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other channels. This financial support has facilitated the beginning of the transition from conventional fossil fuel buses to their modern, eco-friendly electric counterparts. Additionally, the City of Racine has received support from the United States Department of Energy to construct a solar array at its bus storage facility, thereby offsetting the energy consumption associated with charging the electric fleet. These initiatives stem from the municipal leadership’s commitment to the principles of the Paris Climate Accord, which was locally adopted in April of 2018. Subsequently, city officials directed municipal staff to actively pursue sustainable initiatives. During this session, learn about the City of Racine’s efforts to make public transportation more sustainable, exploring its positive social and environmental impacts. | Trevor Jung, RYDE Racine, City of Racine |
Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (WEVI) Program This presentation will focus on WisDOT’s efforts in implementation of the Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (WEVI) Program. The presentation will highlight the efforts to develop the program since the signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated $78.65 million in federal funds to support the construction of electric vehicle charging stations in Wisconsin, to the first round of awarded locations announced in May 2024. | Jeremy Kloss, Kamden Stark, WisDOT; Jason Matson, HNTB |