Contact Details

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Page Title: Staff Contact

Michael D. Fontaine, Ph.D., P.E
Associate Director for Safety, Operations, and Traffic Engineering

Phone: (434) 293-1980
Email: Michael.Fontaine@VDOT.Virginia.gov

Research:

Traffic operations
Traffic engineering
Highway safety analysis
Intelligent transportation systems
Traffic monitoring systems
Work zone traffic control and safety

Education:

Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Virginia
M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Virginia
B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Virginia

Registration:

Registered Professional Engineer, Virginia

Memberships:

TRB Urban Transportation Data and Information Systems Committee (AED20), member(2007 – present), Chair (2020-present)
TRB Highway Traffic Monitoring Committee (ACP70), member (2013 - present)
Texas A&M Transportation Institute Mobility Measures in Urban Transportation Study Committee, Panel Member (2005-Present)
NCHRP project 17-72, Update of Crash Modification Factors for the Highway Safety Manual, member (2019- present)

Awards:

Best Technical Paper Award for “ Development of a Performance Evaluation Application for the I-95 Variable Speed Limit System in VA ", (with Cho and Robartes), Southern District Institute of Transportation Engineer Annual Meeting 2023
Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research Tilton E. Shelburne Award for National Leadership, 2010
Jack H. Dillard Award for paper "Evaluation of the Impact of I-66 ActiveTraffic Management System" (with Chun), VTRC, 2016
Wallace T. McKeel Award for Embodiment of the Spirit of Leadership through Dedication to the VTRC's Mission and People
VDOT Commissioner’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Innovation (2017)
Transportation Research Board Committee AHB50 (Traffic Control Devices) Best Paper Award for the paper “Safety Effects of Flashing Yellow Arrows Used In Protected Permitted Phasing: Comparison of Full Bayes and Empirical Bayes Results” (With Appiah, King, and Cottrell), 2018

Team Memberships:

Safety, Operations, and Traffic Engineering

Projects:

121186 - Socioeconomic Inequality on Virginia Roads at the Census Tract Leve - Project Monitor

122766 - I-95 Variable Speed Limit Evaluation Phase 2 - Co-Principal Investigator

116585 - Implementation and Evaluation of an Automated Placard Reader System - Phase II - Project Monitor

112992 - Connected Vehicle Pooled Fund Study Phase 4, TPF 5-206 - Project Monitor

114225 - Virginia Connected Corridors Next - Project Monitor

112913 - Improving Safety Analysis Methods to Better Address Traffic Conditions and Dynamic Countermeasures - Principal Investigator

112539 - Connected Traffic Control System (CTCS): Research Planning and Concept Development - Project Monitor

110698 - Traveler Information for the Commericial Vehicle Operations Community - Project Monitor

114591 - Roadside Truck Placard Readers for Advanced Notice and Response at Safety-Critical Facilities - Project Monitor

112062 - Evaluation of Strategies to Reduce Truck Turnarounds at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel - Project Monitor

107904 - Alternatives to Protected-Only Left-Turn Phasing - Co-Principal Investigator

00122 - Evaluation of the I-66 Active Traffic Management System: Phase 2 - Principal Investigator

109737 - Evaluation of the Safety Effects of the I-77 Active Traffic and Safety Management System: Phase 2 - Principal Investigator

106825 - Evaluation of Diagonal Down Yellow Arrow Lane Use Control Signal - Co-Principal Investigator

106469 - Evaluation of the Operational and Safety Effects of the I-66 Active Traffic Management System - Principal Investigator

106414 - Evaluation of the Safety Effects of the I-77 Active Traffic and Safety Management System - Principal Investigator

00066 - Simulation of Adaptive Signal Control - Co-Principal Investigator

00024 - Development of Guidelines for the Application of Adaptive Traffic Signal Control in Virginia - Co-Principal Investigator

103653 - Work-Zone Safety Performance Measures for Virginia - Co-Principal Investigator

00047 - Development of Work Zone Operational Performance Thresholds for Limited Access Highways in Virginia - Co-Principal Investigator

00025 - Northern Region Travel-Time Demonstration Evaluation - Co-Principal Investigator

97905 - Guidelines for the Application of Active Traffic Management in Virginia - Principal Investigator

94402 - Developing a Standard Test Procedure for Travel-Time Data Quality Assessment - Co-Principal Investigator

91268 - Development of a Planning-Level Tool to Identify High Crash Locations on Virginia's Primary System - Co-Principal Investigator

88523 - Evaluation of the Safety and Mobility Impacts of Variable Speed Limits - Principal Investigator

87969 - Evaluation of Truck Lane Restrictions, Phase II - Co-Principal Investigator

88821 - Synthesis of Benefits and Costs of Alternative Lane Marking Strategies - Co-Principal Investigator

86622 - MASC Hampton Roads Hurricane Evacuation Study - Co-Principal Investigator

71627 - Demonstration and Evaluation of Rational Speed Limits - Principal Investigator

76464 - Sampling Issues in Wireless Location Technology-based Traffic Monitoring Systems - Principal Investigator

75520 - Evaluation of Truck Lane Restrictions - Principal Investigator

78595 - Private Sector Provision of Congestion Data (NCHRP 70-01) - Co-Principal Investigator

68291 - Development of a Highway Safety Corridor Program in Virginia - Principal Investigator

Publications:

99-R15 - Guidelines for Preliminary Selection of the Optimum Interchange Type for a Specific Location

22-R2 - Methods to Analyze and Predict Interstate Travel Time Reliability

20-R15 - Improving Freeway Crash Prediction Models Using Disaggregate Flow State Information

19-R7 - Evaluation of the Impact of the I-66 Active Traffic Management System: Phase II

19-R6 - Impacts of the I-77 Variable Speed Limit System on Speed and Crash Characteristics During Low Visibility Conditions

19-R10 - Safety and Operations Guidance for Using Time-of-Day Protected-Permissive Left-Turn Phasing Using Flashing Yellow Arrows

17-R5 - Evaluation of the Impact of the I-66 Active Traffic Management System

17-R4 - Investigation of Driver Speed Choice and Crash Characteristics During Low Visibility Events

16-R10 - Work Zone Safety Performance Measures for Virginia

15-R24 - Evaluation of the Virginia Department of Transportation Adaptive Signal Control Technology Pilot Project

14-R6 - Considerations for the Development of Work Zone Mobility Performance Measures and Thresholds for Virginia Freeways

13-R1 - Planning for Active Traffic Management in Virginia: International Best Practices and Implementation Strategies

11-R4 - A Planning-Level Methodology for Identifying High-Crash Sections of Virginia’s Primary System

10-R20 - Work Zone Variable Speed Limit Systems: Effectiveness and System Design Issues

10-R12 - Evaluation of Truck Lane Restrictions in Virginia: Phase II

09-R24 - Synthesis of Benefits and Costs of Alternative Lane Marking Strategies

07-CR12 - Probe Sampling Strategies for Traffic Monitoring Systems Based on Wireless Location Technology

07-CR11 - Evaluation of Truck Lane Restrictions in Virginia

06-R30 - Development and Evaluation of Virginia's Highway Safety Corridor Program

05-R6 - Evaluation of the Late Merge Work Zone Traffic Control Strategy

05-R17 - Improving the Effectiveness of Traffic Monitoring Based on Wireless Location Technology

04-R11 - Development of Left-turn Lane Guidelines for Signalized and Unsignalized Intersections

03-TAR9 - Survey of Statewide Multimodal Transportation Planning Practices

03-TAR13 - Engineering and Technology Measures to Improve Large Truck Safety: State of the Practice in Virginia

03-TAR12 - Highway Safety Corridors: National Experiences and a Possible Framework for Virginia