NOCoE News: NOCoE Celebrates #GoOrangeDay for Work Zone Awareness

Safe Actions Save Lives
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April 22, 2026

Table of Contents

#GoOrangeDay 2026
Work Zone Case Studies
Work Zone Webinar Recording
Upcoming Webinars
Industry News

Join NOCoE for Go Orange Day 2026

NOCoE encourages all roadway safety professionals to join us in wearing orange on April 22 for Go Orange Day. By wearing orange, we proudly show our support for work zone safety and honor the victims who have lost their lives in work zones.

This event is a highlight of National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 20–24), hosted this year by the Connecticut DOT. NWZAW raises awareness of roadway dangers for motorists, pedestrians, and workers alike. Join us in promoting safety for all who use our roadways.
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Work Zone Case Studies

Heavy Equipment-Based Connected Work Zone

By integrating contractor equipment telematics into smart work zones, Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and partner agencies have enhanced roadside safety with automated, real-time worker presence alerts, reducing risks to both crews and drivers.
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Tow Contracts for Work Zones

The North Carolina DOT’s (NCDOT) Performance-Based Tow Contracts improve safety, reduce delays, and cut costs in freeway work zones. By dispatching prequalified tow companies immediately after an incident, lanes are cleared faster, reducing the risk of secondary crashes and protecting first responders. 
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Virtual Queue Protection Corridors

Pennsylvania DOT’s (PennDOT) virtual queue protection system reduced crashes by 11% annually and cut truck-related fatal crashes by 50%. The system saved 72,116 vehicle hours and $53.4 million annually by improving traffic flow and reducing delays. 
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Alerting Commercial Motor Vehicles

North Carolina’s real-time in-truck alerts for Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs) by the INRIX/Drivewyze system have proven vital in saving lives, time, and money. By alerting CMV drivers to urgent road conditions, these alerts reduce crashes and save lives.
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Better Work Zone Information to Drivers

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed the Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) initiative to standardize work zone data amongst agencies and third-party navigation companies. In January 2022, NCDOT and one.network collaborated to publish the first and most extensive statewide work zone data information set on the platform. 

 
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Webinar Recordings

Infrastructure Readiness for Automated Vehicles: Guidelines and Case Study Insights

Munir Nazzal, PhD, P.E. (Presentation)
Mohamed Ahmed, PhD, P.E. (Presentation)

Upcoming Webinars

Talking TIM: April 2026
April 22, 2026, from 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EDT

Description
The Talking TIM webinar series provides a forum where TIM practitioners can exchange information about current practices, programs, and technologies. Each month, Talking TIM will highlight successful programs, identify best practices, and showcase technology that advances the profession. Topics and presenters are announced several weeks ahead of time. 

Jim Austrich, FHWA Office of Operations, organizes and moderates this webinar series hosted by the NOCoE. To suggest topics or presenters for a future webinar, please reach out to the FHWA TIM Program Team (Jim Austrich).
REGISTER AND LEARN MORE
V2X Technical Training
April 23, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT

Description
This webinar will provide participants with an understanding of what types of resources are available on V2X. Speakers from the USDOT, ITS America, and others will provide updates on new and existing resources, including re-released V2X trainings updated with new technologies and applications.

Speakers will include: 
  • JD Schneeberger, ITS JPO, US DOT
  • Kevin Viita, ITS America
  • Emi Carbray, AASHTO
REGISTER AND LEARN MORE
Cybersecurity for Small and Mid-Size Transit Properties
April 29, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT

Description
This webinar, taking place in advance of the CTAA EXPO 2026, will discuss ongoing efforts to integrate cybersecurity into transit systems. 

This webinar will discuss what began as a cybersecurity compliance pilot with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and six of its transit agency partners, evolved into a replicable, cohort-based governance model that is currently being deployed by the Ohio Transit Risk Pool's (OTRP). 

Moderator: 
  • Nick Ramfos, Director, NOCoE
Speakers: 
  • Andrew Carpenter, Director, National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) 
  • Scott Belcher, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI); Co-Founder, Cybrbase; President and CEO, SFB Consulting
  • Jeff Nelson, Retired CEO/QC General Manager, MetroLINK; Past Chair, APTA Board of Directors
  • Greg Meldrum, Director of Technology and Innovation, QC MetroLINK
  • Barbara Rhoades, Executive Director, OTRP
  • Shawn Prince, Director of IT, Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority
REGISTER AND LEARN MORE
Road Weather Spotlight Series: Notable Storms
 
May 13, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT

Description
This webinar will feature speakers describing their agency preparation, response, and recovery efforts to notable storms. This webinar will feature speakers from Washington State Department of Transportation regarding significant atmospheric rivers and flood events in December 2025 and Massachusetts Department of Transportation regarding significant snow events in the 2025-2026 winter season.

Speakers will be provided several weeks in advance. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Office of Operations is collaborating with the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) to host a bimonthly webinar series on road weather management (RWM). These webinars, called the Road Weather Spotlight Series, align with the mission of the FHWA RWM Program to inform stakeholders and improve highway road weather operations. 

To see all Road Weather Spotlights recordings, visit the Road Weather Portal here
REGISTER AND LEARN MORE

Industry News

CTDOT Wins Award for Wrong-Way Driving Detection Program (Connecticut DOT)
ITD calls on Idaho drivers to prioritize safety in work zones (ITD news release)
New Hampshire Recognizes National Work Zone Awareness Week (New Hampshire DOT news release)
Mississippi DOT recognizes National Work Zone Awareness Week (Mississippi DOT news release)
NMDOT: Safe actions in work zones save lives (NMDOT news release)
Alaska DOT&PF Joins National Work Zone Awareness Week (Alaska DOT&PF news release)
Knowledge Session: Planning for the FIFA World Cup (AASHTO Journal)
Colorado Highway Managers Monitor Over 1,000 Cameras Statewide. Find Out How It Helps Them Solve Traffic Problems (KCNC-TV)
FHWA’s 2026 National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) Factsheet (FHWA Office of Operations)
Georgia DOT joins National Work Zone Awareness Week campaign (Georgia DOT news release)
TxDOT ‘Cone Cowboy’ says ‘slow down’ (TxDOT news release)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul Highlights Statewide Work Zone Safety Efforts (New York Governor’s Office news release)
National Work Zone Awareness Week: Go Orange! (Kansas DOT news release)
Georgia At Forefront Of Connected Vehicle Tech (WXIA-TV)
PennDOT Launches Specialized 511PA Website to Help Travelers, Visitors Headed to the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh (PennDOT news release)
 
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About the National Operations Center of Excellence 

 
National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) provides services to the transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) community to saves lives, improve travel times, and enhance economic vitality. With an emphasis on workforce development, NOCoE aims to assist in the deployment of technologies and the mainstreaming of TSMO solutions by fostering education, networking, communication, and knowledge transfer.

For more information, please visit www.transportationops.org.
Contact Us
National Operations Center of Excellence
555 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Ph: 202.624.5478

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