Feasibility and Applications of RFID Technologies to Support Right-of-Way Functions: Technical Report (0-6142-1)

Radio frequency identification device (RFID) technology provides the capability to store a unique identification number and some basic attribute information, which can be retrieved wirelessly. This research project studied the feasibility of using RFID technology to support managing assets in the TxDOT right-of-way (ROW). The project focused on using RFID to support managing utilities, outdoor advertising, ROW marker/survey control, and other highway infrastructure features and attributes. Research activities included synthesizing existing information on RFID applications and specific information on utility management, conducting laboratory evaluations of the performance of RFID tags in selected buried applications, developing an integration schema for RFID application, assessing the feasibility of TxDOT using or requiring RFID to manage assets in the ROW, and identifying implementation opportunities for RFID in ROW applications. RFID markers are commercially available for identifying underground utilities and are used by some utility companies for this purpose. But no state transportation agency has required their use on a widespread basis, although one agency has used such markers during a utility relocation project and found the application to have significant benefits. The research team found that RFID technology, while widely used for inventory control, has limited application for a transportation agency in the highway right-of-way. Based on the findings generated from the activities of this project, the research team does not recommend the widespread use of RFID technologies for managing assets in the ROW. However, the research team found that there may be some benefits to using RFID technology in limited applications, such as utility relocation projects and survey monumentation.