UDOT Library

Image of hands holding an iPad leaning against a stack of books. Image is for decorative purposes only. It is not informational.

Library Services

UDOT’s library is part of the Research and Innovation Division and is formally called the Lester Wire Memorial Library. You can learn about our connection with Lester Wire and why he matters in the About Lester Wire section below.

Our digital library is accessible to UDOT employees in both UDOT’s Learning Portal and Google Drive. The collection features featuring mostly AASHTO publications, but also includes some from ITE, FHWA, TRB, and UDOT. Journal articles are available through Interlibrary Loan in partnership with the Utah State Library and other lending libraries across the US. This service allows us to receive PDFs of articles within days of request. Employees may also ask the library for assistance with literature searches.

Contact UDOT’s librarian with publications requests or suggestions for new additions to the digital library. A variety of free transportation publications are linked in the Publications section below.

DIGITAL LIBRARY

Digital Library (Note: AASHTO login credentials may not be shared outside of UDOT)

Browse the AASHTO Bookstore for other available publications.

If you need a book we don’t have, please contact the librarian. Making a purchase for the library instead of UDOT making multiple purchases of the same title for different groups saves money.

Subscribe to AASHTO’s newsletter to receive info about new releases.

About Lester Wire

3-photo collage. Left photo is of a replica of Lester Wire's first electric traffic light. It looks like a birdhouse. Middle photo is of Lester Wire at around the time of his invention, approximately 1912. Right photo is of Lester Wire with a later iteration of his traffic light. It looks more like what is in use today.

Left: Replica of the first electric traffic signal; Center: Lester Wire, circa 1912; Right: Lester Wire with a later model of his invention

The Story of Lester Wire (Digital exhibit of the Lester Wire Collection at Utah State Archives)

Lester Wire Honored at UDOT (Quick explanation of the UDOT-Lester Wire connection, UDOT Newsletter, April 2025)

Lester Wire Quick Bio

Lester Farnsworth Wire: Savior of the Highways (UDOT transcription of Edith Wire’s handwritten manuscript)

“He Invented the World’s First Traffic Light” (unknown magazine, 1956)

“Lester F. Wire Invents the Traffic Light” (Utah State Historical Society, reposted to FamilySearch)

“When Inventor’s Light Went On, Traffic Control Changed Forever” (Deseret News)

“Utah Policeman Never Got Credit for Inventing Contraption That Was the First Electric Traffic Light” (Salt Lake Tribune, 1985)

“Peak Named for Inventor” (Deseret News, 1967) [partial]

The World’s First Electric Traffic Light (postcard, 1965)

Contact the Librarian

Joni DeMille

UDOT Librarian
jdemille@utah.gov
385.630.0302

Online Resources

Utah Code

Utah Code – current year

Utah Code – historical
Searchable back to 2014. Records before that are not currently available.

Utah Government Digital Library

Utah Government Digital Library
Searchable database of state agency publications. Maintained by the Utah State Library.

National Transportation Library

National Transportation Library
The NTL provides access to transportation-related research, reports, data, and reference services. Their Ask a Librarian feature allows patrons to submit research and reference requests and get answers via email, chat, or phone.

ROSA P (Repository and Open Science Access Portal)
NTL’s Digital Library. This is an excellent resource for transportation statistics on a variety of topics.

Publications

NCHRP Reports

NCHRP Report List NCHRP reports are published by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). They’re linked separately from the TRB Publications bar below to help employees find them quickly. The full report list is lengthy, but can be ordered by posted date (default), title, popularity and rank. You can also search by report number. Just enter the number into the search field in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Search TRID for a Publication

TRID Search Tips

TRID is a comprehensive database resource for transportation research and literature searches.

Transportation Industry Magazines

Intelligent Transport

ITS International

Public Roads (published by USDOT/FHWA)

Roads & Bridges

TRB Publications

Search TRB’s website by series (NCHRP, SHRP 2, Conference Proceedings, TR News, Annual Reports, TRR) or by subject (construction, design, materials). TRB Publications by Series TRB Publications by Subject

UDOT Research Reports

Recent UDOT research reports are categorized by subject on the Research & Innovation “About Us” web page. Older reports going back to 2011 are linked in the Archived Research & Innovation Reports document. For reports preceding 2011, contact the librarian or a Research project manager.

Other Research & Innovation Links

Research & Innovation Team Research & Innovation Toolbox UDOT’s Research Prioritization Process (Annual Workshop)