TY - RPRT AN - 01526411 AU - Fernando, Emmanuel G AU - Harrison, Gerry AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Construction of New Profiler Certification Tracks PY - 2014/04 SP - 106p AB - The existing smoothness specifications of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) require certification of inertial profilers for ride quality assurance testing. Currently, inertial profilers are certified based on profile measurements collected on dense-graded hot-mix asphalt concrete, and flexible base sections with distinctly different textures when the dense-graded asphalt surfaces on which these profilers were certified. TxDOT also uses inertial profilers to measure the smoothness of the state highway network as part of the department's annual pavement condition surveys to support pavement management applications. A significant percentage of this network consists of roads with seal coat surfaces and surface treatments. Since texture affects the international roughness index, there is a need to build additional sections to certify profilers over the range of textured surfaces on which they will be used. This project aims to enhance TxDOT's profiler certification program by building additional test sections at the Texas A&M Riverside Campus to include surfaces with different textures and smoothness levels. These new sections are expected to improve the validity and applicability of TxDOT's certification program, and also the accuracy of ride quality measurements. KW - Certification KW - Profilometers KW - Ride quality KW - Smoothness KW - Surface course (Pavements) KW - Surface texture tests KW - Test sections KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Texture UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/5-9047-01-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308549 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526409 AU - Swan, Jeff AU - Kay, G Bruce AU - Ruffner, George A AU - Sydloski, Amanda AU - Swan Consulting, LLC AU - Ninyo & Moore AU - EcoPlan Associates, Incorporated AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Aggregate Sources for Construction and Maintenance in Northern Arizona PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 132p AB - Constructing and maintaining Arizona’s highway system requires a dependable, abundant supply of mineral aggregates, borrow, quarried rock, and other materials. Finding such sources is important in northern Arizona, where suitable materials may be limited and land jurisdictions, including sovereign American Indian nations and lands administered by the State of Arizona and federal agencies, are difficult to develop for such purposes. The Flagstaff, Globe, Holbrook, Kingman, and Prescott districts of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), encompassing Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai counties, may require up to 46 million tons of material for pavement preservation, safety improvements, widening, or reconstruction of traffic interchanges on the Interstate system and maintenance over the next 20 years. This study focuses on potential sources within a 10‐mile‐wide corridor along the existing Interstates, U.S. highways, and state routes in the five‐county project area; the project team identified 285 sites that may be suitable. The team estimates that these sites may require three months to three years to develop, depending on the time needed for environmental clearance and permitting, site exploration and characterization, and site development, including building haul routes to move materials for highway projects. An implementation plan was outlined for ADOT that provides a process to determine which sites should be reviewed and cleared. KW - Aggregates KW - Aggregates by source KW - Arizona KW - Arizona Department of Transportation KW - Construction projects KW - Maintenance management KW - Mineral aggregates KW - Plan implementation KW - Resource allocation UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/az500.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51800/51848/az500.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310480 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526404 AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Aeronautical Information Manual: Official Guide to Basic Flight Information and ATC Procedures PY - 2014/04 SP - 726p AB - This manual is designed to provide the aviation community with basic flight information and air traffic control (ATC) procedures for use in the National Airspace System (NAS) of the United States. It also contains items of interest to pilots concerning health and medical facts, factors affecting flight safety, a pilot/controller glossary of terms used in the ATC System, and information on safety, accident, and hazard reporting. KW - Air pilots KW - Air traffic control KW - Aircraft pilotage KW - Airspace (Aeronautics) KW - Aviation safety KW - Health KW - Manuals KW - National Airspace System KW - United States UR - http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/AIM_Basic_4-03-14.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308238 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526394 AU - Seymour, Ed AU - Kuhn, Beverly AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Chaudhary, Nadeem AU - Jasek, Debbie AU - Rajbhandari, Rajat AU - Voigt, Tony AU - Miller, Kristine AU - Geiselbrecht, Tina AU - Venglar, Steven AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Research to Develop an ITS Strategic Plan for Texas PY - 2014/04//Technical Report SP - 174p AB - Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT’s) mission is to provide safe and reliable transportation solutions for the citizens of Texas. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) can play a pivotal role in meeting that mission. TxDOT can take advantage of advanced and emerging technologies to enhance safety and promote reliability by ensuring that travelers see the transportation network as a seamless system that helps get them to their destinations and deliver goods and services to the citizens of Texas with as little disruption as possible. ITS is a critical component of the transportation infrastructure that helps ensure the system operates in the most efficient way possible every day, every night, and during all types of situations and weather conditions. TxDOT has four primary goals related to meeting its mission. These goals are: maintain a safe system, address congestion, connect Texas communities, and become a best-in-class state agency. The agency cannot hope to successfully meet these goals without ITS in its arsenal of strategies to advance transportation across the state. This report documents the research that was undertaken to develop the ITS Strategic Plan for Texas. This research included an assessment of current United States trends in ITS and related initiatives, interviews with ITS stakeholders across Texas to determine needs, and a peer state review. The plan provides a framework to guide the development and deployment of an integrated statewide program for Intelligent Transportation Systems. The Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOT, as well as the broad community of ITS providers, stakeholders, and agency partners, will use this plan to promote the development, deployment, and use of ITS statewide. If this plan is to succeed, it needs the cooperation of all affected groups involved in ITS and transportation planning, design, funding, and implementation in the state. KW - Best practices KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Stakeholders KW - States KW - Strategic planning KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Transportation planning KW - United States UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6672-2.zip UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308708 ER - TY - SER AN - 01526393 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Gowrishankar, Sudeep AU - Work, Daniel B AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - TrafficTurk Evaluation PY - 2014/04 IS - 14-008 SP - 65p AB - This report summarizes a project undertaken by the University of Illinois on behalf of the Illinois Department of Transportation to evaluate a smartphone application called TrafficTurk for traffic safety and traffic monitoring applications. TrafficTurk is a smartphone-based turning movement counter that was developed at the University of Illinois to allow large-scale traffic data collection during large events. TrafficTurk data can be used for real-time decision-making or to assist in future event traffic management plans. The application was evaluated on the 2013 Farm Progress Show, which is the largest outdoor farm show in the United States and is held in Decatur every two years. Apart from the large amount of delay caused by the traffic congestion during this time, there are also specific safety concerns that have been raised by the Macon County Highway Department. In particular, vehicles tend to queue on Interstate-72 just upstream of exit ramp at IL 48. Because I-72 is a high-speed roadway, stopped vehicles are susceptible to high-speed rear-end collisions. The collected traffic data was specifically used to analyze the arrival rates of traffic at each of the counting locations and the possibility of re-routing traffic from the eastern, northern, and western approaches to the show. The application also collected information on the data latency and energy efficiency of the application in order to provide insights on the feasibility, scalability, and scope of future deployments. The analysis of data focused on estimating the traffic density across the road network surrounding the show. An algorithm was developed to quantify traffic congestion on each road segment, which was then used to analyze traffic re-routing. KW - Data analysis KW - Data collection KW - Decatur (Illinois) KW - Evaluation KW - Mobile applications KW - Real time information KW - Smartphones KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic surveillance KW - TrafficTurk UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/48995 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308829 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526390 AU - Im, Soohyok AU - Zhou, Fujie AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Field Performance of RAS Test Sections and Laboratory Investigation of Impact of Rejuvenators on Engineering Properties of RAP/RAS Mixes PY - 2014/04 SP - 102p AB - In the last several years, recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), in addition to reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), have been widely used in Texas. The use of RAS can significantly reduce the cost of asphalt mixtures, conserve energy, and protect the environment. However, one of the major concerns is poor cracking resistance of RAS mixes due to super stiff asphalt binder in the RAS. This research focused on field performance of RAS test sections and the benefit of using rejuvenators in improving cracking resistance of RAS(/RAP) mixes. In addition, a simple cost analysis was performed to investigate the cost-benefits of using rejuvenators. It was found that both increasing design density (leading to higher virgin binder content) and using soft virgin binders (e.g. PGXX-28) can improve cracking resistance. With respect to improving cracking resistance of RAS mixes, the three rejuvenators evaluated in this research are all effective. Furthermore, the incorporation of rejuvenators also improved the moisture susceptibility and rutting resistance of the mixtures containing recycled materials. Apparently, additional tests and analyses are necessary. Specifically, field test sections with different types of rejuvenators should be constructed for further evaluation. Additionally, the observed field performance indicated that cracking performance is influenced by many factors, such as traffic, climate, existing pavement conditions for asphalt overlays, and pavement structure and layer thickness. It is extremely difficult to propose a single cracking requirement for all applications. There is a need to develop a RAP/RAS mix design and performance evaluation system for project-specific service conditions, including traffic, climate, existing pavement conditions, etc. KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Bituminous binders KW - Cracking KW - Field studies KW - Mix design KW - Pavement performance KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements KW - Recycled materials KW - Rutting KW - Shingles KW - Texas UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308472 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526380 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2012 Data: Pedestrians PY - 2014/04 SP - 10p AB - In 2012, 4,743 pedestrians were killed and an estimated 76,000 were injured in traffic crashes in the United States. On average, a pedestrian was killed every 2 hours and injured every 7 minutes in traffic crashes. A pedestrian, as defined for the purpose of this Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, is any person on foot, walking, running, jogging, hiking, sitting or lying down who is involved in a motor vehicle traffic crash. Also, a traffic crash is defined as an incident that involves one or more vehicles where at least one vehicle is in transport and the crash originates on a public trafficway. Crashes that occurred exclusively on private property, including parking lots and driveways, were excluded. The 4,743 pedestrian fatalities in 2012 represented an increase of 6 percent from 2011 and were the highest number of fatalities in the last 5 years. In 2012, pedestrian deaths accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, and made up 3 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes. Additional statistics on pedestrian fatalities and injuries in traffic accidents in 2012 are provided in this traffic safety fact sheet. KW - Crash injuries KW - Fatalities KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811888.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308825 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526370 AU - Overman, John H AU - Storey, Beverly AU - Kraus, Edgar AU - Miller, Kristi AU - Walewski, John AU - Elgart, Zachary AU - Atkinson, Sam AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - University of North Texas, Denton AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Maximizing Mitigation Benefits - Making a Difference with Strategic Inter-Resource Agency Planning: Year One Technical Report PY - 2014/04//Technical Report SP - 112p AB - The objective of this research project is to assess current mitigation policies and practices in comparison to resource agency objectives, and identify mitigation strategies and priorities that provide greater cost-benefit potential and implementation speed through strategic inter-resource agency planning. Mitigation for various actions associated with transportation development has been part of the process for decades. Although the science, practice, and technology may have advanced during this time, many of the processes and practices are rooted in traditional rules and regulations that require mitigation. The objective for this project is to assess mitigation policies and practices as a whole–looking at both the current and future of mitigation efforts in the transportation development process. This report summarizes activities conducted in the first year of the project. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Case studies KW - Environmental impacts KW - Interagency relations KW - Strategic planning KW - Texas KW - Transportation planning UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6762-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308910 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526355 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2012 Data: Children PY - 2014/04 SP - 6p AB - During 2012, there were a total of 33,561 traffic fatalities in the United States. Children 14 and younger accounted for 1,168 (3%) of those traffic fatalities, which is a 3-percent increase from the 1,139 fatalities in 2011. In 2012, there were 169,000 children 14 and younger injured, which is a 1-percent decrease from 171,000 children injured in 2011. In 2012, there were 61 million children 14 and younger in the United States, 19 percent of the total U.S. resident population. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for children age 4 and every age 11 through 14 (based on 2009 figures, which is the latest mortality data available from the National Center for Health Statistics). An average of 3 children 14 and younger were killed and 462 were injured every day in the United States in motor vehicle crashes during 2012. From 2003 to 2012, the number of fatalities in the 14-and-younger age group decreased by 45 percent, with the 8- to 14-year-old age group showing the largest decrease (53%). In the 14-and-younger age group, males accounted for 56 percent of the fatalities and 51 percent of those injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2012. Additional statistics on children killed or injured in traffic crashes in 2012 are provided in this traffic safety fact sheet. KW - Children KW - Crash injuries KW - Fatalities KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308453 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526351 AU - Seymour, Ed AU - Kuhn, Beverly AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Chaudhary, Nadeem AU - Jasek, Debbie AU - Rajbhandari, Rajat AU - Voigt, Tony AU - Miller, Kristine AU - Geiselbrecht, Tina AU - Venglar, Steven AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - TxDOT ITS Strategic Plan 2013 PY - 2014/04//Technical Report SP - 70p AB - Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT’s) mission is to provide safe and reliable transportation solutions for the citizens of Texas. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) can play a pivotal role in meeting that mission. TxDOT can take advantage of advanced and emerging technologies to enhance safety and promote reliability by ensuring that travelers see the transportation network as a seamless system that helps get them to their destinations and deliver goods and services to the citizens of Texas with as little disruption as possible. ITS can also help support the values of TxDOT that are cornerstones of its philosophy: trust, integrity, responsibility, excellence, and service. ITS is a critical component of the transportation infrastructure that helps ensure the system operates in the most efficient way possible every day, every night, and during all types of situations and weather conditions. TxDOT has four primary goals related to meeting its mission. These goals are: maintain a safe system, address congestion, connect Texas communities, and become a best-in-class state agency. The agency cannot hope to successfully meet these goals without ITS in its arsenal of strategies to advance transportation across the state. This document provides a framework to guide the development and deployment of an integrated statewide program for intelligent transportation systems. The Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOT, as well as the broad community of ITS providers, stakeholders, and agency partners, will use this plan to promote the development, deployment, and use of ITS statewide. If this plan is to succeed, it needs the cooperation of all affected groups involved in ITS and transportation planning, design, funding, and implementation in the state. KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Stakeholders KW - Strategic planning KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Transportation planning UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6672-2.zip UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308709 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526350 AU - Burris, Mark AU - Danda, Santosh Rao AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Empirical Measurement of Travelers’ Value of Reliability PY - 2014/04//Technical Report SP - 50p AB - Time and reliability are two fundamental factors influencing travel behavior and demand. The concept of the value of time (VOT) has been extensively studied, and estimates of VOT have been obtained from surveys and empirical data. On the other hand, although the importance of value of reliability (VOR) is appreciated, research related to VOR is still in its early stages. The VOR has been estimated using surveys but has almost never been estimated using empirical data. This research used empirical data to take an initial step toward understanding the importance of travel time reliability. Katy Freeway travelers face a daily choice between reliable tolled lanes and less reliable but untolled lanes. An extensive dataset of Katy Freeway travel was used to examine the influence of time, reliability, and toll on lane-choice behavior. Lane choice was estimated using multinomial logit models. Basic models, including only travel time and toll, yielded reasonable results. Models included VOTs of $2.60/hour, $8.63/hour, and $10.71/hour for off-peak, shoulder, and peak-period travelers, respectively. However, adding a managed-lane (ML) alternative specific coefficient to these models resulted in positive coefficients for the toll variable and negative VOTs. Similarly, adding reliability to the models resulted in counter-intuitive results. Researchers concluded that additional research on how travelers perceive the reliability and time savings on MLs is needed because modeling real-world choices of MLs using the standard definitions of reliability and time savings led to counter-intuitive results. KW - Katy Freeway (Houston, Texas) KW - Managed lanes KW - Reliability KW - Route choice KW - Tolls KW - Traffic lanes KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel time KW - Value of time UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161304-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308848 ER - TY - SER AN - 01526343 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Crash Stats PB - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance: Fatality and Injury Statistics in Nontraffic Crashes, 2008 to 2011 PY - 2014/04 SP - 3p AB - The nontraffic motor vehicle crashes are a class of crashes that occur off the public traffic ways. These crashes, subsequently referred to as “nontraffic crashes,” are mostly single-vehicle crashes on private roads, two-vehicle crashes in parking facilities, or collisions with pedestrians on driveways. Then there are also noncrash incidents such as a vehicle falling on a person underneath or unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. Based on the Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) system, on an average, 1,621 people were killed each year in nontraffic motor vehicle crashes during the four year period, 2008 to 2011. About 39 percent of these people were nonoccupants such as pedestrians and bicyclists. Additionally, on an average, 91,000 people were injured in these crashes each year, of which 35 percent were nonoccupants. KW - Bicycle crashes KW - Fatalities KW - Injuries KW - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance System KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811813.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308454 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526337 AU - Finley, Melisa D AU - Songchitruksa, Praprut AU - Sunkari, Srinivasa R AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Innovative Devices to Control Traffic Entering From Low-Volume Access Points within a Lane Closure PY - 2014/04 SP - 79p AB - This report describes the methodology and results of analyses performed to identify and evaluate alternative methods to control traffic entering a lane closure on a two-lane, two-way road from low-volume access points. Researchers documented the state-of-the-practice regarding temporary traffic control at lane closures on two-lane, two-way roads in Texas, and examined existing and innovative devices and strategies that could be used to control traffic entering from low-volume access points. Researchers also compared the benefits and costs of various temporary traffic control alternatives for low-volume access points. Motorist surveys and field studies were conducted to access motorist understanding and the operational and safety effectiveness of two innovative devices to control traffic at low-volume access points. The findings from these tasks and studies were used to develop guidelines regarding the appropriate traffic control for low-volume access points within a lane closure on a two-lane, two-way road. KW - Access control (Transportation) KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Field studies KW - Lane closure KW - State of the practice KW - Surveys KW - Texas KW - Traffic control devices KW - Two lane highways UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6708-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308473 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526335 AU - Sun, Xiaoduan AU - Das, Subasish AU - University of Louisiana, Lafayette AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Comprehensive Study on Pavement Edge Line Implementation PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 71p AB - The previous 2011 study “Safety Improvement from Edge Lines on Rural Two-Lane Highways” analyzed the crash data of three years before and one year after edge line implementation by using the latest safety analysis statistical method. It concluded that placing pavement edge lines on rural two-lane highways in Louisiana can not only change the lateral positions of the vehicles but also reduce crashes. The Crash Modification Factor (CMF) for edge line on narrow, rural two-lane highways is 0.78. Considering the decreasing trend in crashes in the state for the past three years, the modified CMF is 0.83, which implies that, on average, implementing edge lines can reduce 17% of crashes. As an extension of the 2011 project, this study not only used two more years of crash data for the after time period but also applied the Empirical Bayes (EB) method in the analysis to estimate the crash reduction factors. Moreover, crash characteristics analysis is performed in this study to compare the difference before and after edge line implementation. Additionally, this project performed benefit and cost analysis. By considering the safety trend in Louisiana, the final estimated CMF is 0.85, which means there is a 15% expected crash reduction in edge line implementation on narrow, rural two-lane highways. The statistically estimated standard deviation for the CMF is 0.039. The crash reduction is consistent in all crash types and particularly significant in single vehicle crashes. Most of single vehicle crashes are run-off-road (ROR) crashes, which is the exact type of crash targeted by edge line implementation. The benefits overwhelmingly offset the cost with edge line implementation. The most conservative estimation for benefit and cost ratio is 19. This project recommends the use of edge lines on narrow rural two-lane highways whenever it is financially feasible and operationally feasible. KW - Bayes' theorem KW - Before and after studies KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Crash characteristics KW - Crash rates KW - Edge lines KW - Highway safety KW - Louisiana KW - Ran off road crashes KW - Rural highways KW - Two lane highways UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2014/FR_508.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51800/51854/FR_508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308456 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526330 AU - Zhou, Fujie AU - Estakhri, Cindy AU - Scullion, Tom AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Literature Review, Performance of RAP/RAS Mixes and New Direction PY - 2014/04 SP - 69p AB - In the last several years reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) have been widely used in asphalt mixes in Texas. The use of RAP/RAS can significantly reduce the initial cost of asphalt mixtures, conserve energy, and protect our environment. There are always two main concerns: variability of RAP/RAS and durability (or cracking) of RAP/RAS mixes. Past studies in Texas have clearly indicated that both RAP and RAS have acceptable variability following the best practices for handling RAP/RAS. This study will focus on the durability of RAP/RAS mixes. This report presents a review of using RAP/RAS in asphalt mixes, the identified research focus, and the revised field experimental test plan. Specifically, this report discusses the field performance of RAP/RAS mixes in Texas and other states, and the observed field performance data strongly support the necessity of establishing a RAP/RAS mix design system for project-specific service conditions. The best practices for using RAP/RAS processing, mix design, production, and field construction, are also documented. Additionally, the new specification for asphalt mixes in Texas is reviewed and then a revised field experimental test plan for validating the new specification is recommended. KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Best practices KW - Durability KW - Field tests KW - Literature reviews KW - Mix design KW - Performance based specifications KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements KW - Recycled materials KW - Shingles KW - Texas UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6738-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308471 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526322 AU - Sebesta, Stephen AU - Scullion, Tom AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Developing Guidelines for Repairing Severe Edge Failures : Technical Report PY - 2014/04 SP - 56p AB - This report presents various edge failures, the methods used by districts to repair them, and the results of the repair. While there was no clear consensus on the best treatment of in-situ material for pavements with edge failures, the districts agreed that an up-front investigation should be conducted, samples should be obtained and tested, and widening the pavement contributes to a reduced risk of edge failure. Special treatments may be necessary when dealing with pavements that have no shoulders, steep front slopes, and/or subgrade soils of high plasticity. Researchers found that geogrid reinforcement is beneficial to reducing longitudinal edge cracking, but will not totally eliminate edge cracking problems. Scarifying and reshaping the existing material with stabilization, combined with a flexible base overlay has shown good performance. Without a uniform cross section, simply widening the pavement can result in cracking problems at the longitudinal construction joint. This report also provides guidelines for repairing severe edge failures. KW - Geogrids KW - Guidelines KW - Pavement cracking KW - Pavement edge KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement widening KW - Repairing UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308550 ER - TY - SER AN - 01526315 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Crash Stats PB - National Center for Statistics and Analysis AU - Singh, Santokh AU - Stern, Seymour AU - Subramanian, Rajesh TI - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance: Child Fatality and Injury in Nontraffic Crashes—2008 to 2011 Statistics PY - 2014/04 SP - 4p AB - The Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) data show that during the four-year period, 2008 to 2011, nontraffic motor vehicle crashes killed an estimated 1,043 children 14 and younger. Additionally, an estimated 30,000 children of this age group were injured in these crashes. About 85 percent of the killed and 60 percent of the injured children were nonoccupants such as pedestrians and bicyclists. Among the nonoccupant children killed, a vast majority (84%) were younger children (4 and younger). KW - Bicycle crashes KW - Children KW - Fatalities KW - Injuries KW - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance System KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811812.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308226 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526311 AU - Kader, Michael AU - Ramani, Tara AU - Johnson, Jeremy AU - Speigelman, Clifford AU - Zietsman, Josias AU - Jacobs, Timothy AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Fleet Equipment Performance Measurement Preventive Maintenance Model: Final Report PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 76p AB - The concept of preventive maintenance is very important in the effective management and deployment of vehicle fleets. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) operates a large fleet of on-road and off-road equipment. Newer engines and vehicles are equipped with on-board diagnostic systems that can provide data on engine operation as indicators of engine load. There is the possibility of tracking these parameters to refine predictions for when equipment maintenance should be performed. Project 0-6626 aimed to provide a proof of concept for this idea by studying TxDOT’s fleet, selecting a vehicle category for data collection, and developing an algorithm that can be used to recommend appropriate oil change intervals based on engine data collected through on-board diagnostic systems. KW - Algorithms KW - Data collection KW - Equipment maintenance KW - Oil changing KW - Performance measurement KW - Preventive maintenance KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Vehicle electronics KW - Vehicle fleets KW - Vehicle maintenance UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6626-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308907 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526303 AU - Zollinger, Dan AU - Ley, Tyler AU - Wimsatt, Andrew AU - Ryu, Seongwoo AU - Won, Moon AU - Riding, Kyle AU - Zhou, Wujun AU - Choi, Pangil AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Implementation of Curing, Texturing, Subbase, and Compaction Measurement Alternatives for Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement PY - 2014/04//Technical Report SP - 136p AB - This report evaluates four different subbase types, two different concrete mix designs (a standard Texas Department of Transportation gradation and an optimized gradation), three different curing compounds, and four different surface textures that researchers tested on a new section of continuously reinforced concrete pavement. In particular, researchers found: (1) The instrumented roller package was effective in locating areas of low stiffness in subgrade soils. (2) Falling weight deflectometer and dynamic cone penetrometer data can be used to evaluate the stiffness of stabilized subbases before concrete paving commences. (3) The proposed curing compound evaluation protocol not only considered the moisture loss throughout the maturing process of concrete, but also introduced the relative humidity, surface abrasion strength, and water content of cured concrete samples to assess the curing compound effectiveness. (4) It appears that the use of geotextile between Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) and the subbase is questionable and may not provide the desired pavement performance. (5) The ConcreteWorks program was effectively calibrated using the data collected from this project. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Continuously reinforced concrete pavements KW - Curing agents KW - Mix design KW - Subbase (Pavements) KW - Texas KW - Texture UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/5-6037-01-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308908 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526297 AU - Taylor, Adam J AU - Tran, Nam H AU - National Center for Asphalt Technology AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Results of Inter-Laboratory Study for AMPT Pooled Fund Study TPF-5(178) PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 46p AB - An inter-laboratory study (ILS) was conducted as part of Pooled Fund Study TPF-5(178) to (1) help participating state agencies be familiarized with the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT) and start using the AMPT to test their routine asphalt mixtures; (2) determine if the variability of the dynamic modulus and flow number test results obtained in this pooled-fund ILS was comparable with that determined under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 09-29 ILS; and (3) investigate whether the current sample air void fabrication tolerances could be loosened from ± 0.5% to ± 1.0% as recommended in NCHRP Project 09-29. Twenty-nine participating laboratories were divided into three groups which were asked to test their specimens prepared from loose plant-produced mix at 6 ± 0.5%, 7 ± 0.5%, and 8 ± 0.5% air voids. Twenty-two of the 29 laboratories returned dynamic modulus and flow number test results for analysis included in this report. The repeatability statistics of the pooled-fund ILS for dynamic modulus and phase angle were generally equivalent to or higher than the values obtained during the NCHRP Project 09-29 ILS, but the reproducibility statistics for the pooled-fund ILS was either equivalent to or lower than the values obtained in the previous ILS. For flow number, the repeatability and reproducibility statistics for each of the three groups were significantly improved over the NCHRP Project 09-29 ILS values. This may be because each of the participating labs followed a more consistent procedure for preparing test specimens in the pooled fund ILS and had received some uniform training from both the manufacturer and through the NHI AMPT training course. The analysis results suggest that specimen air voids have a significant effect on both the dynamic modulus and flow number results. Up to approximately 50% of the variability of dynamic modulus results and approximately 70% of the variability of flow number data in this study can be explained by the variability of specimen air voids. In addition, a linear regression of the flow number data between 5.5 and 8.5 percent air voids showed a 1.0 percent increase in air void content would yield a flow number reduction of approximately 95 cycles. Thus, it is not possible to support loosening the specimen fabrication air void tolerances from ± 0.5 percent to ± 1.0 percent based on the results of this study. KW - Air voids KW - Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Dynamic modulus of elasticity KW - Flow KW - Laboratories KW - National Cooperative Highway Research Program UR - http://www.ncat.us/files/reports/2014/rep14-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307346 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526292 AU - Miller, Ann B AU - Wallingford, Samuel R AU - Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Management Plan for Historic Bridges in Virginia: Update / Scoping Phase PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 28p AB - The Management Plan for Historic Bridges in Virginia, completed in 2001 (hereinafter the 2001 Management Plan), identified the management and treatment needs for 54 bridges in Virginia that were individually eligible for or listed on the National Register of Historic Places and were under state purview. The 2001 Management Plan included a recommendation that the plan be reviewed and updated approximately every 10 years. An update to the 2001 Management Plan (and periodic updates thereafter) will be required by a pending programmatic agreement regarding the management of cultural resources, including bridges, in Virginia. The signatories of this agreement will include the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer. The current project was the scoping phase of the larger, formal update and entailed collecting information on the current status of the 54 bridges, including any major changes to the bridges since the publication of the 2001 Management Plan. Changes included major maintenance; rehabilitation work; damage; deterioration; and in a few cases, dismantling or demolition of the structure. Of the 54 bridges listed in the 2001 Management Plan, 37 underwent rehabilitation or repair; 1 was severely damaged by flooding and its remaining structure was stabilized, but treatment options are still being explored; 1 was dismantled and stored; and 3 were demolished in accordance with the recommended treatment (demolition following documentation) in the 2001 Management Plan. Although no work on the remaining 12 bridges was recorded, several had undergone rehabilitation before 2000. In the cases of bridges for which work was done, nearly all work was in accordance with the recommendations in the 2001 Management Plan. Having the updated information regarding the 54 bridges in the 2001 Management Plan in hand will facilitate the next phase of this work: the formal update of the 2001 Management Plan for these bridges. It is anticipated that the formal update will include enhanced maintenance recommendations as well as updated general management recommendations for these bridges. The current status information provided in this report will allow the update of the 2001 Management Plan to proceed in a timely, efficient fashion. KW - Bridge management systems KW - Condition surveys KW - Historic bridges KW - Maintenance KW - National Register of Historic Places KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Virginia UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/14-r9.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308457 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526288 AU - Kim, Yail Jimmy AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Novel Methodology for Quantifying the Performance of Constructed Bridges in Cold Regions PY - 2014/04 SP - 50p AB - This report presents a two-part research program examining the performance of constructed bridges in a cold region, represented by those in the State of North Dakota, and the behavior of concrete members strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite sheets in such a service condition. For the first phase, a total of 1,328 decks are sampled from a 15-year inspection period. These data are statistically characterized and probabilistically analyzed. The second part of the research concerns predictive investigations into the axial behavior of concrete exposed to aggressive service environments. Two types of concrete cylinders are studied: unconfined and confined with CFRP sheets. The aggressive environment and service traffic load are represented by freeze-wet-dry cycles with various levels of instantaneous compression load varying from 0% to 60% of the capacities of the unconfined and confined control concrete. Research approaches include three-dimensional deterministic finite element and probabilistic models, associated with a previously conducted experimental program. The effect of the instantaneous live load is significant on the performance of the unconfined and confined concrete, including the variation of compliance and volumetric characteristics. KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge design KW - Carbon fibers KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Finite element method KW - Frigid regions KW - Inspection KW - Methodology KW - North Dakota KW - Statistical analysis KW - Traffic loads UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC14-266.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308460 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526284 AU - Audino, Michael J AU - Goodwill, Jay A AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impacts of Dialysis Transportation on Florida’s Coordinated Public Transportation Programs PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 91p AB - The National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) at the University of South Florida (USF) collected quantitative and qualitative data from Community Transportation Coordinators (CTCs) throughout Florida. An online survey and a series of personal interviews provided insight into the following issues: (1) How the supply of and demand for dialysis transportation has changed over the past 5 years. (2) How the increase in dialysis trips is impacting the operations and financial condition of CTCs. (3) How the impacts of dialysis trips differ among rural-oriented CTCs, urban-oriented CTCs, and urban-oriented CTCs which are part of a public transit agency. (4) What unique transportation services are being implemented by CTCs to meet the increasing demand for non-Medicaid- funded dialysis trips. (5) How CTCs are preparing for increased transportation demand associated with increased need for dialysis treatment. KW - Community transportation KW - Diseases and medical conditions KW - Florida KW - Medical trips KW - Mobility KW - Paratransit services KW - Surveys KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT-BDK85-977-46-rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/77951.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1309686 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526282 AU - Tia, Mang AU - Muszynski, Larry AU - Kwon, Ohhoon AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Slab Replacement Maturity Guidelines PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 168p AB - This study investigated the use of maturity method to determine early age strength of concrete in slab replacement application. Specific objectives were (1) to evaluate effects of various factors on the compressive maturity-strength relationship of concrete at early age, (2) to develop appropriate test procedures for applying maturity method to predict early age strength of concrete, and (3) to validate the accuracy of the prediction of maturity method using the proposed test procedures. The maturity method using the Arrhenius maturity function was found to be quite reliable and convenient for use in predicting the early-age compressive strength of concrete in replacement slab application. Some limitations of maturity-strength prediction, such as the strength loss due to high curing temperature and insufficient moisture, supply were observed in the laboratory studies. However, these limitations were observed at the later age of the concrete when the compressive strength reached around 3,000 to 3,500 psi, and thus the observed limitations did not have any negative effect on the early-age-strength prediction of the concrete in the replacement slab. Using the strength of the protection specimens as strength determination of the in-place concrete is unreliable and may result in over-prediction of its strength. The maturity method using the Arrhenius maturity function is recommended for use to estimate the early-age compressive strength of concrete in slab replacement application. A testing protocol for the generation of maturity-strength curve for prediction of early-age compressive strength of concrete was recommended. The concrete used in the replacement lab must have exactly the same water-cement ratio, mix ingredients, and fresh concrete properties as those of the laboratory concrete used to develop the maturity curve. In the event that differences in fresh concrete properties, with more than ±1 inch in slump and/or ±1 % in air contents, are observed between the actual concrete used at the project site and the concrete which has been used to develop the maturity-strength curve, the maturity-strength curve should not be used to make strength predictions without proper adjustments of the predicted strengths due to effects of the variations in the fresh concrete properties. KW - Arrhenius equation KW - Compressive strength KW - Concrete curing KW - Laboratory studies KW - Slabs KW - Test procedures UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_SMO/FDOT-BDK75-977-62-rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307345 ER - TY - SER AN - 01526280 JO - Highway Safety Program Guideline PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs: Older Driver Safety PY - 2014/04 IS - 13 SP - 5p AB - Each State, in cooperation with its political subdivisions, tribal governments and other stakeholders, should develop and implement a comprehensive highway safety program, reflective of State demographics, to achieve a significant reduction in traffic crashes, fatalities, and injuries on public roads. The highway safety program should include a comprehensive older driver safety program that aims to reduce older driver crashes, fatalities, and injuries. To maximize benefits, each State older driver safety program should address driver licensing and medical review of at-risk drivers, medical and law enforcement education, roadway design, and collaboration with social services and transportation services providers. This guideline recommends the key components of a State older driver safety program, and criteria that the program components should meet. KW - Aged drivers KW - Driver licensing KW - Guidelines KW - Highway design KW - Highway safety KW - Law enforcement personnel KW - Medical personnel KW - Safety programs KW - Social service agencies KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/whatsup/tea21/tea21programs/pages/812007D-HSPG13-OlderDriverSafety.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307323 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526274 AU - Walubita, Lubinda F AU - Faruk, Abu N M AU - Lee, Sang Ick AU - Zhang, Jun AU - Nguyen, Stanford Thien Phong AU - Scullion, Thomas AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - HMA Shear Resistance, Permanent Deformation, and Rutting Tests for Texas Mixes : Year-1 Report PY - 2014/04 SP - v.p. AB - Traditionally run at one test temperature (122°F), the Hamburg Wheel Tracking Test (HWTT) has a proven history of identifying hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixes that are moisture susceptible and/or prone to rutting failures. Rutting failures, however, have occurred with HMA mixes that had passed the HWTT in the laboratory; mostly in high shear locations, in particular with slow moving (accelerating/decelerating) traffic at controlled intersections, stop-go sections, in areas of elevated temperatures, heavy/high traffic loading, and/or where lower PG asphalt-binder grades have been used. As a supplement to the HWTT, this two-year study is being undertaken to develop a simpler and less time consuming shear resistance and permanent deformation (PD)/rutting test that is also cost-effective, repeatable, and produces superior results in terms of correlation with field rutting performance. In particular, such a test should have the potential to discriminate HMA mixes for application in high shear stress areas (i.e., intersections) as well as being an indicator of the critical temperatures at which a given HMA mix, with a given PG asphalt-binder grade, becomes unstable and more prone to rutting and/or shear failure. In line with these objectives, this interim report documents the research work completed in Year-1 of the study, namely: a) data search and literature review; b) computational modeling and shear stress-strain analysis; c) comparative evaluation of the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT) and the Universal Testing Machine (UTM); and d) comparative evaluation of the Flow Number (FN), Dynamic Modulus (DM), and Repeated Load Permanent Deformation (RLPD) tests relative to the HWTT test method. KW - Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Computer models KW - Deformation curve KW - Dynamic modulus of elasticity KW - Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Literature reviews KW - Repeated loads KW - Rutting KW - Shear strength KW - Test procedures KW - Texas UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6744-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308470 ER - TY - SER AN - 01526273 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Hall, James P AU - Sung, Chung-Hsien AU - Morgan, William AU - University of Illinois, Springfield AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Analysis of 24-Hour versus 48-Hour Traffic Counts for HPMS Sampling PY - 2014/04 IS - 14-007 SP - 42p AB - The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has requested a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to allow IDOT to implement a 24-hour traffic-count program on the non-state Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) routes, as opposed to the current HPMS count cycle and duration requirement for a 48-hour minimum counting cycle. IDOT proposes to count these routes twice in a 5-year cycle. IDOT’s concern is that the collection of 24-hour counts, as opposed to 48-hour counts, would enable more efficient use of agency resources, yet still maintain the statistical integrity of the annual average daily traffic (AADT) estimation process for HPMS reporting. IDOT had conducted research in the 1980s comparing the two count durations and has been following the conclusions from that study in conducting 24-hour counts. IDOT had been granted an FHWA waiver for the 24-hour counts on state routes since 1992. Because traffic patterns have changed over the years, IDOT wanted to review the relative differences between the two count durations. The objective of this study was to perform a statistical analysis on IDOT’s automated traffic recorder (ATR) continuous-count traffic data, collected from 103 statewide ATR locations, to compare the relative differences between 24-hour count periods and 48-hour count periods that are factored to compute AADT. Statistical analyses were performed for statewide ATR data across various roadway functional classification categories and also split by District 1 and downstate (Districts 2–9). In general, the analyses found that, with the application of appropriate daily traffic-count adjustment factors, the 24-hour counts were statistically comparable to 48-hour traffic counts. KW - Annual average daily traffic KW - Automatic traffic recorders KW - Highway Performance Monitoring System KW - Hours KW - Illinois KW - Statistical analysis KW - Traffic counts UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/48937 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308830 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526267 AU - Goodwin, Gwendolyn C AU - Schoby, Jamaal AU - Council, Walter AU - Texas Southern University AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Examination of Severe Environmental Justice Zones : A Houston, Texas Case Study PY - 2014/04 SP - 34p AB - Declining federal subsidies are limiting transportation capacity at the regional and local levels. At the same time, federally funded agencies must comply with Executive Order (EO) 12898, which augments Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EO states that agencies are to identify burdens and benefits to vulnerable populations. Prior to the 2010, demographic and socioeconomic data collected from the decennial census, the American Community Survey (ACS) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services were used to classify environmental justice zones (EJZs). In the 2010 decennial census, the U.S. Census Bureau eliminated the long-form, which reduced the data available to perform adequate environmental justice analyses. Currently, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) use the ACS which provides limited data. MPOs must now develop innovative strategies to determine environmental justice zones. In previous work, a methodology for identifying EJZs in the Houston transportation management area (TMA) was created for the MPO. This methodology analyzed the level of transportation investment in severe census tracts. The methodology included a three-tier process. First, the EJZs and non-EJZs were identified based on the distribution of variables throughout the census tracts. Of the 1,066 tracts within the Houston TMA, there was usable data for 1,062 tracts. About 356 (34%) were classified as EJZs. Among EJ tracts, 209 (20%) were low EJ, 107 (10%) were medium EJ, 32 (3%) were high EJ, and 8 (1%) were extreme EJ tracts. For purposes of this study, only these eight extreme EJZs are discussed in more detail. The second tier analysis developed community profiles for these extreme EJZs. In the third tier, transportation mobility accessibility options were described for the extreme EJZs, including an automobile versus public transit comparison. The study found that one of the EJ areas had the best travel times and good access to transit and light rail. This was primarily due to its close proximity to the Central Business District (CBD). Study areas located the farthest from the CBD reported higher car ownership. KW - Accessibility KW - American Community Survey KW - Case studies KW - Environmental justice KW - Houston (Texas) KW - Low income groups KW - Methodology KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Minorities KW - Mobility KW - Travel time UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/600451-00046-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308849 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01525271 AU - Brelin-Fornari, Janet AU - Janca, Sheryl AU - Kettering University AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Development of NHTSA's Side Impact Test Procedure for Child Restraint Systems Using a Deceleration Sled Part 1 PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 47p AB - This report presents the results of the research and development of the child seat side impact tests performed at Kettering University’s Crash Safety Center for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The tests were conducted using a deceleration sled. The objective of this testing was to obtain data for the development of a side impact test procedure for child restraint systems. KW - Child restraint systems KW - Deceleration KW - Impact tests KW - Side crashes KW - Sled tests UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crashworthiness/Child%20Safety%20Crashworthiness%20Research/811994-SideImpctTest-ChRestraintDecelSled_Pt1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1309525 ER - TY - SER AN - 01523960 JO - Research Results PB - Federal Railroad Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Development of a Short Line Railroad Safety Institute: Phase I – Job Analysis PY - 2014/04 SP - 4p AB - A proposed Short Line Safety Institute is being developed, implemented and evaluated as a result of the support of the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Office of Research and Development (R&D) and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA). Three key functions will be performed by the Institute, as follows: (1) safety culture assessment, (2) safety compliance assessment, and (3) manager education. Building a stronger and sustainable safety culture in the short line industry through non-punitive and voluntary partnerships with individual member railroad companies is the proposed Institute's mission. The Institute is being established by ASLRRA in order to enhance and improve safety performance on short line railroads across North America. Still under development are the final organizational structure and physical logistics of the Institute. The Institute will assess short line railroads’ operations and safety programs in order to accomplish its goals. Teams, comprised of experts, will conduct these assessments. Short line railroad safety best practices will be identified by the Institute, and the following will be developed: Guidance and tools for railroads to monitor the state of their safety culture; Training materials, including leadership training to assist managers with safety compliance and safety culture change; and Recommendations and resources for short line railroad members of ASLRRA to enhance safety culture. A pilot project will be the starting point for development of the Institute. ASLRRA will work with federal railroad administration (FRA), the Volpe Center, and the University of Connecticut as part of this pilot phase in order to create tools to assess the current level of regulatory compliance and safety culture levels on short line railroads that transport crude oil. Written validated assessments, structured interviews, focus groups, and observation may be included as safety culture tools. The Institute’s initial focus, after which it will address other short line railroad safety issues, will be the safety of crude oil transportation by rail. KW - Compliance KW - Crude oil KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Pilot studies KW - Railroad safety KW - Safety education KW - Short line railroads UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3840 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307273 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523816 AU - Couper, Fiona J AU - Logan, Barry K AU - Washington State Patrol AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 103p AB - A panel of international experts on drug-impaired driving met in Seattle during August 2000 to review developments in the field of drugs and human performance over the last 10 years; to identify the specific effects that both illicit and prescription drugs have on driving; and to develop guidance for others when dealing with drug-impaired driving problems. Delegates represented the fields of psychopharmacology, behavioral psychology, drug chemistry, forensic toxicology, medicine, and law enforcement experts trained in the recognition of drug effects on drivers in the field. These Fact Sheets represent the conclusions of the Panel and include the state of current scientific knowledge in the area of drugs and human performance for the 16 drugs selected for evaluation. The selected drugs include over-the-counter medications such as dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine; prescription medications such as carisoprodol, diazepam and zolpidem; and abused and/or illegal drugs such as cocaine, gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana, methadone, methamphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), morphine, phencyclidine (PCP) and toluene. KW - Driver performance KW - Drug effects KW - Drugged drivers KW - Drugs KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/809725-DrugsHumanPerformFS.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307275 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523306 AU - Bennert, Thomas AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Laboratory Evaluation of Foamed Warm Mix Asphalt PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 31p AB - Many of New Jersey’s asphalt suppliers have elected to invest in Warm Mixed Asphalt systems that utilize water to foam the asphalt. Foaming the asphalt binder reduces the viscosity of the asphalt binder by increasing its surface area. Theoretically, this provides a more uniform coating on the aggregates, as well increasing the workability of the asphalt mixture. Unfortunately, limited research and data has been reported on the use and performance of foamed asphalt for warm mix asphalt. This project will evaluate the potential mix design changes that may be required to allow foamed WMA, as well as the general material performance. A laboratory investigation generating foamed warm mix asphalt will be conducted. KW - Bituminous binders KW - Foamed asphalt KW - Laboratory tests KW - Mix design KW - New Jersey KW - Warm mix paving mixtures UR - http://cait.rutgers.edu/files/NJAPA-RU9247-final_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306954 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523223 AU - Raslear, Thomas G AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Start Time Variability and Predictability in Railroad Train and Engine Freight and Passenger Service Employees PY - 2014/04 SP - 27p AB - Start time variability in work schedules is often hypothesized to be a cause of railroad employee fatigue because unpredictable work start times prevent employees from planning sleep and personal activities. This report examines work start time differences from three different databases previously published by the Federal Railroad Administration: the Fatigue Accident Validation database, the Work Schedules and Sleep Patterns of Train and Engine Service Workers database, and the Work Schedules and Sleep Patterns of Passenger Train and Engine Service Workers database. A statistical description is provided for start time differences for Freight Train and Engine (T&E) crews on days with accidents (Accidents), Freight T&E on days preceding accidents (Pre-accident), T&E on days without accidents (T&E), and Passenger T&E on days without accidents (Passenger T&E). Start time difference unpredictability (σ2) was ordered as follows: σAccidents 2≥ σPre−accident 2> σT&𝐸 2> σPassenger T&𝐸 2. Fatigue, as measured by the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool, was significantly correlated with start time difference unpredictability. The start time difference variance and hazard function are useful statistical measures for determining start time variability and predicting fatigue in work schedules. KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Hours of labor KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Irregular work schedules KW - Predictability KW - Railroad crashes KW - Railroads KW - Sleep KW - Train crews KW - Work start times UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3623 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304980 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523184 AU - Gist, Richard AU - National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Proposed Key Elements of a Critical Incident Intervention Program for Reducing the Effects of Potentially Traumatic Exposure on Train Crews to Grade Crossing and Trespasser Incidents PY - 2014/04 SP - 46p AB - This independent report presents work conducted regarding project FR-RDD-0024-11-01 to advise and support the formulation of regulations and supporting materials concerning “critical incident” response plans for rail carriers covered by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, Sec. 410. This report addresses the following topics: (a) Review of literature on established and emerging research findings with respect to occupational exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs); (b) Review of literature on current best practices with respect to prevention, mitigation, early intervention, and evidence-based treatment of established sequelae from such exposures; (c) Review of current practices by key rail carriers as reported through the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to determine level of consensus reflected in existing programs respecting critical requirements of the authorizing act (e.g., definition of “critical incident,” release from duty of impacted employees, intervention design, and evaluation of outcomes); (d) Preparation of a general guidance template outlining key features that might be expected in model programs, reflecting current best practices and existing consensus; and (e) Comparison of reported features within existing carrier programs with critical elements of current best practices. KW - Best practices KW - Crash exposure KW - Critical incidents KW - Literature reviews KW - Prevention KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety KW - Regulation KW - Stress (Psychology) KW - Train crews KW - Trespassers UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3628 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305874 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523175 AU - Al-Nazer, Leith AU - Raslear, Thomas AU - Welander, Lucas R AU - Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Rail Integrity Application of Ultrasonic Phased Arrays for Rail Flaw Sizing PY - 2014/04 SP - 40p AB - The objective of this project was to quantify the effectiveness of the rail inspection ground verification process. More specifically, the project focused on comparing the effectiveness of conventional versus phased array probes to manually detect and size internal rail defects. Signal detection theory was used to quantify the effectiveness parameter. The results tentatively indicate that using phased array technology does not improve the ground verification process. However, follow-on studies with additional data collection are necessary in order to draw a more definitive conclusion. KW - Flaw detection KW - Inspection KW - Maintenance of way KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Rail (Railroads) KW - Ultrasonic array technology KW - Ultrasonic tests UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3629 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305873 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523074 AU - Gabree, Scott H AU - Chase, Stephanie AU - daSilva, Marco AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Effect of Dynamic Envelope Pavement Markings on Vehicle Driver Behavior at a Highway-Rail Grade Crossing PY - 2014/04 SP - 49p AB - The U. S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration’s (RITA) John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), under the direction of the U.S. DOT Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research and Development (R&D), conducted a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of roadway pavement markings placed within the dynamic envelope, the region between and immediately adjacent to the tracks at a highway-rail grade crossing, and new corresponding signage at the Commercial Boulevard grade crossing in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The goal of the added markings and signage is to reduce the number of vehicles that come to a stop within the dynamic envelope, a violation of most applicable State highway traffic laws, thus reducing the possibility that a vehicle is present on the tracks when a train approaches. Results indicate that the addition of the dynamic envelope pavement markings and modified signage reduced the number of vehicles that stopped within the dynamic envelope zone and increased the number of vehicles that stopped properly—safely behind the stop line. Though these results seem to indicate that dynamic envelope pavement markings and signage may be an effective way to increase safe behavior, these safety enhancements have only been studied at one crossing. Additional field testing is necessary before recommendations for wider use can be made. KW - Behavior KW - Drivers KW - Dynamic envelope KW - Fort Lauderdale (Florida) KW - Highway safety KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety KW - Road markings KW - Traffic signs KW - Traffic violations UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3627 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51600/51605/Dynamic_Envelope_Pavement_Markings.pdf?utm_source=externalnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=april UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305875 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522317 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Distracted Driving 2012 PY - 2014/04 SP - 6p AB - The Department of Transportation works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. A distraction-affected crash is any crash in which a driver was identified as distracted at the time of the crash. Ten percent of fatal crashes, 18 percent of injury crashes, and 16 percent of all motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2012 were reported as distraction-affected crashes. In 2012, there were 3,328 people killed and an estimated additional 421,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Ten percent of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted. In 2012, there were 540 nonoccupants killed in distraction-affected crashes. This report presents data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) General Estimates System (GES). KW - Age groups KW - Cellular telephones KW - Crash data KW - Distraction KW - Drivers KW - Fatalities KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - General Estimates System KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812012.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306458 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522309 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Efficient and Safe Merging Solutions: Advanced Freeway Merge Assistance: Harnessing the Potential of Connected Vehicles PY - 2014/04 SP - 2p AB - One of the major traffic bottlenecks and safety concerns on today’s busy roads occurs during freeway merges. “Advanced Freeway Merge Assistance: Harnessing the Potential of Connected Vehicles” is an Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program project designed to improve the efficiency and safety of freeway merges using connected vehicle technology. This project was awarded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2009, and was conducted by the University of Virginia Center for Transportation Studies (UVA CTS). Using a previous 2008 study on the ability of connected vehicle technology to improve ramp metering as the starting point for this study, the project developed and evaluated strategic algorithms designed to improve freeway merging. These algorithms were developed specifically to take advantage of the capabilities provided by the system. KW - Algorithms KW - Driver support systems KW - Freeways KW - Merging traffic KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Ramp metering UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/14045/14045.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305803 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522195 JO - TRAFFIC TECH PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Schick, Amy AU - Vegega, Maria AU - Chaudhary, Neil TI - Distracted Driving High-Visibility Enforcement Demonstrations in California and Delaware PY - 2014/04 SP - 2p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates 10% of fatal crashes (3,328) and 18% of injury crashes (421,000) were attributable to distracted driving in 2012. Previous research indicates dedicated law enforcement over a specified period coupled with enforcement-based messaging can reduce observed electronic device use rates. A demonstration, consisting of four high-visibility enforcement (HVE) waves, conducted from April 2010 to April 2011 in Syracuse, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut, saw hand-held phone use drop 32% (from 3.7% to 2.5%) in Syracuse and 57% (from 6.8% to 2.9%) in Hartford (Chaudhary et al., 2014; Cosgrove et al., 2011). Having evidence that high-visibility enforcement is effective in a controlled community setting, the next step was to examine the effectiveness of implementing distracted driving HVE campaigns over a widespread, multi-jurisdictional area. Following a methodology similar to the Connecticut and New York studies, NHTSA initiated two large-scale HVE demonstrations in California and Delaware to examine whether distracted driving-focused HVE can be applied to larger geographic and demographic areas. KW - California KW - Cellular telephones KW - Delaware KW - Distraction KW - Public information programs KW - Safety campaigns KW - Text messaging KW - Traffic law enforcement UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811993-DistractedDrivingHighVisibilityEnforcement_CA-DE-TT.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305274 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522138 AU - Boeckmann, Andrew AU - Myers, Sarah AU - Uong, Minh AU - Loehr, J Erik AU - University of Missouri, Columbia AU - Missouri Department of Transportation AU - Missouri Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Load and Resistance Factor Design of Drilled Shafts in Shale for Lateral Loading PY - 2014/04//Final Report SP - 301p AB - A research project involving 32 drilled shaft load tests was undertaken to establish Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) procedures for design of drilled shafts subjected to lateral loads. Tests were performed at two Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) geotechnical research sites. All shafts were founded in shale. Shafts were instrumented to measure the displacement of the shaft head, and the structural response of each shaft was interpreted from strain gage data as well as from ShapeAccelArray (SAA) data. The load tests achieved significant displacement of the top of the shaft, and successfully transferred load into the rock layers. A p-y model was created from the data by using a finite element method (FEM) code to match the measured deflection data. The fitted p-y models were generally stiffer and with greater values of ultimate lateral resistance (p sub ult) than those predicted using the popular “stiff clay” model of Ensoft’s L-PILE. The FEM code was then used to perform reliability calculations and produce resistance factors as a function of the coefficient of variation of the foundation material strength. KW - Bridge foundations KW - Drilled shafts KW - Finite element method KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Lateral loads KW - Lateral resistance KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Load tests KW - Load transfer KW - Mathematical models KW - Missouri KW - Shale UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1126/cmr14-011_reduced.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306453 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530989 AU - Meegoda, Jay N AU - Gao, Shengyan AU - New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimum Fund Allocations to Rehabilitate Transport Infrastructure PY - 2014/03/31/Final Report SP - 49p AB - Transportation Infrastructure in the U.S. is in need of maintenance and rehabilitation. Preservation of road networks at an acceptable level of serviceability subject to the stringent yearly maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) budgets is a major challenge for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs). Decision-makers are required to develop an optimum financial plan to minimize the total cost of maintenance and rehabilitation for different expected improvement of the road network performance level during a given planning horizon. This research developed a network level budget planning model, a valuable tool for decision makers of DOTs to determine the required minimum network budget and optimal budget allocations. This decision tool can compute the minimum amount of investment needed for a pavement network over a certain planning horizon to achieve specific network level condition state and recommend the best allocation of available budget among competing projects for different treatment strategies of maintenance and rehabilitation each year. This network-level optimization tool integrates a linear programming model and a deterministic roughness progression model which accounts the pavement deterioration. The effect of the uniformity of the annual optimum budget distribution on budget planning is also considered. The flexible pavement condition data from New Jersey Highway Network is used to validate the proposed model. This optimization tool demonstrates its ability to calculate the minimum budget required to achieve a desired level of pavement network condition state and to determine the corresponding optimal treatment scheduling. The developed network-level budget planning model can be used by highway agencies as a decision support tool for network level pavement management. KW - Budgeting KW - Decision support systems KW - Infrastructure KW - Optimization KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement management systems KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Roughness UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/final-optimum-fund-allocation_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1315784 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529322 AU - Lee, Brian H Y AU - Azaria, Dale AU - Neely, Sean AU - UVM Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Work Zones and Travel Speeds: The Effects of Uniform Traffic Officers & Other Speed Management Measures PY - 2014/03/31 SP - 41p AB - Improving safety conditions in work zones, for both the workers as well as the travelers, is a major national concern, especially in light of the country’s aging transportation infrastructure that requires increasing amount of maintenance, repair, and reconstruction work. The focus of this research project is on enhanced enforcement of work zone traffic laws, with a specific emphasis on the effects of Uniform Traffic Officers (UTO) and other speed management measures on driver compliance with reduced work zone speed limits. For the purpose of this study, UTO are police officers contracted for construction projects where the road remains open to travelers. The officers are stationed in marked police vehicles with the blue lights flashing and parked within project work zones while road workers are active. Typically, UTO remain inside the police vehicles but sometimes they may be on the roadway to help direct traffic, especially when temporary lane closures are needed or interactions are expected between road workers or construction equipment and the parts of the road that are open to the public. UTO do not normally perform enforcement duties and are used primarily for their presence. The use of police officers for various forms of enforcement for speeding and other moving violations is different from the use of UTO and considered as one of the other speed management measures in this project. The goal of this work is to assess the effectiveness of UTO and other interventions on maintaining safe travel speeds and to help guide the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VAOT) in the provision of proper resource allocation for improving work zone safety. KW - Behavior KW - Drivers KW - Police KW - Speed control KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Vermont KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://transctr.w3.uvm.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/TRC-Report-14-004-Final-Work-Zones-and-Travel-Speeds.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312421 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01565446 AU - Sheaf, Scott AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Charara, Hassan AU - Sunkari, Srinivasa AU - Gibbs, Williams AU - Kucalaba, Luke AU - Smith, Theodore AU - Timcho, Thomas AU - Battelle AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - System Design Document for the INFLO Prototype PY - 2014/03/28/Final Report SP - 73p AB - This report documents the high level System Design Document (SDD) for the prototype development and demonstration of the Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO) application bundle, with a focus on the Speed Harmonization (SPD-HARM) and Queue Warning (Q-WARN) applications. These two applications together comprise a tightly integrated bundle that is a key research activity within the Dynamic Mobility Applications (DMA) portion of the Connected Vehicle Program. This SDD is a representation of a system/software design that is to be used for recording design information, addressing various design concerns, and communicating that information to the INFLO stakeholders. This document provides a representation of the INFLO software system created to facilitate analysis, planning, implementation, and decision making. It is a blueprint or model of the INFLO software, communications, and to some extent, the hardware systems. The SDD is used as the primary medium for communicating design information. KW - Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO) KW - ITS program applications KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Queuing KW - Speed harmonization KW - System design KW - Traffic speed UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54800/54846/INFLO-System-Design-FINAL-508-compliant_FHWA-JPO-14-169.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1355759 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01560088 AU - Wells, Bryan AU - Berg, Roger AU - Denso International America, Incorporated AU - Battelle AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device Kit Project: Safety Applications and Development Plan PY - 2014/03/28/Final Report SP - 42p AB - Connected vehicle wireless data communications can enable safety applications that may reduce injuries and fatalities. Cooperative vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications will be effective only if a high fraction of vehicles are equipped. Deployment of V2V technology will be enhanced if it is available not only for manufacturing in new vehicles but also for retrofit to existing vehicles. The objective of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device (CCV-RSD) Kit Project was to develop complete hardware and software that can be used in various brands and models of heavy trucks. The RSD kits provide the functionality needed for cooperative V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications to support the Model Deployment and other USDOT connected vehicle projects. This project included testing and documentation needed for installation, operation, enhancement, and maintenance of the units. These retrofit kits were built so they could be installed in existing class 6, 7, or 8 trucks. The RSD kits achieved a V2V and V2I functionality similar to that of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Integrated Truck (CCV-IT) vehicles, where onboard equipment was integrated with newly manufactured truck tractors. This document describes application requirements for CCV-RSD safety applications, including Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Intersection Movement Assist (IMA), Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Emergency Electronic Brake Lights (EEBL), and Curve Speed Warning (CSW). Safety applications based on these requirements were subsequently implemented in the CCV-RSD program as an adaptation of a preexisting system developed for Light Vehicles and the CCV-IT program. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Highway safety KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Vehicle retrofitting KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54500/54590/401_safetyapps.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1344656 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554432 AU - Stephens, Denny AU - Pape, Doug AU - LeBlanc, Dave AU - Bogard, Scott AU - Berg, Roger AU - Wells, Bryan AU - Peredo, Gordon AU - Battelle AU - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device Kit Project: Final Report PY - 2014/03/28/Final Report SP - 114p AB - Connected vehicle wireless data communications can enable safety applications that may reduce injuries and fatalities. Cooperative vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications will be effective only if a high fraction of vehicles are equipped. Deployment of V2V technology will be enabled if it is available not only for manufacturing in new vehicles but also for retrofit to existing vehicles. The objective of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device (CCV-RSD) Kit Project was to develop complete hardware and software that can be used in various brands and models of heavy trucks. The RSD kits provide the functionality needed for cooperative V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications to support the Model Deployment and other U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) connected vehicle projects. This project included testing and documentation needed for installation, operation, enhancement, and maintenance of the units. These retrofit kits were built so they could be installed in existing class 6, 7, or 8 trucks. The RSD kits achieved a V2V and V2I functionality similar to that of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Integrated Truck vehicles, where onboard equipment was integrated with newly manufactured truck tractors. This final report summarizes all of the activities and accomplishments of this project. Hardware and software were developed to adapt safety applications to commercial vehicles. Carefully planned testing on a benchtop and test track provided successful operation in the Safety Pilot Model Deployment. KW - Active safety systems KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Computers KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Retrofitting KW - Software KW - Trucking safety KW - Trucks UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54400/54409/111.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342144 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554404 AU - Wells, Bryan AU - Berg, Roger AU - Denso International America, Incorporated AU - Battelle AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device Kit Project: Safety Applications Performance and Functional Test Plan and Procedure PY - 2014/03/28/Task Final Report SP - 78p AB - Connected vehicle wireless data communications can enable safety applications that may reduce injuries and fatalities. Cooperative vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications will be effective only if a high fraction of vehicles are equipped. Deployment of V2V technology will be enhanced if it is available not only for manufacturing in new vehicles but also for retrofit to existing vehicles. The objective of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device (CCV-RSD) Kit Project was to develop complete hardware and software that can be used in various brands and models of heavy trucks. The RSD kits provide the functionality needed for cooperative V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications to support the Model Deployment and other U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) connected vehicle projects. This project included testing and documentation needed for installation, operation, enhancement, and maintenance of the units. These retrofit kits were built so they could be installed in existing class 6, 7, or 8 trucks. The RSD kits achieved a V2V and V2I functionality similar to that of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Integrated Truck vehicles, where onboard equipment was integrated with newly manufactured truck tractors. This document describes the performance and functional test plan and procedures that were later used to verify that the safety applications in an RSD kit that had been installed in a tractor. The document specifies a series of tests for the Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Emergency Electronic Brake Lights (EEBL), Intersection Movement Assist (IMA), Blind Spot Warning/Lane Change Warning (BSW/LCW), and Curve Speed Warning (CSW) safety applications. KW - Active safety systems KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Computers KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Performance measurement KW - Retrofitting KW - Software KW - Test procedures KW - Trucking safety KW - Trucks UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54400/54405/107.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342146 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554371 AU - LeBlanc, David AU - Bogard, Scott E AU - Goodsell, Robert AU - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor AU - Battelle AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device Kit Project: Model Deployment Operational Analysis Report PY - 2014/03/28/Task Final Report SP - 46p AB - Connected vehicle wireless data communications can enable safety applications that may reduce injuries and fatalities. Cooperative vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications will be effective only if a high fraction of vehicles are equipped. Deployment of V2V technology will be enhanced if it is available not only for manufacturing in new vehicles but also for retrofit to existing vehicles. The objective of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device (CCV-RSD) Kit Project was to develop complete hardware and software that can be used in various brands and models of heavy trucks. The RSD kits provide the functionality needed for cooperative V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications to support the model deployment and other U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) connected vehicle projects. This project included testing and documentation needed for installation, operation, enhancement, and maintenance of the units. These retrofit kits were built so they could be installed in existing class 6, 7, or 8 trucks. The RSD kits achieved a V2V and V2I functionality similar to that of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Integrated Truck vehicles, where onboard equipment was integrated with newly manufactured truck tractors. This document describes the operational experience of commercial vehicles with the RSD kits in the safety pilot model deployment. It includes the travel distances, safety application alert counts and rates, communication interactions, and the ability of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) units onboard these vehicles to receive other vehicles’ messages. KW - Active safety systems KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Computers KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Pilot studies KW - Retrofitting KW - Software KW - Trucking safety KW - Trucks UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54400/54408/110.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342145 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554300 AU - Bogard, Scott AU - LeBlanc, David AU - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor AU - Battelle AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device Kit Project: Applications Performance and Functional Test Report PY - 2014/03/28/Task Report SP - 78p AB - Connected vehicle wireless data communications can enable safety applications that may reduce injuries and fatalities. Cooperative vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications will be effective only if a high fraction of vehicles are equipped. Deployment of V2V technology will be enabled if it is available not only for manufacturing in new vehicles but also for retrofit to existing vehicles. The objective of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device (CCV-RSD) Kit Project was to develop complete hardware and software that can be used in various brands and models of heavy trucks. The RSD kits provide the functionality needed for cooperative V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications to support the Model Deployment and other U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) connected vehicle projects. This project included testing and documentation needed for installation, operation, enhancement, and maintenance of the units. These retrofit kits were built so they could be installed in existing class 6, 7, or 8 trucks. The RSD kits achieved a V2V and V2I functionality similar to that of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Integrated Truck vehicles, where onboard equipment was integrated with newly manufactured truck tractors. This report documents tests on the functionality of the safety applications on a closed course. More than 20 scenarios were developed to verify safety application performance in both typical and challenging pre-crash conditions. Most scenarios tested whether a warning was displayed to the driver at the appropriate time, and some tested whether the system would withhold a warning when it was not warranted. Several test runs were conducted for each scenario. The system passed all of the tests that were run. KW - Active safety systems KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Computers KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Performance tests KW - Retrofitting KW - Software KW - Trucking safety KW - Trucks KW - Warning devices UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54400/54406/108.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342141 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554242 AU - Bogard, Scott AU - LeBlanc, David AU - Gilbert, Mark AU - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor AU - Battelle AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device Kit Project: Data Acquisition System (DAS) Documentation PY - 2014/03/28/Task Report SP - 60p AB - Connected vehicle wireless data communications can enable safety applications that may reduce injuries and fatalities. Cooperative vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications will be effective only if a high fraction of vehicles are equipped. Deployment of V2V technology will be enhanced if it is available not only for manufacturing in new vehicles but also for retrofit to existing vehicles. The objective of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Retrofit Safety Device (CCV-RSD) Kit Project was to develop complete hardware and software that can be used in various brands and models of heavy trucks. The RSD kits provide the functionality needed for cooperative V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications to support the Model Deployment and other U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) connected vehicle projects. This project included testing and documentation needed for installation, operation, enhancement, and maintenance of the units. These retrofit kits were built so they could be installed in existing class 6, 7, or 8 trucks. The RSD kits achieved a V2V and V2I functionality similar to that of the Connected Commercial Vehicles—Integrated Truck vehicles, where onboard equipment was integrated with newly manufactured truck tractors. An essential element of the developmental testing of these safety devices is the ability to record and examine the operation of the truck, its driver, and the safety system. This capability was provided by a Data Acquisition System (DAS) installed on each of the test vehicles. The DAS communicated with the RSD, the vehicle’s internal data bus, a set of accelerometers, and video cameras. It recorded all of the Basic Safety Messages (BSMs) transmitted by the RSD and the BSMs that the RSD received from other units. This document describes the design of the DAS, its specifications, and instructions for operating it. KW - Active safety systems KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Computers KW - Data collection KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Retrofitting KW - Software KW - Trucking safety KW - Trucks UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54400/54407/109.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342143 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530900 AU - Coleman, Drew M AU - Connecticut Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Advancing the Use of Streaming Media and Digital Media Technologies at the Connecticut Department of Transportation PY - 2014/03/27/Final Report SP - 92p AB - This final research report culminates a decade-long initiative to demonstrate and implement streaming media technologies at Connecticut Department of Transportation (CONNDOT). This effort began in 2001 during an earlier related-study (SPR-2231) that concluded in 2006. This study (SPR-2254) resumed from where the earlier one left-off. By project-end, the infrastructure was in place to support the production and delivery of higher-quality video presentations and webcasts. These are being routinely used for in-house training and for better-nforming the motoring public. In addition, a state-of-the-art broadcasting studio continues to be available for disseminating live-meetings and workshops via the web. KW - Connecticut Department of Transportation KW - Digital video KW - Implementation KW - Information dissemination KW - Streaming technology (Telecommunications) KW - Training KW - Web applications UR - http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents/dresearch/SPR_2254-_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1315913 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577984 TI - B&T2 EM-Bridge Technology Demonstrations/Construction Projects Technology Deployment AB - No summary provided. KW - Bridges KW - Construction projects KW - Demonstration projects KW - Technology UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371351 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522320 AU - Becker, Christopher AU - Van Eikema Hommes, Qi AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Transportation Systems Safety Hazard Analysis Tool (SafetyHAT) User Guide (Version 1.0) PY - 2014/03/24 SP - 77p AB - This is a user guide for the transportation system Safety Hazard Analysis Tool (SafetyHAT) Version 1.0. SafetyHAT is a software tool that facilitates System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA). This user guide provides instructions on how to download, install, and use SafetyHAT version 1.0. KW - Algorithms KW - Computer program documentation KW - Hazard analysis KW - SafetyHAT (Software) KW - Software KW - System safety KW - Systems analysis UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51500/51522/SafetyHAT_User_Guide_v1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306562 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01570477 TI - Support Services for Peer Exchanges AB - This Peer Exchange Project is intended to provide Research Programs with the option to procure services to help with the logistical and administrative aspects of organizing and holding a research, development & technology (RD&T) Peer Exchange, as described under 23 CFR 420.203. Doing so will allow Research Programs to focus on the content of their peer exchange. The Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT)will contract with a service provider. The service provider will offer a menu of support services including but not limited to the following: (1) Making travel and lodging arrangements for peer exchange panel participants; (2) Reimbursing travel expenses for peer exchange panel participants; (3) Meeting facilitation services including: a) Moderating and facilitating discussion during the peer exchange; b) Working with the host state to help identify activities to support meeting the objectives of the peer exchange; c) Coordinating and scheduling meeting participants; d) Providing a recording secretary to take notes and prepare meeting minutes; and e) Assisting with report preparation. (4) Rental of off- site meeting facilities; and (5) Catering. Once a vendor is brought on board, any State Research Program (host state) planning a peer exchange may contact the vendor, describe the services they want the vendor to perform, and obtain a price quote. The price quote will largely determine that state's pooled fund contribution. A project manager will be assigned at Oregon DOT. The host state will contact the project manager with the price quote. The project manager and the lead state will agree on a pooled fund contribution from the host state, based on the price quote plus a small administrative surcharge ($500) retained by Oregon to cover the project manager's time. The host state will then execute a fund transfer to the pooled fund account. The project manager will execute a work order using the vendor's price quote to the host state as a statement of work. The vendor will perform the services under the direction of the lead state. Issues, changes and disagreements that arise between the vendor and the host state will be coordinated and resolved through the project manager. After the Peer Exchange has concluded, the vendor will invoice the Oregon Project Manager (copying the host state) for the services provided. The Project Manager will pay the invoice only after review by and concurrence from the host state. Each host state will also be expected to prepare a short report, documenting the value of these services to their Peer Exchange. This information will be used to determine whether there is merit in continuation of these services under a new project number, after this project expires. KW - Administration KW - Information dissemination KW - Logistics KW - Oregon KW - Oregon Department of Transportation KW - Peer exchange KW - Peer groups KW - Procurement KW - Research UR - http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/545 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1362118 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529460 AU - Schmidt, Jennifer D AU - Reid, John AU - Faller, Ron AU - Sicking, Dean AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Dynamic Testing of a Non-Proprietary, High-Tension, Cable End Terminal System PY - 2014/03/21/Final Report SP - 94p AB - Two bogie tests were conducted on a high-tension cable end terminal to evaluate the performance of a new design. The main goals of the new design were to promote quick cable release times, to retain the cable release lever during impact, to sustain no permanent deformation, to have a stub height less than 4 in. (102 mm), and to provide more clearance around the cable anchorage fittings. In test no. HTCT-2, a 1,961-lb (844-kg) bogie vehicle impacted the cable end terminal at a speed of 52.8 mph (85.0 km/h) and an angle of 0 degrees, which is end-on to the terminal. The cable release lever was retained with the rotational joint, and three of the four cables released by 18 ms. However, the second cable did not release from the cable anchor bracket as desired. Minor permanent deformation was found in the cable release lever. In test no. HTCT-3, a 1,853-lb (841-kg) bogie vehicle impacted the cable end terminal at a speed of 51.1 mph (82.2 km/h) and an angle of 25 degrees. All cables released from the cable anchor bracket and the cable release lever was retained. However, the cable release times were later than desired and likely contributed to the bogie vehicle becoming airborne and subsequently rolling. Significant permanent deformation was found in the cable release lever. KW - Anchorages KW - Cables KW - Deformation KW - Design KW - Dynamic tests KW - Highway safety KW - Impact tests KW - Median barriers UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51700/51735/FinalReportSuppl21.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1311880 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518737 AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Boeing Commercial Airplane Company TI - Boeing 787–8 Design, Certification, and Manufacturing Systems Review PY - 2014/03/19/Final Report SP - 71p AB - This final report is in response to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) and Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ (Boeing) assignment to validate the work conducted during the Boeing 787 (B787) certification process and further ensure the airplane meets the intended level of safety. On January 31, 2013, the FAA and Boeing jointly formed the B787 Critical Systems Review Team (CSRT) to conduct a comprehensive review of the B787’s critical systems, including the airplane’s design, manufacture, and assembly, and provide recommendations. Upon completing its review, coordinating observations, and conducting an analysis, the CSRT concluded the B787 meets its intended level of safety based on (1) the fundamental soundness of the airplane’s overall design and (2) the effective processes that have been defined and implemented to correct issues that arose during and after certification. KW - Airplanes KW - Assemblies (Equipment) KW - Aviation safety KW - Boeing 787 aircraft KW - Certification KW - Critical systems KW - Manufacturing KW - Quality assurance KW - Recommendations KW - Vehicle design UR - http://www.faa.gov/about/plans_reports/media/787_Report_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1302622 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577731 TI - PDA-3: Advanced Preservation of Concrete Pavements AB - No summary provided. KW - Concrete pavements KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Preservation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370773 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576061 TI - Driver Behavioral Situational Awareness System (DB-SAM) AB - The research will attempt to automatically classify certain aspects of driver state (such as fatigue) or distraction due to a conversation using a handheld device (such as a cell phone). This will be done in part by continuously estimating the facial head pose of a driver to see if the driver is paying attention to the road and his/her surroundings. Other facial cues, such as mouth movement and eye movement, as well as whether the driver has both hands on the steering wheel, will be used to determine driver attentiveness. The proposed system will automatically detect “soft” biometric information about the driver, such as age, gender, ethnicity, glasses, etc. KW - Age KW - Awareness KW - Behavior KW - Distraction KW - Drivers KW - Eye movements KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Gender KW - Smartphones UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/projectsdb/projectdetails.cfm?projectid=FHWA-PROJ-14-0060 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370016 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576058 TI - DCode: A Comprehensive Automatic Coding System for Driver Behavior Analysis AB - The goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive automatic coding system: DCode. The code will pay attention to the context of various driving situations by extracting features related to driver behavior as well as to features related to the environment both inside and outside of the vehicle. The overall algorithm will include a multitiered feature-extraction pipeline with a behavior-agnostic core layer and more behavior-specific upper layers that share features with the core layer. The core layer will track all directly observable features, such as head pose, facial features, upper body, and hand positions, as well as pedestrian and vehicle locations. The upper layers will use these features to identify various actions and gestures, as well as monitor the driver’s state based on various machine-learning techniques. This architecture will make it straightforward to add new behavior detectors. The algorithms will be scalable, so they can be run on distributed processor architectures. KW - Algorithms KW - Behavior KW - Coding systems KW - Drivers KW - Environment KW - Human factors KW - Human machine systems UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/projectsdb/projectdetails.cfm?projectid=FHWA-PROJ-14-0012 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370013 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577134 TI - Downdrag on Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) Piles Due To Liquefaction AB - The supplemental funding will support the continuation, data analysis, and documentation of additional field testing of continuous flight auger (CFA) pile downdrag in liquefaction conditions by Brigham Young University. The additional field testing includes axially loading the piles and blasting the site to represent pore pressure generation and dissipation due to liquefaction. Two reports will be developed as a result of this research, including an overview of the testing and an evaluation of methods to estimate downdrag due to liquefaction. KW - Augers KW - Axial loads KW - Data analysis KW - Field tests KW - Liquefaction KW - Piles (Supports) UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370379 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577886 TI - 2014-201 (PB) Pedestrian Focus States and Cities Technical Assistance AB - No summary provided. KW - Cities KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Pedestrians KW - Technical assistance UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371192 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577870 TI - Size & Weight Laws Compilation AB - Prepare study required by Congress under Section 32802 of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). KW - Laws and legislation KW - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) KW - Oversize loads KW - Overweight loads KW - Size and weight regulations KW - Trucks UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371143 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577887 TI - 2014-215 (SM) FHWA Speed Management Program Action AB - No summary provided. KW - Highway safety KW - Management KW - Speed KW - Traffic control KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371193 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522234 AU - Hansen, Andrew J AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Global Positioning System (GPS) Civil Signal Monitoring (CSM) Trade Study Report PY - 2014/03/07 SP - 42p AB - This Global Positioning System (GPS) Civil Signal Monitoring (CSM) Trade Study has been performed at the direction of Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration (DOT/FAA) Navigation Programs as the agency of reference for consolidating civil monitoring requirements on GPS. The objective of this trade study is to develop recommendations to DOT leadership on viable paths for achieving the requisite monitoring of GPS broadcast signals used by civil agencies. Civil unique GPS signal monitoring needs have been consolidated into the GPS Civil Monitoring Performance Specification (CMPS). The trade study activity examined alternatives including use of the Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) segment as well as Non-OCX elements for implementing civil signal monitoring, completed a comparative evaluation of the OCX/Non-OCX/hybrid alternatives available, and documented assumptions and risks associated with the trades. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Global Positioning System KW - Monitoring KW - Next Generation Air Transportation System KW - Performance measurement KW - Signals UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51500/51506/CSM_Trade_Study.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306564 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522227 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Federal Highway Administration Health in Transportation Working Group: 2013 Annual Report PY - 2014/03/07/Final Report SP - 10p AB - In 2012, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established the Health in Transportation Working Group to examine the agency’s existing policies and programs and their impacts on health-related issues such as air quality, active transportation, environmental review, noise, safety, livable communities, and access to health-related facilities. After the first year, FHWA produced an internal report that summarized the accomplishments to date, identified related research and outreach activities, and provided direction for future Working Group products. This report provides an overview of the Working Group’s activities and accomplishments in 2013, summarizes other United States Department of Transportation (DOT) health-related accomplishments, documents its progress toward the recommendations laid out in the 2012 Annual Report, and offers findings and recommendations based on themes that the Working Group discussed in 2013. It is intended for a general audience. KW - Air quality KW - Environmental impacts KW - Health care facilities KW - Noise KW - Public health KW - Recommendations KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/health_in_transportation/workgroup/2013_annual_report/annual_rpt.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51600/51604/annual_rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304832 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01573307 TI - Simplified SPT Performance-Based Assessment of Liquefaction and Effects AB - The objectives of this project are: (1) Derive new simplified performance-based procedure for liquefaction triggering, lateral spread displacement, free-field post-liquefaction settlements, and Newmark seismic slope displacements.(2) Develop liquefaction parameter maps in geographic information system (GIS) format associated with each of the hazards included in objective 1 at return periods of 475 years, 1033 years, and 2475 years for each of the states participating in the study. (3) Evaluate the new simplified performance-based liquefaction procedures against conventional (i.e., American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)) liquefaction analysis procedures. (4) Develop a simplified design procedure that will allow the designer to envelope the performance-based and conventional results to select which result will govern the design. KW - Dislocation (Geology) KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Lateral supports KW - Liquefaction KW - Seismicity KW - Settlement (Structures) KW - Slope stability UR - http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/538 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1366531 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529464 AU - McCoy, Kevin AU - Deaderick, Lauren AU - Linthicum, Alex AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Park Service TI - CMAQ and NPS: Exploring the Applicability of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program to NPS Transit PY - 2014/03/06/Final Report SP - 26p AB - The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program is a funding program that was most recently re-authorized in Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century. CMAQ offers a potential funding opportunity for National Park Service (NPS) park units with existing transit systems or those thinking about implementing one. With recent changes in funding for NPS transit systems, it is important for park units to look toward alternative funding sources. CMAQ's goals of air quality improvement and congestion mitigation align well with NPS environmental and visitor experience goals. To apply for CMAQ, building local partnerships and engaging in the local planning process are important actions for NPS park units to undertake. KW - Congestion management systems KW - Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program KW - Financing KW - National parks KW - Public transit UR - http://www.nps.gov/transportation/pdfs/CMAQ_WhitePaper.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51500/51505/CMAQ_NPS_WhitePaper.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1311867 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518812 AU - Wagner, Timothy R AU - Zeller, Matthias AU - Li, Dingqiang AU - Peters, Klaus-Markus (Mark) AU - Hetzel, Brian P AU - Youngstown State University Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering AU - Fireline TCON, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Novel Ceramic-Metallic Composites for Light Weight Vehicle Braking Systems PY - 2014/03/06/Final Report SP - 9p AB - This project centered on a close interaction between the TCON Division of Fireline, Incorporated and various individuals affiliated with the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at Youngstown State University (YSU). Fireline, a local company within 10 minutes walking distance from the YSU campus core, has developed a unique process that utilizes displacement reactions to transform ceramic preforms into ceramic-metallic co-continuous interpenetrating phase composites with enhanced properties while retaining the original shape and dimensions of the preform. Through initial development efforts, it was discovered that TCON® composite materials have extraordinary macro-, micro-, and nanoscale features that lead to their exceptional properties ideal for applications that require cost effective, lightweight materials. The unique properties of TCON composites in general are derived from the fine interlocking of ceramic and metallic phases throughout the composite microstructure. The ceramic phase provides high stiffness, low density and high strength to the composite, while the continuous network of reinforced metal gives high thermal & electrical conductivity, and high fracture toughness to the material. Such properties make these materials excellent candidates for replacing traditional materials in a number of applications, such as high wear/corrosion resistant refractory shapes for molten metal transport and/or containment in industrial processes (the major area in which Fireline currently commercializes some of its TCON products), or for new applications, including light weight, high strength components for vehicle braking systems. This project focused on the synthesis of specific ceramic precursors and investigations of their subsequent transformation via reactive metal displacement to produce novel ceramic-metallic interpenetrating phase composites (IPCs) for potential use in light weight braking systems in vehicles. KW - Brake components KW - Brakes KW - Cermets KW - Composite materials KW - Synthesis (Chemistry) UR - http://web.ysu.edu/gen/stem_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/CTME_Adv_Composites_FINAL_REPORT_Mar2014_Submitted.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1301243 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577734 TI - PDA-8: Advancing Sustainable Pavements AB - No summary provided. KW - Environmental impacts KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement management systems KW - Pavements KW - Sustainable development UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370796 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577467 TI - Pavement Safety Performance (PSP) Data Analysis Program AB - This project will integrate pavement performance databases with highway safety information systems, and analyze the data to develop crash modification factors and pavement management strategies that include safety. KW - Crash analysis KW - Data analysis KW - Highway safety KW - Information systems KW - Pavement management systems KW - Pavement performance UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370729 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577997 TI - In-situ Sensors for Cathodic Protection Interrelationships Modeling AB - Sencontrology will provide research and development efforts on Modeling cathodic protection penetration on new construction pipelines incorporating all types of "foam" sack breakers and supports. KW - Cathodic protection KW - Development KW - Foams KW - Penetration resistance KW - Pipelines KW - Research KW - Sensors UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371378 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01620260 AU - Rapoza, Amanda S AU - Lewis, Kristin C AU - Sudderth, Erika A AU - Lee, Cynthia S Y AU - Hassol, Joshua AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Human Response to Aviation Noise: Development of Dose-Response Relationships for Backcountry Visitors - Volume I: Study Methods PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 125p AB - The Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service conducted joint research to better understand the effects of noise due to commercial air tour operations over units of the National Park System. To evaluate the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and the quality of National Park visitor experience, research was conducted at backcountry sites providing day- and overnight-hiking and camping opportunities. This research expands upon work performed during the 1990’s at frontcountry sites. Over 4600 visitor surveys and fifty days of acoustical measurements were collected and analyzed to develop dose-response relationships for backcountry visitors. This report, the first of two volumes, describes the study methods, visitor surveys, research locations and data collected. Volume two describes the model-fitting approach used to identify the noise exposure metrics and mediator variables that best predict visitor responses to aircraft noise. The models developed can be used as a tool to evaluate potential effects of air tours on visitors to National Parks. KW - Air tours KW - Aircraft noise KW - Dose-response studies KW - National parks KW - Noise measurement KW - Surveys KW - Tourists KW - Visitors UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/60000/60500/60533/Development_of_Dose-Response_Relationships_Backcountry_Vol1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1440558 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01620259 AU - Rapoza, Amanda S AU - Lewis, Kristin C AU - Sudderth, Erika A AU - Lee, Cynthia S Y AU - Hassol, Joshua AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Human Response to Aviation Noise: Development of Dose-Response Relationships for Backcountry Visitors - Volume II: Results and Analyses PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 159p AB - The Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service conducted joint research to better understand the effects of noise due to commercial air tour operations over units of the National Park System. To evaluate the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and the quality of National Park visitor experience, research was conducted at backcountry sites providing day- and overnight-hiking and camping opportunities. Over 4600 visitor surveys and fifty days of acoustical measurements were collected and analyzed to develop dose-response relationships for backcountry visitors. This report, the second of two volumes, describes the model-fitting approach used to identify the noise exposure metrics and mediator variables that best predict visitor responses to aircraft noise. The dose variables identified include sound exposure level, percent time audible, and energy percentages due to helicopters and fixed-wing propeller aircraft. Mediator variables identified include visitor ratings of the ‘importance of calmness, peace and tranquility’, attributes of adults-only in group, first visit to the site, having taken an air tour, and participation in activities of watching birds and listening to an interpretive talk. The models developed can be used as a tool for evaluating potential effects of air tours on visitors to National Parks. KW - Air tours KW - Aircraft noise KW - Dose-response studies KW - National parks KW - Noise measurement KW - Surveys KW - Tourists KW - Visitors UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/60000/60500/60534/Development_of_Dose-Response_Relationships_Backcountry_Vol2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1440556 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01613856 AU - Daniel, Jo Sias AU - Bennert, Tom AU - Kim, Y Richard AU - Mogawer, Walaa AU - Congalton, Ashton AU - Mensching, David AU - Sabouri, Mohammadreza AU - Elwardany, Michael AU - University of New Hampshire, Durham AU - Rutgers University, Piscataway AU - North Carolina State University, Raleigh AU - University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth AU - New Hampshire Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Plant Produced RAP Mixtures in the Northeast: Phase I Interim Report PY - 2014/03 SP - 163p AB - Production of hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures with higher percentages of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is gaining more attention as a way to save money and more efficiently utilize existing resources. Many state agencies and contractors are very comfortable using RAP percentages up to 20% by total weight of mixture. However, questions about low temperature and fatigue performance and the need to bump binder grades limit the amount of HMA that is produced with greater than 15-20% RAP in many areas of the northeast US. Phase I of this project included testing on 18 plant-produced mixtures from New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont that contained RAP contents of 0% to 40% by total weight of mixture. The objectives of this research project were to: (1) evaluate the performance in terms of low temperature cracking, fatigue cracking, and moisture sensitivity of plant produced RAP mixtures in the laboratory and field; (2) establish guidelines on when it is necessary to bump binder grades with RAP mixtures; and (3) provide further understanding of the blending that occurs between RAP and virgin binder in plant-produced mixtures. Extensive material characterization was performed on specimens that were compacted at the plant and specimens that were fabricated from reheated mixture in the laboratory. The performance grade and |G*| master curves of tank binders and binder extracted and recovered from the mixtures were determined. Mixture testing included dynamic modulus, uniaxial fatigue, beam fatigue, overlay tester, thermal stress restrained specimen test, low temperature creep and indirect tensile strength, hamburg wheel tracking device, tensile strength ratio, and workability. Where possible, mixture testing was conducted on plant compacted and reheated specimens for comparison. KW - Bituminous binders KW - Blending KW - Cracking KW - Evaluation KW - Field studies KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Laboratory studies KW - Mechanical properties KW - Mix design KW - New Hampshire KW - New York (State) KW - Northeastern United States KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements KW - Vermont UR - http://www.pooledfund.org/Document/Download/6381 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1424366 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01611966 AU - Martin, Dennis AU - Hurst, Clayton AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Implementation of Pesticide Applicator Certification Schools and Continuing Education Workshops PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 17p AB - The Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) herbicide applicator training program consists of initial pesticide applicator training schools followed by independent Certification testing and then on-going yearly continuing education workshops. In support of this on-going effort three pesticide applicator initial certification schools were conducted by Oklahoma State University (OSU) extension staff in fall of 2012 to train a total of 128 ODOT participants. All of the attendees at these workshops took the Core as well as Right of Way Certification exams administered by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry (ODAFF). Seventy-nine percent (101 participants) passed both the Core and Category 6 (Right-of-Way) examinations to become Oklahoma Certified Pesticide Applicators. Fourteen Pesticide Applicator Continuing Education (CEU) Workshops were conducted by OSU extension staff across a total of eight ODOT Field Divisions in 2013 to provide 640 Certified Applicators with continuing education training. Records of participation in ODAFF approved CEU programs by ODOT personnel were furnished to ODAFF as well as the ODOT Field Divisions, the Maintenance Division Headquarters and the Planning and Research Division. Participation in CEU workshops resulted in granting of CEU credit to ODOT participants in the workshops. The ODOT participants also gained knowledge on various Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) products, topics and techniques. This increase or maintained operational knowledge of the participants should insure continued effective vegetation management skills. KW - Certification KW - Education and training KW - Herbicides KW - Implementation KW - Oklahoma Department of Transportation KW - Pesticides KW - Vegetation control KW - Workshops UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/60000/60300/60304/FHWA-OK-14-04_2156_Martin.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1423498 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01611963 AU - Martin, Dennis AU - Hurst, Clayton AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Delivery of Calibration Workshops Covering Herbicide Application Equipment PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 12p AB - Proper herbicide sprayer set-up and calibration are critical to the success of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) herbicide program. Sprayer system set-up and calibration training is provided in annual continuing education herbicide workshops offered by the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Roadside Vegetation Management ( RVM) Program. Although pesticide applicator continuing education (CEU) workshops are offered yearly, equipment calibration is not discussed in CEU workshops in the depth of detail that can be undertaken with on-site. Four ODOT herbicide applicator sprayer calibration workshops were conducted for ODOT in 2013. Sixty-five newly certified ODOT applicators received in-depth training on sprayer equipment calibration. The final decision regarding the capabilities of ODOT employees assigned to specific spray duties should continue to be made by supervisors familiar with each employee. The OSU-RVM professional staff also encourages supervisors and spray crews to thoroughly review spray system setup, annual spray application goals, specific target weed complexes, herbicides to be utilized and sensitive crop or sensitive area locations immediately prior to the beginning of each spray season. Participants in the joint project training effort are encouraged to attend annual pesticide applicator CEU workshops presented by the OSU-RVM Program. KW - Calibration KW - Education and training KW - Herbicides KW - Oklahoma Department of Transportation KW - Sprayers KW - Vegetation control KW - Workshops UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/60000/60300/60303/FHWA-OK-14-03_2156_Martin.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1423493 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01567440 AU - Young, Rhonda AU - Milliken, Eric AU - Offei, Edward AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Wyoming Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Improving Traveler Information on Rural Corridors in Wyoming through the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 130p AB - Using intelligent transportation systems to help report traveling conditions has been reserved for urban areas. The goal of this research was to help develop a new methodology for incorporating travel times calculated from intelligent transportation system (ITS) technology into Wyoming’s road and weather condition reporting system. Bluetooth sensors and speed sensors were used to measure travel times on I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie, as well as WY-28 between Farson and Lander in Wyoming. From previous research, the distribution of travel times on I-80 show two distinct modes. Travel times from the WY-28 corridor were then calculated to determine if this trend was common with other rural highways. The next step in this research was to determine the best way to measure travel times on a rural corridor. Bluetooth sensor travel time data was compared to speed sensor travel time data. Then a travel time index was created for I-80 from one year of speed sensor data. This travel time index was then modeled with weather variables downloaded from road weather information system (RWIS) stations. Finally, a methodology for implementing and evaluating this new travel time reporting procedure was developed. The results of this research will help to improve the current condition reporting system by incorporating both physical conditions (slick in spots, high wind speed, etc.) with travel times. This will help all types of travelers to more accurately quantify the severity of traveling conditions. KW - Advanced traveler information systems KW - Bluetooth technology KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Road weather information systems KW - Rural areas KW - Sensors KW - Traffic speed KW - Travel time KW - Wyoming UR - https://www.dot.state.wy.us/files/live/sites/wydot/files/shared/Planning/Research/FHWA 1403F RS07211 Rural Travel Time.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55100/55157/FHWA_1403F_RS07211_Rural_Travel_Time.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1358315 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01562618 AU - Light, Lawrence E AU - McEvoy, Stephen AU - Kanarek, Jack AU - SYSTRA Consulting, Incorporated AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Rail Transit Shared Use and Control Systems Study PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 204p AB - Since the 1990s, there has been growing interest in shared use of general railway system railroad rights-of-way and tracks by transit vehicles (such as light rail vehicles) that do not fully comply with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations that govern the existing freight and commuter rail services on the system. This has prompted several research efforts and initiatives by transit operators. Since the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) on a significant portion of the general railway system to improve the safety of railroad operations, this research was undertaken with the goal of evaluating the potential to use PTC to facilitate the sharing of railroad rights-of-way and tracks that are under FRA oversight. The research reviewed currently-active transit services that have obtained temporal separation waivers from FRA; analyzed the functionality of existing PTC systems and identified the lessons learned in the development of these PTC systems; evaluated the feasibility, risk, and reliability of current PTC technologies for shared use operations; and identified the changes needed to PTC systems and underlying signal systems they enforce to enable shared use operations. In addition, the research prepared the outline for a scope of work for a potential demonstration project that would use Signal and PTC technologies to facilitate shared-use operations under a waiver from FRA. KW - Case studies KW - Demonstration projects KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Freight trains KW - Positive train control KW - Rail transit KW - Railroad signaling KW - Railroad tracks KW - Reliability KW - Risk analysis UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/FTA_Report_No._0062.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55500/55545/FTA_Report_No._0062.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1352144 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01562608 AU - Smith, Bryan D AU - Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Kent, Ohio, Traveler Management Coordination Center (TMCC) Project PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 155p AB - A project team consisting of the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA), Geauga County Transit, Trapeze Group, and Kotting Consulting assembled a proposal to design a model system of human service transportation coordination using Intelligent Transportation Systems Technology (ITS). This project was one of eight demonstration grant sites, and although each began with similar assumptions and a prescribed methodology, each developed a unique approach to the problem and generated different models. This report summarizes the system development and design work conducted to support a Traveler Management Coordination Center (TMCC) for Human Service Transportation (HST) for the residents of Portage and Geauga counties in Ohio. The TMCC has been designed for the residents of these counties through the cooperation of two transit systems; two county governments; State, regional, and local human service agency leadership; and several public and private transportation and transportation-service related organizations. This TMCC is known as NEORide and has been structured to employ the transportation resources of its members, obtain greater efficiencies and effectiveness through the capture and application of information, and enhance the range and utility of shared-ride transportation. KW - Coordination KW - Geauga County (Ohio) KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Kent (Ohio) KW - Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority KW - Portage County (Ohio) KW - Public transit KW - Social service agencies KW - System design KW - Travel Management Coordination Center UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/FTA_Report_No._0063.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55500/55546/FTA_Report_No._0063.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1352143 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01559956 AU - Rapoza, Amanda AU - Lee, Cynthia AU - MacDonald, John AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Park Service TI - Kings Mountain National Military Park: Acoustical Monitoring 2012 PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 58p AB - During the winter of 2012 (November-December) baseline acoustical data were collected at Kings Mountain National Military Park (KIMO)at two sites deployed for approximately 30 days each. The baseline data collected during these periods will help park managers and planners estimate the effects of future noise impacts and will help to inform future park planning objectives such as creating acoustic resource management plans, as well as the development of an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP), which provides for the regulation of commercial air tours. The sound sources of concern at KIMO include developments near park boundaries, air tours, commercial and private aircraft activities, and requests for special use permits for noisy activities. This document summarizes the results of the noise measurement study. KW - Aircraft noise KW - Ambient noise KW - Environmental monitoring KW - Environmental quality KW - Kings Mountain National Military Park KW - National parks KW - National Parks Air Tour Management Act, 2000 KW - Noise KW - Noise sources KW - Sound level UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54700/54739/KingsMountain.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1348692 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01559954 AU - Rapoza, Amanda AU - Lee, Cynthia AU - MacDonald, John AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Park Service TI - Wright Brothers National Memorial : Acoustical Monitoring 2011 PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 56p AB - During the winter of 2011(September - November) baseline acoustical data were collected at Wright Brothers National Memorial (WRBR) at two sites deployed for approximately 30 days each. The baseline data collected during these periods will help park managers and planners estimate the effects of future noise impacts and will help to inform future park planning objectives such as creating acoustic resource management plans, as well as the development of an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP), which provides for the regulation of commercial air tours. The sound sources of concern at WRBR include developments near park boundaries, air tours, commercial and private aircraft activities, and requests for special use permits for noisy activities. This document summarizes the results of the noise measurement study. KW - Aircraft noise KW - Ambient noise KW - Environmental monitoring KW - Environmental quality KW - National parks KW - National Parks Air Tour Management Act, 2000 KW - Noise KW - Noise sources KW - Sound level KW - Wright Brothers National Memorial UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54700/54740/WrightBros.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1348769 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01559943 AU - Rapoza, Amanda AU - Lee, Cynthia AU - MacDonald, John AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Park Service TI - Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Acoustical Monitoring 2008 and 2011 PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 72p AB - During the summer of 2008 (May) and winter of 2011 (September-November) baseline acoustical data were collected at Cape Hatteras National Seashore at three sites deployed for approximately 30 days each. The baseline data collected during these periods will help park managers and planners estimate the effects of future noise impacts and will help to inform future park planning objectives such as creating soundscape management plans, as well as the development of an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP), which provides for the regulation of commercial air tours. The sound sources of concern at Cape Hatteras include developments near park boundaries, air tours, commercial and private aircraft activities, and requests for special use permits for noisy activities. This document summarizes the results of the noise measurement study. KW - Aircraft noise KW - Ambient noise KW - Cape Hatteras National Seashore KW - Environmental monitoring KW - Environmental quality KW - National parks KW - National Parks Air Tour Management Act, 2000 KW - Noise KW - Noise sources KW - Sound level UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54700/54738/CapeHatteras.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1348678 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01548555 AU - Athey Creek Consultants AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Crashworthiness and Protection of ITS Field Devices PY - 2014/03//Project Summary Report SP - 24p AB - Many Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployments include signs and other traffic control device displays that require locating them and other ITS components within the roadway clear zone. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) requires these devices to be crashworthy. Agencies wishing to deploy ITS devices within the clear zone are responsible for ensuring that the supporting structure and ITS device are crashworthy. The ENTERPRISE Pooled Fund Program completed a research project to document available resources to assist state, provincial, and local agencies in the process of designing and deploying crashworthy devices. This report summarizes the large number of resources available from federal and state agencies. KW - Crashworthiness KW - Government agencies KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Structural supports KW - Traffic control devices UR - http://enterprise.prog.org/Projects/2010_Present/crashworthy/Crashworthiness_Protection_ITS_Devices_Final_Rpt_March2014.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1333222 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01545303 AU - Kipp, Wendy AU - Sanborn, Devon AU - Vermont Agency of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Ennis Paint, Inc. Tyregrip High Friction Surface System PY - 2014/03 SP - 24p AB - Unpredictable climatic conditions paired with the varying topography in Vermont have often resulted in dangerous roadway conditions. Statistics show that many fatalities occur in rural environments like Vermont. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has developed many strategies to address this issue. One experimental treatment that has been used is a high friction overlay known as Tyregrip. Key personnel at the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) chose to evaluate the treatment at a high crash location along VT Route 9 in the town of Woodford, Vermont in 2009. The treatment was placed on the westbound lane and shoulder at approximately mile marker (MM) 3.0, on October 8, 2009. Shortly after the installation Research personnel observed failures in the treatment, which required attention. In November 2009, the damaged sections were repaired by Ennis Paint, Inc and Total Highway Maintenance (THM). In July 2010, significant cracking and delamination failures were observed. It was determined a repair was needed however due to limited promoting weather conditions and inflexible schedules the repair was planned for the 2011 construction season. After an on-site meeting with VTrans Pavement Management, Materials and Research, and District 1 personnel it was determined that, the ideal repair would be to mill up and repave the section with asphalt pavement. Based on the limited evaluation period it is recommended that the treatment be installed at a different location in Vermont. The new trial location would preferably be on new pavement, where underlying cracking and/or distresses are not of concern to the performance of the treatment. KW - Cracking KW - Delamination KW - Evaluation KW - Friction course KW - High risk locations KW - Highway maintenance KW - Overlays (Pavements) KW - Resurfacing KW - Tyregrip KW - Vermont UR - http://vtransplanning.vermont.gov/sites/aot_program_development/files/documents/materialsandresearch/completedprojects/2014%20-%2002%20Ennis%20Paint%2C%20Inc.%20Tyregrip%20High%20Friction%20Surface%20System.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331983 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01545293 AU - Ellis, Wendy AU - Vermont Agency of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Centerline Rumble-Stripes, Cambridge, Vermont PY - 2014/03 SP - 28p AB - Centerline Rumble Stripes (CLRS) are a proven strategy for reducing head-on and opposite direction sideswipe crashes. They are also expected to be effective in run-off-road crashes where vehicles cross centerline prior to leaving the roadway, reducing lane drift due to distracted/fatigued driving and in reducing speed and off tracking in curved sections. CLRS are also expected to improve centerline visibility in wet pavement conditions and provide enhanced guidance during snow events. Throughout the state of Vermont (VT), the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has successfully implemented CLRS as a means to reduce roadway hazards as listed, particularly in roadway sections where there are a record number of crashes, where there are higher speeds and where the daily traffic is moderately high. This has resulted in an emerging standard for rumble strips. On VT 104 in Cambridge, VT, VTrans installed rumble stripes as part of a highway-resurfacing project. The revised pattern was a series of closely spaced depressions with equal lengths of smooth and rutted surface. Due to a series of factors during construction, the typical rumble strip pattern was changed. The resulting sounds coming from the stripes proved to be unacceptable to the neighboring community. VTrans confirmed that sound levels were increased with the revised pattern. As a result, the Agency chose to remove the rumbles first by patching a certain number of rumbles to approximate the standard pattern; then when that proved unacceptable, the Agency completed the work by completely milling out the rumbles and repaving. This paper summarizes the field activities and observations. KW - Center lines KW - Resurfacing KW - Rumble strips KW - Sound level KW - Tire/pavement noise KW - Vermont UR - http://vtransplanning.vermont.gov/sites/aot_program_development/files/documents/materialsandresearch/completedprojects/2014%20-%2003%20Centerline%20Rumble%20Stripes%20-%20Cambridge%2C%20Vermont.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331982 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01544693 AU - Naik, Bhaven AU - Appiah, Justice AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Dilemma Zone Protection on High-Speed Arterials PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 80p AB - Driver behavior within the dilemma zone can be a major safety concern at high-speed signalized intersections, especially for heavy trucks. The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) has developed and implemented an Actuated Advance Warning (AAW) dilemma zone protection system. The AAW system has been documented as being effective at improving traffic safety at isolated signalized. However, the system is yet to be used at signalized intersections operating in the coordinated mode. This study tested the feasibility of deploying the system on arterials where the signals are closely spaced and operate in a coordinated mode. A microsimulation approach – integration of traffic microsimulation and surrogate safety performance measures was developed to test the potential benefits (safety and operational) in-lieu of observed traffic and crash data. The analysis on conflicts indicated that, on average, there were 30%, 7% and 30% reductions in the number of rear-end, lane change and crossing conflicts when the AAW system was used. In terms of the relative productivity of the system – the number of vehicles that were processed during a specified analysis period revealed that there were generally more vehicles processed when the AAW system was not in place. Also, the overall link travel times were slightly higher when the system was in place. It should be noted that this research established a starting point for NDOR to make more informed decisions about where to deploy AAW devices however, a field evaluation involving real data is recommended. KW - Arterial highways KW - Dilemma zone KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Microsimulation KW - Nebraska KW - Performance measurement KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic conflicts KW - Traffic safety KW - Travel time KW - Warning signs UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Appiah_DilemmaZoneProtectiononHigh-SpeedArterials.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331083 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01544585 AU - Ratner, Albert AU - Ghamari, Mohsen AU - University of Iowa, Iowa City AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improving Freight Fire Safety: Modifying Droplet Behavior to Minimize Ignition PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 30p AB - Hydrocarbon drops impacting on a flat solid surface were computationally studied to identify the key issues in the dynamics of drop spreading. The experimental data available for diesel, methanol, and glycerin were used, and a general empirical expression (in terms of the Ohnesorge number) was constructed that accurately described the spreading regime. For the simulation part, the drop spreading process was studied numerically with a volume-of-fluid (VOF) approach. Based on these investigations, a new combined static contact angle-dynamic contact angle (SCA-DCA) model was proposed and applied to compute the hydrocarbon drop spreading process. The predicted time-dependent drop shapes agree well, within 5% of both previously published results and the experimental data presented here, while previous models showed at least a 10% deviation from the experiments. This proposed model also avoids the requirement for experimental measurement with specific fluids and only requires the general fluid properties. In addition to the numerical investigations, a droplet combustion experiment was also carried out. In this experiment, the ignition and combustion of the suspended fuel droplet were recorded using a high speed camera. Image processing techniques were then utilized to measure fuel combustion characteristics such as burning rate and ignition delay. KW - Burning rate KW - Chemical spills KW - Combustion KW - Fire KW - Fuel additives KW - Hydrocarbons KW - Ignition KW - Simulation KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Ratner_ImprovingFreightFireSafetyModifyingDropletBehaviortoMinimizeIgnition.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331076 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01541430 AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Colorado River Indian Tribes AU - Kimley-Horn and Associates, Incorporated AU - Field Data Services of Arizona, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - 2014 Strategic Long Range Transportation Plan for the Colorado River Indian Tribes: Working Paper 2- Plan for Improvements PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 146p AB - The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) Reservation spans the Colorado River and encompasses nearly 30,000 acres in Arizona (La Paz County) and California (San Bernardino and Riverside Counties). The purpose of this study is to prepare an updated Strategic Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation. The LRTP recommends transportation improvements for five-, 10-, and 20-year periods, incorporating both roadway and multimodal needs. Areas of key focus for the LRTP include road maintenance, safety programs, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit systems. The LRTP also identifies updates to the Tribal Transportation Inventory and functional classification systems to assist in expanding the level and types of funding available for transportation projects. KW - Arizona KW - California KW - Colorado River Indian Tribes KW - Cyclists KW - Financing KW - Highway maintenance KW - Indian reservations KW - Long range planning KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Pedestrians KW - Public transit KW - Safety KW - Strategic planning KW - Transportation planning UR - http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/utils/getfile/collection/statepubs/id/24494/filename/24787.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1328258 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01541418 AU - Reed, Timothy R AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - LiDAR Testing Under Heavy Tree Canopy and in Steep Terrain PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 16p AB - The objective of this project was to evaluate the accuracy of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) for topographic information in support of a transportation project for the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (Department). In particular, accuracy in steep terrain and varied vegetative cover was evaluated. LiDAR acquisitions in Southeast Alaska were compared to real time kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS) survey acquisition. Comparison of the LiDAR to ground survey showed significant differences for the Ketchikan to Shelter Cove project evaluated, this may be due to vertical datum issues, improper geoid model selection, post‐processing methods that were not sensitive enough, inaccurate GPS readings, improperly located GPS base stations, calibration report inaccuracy, and extremely thick vegetation canopy. By comparison, areas with less steep terrain, less dense vegetation, and better controlled LiDAR compared more favorably to the ground survey points.   KW - Accuracy KW - Alaska KW - Global Positioning System KW - Laser radar KW - Terrain KW - Topography KW - Vegetation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52500/52586/fhwa_ak_rd_14_03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1325140 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01539288 AU - Grembek, Offer AU - Medury, Aditya AU - Orrick, Phyllis AU - Leung, Katherine AU - Ragland, David R AU - Loukaitou-Sideris, Anastasia AU - Fink, Camille N Y AU - Resnick, Justin AU - Wong, Norman AU - Shafizadeh, Kevan AU - Khan, Ghazan AU - University of California, Berkeley AU - University of California, Berkeley AU - University of California, Los Angeles AU - California State University, Sacramento AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Comparative Analysis of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Around University Campuses PY - 2014/03 SP - 180p AB - This study examines the campus cores and peripheries of the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Los Angeles, and California State University, Sacramento, in order to compare safety risks for pedestrians and bicyclists among the three locations. Together, they comprise a wide number of characteristics in terms of setting, size, mode share and layout. The primary goal of the study is to identify possible relationships between pedestrian and bicycle crashes and the environments where these crashes occur, in terms of urban form, traffic characteristics and more. Using approaches from public health, planning, engineering and urban design, crash data (both police-reported and self-reported) and urban form data from all three campuses were examined, and the spatial and temporal distribution of pedestrian and bicycle crashes in each campus were studied. In order to account for under-reporting of pedestrian and bicycle crashes, an online survey was developed to solicit self-reported data from campus travelers about their crash experiences and perceptions about safety. This information was subsequently analyzed to identify collision hotspots reported by travelers on the three campuses, as well as hotspots indicated by reported crash data. The hotspots were studied in detail to identify the characteristics of the built environment that contributed to the incidence of pedestrian and bicycle crashes, and to suggest areas where design changes would be most likely to improve pedestrian and bicycling safety. KW - Bicycle crashes KW - Built environment KW - California KW - Campuses KW - Crash causes KW - Cyclists KW - High risk locations KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes KW - Risk assessment KW - Spatial analysis KW - Urban design UR - http://safetrec.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/UCTC-FR-2014-03.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm5j406p5/1/producer%2F890158824.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1322051 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01536070 AU - Perkins, Robert A AU - Bennett, F Lawrence AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Preliminary Design of a Leadership Academy for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Report to Management, Reviews and Discussions PY - 2014/03//Closure Report SP - 50p AB - All organizations, including such technically‐oriented organizations as the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (AK DOT&PF), have continuing needs for training of many types. Opportunities for self‐improvement are essential for technical professionals, for management professionals and for support personnel. These improvements help make a more competent workforce that, in the case of AK DOT&PF, can more effectively serve the Alaska public with projects and services. In 2012, the AK DOT&PF and the Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) funded a project, Design of a Leadership Academy for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Report to Management, Reviews and Discussions, INE contract 13‐019, to work with the AK DOT&PF to develop the concept for the continued development of managers into effective leaders. KW - Alaska KW - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities KW - Leadership KW - Personnel development KW - Training UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2014/04/Closure-REPORT-LEADERSHIP-ACADEMY-.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1320871 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01534425 AU - Herold, Jamie M AU - Lowe, Zachary E AU - Dukes, Jeffrey S AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) for INDOT Roadsides PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 33p AB - With over 90,000 miles of road in Indiana, it is important that adjoining vegetation be maintained for safety concerns, road structure maintenance and aesthetics. Mowing is currently the main form of vegetation management on Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) roadsides. Ever-increasing fuel costs and the high labor demand associated with mowing leads to millions of dollars spent on in-house and contract mowing cycles each year. Drastic cost reductions can be achieved by reducing mowing cycles through the incorporation of other management tools including herbicide and native plantings. This study provides data on six herbicide tank mixtures (Milestone/Escort; Milestone/Escort/Plateau; Perspective; Perspective/Plateau; Viewpoint/Streamline; and 2,4-D/Escort/Plateau) and two mowing cycles (one-cycle and two-cycle) at six sites across the state. All herbicide treatments decreased broadleaf cover better than mowing treatments. Herbicide treatments containing Plateau, a plant growth regulator that retards cool-season grass growth, had the shortest grass height. Herbicide mixtures without Plateau were still shorter than mowing plots due to the seedhead suppression qualities found in the selective broadleaf herbicides. A cost savings of over 40% is achieved with one application of herbicide in lieu of one cycle of mowing. Further cost savings can be achieved through the planting of native vegetation, which was the focus of the second portion of this project. Four native seed mixes (western wheat, short grass, tall grass and short grass with forbs) were analyzed for use on right-of-ways. Successful native plantings have reduced maintenance costs for many DOTs across the country by eliminating mowing and herbicide needs. Drought and persistent weeds at study sites resulted in a sparse covering of native species during the year after planting. This is not uncommon for native roadside planting studies since many native grass species require two to three growing seasons to establish. KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Herbicides KW - Indiana KW - Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management KW - Mowing KW - Native plants KW - Plant growth regulators KW - Roadside KW - Roadside flora KW - Vegetation control KW - Weed control UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284315210 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1319864 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01533115 AU - Hoback, Alan AU - Mineta National Transit Research Consortium AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Social Equity, Mobility, and Access PY - 2014/03 SP - xii, 82p AB - The economic and transportation systems of Detroit feature great inequity. This report discusses how transportation policies can aggravate or alleviate social equity problems. It compares Detroit’s transit systems with those in Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver, and St. Louis with respect to their strategies and relative success in remediatiating social inequity. It examines the number of employment opportunities available within transit distance and finds that Detroit Metro offers fewer opportunities than elsewhere. Transit captive riders can reach many fewer jobs (perhaps less than one-fifth as many) than a resident driving a car for one hour, and access is even worse for those living in suburbs. The report identifies improved bus service as a means of improving job equity for residents. KW - Access KW - Bus transit KW - Captive riders KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Economic development KW - Equity (Justice) KW - Methodology KW - Mobility KW - Socioeconomic factors KW - Transit riders UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1136-3-transit-equity-and-access.pdf UR - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/RC1599D_455989_7.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm5h14g31/1/producer%2F881692735.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312030 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01533112 AU - Anderson, Scott AU - Mineta National Transit Research Consortium AU - San Jose State University AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Funding Structures and Competing Priorities for Regional Transit in Metro Detroit PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - x, 28p AB - The Detroit region provides less locally raised funding for transit than other urban areas of the U.S. and Canada, resulting in a transit system that is less effective. This study examines transit financing in four comparable metropolitan regions, compares them with practices and opportunities in the Metro Detroit region, and offers recommendations for the future. Recent developments, such as M-1 Rail and the State’s enactment of laws creating a Regional Transit Authority (RTA), represent a positive trend. KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Economic development KW - Financing KW - Investments KW - Public transit KW - Regional transportation KW - Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1136-5-transit-finance.pdf UR - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/RC1599F_455991_7.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm57h2znk/1/producer%2F881692977a.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312032 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01533103 AU - Semple, Lloyd A AU - Mineta National Transit Research Consortium AU - San Jose State University AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Detroit Regional Transit Legal Structures and Governance PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - viii, 26p AB - This report provides a summary of the best governance practices used by independent transit authorities in four regions comparable to Detroit: Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver and St. Louis. It concludes that the governance provisions contained in the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) legislation go a long way toward achieving an effective governance structure. Existing authorities or city departments operating transit systems in the region should also strive to achieve optimum governance structures. Active and engaged citizen advisory boards are a critical factor and provide valuable input regarding the quality and effectiveness of services. KW - Laws and legislation KW - Public transit KW - Southeast Michigan KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/RC1599C_455988_7.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm5w680z3/1/producer%2F881692449.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312029 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01533101 AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Mineta National Transit Research Consortium AU - San Jose State University AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in Metro Detroit PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - xii, 50p AB - This research examines the transit oriented development (TOD) characteristics of four peer cities and the Metro Detroit area. It provides recommendations to help the Metro Detroit region implement successful TOD with the objective of maximizing economic growth potential while improving quality of life. Visits to Atlanta, Denver, Cleveland and St. Louis garnered firsthand knowledge of their transit systems and TOD activities. A set of measures was developed to integrate TOD into the planning and design of transportation facilities in the Detroit area. This study also identifies planning, economic, and institutional mechanisms for the effective implementation of TOD. KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Economic development KW - Financing KW - Light rail transit KW - Regional planning KW - Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) KW - Southeast Michigan KW - Transit oriented development KW - Transportation planning UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1136-4-transit-oriented-development-TOD.pdf UR - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/RC1599E_455990_7.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm5c83qc9/1/producer%2F881692777.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312031 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01533083 AU - Bernasconi, Claudia AU - Di Palo, Mariarosaria AU - Bussière, Krysia AU - Mineta National Transit Research Consortium AU - San Jose State University AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Role of Media and Public Opinion Efforts in the Transit Field: The Detroit Region Case Study PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - xii, 90p AB - This study identifies key recommendations for building positive public opinion and acceptance of future transportation initiatives in southeast Michigan. It analyzes media efforts by selected transit agencies and advocacy groups in Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver and St. Louis, together with local print coverage, use of online media, and local transit campaigns. It develops a set of recommendations for achieving success with future initiatives, including strategies to boost citizen involvement and public approval for the Metro Detroit region. Four areas are identified as key for the success of transit initiatives and transit systems’ improvement: Education, Branding, Involvement, and Messaging. KW - Branding (Marketing) KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Marketing KW - Mass media KW - Public opinion KW - Public participation KW - Public relations KW - Public transit KW - Southeast Michigan UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1136-6-transit-media-public-opinion.pdf UR - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/RC1599G_455992_7.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm53r270j/1/producer%2F881693126.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312033 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01533077 AU - Hanifin, Leo AU - Anderson, Scott AU - Bernasconi, Claudia AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Hoback, Alan AU - Semple, Lloyd AU - Mineta National Transit Research Consortium AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Detroit Regional Transit Study: A Study of Factors that Enable and Inhibit Effective Regional Transit PY - 2014/03//Final report AB - A comprehensive study of the factors enabling or inhibiting the development of effective regional transit looked at Detroit, Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver and St. Louis. Six key variable in transit success were examined: politics and leadership; law and governance; finance and funding; transit-oriented development; equity and access; and, media and public opinion. The research methodology used firsthand narrative experience and involved 60 in-depth interviews. This document provides an overview and summaries of key findings in all six areas of focus. Six separate reports explore each area in greater depth. KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Equity (Justice) KW - Financing KW - Leadership KW - Methodology KW - Politics KW - Public transit KW - Regional transportation KW - Surveys KW - Transit oriented development UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1136-0-sustainable-regional-transit-overview.pdf UR - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/RC1599A_455986_7.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm5z6234x/1/producer%2F882104926.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304837 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01533070 AU - Hanifin, Leo AU - Douglas, Scott AU - Mineta National Transit Research Consortium AU - San Jose State University AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Regional Transit Stew: Consensus Building and Transit Building in Metro Detroit PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - x, 38p AB - This report describes the factors that enable and inhibit the development of effective regional transit, focusing on Metro Detroit and four peer regions: Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver and St. Louis. It provides key findings related to transit leadership and politics, especially those related to the successful planning and funding of regional transit. The report presents a three-phase process beginning with sharing and recognizing all stakeholders’ perspectives on what they want and need from regional transit. In the second phase, transit professionals translate that vision into a specific transit system design and plans to develop it. In phase three, stakeholders actively advocate for the plan and its funding by emphasizing the values and impact of the system that are most important to specific segments of the population. The report discusses the need for a very diverse and active coalition and presents examples of successful coalitions in other cities. KW - Atlanta (Georgia) KW - Cleveland (Ohio) KW - Consensus KW - Denver (Colorado) KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Financing KW - Los Angeles (California) KW - Public transit KW - Regional planning KW - Regional transportation KW - Saint Louis (Missouri) KW - Stakeholders KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1136-1-transit-leadership-politics.pdf UR - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/RC1599B_455987_7.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312028 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01532300 AU - Boyles, Stephen D AU - Melson, Christopher AU - Rambha, Tarun AU - Duthie, Jennifer C AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Game-Theoretic Analysis of Dynamic Traffic Equilibria PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 52p AB - Dynamic traffic assignment has grown steadily in popularity and use since its inception. It has become an important and permanent tool in transportation agencies across the country. However, the exact nature of dynamic traffic equilibrium, including existence and uniqueness results, is not fully known in simulation-based models. Specifically, the authors discuss the possibilities of unrealistic multiple equilibria that arise out of simplified flow models. This is demonstrated with a simple diverge-merge network and piecewise-linear fundamental diagrams are discussed as one possible resolution. KW - Dynamic traffic assignment KW - Game theory KW - Traffic equilibrium KW - Traffic flow UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/600451-00079-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1317277 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01531900 AU - Gillerman, Virginia S AU - Weppner, Kerrie N AU - Idaho Geological Survey AU - Idaho Transportation Department AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Lithologic Characterization of Active ITD Aggregate Sources and Implications for Aggregate Quality PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 241p AB - Aggregate from 40 material sources across Idaho were sampled and the lithologies identified quantitatively. Aggregate compositions are compared with commercial American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) T 303 and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C1293 results and the geologic map of Idaho to identify those rock types and geographic areas most susceptible to alkali-silica reactivity (ASR). Petrography on I-84 concrete and the commercial and experimental mortar bars confirmed the conclusion that rhyolites from young Snake River Plain (SRP) volcanism as well as certain “siliceous quartzites” in the mid-SRP region have very high ASR potential. However, much of Idaho has ASR reactive aggregate. The geographic regions with the most consistent, lowest ASR values in aggregate are in the Boise and Payette River drainages. KW - AASHTO T 303 KW - Aggregates KW - Alkali silica reactions KW - ASTM C 1293 KW - Geology KW - Idaho KW - Lithologic composition KW - Petrography UR - http://dot.idaho.gov/highways/research/archived/reports/RP212Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1316823 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01531057 AU - Hesse, Damien AU - Tinjum, James M AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Increasing Freight Loads on Rail Substructure from Fracking Sand Transportation PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 152p AB - In this report the effect of surface infiltration of frac sand and heavy axle loads (HALs) were studied for their impact on the ballast layer. Different combinations of ballast and fracking sand were constructed to observe long term trends of deformational behavior. The results of HAL tests show that for all ballast an increased rate of strain accumulation averaging 0.07%/MGT for every 30 kip car load increase occurs. The results of the surface spillage tests show an average increased rate of strain accumulation averaging 0.05%/MGT, 0.13%/MGT, and 0.31%/MGT for AREMA ballast #24, #4A, and #5 respectively, for a 7% increase in gravimetric water content. Modeling conducted by the WiscRail ® program show an increased maintenance interval of 50-100%. The increased shipment of frac sand for hydrocarbon recovery will affect the rail lines on which it is shipped. Increased monitoring and maintenance will need to be conducted for the lines to operate in an efficient manner. KW - Axle loads KW - Ballast (Railroads) KW - Deformation KW - Freight trains KW - Hydraulic fracturing KW - Maintenance of way KW - Sand KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0710.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1316826 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530922 AU - Burton, Ron AU - Baldwin, George H Scott AU - O'Harra, Bryan AU - Hoffman, Gerald AU - Speer, Scott AU - Barickman, Frank AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Basis of Design for Advanced Crash-Avoidance Technology Test Course PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 44p AB - The primary objective of the work described in this report was to determine the facility design characteristics for an advanced crash-avoidance technology test course including feasibility, estimated costs, and an implementation plan. In recent years, light- and heavy-vehicle manufacturers have introduced as original equipment manufacturers (OEM) equipment technologies that can warn/mitigate/prevent crashes. These technologies have the potential to save lives, prevent injuries, and provide safety benefits to the public. Objective test procedures for these emerging technologies should be developed using test facilities, motion systems, and targets that can simulate a real-world environment and not interfere with vehicle sensing technologies. Effective evaluation of emerging technologies should be performed on facilities where researchers can safely and efficiently develop and conduct tests for light and heavy vehicles. These facilities would allow for research activities and unbiased assessment of advanced vehicle technologies. The content of this report was developed through a review of literature relating to vehicle crash statistics, existing and emerging test procedures for advanced crash-avoidance technology, and through a review of tests performed using existing facilities. The resulting test course includes prototypes for straight parallel lanes, intersecting lanes, and curved parallel lanes.   KW - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies KW - Costs KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Design of specific facilities KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Implementation KW - Technological innovations KW - Test procedures KW - Test tracks UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2014/811988-ACAT-test-course-design-basis.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1313967 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530296 AU - Kay, Andrew I AU - Noland, Robert B AU - Rodier, Caroline J AU - Mineta National Transit Research Consortium AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Futures: Policy Scenarios for Achieving Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 44p AB - Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reduced by 50% to 80% by 2050 in order to limit global temperature increase to 2°C. This research analyzes three scenarios: changes in the perceived price of travel; land-use intensification; and, increases in transit use. Elasticity estimates are derived using an activity-based travel model for the state of California and broadly representative of the U.S. The VISION model is used to forecast changes in technology and fuel options for the U.S., providing a life cycle GHG forecast for the road transportation sector. Results suggest that aggressive policy action is needed, especially pricing policies,as well as technical innovations. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are in particular need of additional fuel or technology-based GHG reductions. KW - California KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Environmental policy KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Land use KW - Public transit KW - Regulation KW - Road pricing KW - Technological innovations KW - Transportation policy KW - Travel demand UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1149-greenhouse-gas-reduction-target-strategy.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304839 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530137 AU - Myers, John J AU - Hernandez, Eli AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety/NUTC program AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Sensors for Monitoring of Bridge Deck Corrosion in Missouri PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 31p AB - Chloride ion ingress is an important parameter that helps estimate the durability and service life of reinforced concrete (RC) and prestress concrete (PC) structures, especially in those structures exposed to marine environments and salts applied during the winter season for traffic safety. Current techniques used to detect chloride content and monitor the level of corrosion in RC and PC structures, such as acoustic emission, fiber optics, and electrochemical measurements, are time consuming, and invasive. In addition, they require external power sources, complex test setups, are expensive to implement, and often, it is difficult to interpret the data recorded in the field. In an effort to overcome these restrictions, an inexpensive, wireless corrosion detector sensor based on commercial radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that does not need to be powered by a local source of energy, has been developed by an Oklahoma State University’s research team. The purpose of the first phase of this project was to implement this innovative RFID corrosion sensor into a new bridge construction to collect data during monitoring to study both the reliability and field performance of the sensor in-situ and under laboratory conditions. The laboratory work attempted to correlate the sensor’s sensitivity to the level of corrosion in the structure. Phase II of this work will be focused on the long-term monitoring of the sensors installed in the field for a period of approximately 10 years. KW - Bridge decks KW - Chloride content KW - Corrosion KW - Missouri KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Sensors KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://transportation.mst.edu/media/research/transportation/documents/R351%20Final%20Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1315413 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529485 AU - Stephens, Denny AU - Petrolino, Joseph AU - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Development and Evaluation of Alternative Concepts for Wireless Roadside Truck and Bus Safety Inspections PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 52p AB - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Program is demonstrating the feasibility and value of electronically assessing truck and motorcoach driver and vehicle safety at least 25 times more often than is possible using only roadside physical inspections. The WRI program is evaluating the potential benefits to both the motor carrier industry and to the government. Potential benefits include reduction in crashes, injuries, and fatalities on highways and keeping safe and legal drivers and vehicles moving. WRI Pilot Tests were conducted to prototype, test, and demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of electronically collecting safety data messages (SDMs) from in-service commercial vehicles and performing WRIs using three different communication systems. This report provides a summary of the results of the WRI Program Phase II Pilot Testing. The results of this phase of the effort demonstrate the capability to increase commercial vehicle inspections and to potentially realize significant improvement in commercial vehicle safety without increasing the burden on enforcement or compliant operators. This report summarizes the conduct of the Pilot Test project, and its findings and assessments. References are provided for detailed technical reports on the Phase II testing and independent evaluation. KW - Buses KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Inspection KW - Trucks KW - Vehicle safety KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51800/51839/13-042_Wireless_Roadside_Inspection_Phase_II-Full_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312405 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529484 AU - Mealy, Christopher AU - Boehmer, Haavard AU - Scheffey, Joseph L AU - Back, Gerard G AU - Hughes Associates, Incorporated AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Characterization of the Flammability and Thermal Decomposition Properties of Aircraft Skin Composite Materials and Combustible Surrogates PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Currently, the aircraft industry is shifting toward the use of new aircraft skin materials. In place of aluminum, aircraft are now being constructed from composite materials, which typically include combustible components. The objective of this test series was to quantify the small-scale burn characteristics of two new aircraft skin composite materials and a candidate wood surrogate. If testing was successful, a wood surrogate could be used as a readily available cost-effective material in future large-scale flammability and suppression tests. A series of small-scale fire tests and analytical test methods were conducted to characterize the flammability and thermal decomposition properties of the materials. These tests were designed to develop a data set that could be used to validate intermediate scale tests and as input in the development of flame spread and thermal decomposition models for these materials. The composite materials evaluated were a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and a glass laminate aluminum reinforced epoxy (GLARE), and the wood surrogate evaluated was an oriented strand board (OSB). The small-scale fire tests conducted in this research included cone calorimetry testing, lateral ignition and flame spread testing, and thermal decomposition testing. The analytical work conducted included thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and pyrolysis gas chromatograph/mass spectroscopy. The materials’ flammability and thermal decomposition properties were derived from these tests. Tests suggest the average heat capacity during decomposition and the average thermal conductivities of the two materials is similar. This indicates the OSB is a reasonable surrogate for the CFRP over the course of the decomposition process when the heat capacity and thermal conductivity parameters strongly influence the results. The overall average apparent heat capacity is comparable, which is consistent with the heat capacity results of the thermal decomposition apparatus. This suggests the OSB is a reasonable overall surrogate material for the CFRP when the heat capacity is a significant parameter, but there may be significant differences in thermal absorption rates on smaller time scales. KW - Aircraft materials KW - Aircraft structural components KW - Composite materials KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Flammability tests KW - Laminates KW - Thermal conductivity KW - Wood UR - http://www.airtech.tc.faa.gov/Safety/Downloads/TC-14-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1313475 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529397 AU - Chien, Steven AU - Meegoda, Jay AU - Luo, Johnny AU - Corrigan, Paul AU - Zhao, Liuhui AU - New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Road Weather Information System Statewide Implementation Plan PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 123p AB - The objective of this project was to develop a plan for deploying a statewide Road Weather Information System (RWIS) to support both current New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) operations and future Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) applications. To develop the plan, various information and data sources were investigated, including the current condition of NYSDOT’s RWIS network, potential RWIS station sites, data needed for supporting statewide MDSS applications, and New York State (NYS) meteorological zones. A Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based bi-level model was developed to optimize the RWIS network, considering contiguous segments having similar maintenance requirements and the associated characteristics (e.g., meteorology, traffic, etc.) that can affect the required road maintenance. Optimally, the recommended RWIS network shall provide and monitor timely road weather condition for decision making by road maintenance agencies, which ultimately leads to a higher level of service and reduced weather-related congestion delay and accidents, reduced cost, redundancy and environmental/ecological impacts, more efficient use of manpower, contractor services, fleet and asset management, and increased accountability resulting in prudent and efficient spending. It is expected that the proposed RWIS network in conjunction with NYSDOT’s MDSS will significantly reduce cost of road maintenance and increase safety, mobility, and productivity of, particularly in the adverse weather during winter time. KW - Decision support systems KW - Geographic information systems KW - Highway maintenance KW - Implementation KW - Maintenance management KW - New York (State) KW - New York State Department of Transportation KW - Road weather information systems KW - Weather conditions UR - https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C-11-54%20Final%20Report_4-2014.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1313476 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529378 AU - Dsa, Pamela AU - American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Commercial Skills Test Information Management System (CSTIMS) Final Report and Self-Sustainability Plan PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 48p AB - The Commercial Skills Test Information Management System (CSTIMS) was developed as a Web-based, software-as-a-service system to prevent and deter fraud perpetrated by third-party commercial driver’s license (CDL) examiners in the portion of the CDL licensing process involving the skills test. This Final Report and Self-Sustainability Plan were developed to fulfill the Cooperative Agreement DTMC75-08-H-00003, specifically, to “assess the self-sustainability of CSTIMS and create a transition plan to determine what fees should be charged to the States to make CSTIMS self-sustaining.” It was also developed to clearly document and depict the overall objectives and scope of the project. Summarized are all enhancements and improvements made between pilot testing in 2008 and 2012, including those relating to the CDL Testing and Commercial Driver’s Permit Test Standards of May 2011. The main focus of this Self-Sustainability Plan is to provide a recommendation for maintaining the system once the development stage of the project is completed. Three fee allocation approaches were considered based on the number of 1) CSTIMS users in a State, 2) CDL applicants in a State, and 3) commercial drivers in a State. The most practical fee allocation approach to implement is one based on the number of commercial drivers in a State because it is the number that: 1) is most easily obtainable, 2) is known to all States before deciding to participate in CSTIMS, 3) does not require a separate audit, and 4) introduces the least error in a calculation of fee allocation. KW - Commercial drivers KW - Commercial Skills Testing Information Management System (CSTIMS) KW - Driver licenses KW - Fees KW - Information management KW - Recommendations KW - States UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51800/51842/13-046-Commercial_Skills_Test_Information_Management_System_and_Self-Sustainability_Plan-Full_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312406 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529277 AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - The Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks Program, 2012 PY - 2014/03 SP - 14p AB - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was created as an operating administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) by the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999. The primary mission of the FMCSA is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. The Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) program supports that safety mission by providing grant funds to States for: (1) Improving safety and productivity of motor carriers, commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), and their drivers. (2) Improving efficiency and effectiveness of CMV safety programs through targeted enforcement. (3) Improving CMV data sharing within States and between States and FMCSA; and (4) Reducing Federal, State, and industry regulatory and administrative costs. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - CVISN (Program) KW - Data sharing KW - Government funding KW - Information systems KW - States KW - Trucking safety UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51800/51834/13-010-CVISN_Annual_Report_2012-_Full_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312402 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01527274 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Moulden, John V TI - FHWA’s R&T Agenda Addresses National Challenges PY - 2014/03 VL - 77 IS - 5 AB - The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Research and Technology (R&T) Program works to develop innovative programs to keep the nation’s highways functional and in a good state of repair. The FHWA R&T Agenda focuses on research to address six major national challenges: advancing safety, improving mobility, maintaining infrastructure integrity, enhancing performance, promoting sustainability, and preparing for the future. A new website from the FHWA showcases the agenda and serves as a platform for national collaboration, assisting stakeholders, colleagues, and the public in better understanding the R&T program and how it serves the nation. KW - Cooperation KW - Highway maintenance KW - Highway safety KW - Infrastructure KW - Mobility KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/14marapr/01.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310917 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01527273 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Gibson, Nelson AU - Sindlinger, Alicia TI - Pushing the Limits of Pavement PY - 2014/03 VL - 77 IS - 5 AB - Pavement tests are a tool transportation agencies use to make decisions about new pavement technologies and investments. Testing helps agencies understand how materials and techniques will affect performance under varying conditions. The goal is to find potential benefits from alternative materials, design, or processes. One method used is full-scale accelerated pavement testing, which assess the performance of materials and techniques when simulating distresses observed throughout the pavement’s life cycle but in a significantly shorter period. Benefits of this method include cost savings and increased safety compared to working on roads open to traffic. A number of institutions around the United States are using this method to conduct tests. KW - Highway safety KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement performance KW - Savings KW - Testing KW - United States UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/14marapr/02.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310918 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01527272 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - DeSimone, Anthony AU - Sullivan, John J TI - Where the Water Meets the Road PY - 2014/03 VL - 77 IS - 5 AB - Ferry boats are an important transportation link in many communities. They often serve as an extension of highway systems and the infrastructure cost is generally lower than that of a major bridge. There is a wide variety of ferries in operation in the United States today. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) makes funding available through the Ferry Boat Program for various projects, including construction of boats and terminals and rehabilitation of existing facilities. Many ferry services have benefited from the Ferry Boat Program. Ferries continue to maintain mobility options for communities in a flexible and economically feasible way. KW - Ferry service KW - Ferry terminals KW - Infrastructure KW - Mobility KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/14marapr/03.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310919 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01527271 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Kurland, Susan L AU - Fernuik, Heather TI - Making Inroads for Women in Transportation PY - 2014/03 VL - 77 IS - 5 AB - The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) is working to attract more women to transportation professions. The increased participation of women in the labor market is often a significant stimulant of economic growth, and looming shortfalls in labor make it important to draw on all available talent. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Women in Transportation initiative was launched at the 2011 APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting, led by USDOT. The initiative collaborates across APEC economies to promote improved data gathering on women’s participation in transportation occupations, as well as exchanging best practices, tools, and resources for women in the profession. The initiative seeks to develop strategies to advance opportunities for women in transportation. KW - Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) KW - Cooperation KW - Economic growth KW - Females KW - Labor force KW - Labor market KW - U.S. Department of Transportation UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/14marapr/04.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310920 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01527270 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Jennings, Thomas AU - Cloyed, Larry AU - Holland, Michelle TI - Traveling the Capital Beltway Is Now E-Zier PY - 2014/03 VL - 77 IS - 5 AB - Interstate 495 in northern Virginia now features new express lanes that improve travel. The expansion of the road, known as the Capital Beltway, began in 2008, and included two high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in each direction, as well as open-road electronic tolling and congestion-based dynamic pricing. Interstate 495 is one of the busiest commuter routes of Washington, DC, and the expansion eased traffic congestion. The project was developed under a public-private partnership and used a design-build approach, which helped allow for faster delivery. Virginia has additional plans to build express lanes for other highways. KW - Automated toll collection KW - Congestion pricing KW - Design build KW - High occupancy toll lanes KW - Interstate 495 KW - Public private partnerships KW - Road construction KW - Traffic congestion KW - Virginia KW - Washington (District of Columbia) UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/14marapr/05.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310921 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01527268 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Scriba, Tracy AU - Atkinson, Jennifer TI - Creating Smarter Work Zones PY - 2014/03 VL - 77 IS - 5 AB - Work zones for road construction often cause congestion. The roadwork and traffic occupy the same space because a large portion of highway construction involves improving existing roads. The proximity of traffic and construction has led to a high number of crashes in work zones. There are various technological tools that can help manage work zones to improve safety and efficiency. Agencies can incorporate technological solutions, including intelligent transportation systems (ITS) into their transportation management plans, which lay out strategies for work zone management. Work zone technologies can be used to manage speeds and traffic, monitor performance, prevent incidents, and provide traveler information, among other uses. KW - Crashes KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Technological innovations KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/14marapr/06.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310922 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526333 AU - Qi, Yi AU - Chen, Xiaoming AU - Wang, Yubian AU - Lu, Yan AU - Texas Southern University AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Left-Turn Lanes at Unsignalized Median Openings PY - 2014/03//Technical Report SP - 61p AB - Due to the frequent presence of median openings in urban arterial settings, the requirements for the deceleration and storage of turning vehicles (e.g. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Green Book) often exceed the available length between two adjacent openings which leaves traffic engineers having to decide whether left-turn lanes, shorter than the standards, can be used or not. The goal of this research was to investigate the minimum required length for the left-turn lanes at the unsignalized median openings, and study the safety and operational impacts of such left-turn lanes with substandard lengths. To achieve this goal, researchers: 1) synthesized existing related research; 2) developed models for storage lengths at unsignalized median openings; 3) developed models for estimating the delays caused by substandard deceleration lengths and the resulting excessive deceleration on main travel lanes; and 4) analyzed safety impacts of substandard median left-turn lanes. The results of this study led to the following key findings: 1) at the operational impacts perspective- if a substandard length left-turn lane can accommodate the necessary storage length and the deceleration length assuming a 20mph speed differential, it will not affect the operational performance of median openings significantly and the delays caused by using substandard length left-turn lane are significantly less than the delays associated with the absence of dedicated left-turn lanes; 2) at the safety impacts perspective- substandard length left-turn lanes will affect the safety performance of median openings. However, when it is impractical to provide the Greenbook required length, use of substandard length left-turn lanes may still be an option because of operational benefits comparing the no dedicated left-turn lane option; and 3) based on traffic simulation study- the required storage length is less than that estimated by the AASHTO “two-minute arrival” rule-of-thumb method. The minimum required storage length can be estimated with the regression model developed in this research. KW - Access control (Transportation) KW - Deceleration KW - Highway design KW - Highway safety KW - Left turn lanes KW - Length KW - Median openings KW - Unsignalized intersections KW - Urban areas UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/600451-00044-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308850 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526283 AU - Noland, Robert B AU - Hanson, Christopher S AU - Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Carbon Footprint Estimator, Phase II, Volume I – GASCAP Model PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 107p AB - The GASCAP model was developed to provide a software tool for analysis of the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the construction and maintenance of transportation projects. This phase of development included techniques for estimating emissions from induced travel when a project involves a capacity expansion; a life-cycle maintenance module based on recommended procedures for maintaining a road surface over 50 years; an automated method for inputting construction equipment activity associated with selected project types; a method based on the Highway Capacity Manual for estimating emissions associated with project staging and the diversion of traffic around a worksite; methods for more easily updating emissions factors in the model; and, a variety of miscellaneous upgrades to account for SF6 emissions, upstream electricity emissions associated with asphalt, and incorporation of additional bid-sheet codes in the materials module. Four case studies to demonstrate the models usage were also conducted. These were: a large project case study (reconstruction of route 35 in Ocean County) that demonstrated the full capabilities of the model; a smaller project (route 47 resurfacing in Gloucester County) that focused on different staging options and the impact on emissions from traffic; an applied case study conducted in collaboration with New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) staff in the South Jersey regional office that focused on maintenance activities; and a demonstration of the relationship between the embodied fuel cost of a project and the GHG emissions. The software and related documentation is available for use on www.gascap.org and users are requested to upload any analysis results to provide information for further development of the software. KW - Case studies KW - Construction equipment KW - Construction projects KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Maintenance KW - New Jersey KW - Pollutants KW - Software UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Final-Appendices-GASCAP-PhaseII.pdf UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Final-GASCAP-PhaseII.pdf UR - https://dspace.njstatelib.org/xmlui/handle/10929/32276 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307324 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526258 AU - Noland, Robert B AU - Hanson, Christopher S AU - Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Carbon Footprint Estimator, Phase II, Volume II – Technical Appendices PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 251p AB - The GASCAP model was developed to provide a software tool for analysis of the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the construction and maintenance of transportation projects. This phase of development included techniques for estimating emissions from induced travel when a project involves a capacity expansion; a life-cycle maintenance module based on recommended procedures for maintaining a road surface over 50 years; an automated method for inputting construction equipment activity associated with selected project types; a method based on the Highway Capacity Manual for estimating emissions associated with project staging and the diversion of traffic around a worksite; methods for more easily updating emissions factors in the model; and, a variety of miscellaneous upgrades to account for SF6 emissions, upstream electricity emissions associated with asphalt, and incorporation of additional bid-sheet codes in the materials module. Four case studies to demonstrate the models usage were also conducted. These were: a large project case study (reconstruction of route 35 in Ocean County) that demonstrated the full capabilities of the model; a smaller project (route 47 resurfacing in Gloucester County) that focused on different staging options and the impact on emissions from traffic; an applied case study conducted in collaboration with New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) staff in the South Jersey regional office that focused on maintenance activities; and a demonstration of the relationship between the embodied fuel cost of a project and the GHG emissions. The software and related documentation is available for use on www.gascap.org and users are requested to upload any analysis results to provide information for further development of the software. KW - Case studies KW - Construction equipment KW - Construction projects KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Maintenance KW - New Jersey KW - Pollutants KW - Software UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Final-Appendices-GASCAP-PhaseII.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307326 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523824 AU - Wemple, Elizabeth AU - Wu, Daniel AU - Cambridge Systematics AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of the ADOT Small Area Transportation Studies and Planning Assistance for Rural Areas Programs PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 160p AB - The Planning Assistance for Rural Areas (PARA) program, sponsored by the Arizona Department of Transportation’s (ADOT) Multimodal Planning Division (MPD), dedicates funding and staff to conduct multimodal transportation planning studies for local jurisdictions. This research study’s goal was to evaluate and refine ADOT’s PARA program to better meet the goals of both ADOT and its local jurisdictional partners. This study had four phases: database development and evaluation of PARA studies from 2002 to 2012, peer state interviews and assessment of similar programs, in‐state surveys and interviews with key stakeholders, and PARA program evaluation and recommendations. The study found that overall, PARA stakeholders were satisfied with the PARA program. Stakeholders stated that PARA programs provided resources for identifying needs and addressing issues that were not otherwise readily available to small communities with budget constraints. Based on the stakeholder assessment, this study made recommendations to strengthen ADOT’s ability to address diverse transportation planning issues, streamline the PARA study process, and improve MPD’s interaction with PARA stakeholders. KW - Arizona KW - Arizona Department of Transportation KW - Databases KW - Evaluation KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Recommendations KW - Rural areas KW - Stakeholders KW - Surveys KW - Transportation planning UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/az716.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307236 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523819 AU - Ramirez, Anthony AU - Lacey, John H AU - Tippetts, A Scott AU - Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - New Mexico’s Comprehensive Impaired-Driving Program: Crash Data Analysis PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 50p AB - In late 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provided funds through a Cooperative Agreement to the New Mexico Department of Transportation to demonstrate a process for implementing a comprehensive State impaired-driving system. NHTSA also contracted with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation to measure the effect of that system on various factors including driving-while-impaired (DWI) crash, injury, and fatality rates; DWI arrest rates; DWI conviction rates; blood alcohol concentration (BAC) rates; and public awareness. New Mexico’s core activities included high-visibility impaired-driving law enforcement operations, increased paid and earned media concerning New Mexico’s law enforcement efforts, and prosecutorial and enforcement training in the five counties with the highest rates of alcohol-involved fatalities. Other components of the comprehensive system include the creation of a Statewide DWI leadership team that provided support and direction to the system and the participation of a Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor to assist on DWI and other traffic safety laws. The five counties initially participating in the project were Bernalillo, Doña Ana, McKinley, Rio Arriba, and San Juan. Santa Fe County joined that group in 2007. Alcohol-involved (those with BACs of .01 g/dL) fatal crashes decreased by 36.5% in the participating counties during the project period of 2005 to 2009. The rest of the State experienced a 31.6% reduction. Alcohol-impaired (those with a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher) fatal crashes decreased by 35.8% in the participating counties during the same period. The rest of the State experienced a 29% reduction. The decrease in the participating counties was not statistically significantly different from the decrease in the rest of the State. This was likely because there were significant Statewide anti-DWI activities during that period as well. However, overall, New Mexico’s multi-faceted efforts appeared to have benefits for the State. KW - Blood alcohol levels KW - Crash data KW - Crash rates KW - Drunk drivers KW - Drunk driving KW - Fatalities KW - New Mexico KW - Safety programs KW - Traffic law enforcement UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811985_NM_Comprehensive_Impaired_Driving_Program_Crash_Data_Analysis.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307278 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523808 AU - Ramirez, Anthony AU - Lacey, John H AU - Tippetts, A Scott AU - Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - New Mexico’s Comprehensive Impaired-Driving Program: A Case Study PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 100p AB - In late 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provided funds to the New Mexico Department of Transportation to demonstrate a process for implementing a comprehensive State impaired-driving system. NHTSA also contracted with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation to measure the effect of that system on various factors including driving-while-impaired (DWI) crash, injury, and fatality rates; DWI arrest rates; DWI conviction rates; blood alcohol concentration (BAC) patterns; and public awareness. New Mexico’s core activities include high-visibility impaired-driving law enforcement operations, increased paid and earned media concerning New Mexico’s law enforcement efforts, and prosecutorial and enforcement training in the six counties with the highest rates of alcohol-related fatalities. Other components of the comprehensive system include the creation of a DWI Leadership Team that provides support and direction to the system and the participation of a traffic safety resource prosecutor to assist on DWI prosecution and other traffic safety law training. The five counties initially participating in the project were Bernalillo, Doña Ana, McKinley, Rio Arriba, and San Juan. Santa Fe County joined that group in 2007. NHTSA’s objective was to transfer this model to other States experiencing a high number or rate of alcohol related traffic fatalities or both. Overall, New Mexico’s multi-faceted efforts appeared to have benefits for the State. KW - Blood alcohol levels KW - Case studies KW - Crash rates KW - Drunk drivers KW - Drunk driving KW - Fatalities KW - New Mexico KW - Safety programs KW - Traffic law enforcement UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811986_NM_Comprehensive_Impaired_Driving_Program_A_Case_Study.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307277 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523806 AU - Chaudhary, Neil K AU - Casanova-Powell, Tara D AU - Cosgrove, Linda AU - Reagan, Ian AU - Williams, Allan AU - Preusser Research Group, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Evaluation of NHTSA Distracted Driving Demonstration Projects in Connecticut and New York PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 80p AB - The communities of Hartford, Connecticut, and Syracuse, New York, implemented year-long campaigns to test whether National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA’s) high-visibility enforcement (HVE) model could be applied to reduce two specific forms of distracted driving – driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone or texting. The HVE model applies strong laws, vigorous targeted law enforcement, extensive media that emphasizes the enforcement, and evaluation. Both sites conducted 4 waves of enforcement between April 2010 and April 2011. NHTSA developed and bought television and radio spots featuring the tag line Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other. Both sites generated ample earned media. Police wrote 100 to 200 citations per 10,000 population for each wave in each site. Driver surveys showed an increase in awareness that cell phone laws were being enforced and recognition of the new slogan. Observed hand-held driver cell phone use dropped from 6.6% to 2.9% in Hartford, and from 3.7% to 2.5% in Syracuse. Connecticut’s control area also showed a decrease in use (from 6.6% to 5.6%) but not to the same extent as Hartford. New York’s control area had similar decreases (5% to 3%), perhaps a result of separate enforcement campaigns running simultaneously in the control site. The results show that high-visibility enforcement campaigns can reduce the number of people who use hand-held cell phones while driving. KW - Automobile drivers KW - Cellular telephones KW - Distraction KW - Hartford (Connecticut) KW - Safety campaigns KW - Surveys KW - Syracuse (New York) KW - Text messaging KW - Traffic law enforcement UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811635_Eval_NHTSA_Distracted_Driving_Demo_Proj_Comm_CT_and_NY.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307276 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523309 AU - Qin, Nan AU - Brooker, Paul AU - Srinivasan, Sesha AU - University of Central Florida, Cocoa AU - Tuskegee University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hydrogen Fueling Stations Infrastructure PY - 2014/03 SP - 26p AB - Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) can provide customers with the benefits of low to zero greenhouse gas emissions, high performance, and comfort without compromising range and refill time. With three major automakers (Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota) planning to introduce consumer FCEVs by the end of 2015, FCEVs will play an increasingly important role in the electric vehicle arena. Building hydrogen fueling infrastructure has been identified as a major obstacle in FCEV commercialization. This report is part of an ongoing effort within an Electric Vehicle Transportation Center (EVTC) project: “Fuel Cell Vehicle Technologies, Infrastructure and Requirements.” This report is based on a survey of recent literature on several key aspects of a hydrogen infrastructure: types of hydrogen fueling stations, station costs, station rollout strategy, and codes and standards. The majority of hydrogen infrastructure studies focus on California’s pioneering model of deploying and testing small fleets of FCEVs and demonstrational hydrogen fueling stations. Valuable lessons can be learned from California’s experiences and used by other states to plan and prepare for the challenges and opportunities that hydrogen transportation might bring. KW - California KW - Coding systems KW - Costs KW - Fuel cell vehicles KW - Fuel storage and delivery devices KW - Hydrogen fuels KW - Infrastructure KW - Literature reviews KW - Service stations KW - Standards UR - http://evtc.fsec.ucf.edu/reports/EVTC-RR-02-14.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306933 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523098 AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Operation Deep Dive Metro-North Commuter Railroad Safety Assessment: Federal Railroad Administration Report to Congress PY - 2014/03 SP - 31p AB - This report of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on its safety assessment of the Metro- North Commuter Railroad (Metro-North), called Operation Deep Dive, is provided to Congress pursuant to report language in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act. Metro-North is the second largest commuter railroad in the Nation, serving New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, with an annual ridership of almost 83 million people. Metro- North is a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State Authority. In 2013, four high-profile accidents occurred on Metro-North. On December 3, 2013, 2 days after the fourth and most serious of these accidents, FRA sent a letter to MTA expressing support for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s directive that MTA hold a safety stand-down, and directing Metro-North to implement a Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS). Additionally, FRA issued Emergency Order 29 and Safety Advisory 2013-08. On December 16, 2013, FRA launched Operation Deep Dive, an assessment of Metro-North’s operations and safety compliance. More than 60 technical and human factor experts comprising 14 teams, conducted a 60-day comprehensive safety assessment of Metro-North. With assistance from the Federal Transit Administration, these experts reviewed and assessed Metro-North’s safety-related processes and procedures, its compliance with safety regulations and requirements, and its overall safety culture. Based on this evaluation, FRA identified three overarching safety concerns that affect all facets of Metro-North: • An overemphasis of on-time performance; • An ineffective Safety Department and poor safety culture; and • An ineffective training program. Within these three areas, FRA identified and prioritized specific safety concerns and directs Metro-North to take actions to mitigate the risks. During Operation Deep Dive, FRA teams met regularly with Metro-North leadership and staff, who were very receptive to learning about the Deep Dive teams’ findings and recommendations. Where appropriate and practicable, Metro-North immediately implemented corrective actions in response to the safety concerns that FRA identified. To further improve the safety of Metro- North’s operations and procedures, FRA will continue its oversight in order to ensure that the immediate improvements implemented during Deep Dive are reviewed, evaluated, and modified, as appropriate. KW - Compliance KW - Connecticut KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Metro-North Commuter Railroad (New York) KW - New Jersey KW - New York (New York) KW - Oversight KW - Railroad commuter service KW - Railroad crashes KW - Railroad safety KW - Training KW - U.S. Federal Railroad Administration UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3586 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304979 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523083 AU - Mayville, Ronald A AU - Jiang, Liying AU - Sherman, Matthew AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Performance Evaluation of Concrete Railroad Ties on the Northeast Corridor PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 171p AB - Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. conducted an investigation into the factors that caused widespread failure in prestressed concrete railroad ties on the Northeast Corridor. The problem was apparent in ties manufactured and installed circa 1994–1998. The work included a literature search, review of existing studies, field investigation, laboratory analyses, including petrography and mechanical testing, finite element analysis, and field testing. The authors evaluated ties that cracked (pre-2003 ties) and ties that did not crack (post-2003 and San-Vel ties). The results show that the predominant mode of cracking, horizontal cracks in the top row of tendons, is a result of a combination of high stresses from prestressing forces and alkali-silica reaction (ASR) induced pressure. Train wheel loading contributes to crack growth but does not appear to be the cause of crack initiation. Delayed Ettringite Formation (DEF) and freeze-thaw cycling do not appear to contribute to the cracking. KW - Alkali silica reactions KW - Concrete ties KW - Cracking KW - Delayed ettringite formation (DEF) KW - Ettringite KW - Impact echo tests KW - Northeast Corridor KW - Performance KW - Petrography KW - Pressure UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3610 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304992 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522720 AU - Vuksanovich, Brian AU - Wang, Xingwei AU - Youngstown State University AU - Ohio Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Novel High Speed Fiber-Optic Pressure Sensor Systems PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 26p AB - The goal of this project is to develop a complete test of this technology for high-speed, high-accuracy applications, specifically cost-effective data acquisition techniques and practical mounting methods tailored for the subject environment. The secondary goal is to develop improvements to increase pressure capabilities to 500 MPa suggest manufacturing methods for sensor production. The testing will center on the high-speed and high pressure end of the performance envelope as this would provide information that is also useful for the slower and lower pressure applications. KW - Fiber optics KW - Pressure transducers KW - Prototype tests KW - Sensors KW - Speed KW - Test procedures UR - http://web.ysu.edu/gen/stem_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/Fiber_Optic_Sensor_Report__Final_1403252.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304005 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522379 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Warren-Kigenyi, Nathan AU - Coleman, Heidi TI - DWI Recidivism in the United States: An Examination of State-Level Driver Data and the Effect of Look-Back Periods on Recidivism Prevalence PY - 2014/03 SP - 9p AB - In 1995, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI) were repeat offenders. This study was conducted to update the 1995 estimate, and it determined that since 1995 the proportion of recidivism among drivers arrested for DWI has decreased from 31% to 25%, a decline of 19%. This report describes the methods used for data collection and analysis. The analysis explored emerging trends of recidivism based on data regarding arrests, convictions, and license suspensions. This study also examined the extent to which recidivism prevalence differs based on the look-back period used by the State (i.e., the period of time DWI offenses remain on driver records as prior offenses). KW - Data analysis KW - Data collection KW - Driver records KW - Drunk drivers KW - Drunk driving KW - Recidivism KW - Repeat offenders KW - States KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811991-DWI_Recidivism_in_USA-tsf-rn.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306862 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522374 AU - Schneider, Helmut AU - Sun, Xiaoduan AU - Kelle, Peter AU - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Developing Inexpensive Crash Countermeasures for Louisiana Local Roads PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 116p AB - Although 40% of all crashes in Louisiana are on local roads, local road safety improvement programs have not received the attention needed to reduce crashes. Local road crash countermeasures are an important part of the overall efforts to reduce crashes and their severity in Louisiana. The efforts to develop a local road safety program are hampered by the lack of appropriate risk assessment that enables local agencies to reduce crashes using low cost countermeasures. This paper provides a methodology that can be used by local agencies to deploy countermeasures based on a risk assessment and optimization to meet a fixed budget. First, a statistical model is presented to assess the risk of local road segments taking into account average annual daily travel (AADT) and geometric features of the road segment or intersection. Secondly, low cost countermeasures are recommended for individual road segments and costs for improvements are assessed. Thirdly, a score which allows the ranking of road projects is developed for each road segment. This score incorporates the risk associated with the observed number of crashes, the benefits of improvements, and the total cost of a project. Finally, guidelines for a local road safety improvement program are presented to allow local agencies to institute procedures for a systematic system-wide road improvement methodology. The deliverables include an Excel application that uses online analytical processing (OLAP) to obtain a ranking of candidates for road improvements. This application makes use of crash data, engineering features, and AADT to compute empirical Bayes (EB) estimates and tail probabilities for each road segment and intersection. Road segments and intersections with a tail probability below 5% are selected as candidates for countermeasures. These candidates are evaluated using Google Earth, countermeasures are suggested, and costs and benefits of the countermeasures are obtained using published information. The resulting road improvement projects are then ranked using multi criteria Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) including costs, benefits and crash risks. KW - Annual average daily traffic KW - Bayes' theorem KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Highway safety KW - Local roads KW - Louisiana KW - Methodology KW - Risk assessment KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2014/FR_503.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306462 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522367 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Talebpour, Alireza AU - Mahmassani, Hani S AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Effectiveness of Innovative Speed-Enforcement Techniques in Illinois PY - 2014/03 IS - 14-006 SP - 108p AB - The effects of various police patrolling methods on the average speed and crash rate were studied in this report. The number of speeding citations under various enforcement strategies was also investigated. Two surveys were designed and conducted for this purpose, a pilot and a statewide study. The results show that speed enforcement had a statistically significant effect on reducing the average speed, which is more evident during the morning peak period. The average-speed analysis indicates the existence of time halo, as drivers maintain lower speeds for some period after enforcement stops. The minimum length of time halo was found to be at least 2 weeks. A methodology for the optimal allocation of enforcement resources is presented, along with recommendations for strategy selection and deployment. KW - Crash rates KW - Illinois KW - Periods of the day KW - Recommendations KW - Resource allocation KW - Speeding KW - Surveys KW - Traffic citations KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Traffic speed UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/48716 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305308 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522363 AU - Morris, William P AU - DeAnnuntis, Christopher AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Rear-end Bus Collisions and Identification of Possible Solutions PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 189p AB - The purpose of this project was to conduct a systematic study to examine rear-end collisions between motorists and public transit buses to achieve the following objectives: determine if rear-end collisions are increasing; conduct an assessment to ascertain the prevalence of rear-end collisions; identify conditions that exist when rear-end collisions occur; identify mitigation strategies for agencies that have identified rear-end collisions as a major issue; assess impact of Yield to Bus and pull-out bays on rear-end collisions; identify solutions and/or strategies to reduce rear-end collisions, and examine bus safety legislation in other states and assess whether Florida’s current statutes need to be revised. KW - Bus bays KW - Bus crashes KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash characteristics KW - Florida KW - Highway safety KW - Legislation KW - Multiple vehicle crashes KW - Rear end crashes UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT-BDK85-977-50-rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303638 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522348 AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Management of National Research Programs: WisDOT 2013 Research Peer Exchange PY - 2014/03 SP - 28p AB - The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Research Program hosted a peer exchange on October 15-16, 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin. Representatives from five states (Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington) joined WisDOT staff to share experiences relating to effective participation in national research activities. Representatives from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) also participated in the peer exchange. This report presents the key observations from the peer exchange presentations and group discussions. KW - Peer exchange KW - Research management KW - State departments of transportation KW - Wisconsin Department of Transportation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303929 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522344 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Crash Stats PB - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Nine Months of 2013 PY - 2014/03 SP - 2p AB - A statistical projection of traffic fatalities for the first nine months of 2013 shows that an estimated 24,270 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. This represents a decrease of about 3.7 percent as compared to the 25,214 fatalities that were reported to have occurred in the first nine months of 2012. On a year-to-year quarterly basis, until the third quarter of 2013, the percentage change in fatalities has been steadily decreasing each quarter since the significant 11.6-percent increase reported for the first quarter of 2012. Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the first nine months of 2013 increased by about 9.8 billion miles, or about a 0.4-percent increase. The fatality rate for the first nine months of 2013 decreased to 1.09 fatalities per 100 million VMT, down from 1.13 fatalities per 100 million VMT in the first nine months of 2012. The fatality rate for the third quarter of 2013 decreased to 1.15 fatalities per 100 million VMT, down from 1.20 fatalities in the third quarter of 2012. The actual counts for 2012 and 2013 continue to be updated and the ensuing percentage changes between the fatalities for any of these years are therefore subject to revision. KW - Fatalities KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812004.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304834 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522293 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Hinch, Mary AU - Solomon, Mark AU - Tison, Julie TI - The Click It or Ticket Evaluation, 2012 PY - 2014/03 SP - 5p AB - Click It or Ticket (CIOT) mobilizations are national, State, and local high-visibility enforcement (HVE) efforts designed to encourage motorists to buckle up. They have been conducted at the national level each year around Memorial Day since 2003. The 2012 CIOT mobilization included 49 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than 10,000 law enforcement agencies participated during the two-week enforcement period. The mobilization was preceded by earned and paid media alerting the public to the upcoming seat belt enforcement mobilization. KW - Click It or Ticket KW - Evaluation KW - Mass media KW - Safety programs KW - Seat belt use KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811989-The_Click_It_or_Ticket_Eval_2012_RN_TSF.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306868 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522282 JO - TRAFFIC TECH PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Demonstration of the Trauma Nurses Talk Tough Seat Belt Diversion Program in North Carolina Reaches High-Risk Drivers PY - 2014/03 SP - 2p AB - Nationally, more than 8 of every 10 drivers wear seat belts, but individual State belt rates vary from as high as 98% to as low as 69%. Within individual States, rural areas often have lower rates. Strong seat belt laws and highly visible enforcement by State and local law enforcement remind drivers to buckle up on every trip, but some drivers still do not get the message. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tested whether a special diversion program, a brief intervention class taught by highly respected trauma nurses in a hospital setting, coupled with dismissal of a belt citation would convince these hard to reach drivers to wear their seat belts. The immediate benefit to the driver was payment of a small class fee in lieu of a high citation fee, court costs, and possibly points on their driving or insurance records. The educational benefit to the driver was an improved understanding of seat belts, child safety seats, and preventable injury and rehabilitation consequences. The benefit to local law enforcement was offering offenders a one-time low cost alternative for the violation and a novel way to reinforce their message that seat belts save lives. KW - Attitudes KW - High risk drivers KW - North Carolina KW - Safety education KW - Seat belt use UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811874-Trauma_Nurses_Talk_Tough_SeatBelt_NC_High-Risk-TT.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305275 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522260 AU - Petersen, Jonathan AU - Lowry, Michael AU - LaPaglia, Kristen AU - Tower, Bradford AU - TranLIVE AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Sustainable Transportation: Technology, Engineering, and Science - Summer Camp Instructor’s Guide PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 55p AB - This document reproduces the instructor’s guide for a ten day transportation engineering summer camp that was held at the University of Idaho in July 2013. The instructor’s guide is split into three units: Unit 1: Vehicle Technology, Unit 2: Traffic Engineering and Operations, Unit 3: Transportation Science and Planning. The summer camp was hosted by TRIO Upward Bound. Student participants were low-income, first generation college bound high school students. The goal of the camp was to encourage careers in transportation engineering. KW - Education and training KW - High school students KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Transportation careers KW - Transportation engineering UR - http://www.uidaho.edu/~/media/Files/orgs/ENGR/Research/NIATT/TranLIVE/Final%20Reports/UI_TranLIVE_Final%20Report_Instructor%20Guide UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305806 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522232 AU - Avers, Katrina E AU - Johnson, William B AU - Banks, Joy O AU - Wenzel, Brenda AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - The Transition From Event Reports to Measurable Organizational Impact: Workshop Proceedings Report PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 38p AB - Collecting, analyzing, and transitioning data into actionable solutions is one of the most critical endeavors in aviation. There are a number of challenges that plague event reporting and analysis. This report describes the top 10 challenges: (1) Overcoming resistance/concerns about event data collection, (2) Individual trust, (3) Consistency in data analysis, (4) Smaller carriers/Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facilities do not dedicate adequate resources to event reports, (5) Inefficient use of data from different sources that came in different formats, (6) Why fund and promote--what is the return on investment (ROI)? (7) Lack of combined knowledge of human factors and task expertise to interpret data analysis, (8) Why report--what's in it for me? (9) Lack of automated report generation, and (10) Need logical and proven implementation processes. The results outlined in this report can be used as a starting place for best practices in incident reporting, analysis, and solution implementation. KW - Aviation safety KW - Best practices KW - Data analysis KW - Data collection KW - Incident management KW - Maintenance KW - Reports KW - Workshops UR - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2010s/media/201405.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306694 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522231 AU - Alexiadis, Vassili AU - Sloboden, Jaimison AU - Cordahi, Gustave AU - VanGorder, Randall AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Guidance on the Level of Effort Required to Conduct Traffic Analysis Using Microsimulation PY - 2014/03 SP - 96p AB - The purpose of this report is to provide guidance for analysts and modeling managers on successfully applying traffic simulation analyses. This report presents systematic ways to determine the appropriate scope and budget for traffic analysis efforts using microsimulation, resulting in better project and program decisions on transportation improvement projects. This report focuses on conducting traffic analysis for geometric and operation design projects during a typical day. This type of analysis is customarily performed during project development by State transportation departments and reviewed by U.S. Department of Transportation staff for interstate access and other related requirements. This report is consistent with the seven-step process outlined in Traffic Analysis Toolbox Volume III: Guidelines for Applying Traffic Microsimulation Modeling Software. Considering that each transportation agency has unique needs and resources, this report can be used by any agency to develop its own framework for determining the level of effort. Putting into perspective the challenge of meeting the increasing needs of traffic analyses while keeping up with limited budgets, this report tackles different critical areas of those analyses by pinpointing best practices and identifying ways to tailor the level of effort invested to the analysis expectations KW - Best practices KW - Data collection KW - Decision support systems KW - Guidelines KW - Microsimulation KW - Traffic simulation UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/operations/13026/13026.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305804 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522221 AU - McVay, Michael C AU - Klammler, Harald AU - Tran, Khiem AU - Faraone, Michael AU - Dodge, Nathan AU - Vera, Nilses AU - Yuan, Le AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Department of Transportation TI - Pile/Shaft Designs Using Artificial Neural Networks (i.e., Genetic Programming) with Spatial Variability Considerations PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 133p AB - This work focused on the improvement of FB-DEEP’s prediction of skin and tip resistance of concrete piles and drilled shafts in Florida. For the work, data from 19 concrete pile sites and 18 drilled shaft sites were collected. This included 458 standard penetration test (SPT) borings on the pile sites and 815 borings on the drilled shaft sites. A total of 64 static pile load tests and 66 drilled shaft tests were acquired. For the piles, 48 tests reached Davisson Capacity, of which 28 had separation of skin and tip resistance. All of the drilled shafts were instrumented with strain gauges from which unit skin transfer (T–Z) was assessed for Florida limestone. All of the data were uploaded into the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) online database based on position (i.e., station + offset, or global positioning system (GPS)). In the case of piles, the data (e.g., boring vs. measured skin friction) were analyzed with a genetic program (GP) algorithm to construct equations for unit skin friction and tip resistance based on soil type (Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)) and SPT N values. The resulting GP skin friction curves were found to be similar to FB-DEEP; the tip resistance curves had higher unit tip resistance vs. blow count values, as well as being only averaged 4 diameters/widths beneath the piles. In addition, the practice of setting SPT N to zero for N< 5 was found to be conservative, and the use of N=5 for N< 5 is recommended. For both current FB-DEEP and GP curves, load resistance factor design, LRFD Φ, were obtained for borings within 100 ft. In the case of borings outside this distance or for site-specific conditions, method error (CVm) for FB-DEEP and the GP curves is presented from which LRFD Φ may be found. In the case of drilled shaft, the GP algorithm a developed normalized unit skin friction vs. displacement curve for limestone, which were similar to Kim (2001). In the case of ultimate skin friction in limestone, the GP algorithm was used to validate the FDOT relationship between unit skin friction and rock strength (unconfined compression, split tension). KW - FB-DEEP (Software) KW - Florida KW - Genetic algorithms KW - Limestone KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Piles (Supports) KW - Skin friction KW - Soil penetration test KW - Strain gages UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_GT/FDOT-BDK75-977-68-rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305816 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522194 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2003-2012 Data: School-Transportation-Related Crashes PY - 2014/03 SP - 4p AB - A school-transportation-related crash is a crash that involves, either directly or indirectly, a school bus body vehicle, or a non-school bus functioning as a school bus, transporting children to or from school or school-related activities. Since 2003 there were 348,253 fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of those, 1,222 (0.35%) were classified as school-transportation-related. Since 2003, there have been 1,353 people killed in school-transportation-related crashes—an average of 135 fatalities per year. Occupants of school transportation vehicles accounted for 8 percent of the fatalities, and nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for 21 percent of the fatalities. Most (71%) of the people who lost their lives in these crashes were occupants of other vehicles involved. Since 2003, 119 school-age pedestrians (younger than 19) have died in school-transportation-related crashes. Sixty-five percent were struck by school buses, 5 percent by vehicles functioning as school buses, and 30 percent by other vehicles (passenger cars, light trucks and vans, large trucks, and motorcycles, etc.) involved in the crashes. There were 42 (35%) school-age pedestrians 5 to 7 years old killed in school transportation-related crashes and a similar number and percentage who were 8 to 13 years old. KW - Bus crashes KW - Crash data KW - Fatalities KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes KW - School buses KW - School children KW - Traffic crash victims KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811890.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1304833 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01520715 AU - Maheshwari, Sharad K AU - D’Souza, Kelwyn A AU - Hampton University AU - Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Education and Awareness Programs on the Usage and Attitude Towards Texting While Driving Among Young Drivers PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 70p AB - Several studies have been completed about reasons why young drivers are attracted to texting while driving. However, there is a lack of studies in the area of impact of education and awareness programs about the danger of texting while driving. In this study, two different education and awareness programs were designed based on the input from the young drivers. 72 randomly selected participants were divided into three groups: control, awareness treatment and education treatment. A pre-test-post-test experiment was conducted on each group. The results of these experiments measured the effectiveness of the selected programs. The major findings of the research are: (1) Young drivers are generally aware of the danger of texting while driving. (2) The majority of young drivers do text while driving. (3) Young drivers receive different risk level for reading text than either initiating new conversation or replying to the text message. (4) After treatments, drivers perceived texting while driving as more dangerous activity than before treatment. (5) After both treatments, there was a slight reduction in the texting-while-driving behavior. The video treatment (public service announcements (PSAs)) group showed more reduction than the lecture group. (6) Participants with higher educational achievements show a slight reduction in texting while driving. (7) Increased awareness of the danger of texting while driving is a positive sign. It indicates that repeated consistent messaging about the danger of texting while driving may help in reducing texting while driving among young drivers. KW - Attitudes KW - Behavior KW - Demographics KW - Safety education KW - Teenage drivers KW - Text messaging UR - http://docs.hamptonu.edu/student/5835-esitac_safety_finalreport__2014_2014040193456.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303873 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01520707 AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - ASSET 2: In-Depth Review of the 497 Unclassified Airports PY - 2014/03 SP - 26p AB - In 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began examining the roles general aviation plays in the national airport system. At the time, general aviation airports had not been thoroughly studied at the national level for more than 40 years. The FAA released the results in a report, General Aviation Airports: A National Asset (known as the ASSET report), in May 2012. With the participation of aviation stakeholders, the original ASSET report identified the types of aeronautical functions serving the public interest that general aviation airports perform. The report defined four new categories for nonprimary airports based on existing activity and role (national, regional, local, and basic), which has been incorporated into the FAA’s planning process including the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The original report identified 497 unclassified facilities that did not fit into one of the newly established categories and for which a separate category could not be defined. The FAA committed, as part of the original ASSET report, to an in-depth review of the unclassified airports to ensure that all available information was collected and considered. This report documents the findings from the in-depth review of the 497 facilities that could not be categorized in the FAA’s original report. This follow-on initiative, known as ASSET 2, began in January 2013. KW - General aviation airports KW - National Plan of Integrated Airports Systems KW - Types of airports KW - United States UR - http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/ga_study/media/2014-ASSET-2-Report.pdf UR - http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/ga_study/media/2014-Asset-Report-497-airports.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303808 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01520702 AU - Jagasivamani, Vadivel AU - Hampton University AU - Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Investigation of Corrosion and Other Deterioration Effects in Highway Bridge Components Using Nondestructive Testing Technology of Acoustic Emission PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 19p AB - Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) carries out periodical evaluation of the damages and deterioration in aging highway bridges and performs maintenance, rehabilitation and repair (MR&R) to prolong their useful life. The process of identifying the deterioration, locating the defects and identifying the means of preventing further damages is time consuming and in most cases the process is subjective in nature. There are possibilities of human error in assessing the status of such damages. Better methods of testing the bridges are needed to perform these operations efficiently and effectively. In-service diagnostic methods for the evaluation of corrosion steel-reinforced concrete structures are useful to reduce the maintenance costs and to ensure safety. Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring is one of the most promising methods to monitor the deterioration of the structure. There are several nondestructive testing (NDT) methods to complement AE monitoring. It is essential to support the results of AE tests, using other techniques too, to improve the reliability of test results. Resistivity measurement on the surface of concrete is identified as one of the useful methods to improve the reliability of testing for corrosion. This research effort focused on testing Highway Bridge in the Denbigh Boulevard, crossing Interstate-64, for studies of corrosion related damages in the concrete columns, using AE method. With a permanent installation of AE monitoring facility the integrity of the structural members can be monitored continuously, as the damages take place, thereby maintenance work can be carried out in time. In addition to AE method, resistivity measurements in the columns were carried out to evaluate the usefulness of such tests. KW - Acoustic emission KW - Corrosion KW - Electrical resistivity KW - Highway bridges KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Reinforced concrete bridges KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Test procedures KW - Virginia UR - http://docs.hamptonu.edu/student/5835-esitac_nde_finalreport_2014_2014040193418.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303872 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01520701 AU - Cai, C S AU - Nair, Archana AU - Hou, Shuang AU - Xia, Miao AU - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development and Performance Evaluation of Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bridge PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 222p AB - Fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) have become more popular construction materials in the last decade due to the reduction of material costs. The installation and performance evaluation of the first FRP-wrapped balsa wood bridge in Louisiana is described in this document. A comprehensive instrumentation and loading test scheme is discussed and details are illustrated. The selected bridge structure in this demonstration project will potentially provide a new approach to enhancing the transportation infrastructure in Louisiana. The test bridge is the Pierre Part Bridge located on route LA 70 in Assumption Parish, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) District 61. The instrumentation consisted of regular strain gauges, fiber optic strain and temperature sensors, accelerometers, and acoustic emission sensors. The measured results from each of the gauges are summarized, and comparisons are made between the finite element models of the bridge structure and the field test results. Before placing the instrumentation on the field bridge, extensive laboratory explorations and numerical analysis were conducted and the research results have been documented in this report. Several years after the bridge had been opened to traffic, a delamination in one of the panels was observed. The deck was removed and replaced with a new deck grating. After a visual inspection and discussion with the fabricator, it turned out that a shifting on the top FRP surface in one of the panels occurred while the panel was being infused with epoxy. There is a good reason that less epoxy was infused after the rearranging of the FRP stop surface was carried out, and this could have led to the delamination problem. KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge design KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Field tests KW - Finite element method KW - Instrumentation KW - Load tests KW - Louisiana UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2014/fr_472.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303625 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01520485 AU - Walker, Jennifer AU - Connor, Susan AU - Wesolowski, Kathryn AU - University Hospitals AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Creating a Campaign for Parents of Pre-Drivers to Encourage Seat Belt Use by 13- to 15-Year-Olds PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 88p AB - This report summarizes the activities and results of a community-wide demonstration project supported by a cooperative agreement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The demonstration project was designed to engage parents of pre-drivers in encouraging seat belt use among 13- to 15-year-olds. The program intervention site included the cities of Parma, Parma Heights and Seven Hills, Ohio. All three cities are part of the Parma City School District, the second largest district in Cuyahoga County, serving 13,000 students–more than 5,200 in the target age cohort. The demonstration project was evaluated by University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) under a companion contract, to test the effectiveness of the campaign in engaging parents and increasing belt use by young teens. Both the intervention site and control site began with belt usage for teens significantly below the national average, as determined by the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS). Following the intervention period, observed seat belt use among young teens in the demonstration community increased from a baseline of 58.0 percent in April 2010 to 83.8 percent in August 2011. Driver belt use also increased from 69.0 percent to 89.3 percent in the same time period. The significant increase in belt use, coupled with the level of engagement of the demonstration community, supports the conclusion that targeting outreach to parents as influencers can be an effective approach to getting more young teens buckled up. KW - Adolescents KW - Cuyahoga County (Ohio) KW - Parents KW - Safety programs KW - Seat belt use KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811894-Campaign_for_Parents_of_Pre-Drivers_to_Encourage_Seat_Belt_Use.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303560 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01520480 AU - Hunter, James G AU - Kang, Dong Hee AU - Bundy, Mark M AU - Morgan State University AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - Morgan State University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Identification of Techniques to Meet pH Standard During In-Stream Construction PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 99p AB - Many of Maryland’s tributaries traverse highway infrastructure via culverts that are managed and maintained by Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA). These culverts are often made of galvanized steel and over time are subjected to scour. Concrete grout is often used as a repair material when these issues are identified. However, once water is allowed to inundate the freshly paved culvert, the grout surface can produce a dissolution effect in which elevated pH can impact downstream waters. The occurrence of this pH spike from grout has been reported in past projects, and has resulted in concerns as the pH of water may reach above the regulatory limit of 8.5. The goal of this project was to ensure that SHA has a proper specification and remedial actions for addressing the pH concern. The overall objectives of this research were to (1) review the current specification for using grout for culvert maintenance, (2) determine the various parameters that control pH spikes for effluent waters, (3) determine applicable remedial applications, and (4) revise the current specification and provide a guidance document/tool for SHA and contractors. Laboratory and field studies were used to investigate and test these objectives. KW - Culverts KW - Field studies KW - Grout KW - Laboratory tests KW - Maintenance practices KW - Maryland KW - pH value KW - Specifications KW - Water quality UR - http://www.roads.maryland.gov/OPR_Research/MD-14-SP109B4D_pH-Standard_Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51500/51581/MD-14-SP109B4D_pH-Standard_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303557 ER - TY - SER AN - 01520473 JO - TechBrief PB - Federal Highway Administration TI - An FHWA Special Study: Post-Tensioning Tendon Grout Chloride Thresholds PY - 2014/03 SP - 8p AB - Since the 1970s, the number of pre-tensioned and post-tensioned (PT) concrete bridge structures utilizing high-strength seven-wire strands has increased steadily. For bonded PT tendons, the grout functions as the last layer of corrosion protection for the highly stressed seven-wire strands by providing a high pH environment to form a protective oxide film on the strand surface and also acting as a physical barrier to water, oxygen, and chloride ions. Corrosion of strands initiates when the protective oxide film is compromised due to chloride attack or carbonation of the surrounding grout upon exposure to water and air. A recent discovery of a grout product with elevated levels of chloride used in a PT concrete straddle cap located in Corpus Christi, Texas, resulted in a full investigation of a potential corrosion problem. There is limited information reported in the literature pertaining to the chloride threshold of the PT tendons. As chloride information is needed to assess corrosion risk of the PT bridges containing the chloride contaminated grout, the Federal Highway Administration sponsored a 6-month accelerated corrosion testing program to determine chloride threshold(s) of PT strands exposed to chloride-contaminated grout. This TechBrief explains how two chloride threshold values of 0.4 and 0.8 percent by weight of cement were determined for corrosion initiation and corrosion propagation, respectively, using supporting test results. KW - Chloride content KW - Concrete bridges KW - Corrosion KW - Corrosion tests KW - Grout KW - Posttensioning KW - Tendons (Materials) UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/bridge/14040/14040.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1302794 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01520471 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2012 Data: Occupant Protection PY - 2014/03 SP - 8p AB - Seat belt use in 2012 was 86 percent, up from 84 percent in 2011. This is a huge increase from 79 percent in 2003 and 58 percent in 1994. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which is the only survey that provides nationwide probability-based observed data on seat belt use in the United States. In 2012, there were 21,667 occupants of passenger vehicles (passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, and sports utility vehicles) who died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of the 21,667 total occupants killed, 9,679 were restrained. Restraint use was not known for 1,653 occupants. Looking only at occupants where the restraint status was known, 52 percent were unrestrained at the time of the crashes. The proportion of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes has decreased from 2003 to 2012. Among passenger vehicle occupants killed when restraint use was known, the percentage of unrestrained deaths decreased by 4 percentage points from 56 percent in 2003 to 52 percent in 2012. Additional data presented includes restraint use and age, gender, seating position, and vehicle type. Additional sections include: seat belt use and benefits, child restrain use and benefits, frontal air bag use and benefits, belt use by State and restraint use laws. KW - Age groups KW - Air bags KW - Child restraint systems KW - Fatalities KW - Gender KW - Occupant protection devices KW - Passenger vehicles KW - Seat belt use KW - State laws KW - States KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811892.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303559 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01519400 AU - Zakrajsek, Jennifer S AU - Eby, David W AU - Molnar, Lisa J AU - St Louis, Renee AU - Zanier, Nicole AU - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Evaluating Just Get It Across: A Parent-Directed Demonstration Program to Increase Young Teen Seat Belt Use PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 113p AB - The purpose of this study was to conduct an independent evaluation to assess a demonstration seat belt program, Just Get It Across, which was developed by the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio (Rainbow Babies) to increase seat belt use by 13- to 15-year-old teens through parental influence. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 13- to 15-year-old teens. While seat belt use has been an effective method to prevent injury from motor vehicle crashes, data from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) and Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) suggest that this period may be a critical time when safe occupant protection habits begin to decline and intervention to encourage belt use is needed. Most teens in the 13- to 15-year-old age group are not yet licensed to drive independently and rely on transportation provided by others, often parents or guardians. Recent research has also found that some parents find that there is a gap in messaging directed to them regarding seat belt safety after their children have out grown their booster seats. This may contribute to a lost opportunity to help parents promote belt use by their young teen children in this critical period leading to the start of independent driving and progressively lower seat belt use rates during the early licensure years. According to recent research, 8- to 15-year-old children reported that belt use reminders and encouragement from parents were the best ways to encourage them to use seat belts. However, parents did not seem to realize the potential of their influence and thought that outside motivators would be most effective at encouraging their children to use seat belts. Parents can play important roles in motor vehicle injury prevention and these findings suggest that programs to help parents influence their 13- to 15-year-old children to use seat belts are needed. KW - Adolescents KW - Evaluation KW - Parents KW - Safety programs KW - Seat belt use KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811893-Evaluating_Just_Get_It_Across_a_Parent-Directed_Demonstration_Program.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1302474 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01519393 AU - Shin, Hyeonshic AU - Lee, Young-Jae AU - Dadvar, Seyedehsan AU - Morgan State University AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Development of Local Calibration Factors for Implementing the Highway Safety Manual in Maryland PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 134p AB - The goal of the study was to determine local calibration factors (LCFs) to adjust predicted motor vehicle traffic crashes for the Maryland-specific application of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM). Since HSM predictive models were developed using data from states other than Maryland, the predictive models should be calibrated. LCFs for all 18 facility types were calculated using Maryland data. After data collection and compilation, samples were drawn based on 90% confidence level, which increased the overall sample size. After the comparison between HSM default crash proportion and Maryland specific data, the use of the Maryland data was suggested. In general, LCFs for all facilities were less than 1.0, implying Maryland had fewer crashes than predicted crashes estimated by HSM crash prediction methodology. Especially, LCFs for intersections were extremely low. Due to potential issues with unreported minor and property damage only crashes, the authors recommend using LCFs for fatal and injuries crashes where available. The report concludes with a discussion on data limitation, thoughts about HSM sampling requirement, and suggestions for future research. It should be noted that this study only considered roadways maintained by Maryland State Highway Administration and Baltimore City was not part of this study. KW - Calibration KW - Crash data KW - Data collection KW - Highway Safety Manual KW - Maryland KW - Sampling KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.roads.maryland.gov/OPR_Research/MD-14-SP209B4J_Local-Calibration-Factors-for-HSM_Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51500/51551/MD-14-SP209B4J_Local-Calibration-Factors-for-HSM_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1302632 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01519005 AU - Sneed, Lesley AU - Anderson, Neil AU - Torgashov, Evgeniy AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Missouri Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety/NUTC program AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Nondestructive Evaluation of MoDOT Bridge Decks – Pilot Study PY - 2014/03//Final Report SP - 194p AB - This research has examined the use of nondestructive techniques for concrete bridge deck condition assessments. The primary nondestructive testing/evaluation (NDT/NDE) technique utilized in this research was ground-coupled ground penetrating radar (GPR). The objectives of this research were to examine the utility of the nondestructive techniques in evaluating the condition of Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) bridge decks to enable faster, better, and more cost-effective bridge deck assessments, and to determine the accuracy of the information provided. Eleven bridge decks were investigated using detailed visual inspections, GPR, portable seismic property analyzer (PSPA), core extraction, and chloride ion concentration measurements. The cores underwent a detailed visual evaluation and testing to determine the volume of permeable pore space. Data sets were compared to determine correlations between the results. Three of the bridge decks investigated underwent rehabilitation by hydrodemolition after the initial investigation, and concrete material removal was surveyed using lidar to evaluate the NDE estimations. Good correlation was observed qualitatively. Areas of the decks where the GPR interpretations indicated evidence of extensive deterioration generally corresponded to areas with greater concrete material removal depths after hydrodemolition, and areas where the GPR interpretations indicated no evidence of deterioration generally corresponded to areas with minimal concrete removal. Findings suggest that the correlation between the GPR interpretations and concrete removal depths can be improved quantitatively by adjusting the GPR threshold values used in the interpretation, although the major challenge will be to understand how to determine the threshold values without having the benefit of the control data. Finally, recommended parameters are provided for ground-coupled GPR data acquisition, processing, and interpretation. KW - Bridge decks KW - Concrete bridges KW - Data collection KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Missouri KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1308/cmr14-010.pdf UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1308/GPR_Data/ UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1308/Videos/ UR - http://transportation.mst.edu/media/research/transportation/documents/R311%20Final%20Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1301935 ER - TY - SER AN - 01518994 JO - TRAFFIC TECH PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Two Community Distracted Driving Programs Reduce Hand-Held Phone Use PY - 2014/03 SP - 2p AB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA’s) high-visibility enforcement (HVE) model is a proven technique to change driver behavior and change it quickly, thereby enhancing the effect of traffic laws. NHTSA tested whether the high-visibility enforcement model could be applied successfully to distracted driving. Unlike seat belts that are worn for an entire trip, a driver may make one or more short phone calls during a trip, increasing the difficulty of observation. Two communities in Connecticut and New York tested the HVE model over one year in four enforcement waves. Both States have strong laws banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. Because of the intermittent nature of cell phone and texting use while driving, the extent to which law enforcement officers could devise strategies to vigorously enforce the laws and increase motorists’ perception of the risk of receiving a citation was unknown. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Connecticut KW - Distraction KW - New York (State) KW - Safety programs KW - Text messaging KW - Traffic law enforcement UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811867_Two_Comm_Distracted_Driving_Prog_Reduce_Handheld_Phone_Use_TT.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1302408 ER - TY - SER AN - 01518991 JO - TRAFFIC TECH PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Examining New Mexico’s Comprehensive Impaired Driving Program PY - 2014/03 SP - 2p AB - For many years, New Mexico had one of the highest rates of alcohol-related driving fatalities in the United States. In 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) entered into a cooperative agreement with the New Mexico Department of Transportation. The objective was to demonstrate a process for developing and implementing an enhanced comprehensive impaired driving program, to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities caused by impaired driving. NHTSA contracted with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) to examine New Mexico’s efforts. The number of alcohol-involved fatalities and fatalities at higher blood alcohol contents (BACs) of .08+ decreased after New Mexico began its comprehensive program in 2005. Other States also saw decreases in alcohol-involved fatalities during these years. Thus, factors outside of New Mexico’s efforts (e.g., fewer miles driven) might have contributed to the reduction in fatalities. However, in 2004, New Mexico had the seventh highest alcohol-involved crash fatality rate in the country. By 2009, New Mexico’s alcohol-involved crash fatality rate had dropped to 19th. Overall, New Mexico’s multi-faceted efforts appeared to have benefited the State. KW - Drunk driving KW - Fatalities KW - New Mexico KW - Safety programs KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic law enforcement UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811987_Examining_NM_Comprehensive_Impaired_Driving_Program_TT.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1302409 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01141703 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS): Operational Guidelines PY - 2014/03 SP - 44p AB - Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) is a law enforcement operational model supported by a partnership between the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and two agencies of the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Justice. DDACTS integrates location-based crime and traffic crash data to establish effective and efficient methods for deploying law enforcement and other resources. Using geo-mapping to identify areas, through temporal and spatial analysis, that have high incidences of crime and crashes, DDACTS employs targeted traffic enforcement strategies. By saturation locations with high crime and high-crash incidences with stepped-up traffic enforcement, DDACTS communities play a simultaneous dual role: fighting crime and reducing traffic crashes and traffic violations. Drawing on the deterrent value of highly visible traffic enforcement and the knowledge that crimes often involve the use of motor vehicles, the goal of DDACTS is to reduce the incidence of crime, crashes, and traffic violations in communities across the country. This guide presents procedures and recommended practices for communities to build an implementation plan that integrates implementing DDACTS through the use of seven guiding principles that characterize comprehensive community law enforcement programs. The principles are (1) partners and stakeholder participation; (2) data collection; (3) data analysis; (4) strategic operations; (5) information sharing and outreach; (6) monitoring, evaluation, and adjustments; and (7) outcomes. Beginning with an overview of the DDACTS initiative, the guide highlights research demonstrating the crime control and traffic safety benefits derived from strategically directed highly visible traffic enforcement. The overview is followed by a general discussion of the use and availability of geo-mapping technology. The main section presents the guiding principles, implementation considerations, and reference materials. KW - Communities KW - Crimes KW - DDACTS (Operational model) KW - Geographic information systems KW - Guidelines KW - Law enforcement KW - Mapping KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Traffic safety KW - Traffic violations UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/ddacts/811185_DDACTS_OpGuidelines.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902387 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530968 AU - Volz, Jeffery S AU - Khayat, Kamal H AU - Arezoumandi, Mahdi AU - Drury, Jonathan AU - Sadati, Seyedhamed AU - Smith, Adam AU - Steele, Amanda AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Missouri Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) for Infrastructure Elements PY - 2014/02/28/Final Report SP - 43p AB - With a growing demand for new construction and the need to replace infrastructure stretched beyond its service life, society faces the problem of an ever-growing production of construction and demolition waste. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that two billion tons of new aggregate are produced each year in the United States. This demand is anticipated to increase to two and a half billion tons each year by 2020. With such a high demand for new aggregates, the concern arises of the depletion of current sources of natural aggregates and the availability of new sources. Similarly, construction waste produced in the United States is expected to increase. From building demolition alone, the annual production of construction waste is estimated to be 123 million tons (FHWA). Currently, this waste is most commonly disposed of in landfills. To address both the concern of increasing demand for new aggregates and increasing production of waste, many states have begun to recognize that a more sustainable solution exists in recycling waste concrete for use as aggregate in new concrete, or recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). This solution helps address the question of how to sustain modern construction demands for aggregates as well as helps to reduce the amount of waste that enters already over-burdened landfills. Many states have begun to implement recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) in some ways in new construction. For instance, forty-one states have recognized the many uses of RCA as a raw material, such as for rip-rap, soil stabilization, pipe bedding, and even landscape materials. Thirty-eight states have gone a step further in integrating RCA into roadway systems for use as aggregate course base material. However, only eleven states have begun using RCA in Portland cement concrete for pavement construction. Furthermore, at the start of this research project, there were no acceptable standards or guidelines in the U.S. for utilizing RCA in structural concrete.The objective of this research was to determine the implications of using RCA in the production of new concrete. Specifically, the study evaluated the fresh and hardened properties, durability, and structural behavior of concrete containing RCA and, based on these results, developed guidelines on its use in infrastructure elements for Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). KW - Concrete KW - Concrete aggregates KW - Durability KW - Fresh concrete KW - Guidelines KW - Missouri KW - Mix design KW - Recycled materials KW - Structural analysis UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1317/cmr14-014.pdf UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1317/cmr14-014A.pdf UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1317/cmr14-014B.pdf UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1317/cmr14-014C.pdf UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1317/cmr14-014D.pdf UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1317/cmr14-014E.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52100/52179/cmr14-014.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52100/52179/cmr14-014A.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52100/52179/cmr14-014B.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52100/52179/cmr14-014C.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52100/52179/cmr14-014D.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52100/52179/cmr14-014E.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1315400 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518837 AU - Linkous, Clovis A AU - Youngstown State University Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of an On-Board H₂ Storage and Recovery System Based on Lithium Borohydride PY - 2014/02/28/Final Report SP - 14p AB - Alkali metal borohydrides based on sodium and lithium, NaBH4 and LiBH4, have been evaluated as a potential hydrogen storage and recovery system for on-board vehicle use. The borohydride salts could be dissolved in water, followed by a hydrolytic reaction evolving hydrogen gas, H2. It was found that pH of the aqueous solution, temperature, concentration of the borohydride salt, and exposure to catalytic surfaces all played a role in the rate of H2 evolution. The solution pH alone could vary the gas evolution rate over several orders of magnitude. However, without addition of external reagents, the solution left to itself would quickly rise into the pH 10-11 range and level out, due to the buffering capacity of the boric acid product. Therefore, it was decided to exclude secondary reagents and let the pH stay near the buffered value, and use other variables to control gas evolution rate. Varying temperature from ambient to 80°C enabled a four-fold increase in reaction rate, enabling an effective means of control. Inserting plastic substrates bearing painted films of organic pigment catalysts such as pyranthrenedione into the borohydride solution could enhance gas evolution rates up to 40%. Better design of the mixing chamber could greatly improve this effect. In general, LiBH4 and NaBH4 evolved H2 at the same rate, but the lithium salt had a tendency to generate an initial surge upon contact with solution that could make it potentially problematic when mixing at high rates in tight spaces. As a proof of concept, a remote controlled, 1/10th scale monster truck was obtained and modified to run off of a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell supplied with H2 from a borohydride generator. KW - Electrochemical processes KW - Fuel cells KW - Hydrogen fuels KW - Hydrogen storage KW - Lithium compounds KW - pH value KW - Temperature UR - http://web.ysu.edu/gen/stem_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/Final_reportCTMELinkous.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1301146 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577971 TI - CM2 EM- Bridge Technology Demonstration Construction Project Technology Deployment AB - Execution of Option Years for Support Contract. KW - Bridges KW - Construction KW - Demonstration projects KW - Technology UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371321 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577144 TI - Scour Evaluation Studies: Scour in Cohesive Soils and Ex Situ Scour Testing Device - Phase II AB - The study extends the recently completed research on this subject. The completed study looked only at a tight range of soil properties and reviewers recommended to move forward with additional research to cover a larger range of cohesive soils. The results of this research will also benefit the new scour design concept based on “Hydraulic Loading and Soil Resistance” to determine the critical soil resistance for cohesive soil layers. KW - Cohesive soils KW - Hydraulics KW - Scour KW - Soil remediation KW - Soil tests KW - Soil types UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370406 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518875 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Addressing Underlying Causes for NextGen Delays Will Require Sustained FAA Leadership and Action PY - 2014/02/25 SP - 33p AB - Over the past 8 years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been working to develop the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)—a multibillion-dollar program intended to fundamentally change air traffic management and meet anticipated surges in air travel. As required by law, FAA developed the National Airspace System (NAS) Enterprise Architecture (EA)—a sweeping blueprint for making sound investments across FAA’s entire air traffic organization, including NextGen. The EA emphasizes investing in projects with reasonable costs and solid risk management strategies and includes specific milestones for acquisition, policy, and executive decisions needed to deliver NextGen capabilities. While FAA is making progress with elements of NextGen, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) continues to find longstanding problems with cost increases, schedule slips, and performance shortfalls with NextGen-related air traffic control projects. In 2010, FAA commissioned a study to determine how the Agency could better position itself to execute NextGen. In September 2011, FAA introduced its Foundation for Success initiative, which included reorganizing the Agency’s structure and establishing a new Program Management Office (PMO) responsible for NextGen implementation and other major air traffic control acquisitions. Despite these important steps, the Agency has made little progress in shifting from planning to implementation and delivering benefits to airspace users. Concerned about limited NextGen progress, the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Subcommittee on Aviation requested that OIG provide an update on FAA’s progress with key NextGen decisions and examine the root causes for longstanding challenges. Accordingly, OIG (1) determined FAA’s progress on key NAS EA decisions related to achieving NextGen capabilities, (2) identified underlying causes for FAA’s delays in advancing NextGen, and (3) assessed FAA’s recent reorganization to improve the management and execution of NextGen initiatives. KW - Air traffic control KW - Implementation KW - Next Generation Air Transportation System KW - Reorganization KW - U.S. Federal Aviation Administration UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/FAA%20Underlying%20Causes%20for%20NextGen%20Delays%5E2-25-14.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1301904 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518872 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - FRA Continues to Make Progress Implementing PRIIA Responsibilities but Faces Challenges with Rail Planning PY - 2014/02/25 SP - 35p AB - The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) gives the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) important new responsibilities—including integrated rail planning for the entire country, and major grant programs to fund high-speed rail projects. These responsibilities have greatly expanded the Agency’s role in the development of the Nation’s rail system. PRIIA also requires the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to conduct two assessments of FRA’s and Amtrak’s progress in implementing the Act’s provisions. This report presents the results of the second of the two assessments. Based on discussions with congressional staff, OIG has focused audits on FRA’s implementation while Amtrak’s Inspector General has assumed responsibility for the assessment of Amtrak’s implementation efforts. In the initial work, OIG identified 29 PRIIA responsibilities that FRA must complete. In this second assessment, OIG reviewed FRA’s progress since the first report was issued in March 2012. Specifically, OIG (1) evaluated FRA’s progress in implementing its PRIIA responsibilities, and (2) identified major challenges to FRA’s completion of the implementation. KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - High speed rail KW - Implementation KW - Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 KW - Passenger transportation KW - Railroad transportation KW - Transportation planning KW - U.S. Federal Railroad Administration UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/FRA%20Progress%20Implementating%20PRIIA%5E2-25-14.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1300600 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577973 TI - IC1 EM-Support to Increase Institutional Capacity and Develop Reporting on Infrastructure Performance (3.1.1.22) AB - No summary provided. KW - Bridges KW - Highway capacity KW - Infrastructure KW - Performance measurement KW - Reports UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371328 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518801 AU - Lin, Teng AU - Wang, John AU - Zuo, Lei AU - State University of New York, Stony Brook AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Energy Harvesting from Rail Track for Transportation Safety and Monitoring PY - 2014/02/20/Final Report SP - 17p AB - An efficient electromagnetic energy harvester featured with mechanical motion rectifier (MMR) was designed to recover energy from the vibration-like railroad track deflections induced by passing trains. Compared to typical existing vibration energy harvester technologies can only harvest sub-watts or milliwatts power applications, the proposed harvester is designed to power major track-side accessories and possibly make railroad independent from national grid. Trackside electrical infrastructures for safety and monitoring typically require a power supply of 10-100 Watts, such as warning signals, switches, and health monitoring systems. To achieve such a goal the authors implement the MMR, a patented motion conversion mechanism which transforms pulse-like bidirectional linear vibration into unidirectional rotational motion at a high efficiency. The single-shaft MMR design further improved the previously developed motion mechanism, increased energy harvester efficiency and expanded power harvesting potential. Major advantages of implementing MMR include bidirectional to unidirectional motion conversion and flywheel speed regulation. The proposed new design improved reliability, efficiency, and provided steadier power output. Bench test of the harvester prototype illustrate the advantages of the MMR based harvester, including up to 71% mechanical efficiency and 50W power output. KW - Deflection KW - Electric power generation KW - Electromagnetic devices KW - Energy conversion KW - Prototypes KW - Railroad tracks KW - Vibration UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Final-Energy-Harvesting-Railtrack.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1301231 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577970 TI - CM1-EM Identify, Develop and Deploy Innovative Technologies AB - No summary provided. KW - Design KW - Development KW - Identifiers KW - Structures KW - Technological innovations UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371320 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576060 TI - DMask: A Reliable Identity Masking System for Driver Safety Video Data AB - The research consists of developing a four-layered processing framework to detect and track facial features (if possible); to detect the head in the remaining frames; to replace the head with an avatar in all frames; and to evaluate the confidence of the identity masking. A graphical user interface will be developed that a person can use to verify success. The implementation of the four-layered processing consists of nine tasks: (1) collect samples of videos from the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) 24-car (SHRP2-24) study dataset and retrain the face detector; (2) track and extract facial features from the SHRP2-24 data by looking at relative movements of tracked facial points; (3) track and extract face and head pose from the SHRP2-24 data using the random sample consensus (RANSAC) method and a three-dimensional (3D) face model; (4) develop and apply the capability to track eye gaze without an infrared (IR) camera and with low-resolution video, which will be developed and applied to the SHRP2-24 dataset using an adaptive appearance-based eye gaze estimation method; (5) develop a method to interpolate head position in frames that the tracker missed using dense-trajectory-based interpolation methods and apply it to the SHRP2-24 data; (6) develop the capability to synthesize facial motion on a computer-generated avatar; (7) develop the capability to render avatars over the videos at the appropriate head location for identity masking; (8) develop a method to detect (not mask) nonfacial elements that obscure the face using fine-grained alpha-mask extraction; and (9) develop a graphical user interface (GUI) tool to obtain confidence of masking over the entire video, which will also allow a user to quickly view the lowest confidence frames in the masked video. KW - Data collection KW - Drivers KW - Face KW - Graphical user interfaces KW - Identification systems KW - Random sampling KW - Strategic Highway Research Program 2 KW - Video UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/projectsdb/projectdetails.cfm?projectid=FHWA-PROJ-14-0054 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370015 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529056 AU - Kheiry, Pezhouhan Tavassoti AU - Solaimanian, Mansour AU - Qiu, Tong AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center TI - Nondestructive Evaluation of Warm Mix Asphalt through Resonant Column Testing PY - 2014/02/14/Final Report SP - 46p AB - Non-destructive testing has been used for decades to characterize engineering properties of hot-mix asphalt. Among such tests is the resonant column (RC) test, which is commonly used to characterize soil materials. The resonant column device at Penn State was used to determine the modulus and damping of warm-mix asphalt prepared with three different warm-mix technologies: water foaming, a waxy additive, and a chemical additive. Specimens were prepared in a Superpave gyratory compactor and then sawed and drilled to deliver the geometry needed for the RC tests. Hot-mix asphalt specimens were also tested to provide reference data. Testing was completed at 25 ºC. The RC device specimen assembly had to be retrofitted to make it suitable for testing asphalt concrete, which has a higher stiffness than soils at ambient temperatures. The results indicated that the RC test can be successfully used to determine the shear modulus of the asphalt concrete. Different torque levels, therefore inducing different strain levels, could be applied in the RC test to determine the range of linear elastic behavior of the material. This is an important step to ensure the validity of assumptions used for the purpose of modulus calculations. At 25 ºC, it was found that the lowest shear modulus was found for the mix prepared through the water foaming process, and the highest modulus was found for the mix with the waxy additive (Sasobit). The modulus of the mix with the chemical additive and the modulus of the hot-mix asphalt were found to be in between. Use of the RC test to determine the damping properties of asphalt concrete proved to be more challenging and strain dependent, even when maintaining the strain within the linear elastic range. KW - Asphalt concrete KW - Columns KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Properties of materials KW - Resonant column testing KW - Shear modulus KW - Warm mix paving mixtures UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/PSU-2012-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1313589 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518972 AU - Henault, John W AU - Connecticut Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Self-Consolidating Concrete: A Synthesis of Research Findings and Best Practices PY - 2014/02/14/Final Report SP - 30p AB - The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) currently permits the use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) technology on a limited basis for precast drainage structures, barriers and retaining walls. These include but are not limited to catch basins, manholes, culverts, retaining walls, and barrier curbs. At this time, ConnDOT does not permit the use of SCC for prestressed concrete applications, such as for bulb-tee girders, box beams and deck slabs; and does not permit its use for cast-in-place applications. This study was conducted in order to help facilitate the specification of SCC technology by the ConnDOT. This included visiting precast plants that produce concrete products for ConnDOT and observing their practices, conducting a literature review on SCC, and summarizing a Research Advisory Committee survey conducted by the Missouri Department of Transportation appropriate to ConnDOT specifications. Based upon the findings of the study, it is recommended herein that ConnDOT’s SCC specification continue to be limited to precast concrete applications not involving any prestressed elements. Once ConnDOT implements a more rigorous SCC specification and acceptance process involving the use of more workability tests, ConnDOT should consider pilot projects for precast/prestressed bridge elements and cast-in-place concrete construction. KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - Connecticut KW - Literature reviews KW - Precast concrete KW - Recommendations KW - Self compacting concrete KW - Specifications UR - http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents/dresearch/CT-2255-F-12-4_SCC_-_A_Synthesis_of_Research_Findings_and_Best_Practices.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1301906 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529387 AU - Schneider, Allison J AU - Rosenbaugh, Scott K AU - Faller, Ronald K AU - Sicking, Dean L AU - Lechtenberg, Karla A AU - Reid, John D AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Safety Performance Evaluation of Weak-Post, W-Beam Guardrail Attached to Culvert PY - 2014/02/12/Final Report SP - 180p AB - A new W-beam guardrail system for use on low-fill culverts was developed and evaluated. The system was adapted from the Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) bridge railing for attachment to the outside face of culvert headwalls. Four attachment concepts were developed and evaluated through dynamic component testing. Both lateral and longitudinal impacts were conducted on the design concepts while mounted to a simulated concrete culvert headwall. The resulting damage from each test was confined to post bending only. Although all four designs prevented damage to the socket assembly and culvert headwall, the top-mounted, single-anchor design and the side-mounted design were recommended for use based on ease of fabrication and installation. The new weak-post, W-beam guardrail system for attachment to low-fill culverts was designed with multiple advantages over current culvert treatments. The guardrail system is mounted to the outside face of the headwall, thereby minimizing intrusion over the culvert and maximizing the traversable roadway width. The barrier has an unrestricted system length and does not require a transition when attached to standard MGS. Additionally, the attachment configurations were designed utilizing epoxy anchors, enabling the system to be installed on new or existing culverts. Finally, implementation guidance was provided for new system installations. KW - Culverts KW - Design KW - Guardrails KW - Highway safety KW - Impact tests KW - Implementation KW - Midwest Guardrail System KW - Structural connection UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51700/51736/FinalReportSuppl32.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1311882 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522228 AU - Peev, Hristo AU - Guter, Michael AU - Fleckenstein, John AU - Belz, Scott AU - Abbate, Stephen AU - URS Corporation AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Re-Examination of the 1994 and Subsequent Sewer and Culvert Installations of Various Pipe Types, Sizes and Depths PY - 2014/02/12/Final Report SP - 157p AB - In 1994 the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) initiated a sewer and culvert condition research conducted at various locations throughout Southeast and Southwest Michigan to review the performance of concrete, plastic and metal pipe that varied in diameter from 12 in. to 24 in. The present research, conducted in 2011, re-evaluated the current condition of pipe included in the 1994 study and expanded the study scope by adding new sewer pipe locations and 36 in. diameter pipe. The inspection in 2011 added laser profiling and micrometer measuring to the traditional Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and mandrel inspection methods used in 1994. The inspection and video results from 1994 were compared to the inspection and video results from 2011. The research evaluated the test pipe performance and made recommendations about pipe installation methods, use of mandrel testing versus laser profiling and application of laser micrometer measurement of pipe anomalies. The research evaluated several laser profiling and CCTV devices and their operation in sewers and culverts. Recommendations were made for updating the current MDOT laser profiling specification and implementing laser profiling in MDOT’s practice. KW - Closed circuit television KW - Condition surveys KW - Culverts KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Installation KW - Lasers KW - Michigan KW - Micrometers KW - Pipe KW - Recommendations KW - Sewers UR - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/RC-1569_451946_7.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303875 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516305 AU - Wang, Ruigang AU - Youngstown State University Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hydrothermal Synthesis and Shape-Reactivity Correlation Study of Automotive Three-Way Nanocatalysts PY - 2014/02/12/Final Report SP - 11p AB - This project shows that the hydrothermal method can be used to tune the shape/size of Cerium Oxide (CeO2) nanocrystals. CeO2 nanorods and nanocubes have been successfully prepared at low and high hydrothermal reaction temperature, respectively. The chemisorption analysis and carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation test evidenced that a high oxygen vacancy concentration in CeO2 nanorods leads to a lower temperature reducibility and superior catalytic activity, compared to CeO2 nanocubes. Out of this project, three refereed and two proceeding papers were published, along with several oral presentations made by the principal investigator (PI) and students. KW - Catalysts KW - Cerium oxides KW - Hydrothermal processing KW - Materials at high or low temperatures KW - Nanostructured materials KW - Shape KW - Size KW - Synthesis (Chemistry) UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1298741 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01580929 AU - Guo, Feng AU - Fang, Youjia AU - Antin, Jon AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Older Driver Fitness-to-Drive Metrics and Driving Risk Using Naturalistic Driving Study Data PY - 2014/02/11/Final Report SP - 48p AB - In this study, the authors evaluated the relationship between older drivers’ fitness assessment profiles and their driving risk, represented primarily by crash and near-crash (CNC) rate, and secondarily by high g-force (HGF) event rate, all recorded during a naturalistic study of senior drivers. Due to the relatively small sample size in this pilot investigation (20 primary drivers), principal component analysis was used for dimension reduction and classification of the 60 total fitness profile metrics. Negative binomial regression models were employed to model the CNC and HGF events. The results indicated that contrast sensitivity measures were significantly associated with CNC rate. The greater the sensitivity, the lower the CNC rate, as would be the expected nature of that association. In the HGF event analysis, the authors found that CNC rate was positively related to HGF rate. The fitness metric contrast sensitivity was also related to HGF event rate. In addition, two metrics related to metacognition, a measurement of one’s perception of one’s own cognitive status, were associated with HGF event rate. Higher HGF rates were associated with greater self-rating of cognitive status as well as greater disparities between that same self-rating and an objective metric of cognitive status. The results of this study provide crucial information on the metrics and protocols which could be applied by motor vehicle departments, physicians, occupational therapists, Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialists, and others for whom determining seniors’ fitness to drive is an important component of their work. Further, these results can be further investigated and validated using the much larger database of senior driver data collected in the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Naturalistic Driving Study KW - Aged drivers KW - Automatic data collection systems KW - Cognition KW - Crash rates KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Fitness to drive KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Regression analysis KW - Risk assessment UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10919/54824 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1373462 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577981 TI - APM1 EM- Establish and Administer Performance (3.1.1.14) AB - The objective of this research project is to collect and process pavement condition. KW - Condition surveys KW - Data collection KW - Pavement Condition Index KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement maintenance UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371346 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516455 AU - Wang, Ruigang AU - Youngstown State University Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Study of Low-Temperature Active Rare-Earth Oxide Catalysts for Automotive Exhaust Clean-up PY - 2014/02/11 SP - 12p AB - The authors report a facile one–pot synthesis of CexZr1-xO2 (010,000 ppm) for heaving based on the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) guidelines, and 36% tested above the moderate risk level (>5000 ppm). Gypsum and/or anhydrite were detected in 64% of the samples. The CSS samples contained white precipitates that were largely calcite, but with measurable amounts of ettringite as well. The NSS did not contain ettringite but had sulfate levels of moderate to high risk (4880 to 6107 ppm). Swelling of up to 8% was observed in the swell test samples; however, the amount of swelling did not correlated with the amount of sulfate present in the soil. Ettringite crystals were found in all of the swell test specimens after the experiment. In some cases the crystals were flat and coated the soil particles while others were long needle-like crystals that radiate out from bundles. This difference in crystal shape is thought to relate to the difference between primary and secondary ettringite growth in the samples. KW - Blowup (Pavements) KW - Ettringite KW - Soil stabilization KW - Soil tests KW - Soils KW - Sulfates KW - Swelling soils UR - http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Planning/SPR/Research/reportsandplans/Reports/2014/Construction/134694_FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1345497 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01555804 AU - Gong, Jie AU - Krishnamoorthy, Raghav AU - Roda, Andrés M AU - Rutgers University, Piscataway AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Real-Time Vibrator Tracking System for Intelligent Concrete Consolidation PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 45p AB - Proper consolidation of concrete is critical to the long-term strength of concrete bridge structures. Vibration is a commonly used method to make concrete flowable and to remove the excessive entrapped air, therefore contributing to proper concrete consolidation. To introduce vibrations to freshly placed concrete, various tools such as internal vibrators are widely used in the construction industry. Producing a dense concrete without segregation with these tools requires an experienced vibrator operator. Inexperienced vibrator operators tend to over-consolidate or under-consolidate concrete. Many of these quality problems have their roots in the lack of quality control methods that can provide real-time feedback on the quality of concrete consolidation to vibrator operators. The proposed research developed a real-time wireless sensing-based internal vibrator tip tracking system to support intelligent concrete consolidation operations. The research team explored the use of an Ultra Wideband (UWB) tracking system to realize precise localization of the tip of an internal vibrator. A series of indoor and outdoor experiments are conducted to validate and model the tracking accuracy. A visualization program was developed to visualize operators’ vibration effort in real-time. More specifically, the program is capable of displaying vibration location and time in real-time. A vibrator operator can leverage such information to visualize the distribution of his vibration effort, and spot areas that may need mitigation actions. The new concrete consolidation tool will allow contractors to proactively address concrete consolidation issues, a problem common to many concrete construction projects. KW - Bridge construction KW - Concrete KW - Consolidation KW - Quality control KW - Real time information KW - Vibration KW - Visualization KW - Wireless sensors UR - https://cait.rutgers.edu/files/CAIT-UTC-027-final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342957 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554200 AU - Tayabji, Shiraz AU - Rao, Shree AU - Applied Research Associates, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Precast Concrete Pavement Technology: Marketing Plan for Implementation of Products from SHRP2 Project R05 PY - 2014/01 SP - 62p AB - This project is a national effort to support the implementation of products developed under the recently completed Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) Project R05 on Precast Concrete Pavement (PCP) Technology. Managed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) through partnership with the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the goals of this project are to accelerate the implementation of PCP technology for rapid repair and rehabilitation of the nation’s highway system, thereby reducing construction related congestion, improving safety, lowering life cycle costs, improving performance of repair and rehabilitation treatments, and fostering innovation. The PCP technology products were identified and detailed in the final report for SHRP2 Project R05, published during early 2013. The Project R05 products for jointed and prestressed (post-tensioned) PCP systems include best practices guidelines for: PCP design, PCP fabrication, PCP installation, PCP project selection, and PCP system acceptance. These guidelines (products) and other recently developed related products are implementation-ready. This marketing plan provides an overall framework for carrying out activities that will support delivery and implementation of these promising PCP technology products. A technical report summarizing the discussions from a FHWA PCP Expert Task Group (ETG) meeting held in Washington, DC, March 5-6, 2014 is attached as Appendix B. The marketing plan implementation activities will incorporate the discussions from the ETG meeting. KW - Implementation KW - Marketing KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Precast concrete pavements KW - Strategic Highway Research Program 2 UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/concrete/pubs/hif14005.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342628 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554154 AU - Seraj, Saamiya AU - Cano, Rachel AU - Liu, Shukui AU - Whitney, David AU - Fowler, David AU - Ferron, Raissa AU - Zhu, Jinying AU - Juenger, Maria AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluating the Performance of Alternative Supplementary Cementing Material in Concrete PY - 2014/01//Technical Report SP - 143p AB - Uncertainty in the supply of Class F fly ash due to impending environmental restrictions has made it imperative to find and test alternate sources of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) that can provide similar strength and durability benefits to concrete as Class F fly ash. This project summarizes the key findings of research that was conducted to characterize and evaluate the performance of eight natural pozzolans, commercially available in Texas, to assess their potential as Class F fly ash replacements in concrete. Of the eight pozzolans tested, six were found to be viable alternatives for Class F fly ash. Methods to further enhance the performance of these SCMs were explored and guidelines are provided on the optimum SCM replacement levels for different applications. Finally, recommendations are presented on how to improve current testing practices for SCMs. KW - Admixtures KW - Cement KW - Durability KW - Evaluation KW - Fly ash KW - Mix design KW - Pozzolan KW - Recommendations KW - Test procedures KW - Texas UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-6717-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342743 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01545603 AU - Lovejoy, Kristin AU - Handy, Susan AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - University of California, Davis AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Impacts of Big Box Retail on Downtown: A Case Study of Target in Davis, California PY - 2014/01 SP - 34p AB - Controversy over big box retail often arises at the local level, where a proposed store is viewed as a threat to local businesses. Due to a broader transformation of the retail landscape, however, the effect of an individual big box store on the economic well-being of a given community is unclear. To help shed light on this issue, the authors present a case study of the experience of Davis, California, in amending its zoning code to allow its first big box store, a Target, on the periphery of town, about 2 miles from its vibrant downtown area. The authors use a before-and-after survey to examine the locations and types of stores where residents shopped for selected non-grocery items before the store opened and after, evaluating which businesses were most affected. The results show limited impact of the new big box store on the downtown core in this case, but substantial impact on other chain stores within and especially beyond city limits. KW - Before and after studies KW - Central business districts KW - Davis (California) KW - Economic impacts KW - Retail trade KW - Shopping trips UR - http://uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2014-02.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm5rj5znq/1/producer%2F890155606.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1323141 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01544674 AU - Anderson, John E AU - Thompson, Eric AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Alternative Funding Mechanisms for State Transportation Systems in Predominantly Rural States PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 69p AB - The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies has identified a number of research needs related to alternative transportation finance systems. Alternatives are needed because motor fuels taxes are proving to be insufficient to fund operation and maintenance costs of the transportation system. The long-term trend is likely to be continuing use of motor fuel taxes, supplemented by, or transitioning to, use-based fees. Current research in progress in this area is focused on designing variable fees that will internalize congestion externalities in urban areas. These approaches are particularly well suited to highly urbanized areas, but other approaches may be required for predominantly rural states. One possible approach is to implement an optimal two-part tariff, which incorporates a flat fee with a variable charge. Such a two-part tariff is an efficient solution in markets with increasing returns to scale and falling long-run average cost curves. Efficiency requires pricing at the marginal cost of travel, and given low marginal costs in rural areas (with limited congestion), a flat fee is needed in combination with the variable charge, in order to make the financing mechanism sustainable. The current transportation funding system already includes flat fees (licensing and registration fees) and variable fees (gasoline and diesel taxes). The researchers' approach is to consider alternative configurations of these two existing mechanisms, which in combination may be capable of mimicking an optimal two-part tariff. The research will be carried out utilizing data from the state of Nebraska on licensing and registration fees and taxes by type of vehicle, motor fuels tax revenues by source, and data on average annual daily travel (AADT), as well as engineering estimates of road maintenance costs associated with automobile and truck travel. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Fees KW - Financing KW - Nebraska KW - Rural areas KW - Taxes KW - Transportation planning KW - User charges UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Anderson_AlternativeFundingMechanismsforStateTransportationSystemsinPredominantlyRuralStates.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331084 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01544596 AU - Bjella, Kevin L AU - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Dalton Highway 9 to 11 Mile Expedient Resistivity Permafrost Investigation PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 43p AB - This project performed capacitive coupled resistivity surveys over a roadway reconstruction project in Interior Alaska, for the determination of permafrost extent. The objective was to ascertain the ability of an expedient earth resistivity survey system to effectively obtain permafrost information to be utilized for design. This section of roadway traverses ice-rich discontinuous permafrost terrain, and to prevent costly long term thaw-settlement, thermal mitigation was included in the form of subsurface extruded polystyrene rigid board insulation. To insure optimal installation of the thermal protection, an effective method was needed to determine the location and depth of frozen soil. Two transects were surveyed along the existing roadway surface for nearly the full length of the project. In addition, continuous soil samples were drilled at select portions of the project for ground-truth of the survey results. Lastly, sub-grade soils samples were collected during excavation of the ice-rich cuts areas for further correlation with survey results. KW - Alaska KW - Frozen soils KW - Permafrost KW - Resistivity method UR - http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwddes/research/assets/pdf/fhwa_ak_rd_13_08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1329345 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01542849 AU - Ervin, Elizabeth K AU - Aranchuk, Vyacheslav AU - Mullen, Christopher AU - Chambers, James AU - University of Mississippi, University AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Three Integrated Projects to Enhance Non-Contact Rail Inspection Technology for Application to Substructure Health Evaluation on Both Rail and Road Bridges PY - 2014/01 SP - 102p AB - Causing loss of use and sometimes life, bridge collapses are always high profile and hit many wallets. The economic benefits of condition-based maintenance are well established, including reduced visual inspection and potentially longer structural life. More accurate estimation of remaining life could potentially prevent collapse but, at a minimum, will aid decision-making on a bridge’s upkeep. This project has extended rail technology towards the generation of an inspection methodology for bridge substructure. Non-destructive optical inspection techniques have been used for assessment of rail structural integrity, but lasers have not been employed for assessment of supporting components underneath the rail. Employing a laser Doppler vibrometer, tiny surface vibrations can be measured that reach into substructural components, including rail ties, bridge deck, piers, footings, and soil. Contact non-destructive testing methods have been used for assessment of structural integrity but only in selected locations, which limits their practicality for inspection of large infrastructure. Due to the size of rail and road bridges, large spacing between test locations can result in poor motion capture and thus missed defects. The non-contact vibrometer overcomes this obstacle, quickly providing measurements at a single location or even while moving. Results are presented for three experimental efforts: a railroad, a scaled reinforced concrete bridge, and an operational on-campus bridge. Traditional cabled accelerometer sensing was used as a basis to determine the feasibility of a vibrometer as an infrastructure inspection tool. The series of experiments reveal that the LDV velocity signals are sensitive enough to use for damage detection in bridges. Once attached to a sturdy base, the moving vibrometer also provided good resonance information despite some slight interference. Limitations include measurement distance and geometrical resolution. In-service traffic excitation is sufficient to provide modal information, and the best case would be multiple large vehicles traversing the bridge at various speeds. Considering noise and sensitivity issues, a structural health evaluation program was developed to efficiently extract modal information and apply multiple health indicators. Modal comparisons between finite element models and processed experimental data show similarities as well as assist in the challenge of coordinating baseline to damaged modes. The program quantitatively contrasts modes to visualize damage level and location, allowing judgments on damage severity and further inspection needs. This achieves the technical aim of identifying global dynamic property changes resulting from local component damage. Civil structures are ideal damage detection applications because they experience incremental changes while aging. On the other hand, the associated signal processing can be extremely challenging due to such low frequency resonances. Field measurements did demonstrate the ability of optical vibrometry to remotely monitor bridge motions, advancing inspection of transportation infrastructure. More research is needed to determine ideal indicators and their “safe” thresholds for various classifications of structures. Enhancing public safety and economic competitiveness, real-time health evaluation and condition-based maintenance are the ultimate aspirations, and a potential product could be a mobile inspection vehicle that would ride along any bridge. The precursory sensitivity studies herein demonstrate that the concept would work: at least one vibrometer on a moving vehicle would be able to provide dynamic bridge data which could then be quickly post-processed to visualize damage level and location. This would indicate that localized inspection and repair action is required before a bridge collapse, for instance. KW - Bridge substructures KW - Highway bridges KW - Inspection KW - Railroad bridges KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Vibrometers UR - http://www.ncitec.msstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012-24FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1328536 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01542848 AU - D’Souza, Kelwyn A AU - Maheshwari, Sharad K AU - Hampton University AU - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Interdisciplinary Transportation Education and Workforce Development Modules (ITEWDM) PY - 2014/01 SP - 47p AB - The transportation industry will face a shortage of skilled workforce to manage future advanced transportation systems as the current workforce begins to retire. Education and training of future transportation professionals is critical in view of the projected shortage of skills to meet increasing needs to design, implement, and maintain the nation’s sophisticated transportation systems. As this issue comes to the forefront there is heightened awareness that there is a dearth of minority professionals in transportation technical and techno-managerial positions. To meet this challenge, Hampton University developed a series of interdisciplinary education and workforce development modules by integrating existing transportation curriculum from across campus along with experiential learning, research projects, guest lectures, fellowships, and introducing a few new courses. Consolidating the University’s “islands of transportation education and workforce development” into transportation education and workforce development modules offers students the opportunity to enhance their techno-managerial skills. The overall objective of the Interdisciplinary Transportation Education and Workforce Development Modules (ITEWDM) is to strengthen the intermodal transportation skills of faculty and students to meet the growing need for qualified transportation professionals. The ITEWDM framework is designed to build up these skills through independent modules that can be assembled together to suit the career interest of the students. The modules have been grouped into two sections: Education and Workforce Development. The Education modules contain programs and courses that earn academic credit towards a major/minor degree in Aviation Management or Concentration in Transportation Management. The existing transportation curricula offered by different departments across the campus were re-designed to offer students flexibility in pursuing an interdisciplinary academic program with emphasis on workforce development. Individual courses may also be taken as electives by all majors in the University who are seeking preliminary knowledge of transportation management. Contacts were established with the National Highway Institute to enhance the ITEWDM’s quality of transportation curriculum and access state-of-the-art course material. The Workforce Development modules supplements classroom knowledge through guest lectures, internships, fellowships, and working on research projects. KW - Curricula KW - Education and training KW - Interdisciplinary studies KW - Managerial personnel KW - Professional personnel KW - Transportation careers KW - Transportation management KW - Transportation professionals KW - Workforce development UR - http://www.ncitec.msstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012-30FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1328538 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01542846 AU - Cao, Lei AU - Goggans, Paul AU - University of Mississippi, University AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Terminal Location Planning in Intermodal Transportation with Bayesian Inference Method PY - 2014/01 SP - 25p AB - In this project, the authors consider the planning of terminal locations for intermodal transportation systems. For a given number of potential terminals and coexisted multiple service pairs, the authors find the set of appropriate terminals and their locations that provide the economically most efficient intermodal operation. The first part of this project is to develop a two-layer Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)-based method to implement the terminal location planning. The lower-layer is an optimal routing algorithm for all service pairs that considers both efficiency and fairness for a given planning. The upper-layer is a planning algorithm based on MCMC with a stationary distribution mapped from the transportation cost function. This method has shown, as tested in various network scenarios, better performance than a recently developed method using a greedy randomized adaptive search procedure together with a heuristic search procedure (GRASP-HEP). In the second part of the project, the authors bring the probabilistic nature in transportation networks into consideration. Estimates of traffic needing to use the network, capacity of terminals and costs of using portions of the network vary time to time. Effects of these variations have not been previously studied in the literature. The authors characterize the uncertainty of the system parameters with probability density functions (PDFs) based on prior information, while map the cost function into a likelihood function. Then, the design problem can be converted into a Bayesian inference problem of finding parameter set solutions with high posteriori probability that is proportional to the product of the prior PDF and the likelihood. The authors have developed theoretic methods for uniform sampling multi-dimensional simplex volume and implemented the Nested Sampling method to rank solutions based on their evidence values. This project has broader impact. Since the probabilistic features are inherent in transportation, the design model based on Bayesian inference with MCMC has the potential to provide a unified framework not only for the location planning but also for many other optimization problems in intermodal transportation systems. In addition, to enhance higher education, a graduate student in the PhD level has been recruited and educated through this project to focus on the probabilistic modeling and analysis of various problems in the intermodal transportation. KW - Algorithms KW - Bayesian statistical inference KW - Intermodal terminals KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Location KW - Markov chains KW - Monte Carlo method KW - Planning KW - Probability density functions KW - Routing UR - http://www.ncitec.msstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012-26FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1328537 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01542845 AU - Irvin, Lemond AU - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Final Report for the National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness PY - 2014/01 SP - 23p AB - "Education Outreach for Intermodal Transportation – Moving minds at the speed of time" was instrumental in introducing high school students to logistics and intermodal transportation in Mississippi. The state lacked a presence in logistics and intermodal transportation for secondary students. The Mississippi Department of Education identified two school districts, Jackson Public Schools and Desoto County Schools, as pilot sites to begin instruction in this transportation pathway. A statewide curriculum was developed and implemented for secondary teachers to teach the concepts of logistics and intermodal transportation. Students were introduced to statewide transportation issues, different modes of transportation, federal and state requirements, and many other transportation- and logistics-related strategies. Teacher training and development, the design and production of resource materials, and curriculum development were primary objectives of the project. Participating teachers developed lesson plans infusing intermodal transportation experiences into the curricula. Opportunities for teachers to utilize industry resources as well as use materials developed through the grant were key for the pilot sites to be successful. Teachers are now better prepared to become ambassadors of intermodal transportation in the K-12 education environment and deliver the Mississippi Career and Technical Education Logistics curricula. Secondary teachers participated in a national logistics conference, acquired resources towards certification, interacted with other logistics professionals from Institutions of Higher Learning, and toured intermodal transportation business/industry sites for a better understanding of what intermodal transportation and logistics were all about. The Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) of Mississippi State University designed and produced marketing materials for classroom and recruitment use. These materials will be excellent resources for teachers to use in educating students and parents about intermodal transportation and the logistics field. All training, resources, and knowledge gained in the pilot can now be scaled up to any school in Mississippi to develop a sustainable pipeline of workers in this field. KW - Curricula KW - Education and training KW - High school students KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Logistics KW - Mississippi KW - Teachers KW - Transportation careers UR - http://www.ncitec.msstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012-11FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1328534 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01542840 AU - Carruth, Daniel AU - Strawderman, Lesley AU - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improving Safety of Vulnerable Road Users: Effectiveness of Environment and In-Vehicle Warning Systems at Intermodal Interchanges PY - 2014/01 SP - 47p AB - In 2009, there were over 114,000 fatalities and injuries in the U.S. among vulnerable road users (VRUs; pedestrians and pedal cyclists; NHTSA, 2010). 4,092 pedestrians were killed in pedestrian-vehicle crashes. Pedestrian risk at intermodal interchanges such as bus terminals may be due to factors such as the greatly increased number of pedestrians, the increased likelihood of poor pedestrian behavior, and the lack of separation between pedestrians and vehicles (Clifton & Kreamer-Fults, 2007; Zegeer & Bushell, 2012). The current study investigates the effectiveness of structural and in-vehicle interventions for modifying driver behavior as drivers approach, pass through, and depart from an urban bus terminal. The impact of facility structural elements (pedestrian crossing signs, marked crosswalks, and sidewalks) and an in-vehicle pedestrian warning system was evaluated using the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems driving simulator. 37 participants completed 186 drives in the driving simulator. Driver speed and lane position were evaluated. An in-vehicle alarm indicating “high pedestrian areas” led to reduced driver speed but drivers shifted closer to the shoulder (and pedestrians). Marked crosswalks had no observed effect on driver speed or vehicle controls but also led to drivers positioning themselves closer to the shoulder. Drivers exhibited risk compensation behaviors by driving faster and closer to shoulders when sidewalks were present. Pedestrian crossing signals led to reduced driver speed. KW - Bus terminals KW - Crosswalks KW - In-vehicle alerting systems KW - Pedestrian crossing signals KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Pedestrian signs KW - Pedestrian vehicle interface KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes KW - Road markings KW - Sidewalks UR - http://www.ncitec.msstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012-02FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1328531 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01541514 AU - Wang, Hao AU - Gangaram, Rashmi AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Life Cycle Assessment of Asphalt Pavement Maintenance PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 67p AB - This study aims at developing a life cycle assessment (LCA) model to quantify the impact of pavement preservation on energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The construction stage contains material, manufacture, transportation and placement phases. The Highway Development and Management (HDM-4) model and the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) were used to analyze fuel consumption and emissions treated by different preservation treatments. Surface characteristics such as roughness, texture and deflection were taken into account in tire rolling resistance. The thin overlay was found to have the highest energy consumption and emissions among four preservation treatments during construction stage, but at the same time resulted in the greatest reduction of energy and emission at usage stage. If only construction stage is considered, energy and emissions are ruled by use of amount of material and manufacture process. The reductions of GHG emission at usage stage are much greater than the GHG emission produced at construction stage for all preservation treatments. Excluding the usage stage will omit the fact that construction stage has less impact on pavement LCA than usage stage. The study results provide valuable insights in selecting sustainable pavement maintenance strategies from an environmental view point. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Energy consumption KW - Environmental impacts KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Highway Development and Management Tool (HDM-4) KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pollutants KW - Rolling resistance KW - Surface treating UR - https://cait.rutgers.edu/files/CAIT-UTC-013-final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1325172 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01538301 AU - Ullman, Gerald AU - Schroeder, Jeremy AU - Battelle Company AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Mitigating Work Zone Safety and Mobility Challenges through Intelligent Transportation Systems: Case Studies PY - 2014/01 SP - 66p AB - This report documents several case studies of how agencies used work zone intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to mitigate safety and mobility issues in work zones. The report illustrates how to apply a systems engineering-based decision-making process to designing, selecting, and implementing a system to address work zone needs. The report presents the steps followed by the agency/contractor in this decision-making framework for five specific projects. The work zone ITS deployments documented provide examples of selecting and deploying commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems; a tailored design and integration of ITS for a specific work zone purpose; and using and supplementing permanent ITS deployments for work zone management purposes. Tips are provided for how to effectively apply ITS to other work zones. KW - Case studies KW - Decision making KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop14007/fhwahop14007.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1321435 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01538262 AU - Ghandehari, Masoud AU - Falcocchio, John C AU - Nazari, Rouzbeh AU - Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Air Quality Impact of Traffic Congestion in Midtown Manhattan PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 12p AB - Exposure to fine particle pollution can cause premature death and harmful cardiovascular effects such as heart attacks and strokes, and is linked to a variety of other significant health problem. A pilot project was commissioned by the University Transportation Research Center (URTC) to develop a methodology for studying the air quality impact of traffic congestion. The concept is that both the performance criteria of traffic flow and related health issues need be considered in the design of traffic management systems. The above study uses New York City (NYC) Midtown Manhattan as the study site incorporating the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) traffic flow instruments as well as street level air quality monitors, measuring traffic volume and speed and fine particulate matter.   KW - Air quality KW - Environmental impacts KW - Health KW - Manhattan (New York, New York) KW - Methodology KW - Particulates KW - Pollutants KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic speed UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Final-Air-Quality-Impact-Midtown-Manhattan_1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1321353 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01538006 AU - Ramezani, Hani AU - Benekohal, Rahim F AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimized Active Traffic Management and Speed Harmonization in Work Zones PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 57p AB - Traffic and demand management are major strategies to control delay and congestion in highway bottlenecks including work zones. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) introduced innovative strategies, called Active Traffic and Demand Management (ATDM) to manage congestion. Speed harmonization, known as Variable Speed Limit (VSL), is one of the ATDM strategies. In the past studies on speed harmonization, the decision variables are advisory speeds displayed by changeable message signs (CMSs); however there is another feature which is the location of the CMSs that needs to be optimally designed. Thus the objective of this study is to develop and solve a mathematical program to find the optimal location of the CMSs and displayed advisory speeds. KW - Bottlenecks KW - Location KW - Optimization KW - Speed control KW - Variable message signs KW - Variable speed limits KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nextrans/assets/pdfs/OPTIMIZED%20ACTIVE%20TRAFFIC%20MANAGEMENT%20AND%20SPEED%20HARMONIZATION%20IN%20WORK%20ZONES%200103IY04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1322647 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01537968 AU - Medina, Juan C AU - Benekohal, Rahim F AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Agent-based Real-time Signal Coordination in Congested Networks PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 60p AB - This study is the continuation of a previous NEXTRANS study on agent-based reinforcement learning methods for signal coordination in congested networks. In the previous study, the formulation of a real-time agent-based traffic signal control in oversaturated networks was described and exemplified through a case study. The agent-based control was implemented using two different reinforcement learning algorithms: Q-learning and approximate dynamic programming. Also, the performance of the network was evaluated using the max-plus algorithm to provide explicit coordination between the agents. The RL algorithms and max-plus showed satisfactory performance and were able to efficiently process traffic, reducing the frequency of queue spillbacks and preventing gridlocks. This study extends the previous implementations and describes the use of explicit coordinating mechanisms with Q-learning, mainly through a modified max-plus version developed throughout this research project. A traffic network similar to that in the previous study is used to compare the results without explicit coordination, with the standard max-plus and the enhanced coordination. Results indicate that the enhanced coordination has the potential to further improve signal operation mainly by reducing the number of stops per vehicle, while maintaining an efficient vehicle processing rate. In addition, two more topics were explored and are presented in this report: the use of a function approximation to reduce memory requirements from large lookup tables and speed up convergence by means of generalization, and the effects of imperfect information received by the agents or faulty detectors. The case studies analyzed in this report are focused on oversaturation and thus, on managing traffic efficiently while preventing queue spillbacks and gridlocks. In this sense the applications described here do not only consider closely-spaced intersections in a grid-like network, but also high demands in all directions, resulting in scenarios where signal control is not straightforward. For this reason, it is expected that the findings in this report are also applicable to less challenging scenarios with similar configurations. KW - Case studies KW - Multi-agent systems KW - Oversaturation (Traffic flow) KW - Real time control KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic queuing KW - Traffic signal control systems UR - http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nextrans/assets/pdfs/Agent-based%20Real-time%20Signal%20Coordination%20in%20Congested%20Networks%20%20104%20.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1322644 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01534768 AU - Boisvert, Denis M AU - New Hampshire Department of Transportation AU - Vermont Agency of Transportation AU - New Hampshire Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of an Automatic Bridge Anti-Icing System PY - 2014/01//June 2005 to June 2008 SP - 14p AB - Some bridges and roadways are prone to moisture and icing conditions at times when there is no precipitation or when the rest of the highway system does not require treatment. These occurrences are difficult to predict. They delay the treatment of these surfaces and heighten driver exposure to unsafe conditions. This project involved the installation and evaluation of an automated anti-icing system intended to preemptively treat a bridge surface with deicing chemical and eliminate the icing potential at the site. The three-year observation period and subsequent unofficial monitoring of the system operation has demonstrated that the system is effective in protecting the deck from icing. The system is used in conjunction with normal surface treatments during precipitation events as a cost savings measure. Following six years of service, the deck equipment was salvaged to allow for installation of a hot mix asphalt overlay and then re-installed. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) intends to incorporate the system into the deck replacement project for this bridge, presently scheduled for 2018. KW - Anti-icing KW - Automatic control KW - Automation KW - Bridge decks KW - Highway bridges KW - Ice prevention KW - New Hampshire KW - Snow and ice control UR - http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/projectdevelopment/materials/research/projects/documents/FHWA-NH-RD-13733G.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1320435 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530945 AU - Daziano, Ricardo A AU - Motoaki, Yutaka AU - Cornell University AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Data Collection and Econometric Analysis of the Demand for Non-motorized Transportation PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 85p AB - In this project, a latent class model was derived with a class assignment mechanism based on the latent bicycle status of the respondent. Two segments were identified: more-skilled and experienced cyclists, versus less-skilled- and non-cyclists. The two segments have different sensitivities to the factors that may encourage or discourage riding a bike. For instance, slope inclination is considered almost 3 times as bad by less-skilled cyclists. Heavy traffic affects twice as much to less-skilled cyclists, who also consider rain to be 2.4 times more bothersome (and snow almost 4 times more bothersome) than more-skilled cyclists. On the other hand, bike lanes are 1.6 times more appreciated by less-skilled cyclists. Because in cycling route decisions there is no direct monetary cost involved, to analyze differences in the taste parameters the authors have proposed to use the ratio of the marginal rate of substitution with respect to travel time. In addition, the diminishing negative effect of a hilly topography (slope inclination) was measured as a function of the physical condition of the cyclist. In terms of policy recommendations, the results suggest that the provision of bike lanes may encourage an increase in the modal share of cycling, especially among those individuals using a bike infrequently, or mostly for recreational purposes. This project also examined the performance of several ridership prediction models, including the Negative Binomial regression and time-series models such as SARIMA and SARIMAX. Using cycling counts for Portland, the authors show that the SARIMAX model that includes weather conditions (temperature and precipitation) as explanatory variables performs best in out-of-sample prediction. Future research in State Space models is needed to overcome the problems of SARIMAX when predicting ridership in periods with really poor weather. In sum, both the discrete choice and time series analyses coincide in that poor weather conditions are indeed a main determinant for discouraging cycling as a transportation alternative. KW - Bicycle travel KW - Choice models KW - Cyclists KW - Data collection KW - Modal split KW - Mode choice KW - Nonmotorized transportation KW - Travel demand KW - Weather UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Final-Data-Collection-Econometric-Analysis.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1315783 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529328 AU - Galarza, Patrick AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation and Specification of High Build and Special Use Waterborne Pavement Markings PY - 2014/01//Final Report SP - 43p AB - High build waterborne traffic paints and highly retro-reflective elements were applied at various locations to evaluate their practicality for use by New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Maintenance forces. In addition, highly reflective elements were applied within grooved in areas to protect the elements and determine if grooving the markings extends service life. High build traffic paint from 2 manufactures was applied at various locations. Performance of high build paint was not noticeably different than standard traffic paint, ceramic elements performed well under dry and wet conditions, grooving operation was costly but showed potential for durability and protection of highly retro-reflective elements. KW - Evaluation KW - New York (State) KW - Pavement grooving KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road markings KW - Specifications KW - Traffic paint UR - https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C-06-23%20Final%20Report_%20Jan-2014.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1313775 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01527166 AU - Strocko, Ed AU - Sprung, Michael AU - Nguyen, Long AU - Rick, Christopher AU - Sedor, Joanne AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Freight Facts and Figures 2013 PY - 2014/01 SP - 100p AB - This report provides an overview of freight transportation, focusing on the volume and value of freight shipments, the extent of the freight network, industry employment and productivity patterns, and related safety, energy use, and environmental effects. Economic and social characteristics of the United States also are provided as background information. Metric data are available for several tables as well. KW - Demographics KW - Economic factors KW - Employment KW - Energy consumption KW - Environmental impacts KW - Freight transportation KW - Productivity KW - Safety KW - Shipments KW - Tables (Data) KW - Trade KW - United States UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/nat_freight_stats/docs/13factsfigures/pdfs/fff2013_highres.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310865 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526323 AU - Nishawala, Akul AU - Lowe, Kate AU - Nelson, Marla AU - University of New Orleans AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - State and Regional Tools for Coordinating Housing and Transportation PY - 2014/01 SP - 39p AB - Federal, state, and local governments spend billions on transportation infrastructure and affordable housing subsidies, but rarely with complete coordination. States and regional entities are pivotal in shaping transportation and housing systems. State agencies not only spend state-generated revenue but also frequently determine how federal resources are allocated. The largest federal subsidy for affordable, rental housing is the low-income housing tax credit program, but states largely determine the allocation of these credits. With increasing attention on the need to combine affordable housing with mobility options, this report examines which states have incorporated transit proximity into their allocation of low-income housing tax credits. In addition, the report also reviews to what extent low-income residential patterns are included in federally required, regional transportation planning. The authors find that most states address transportation in their allocation of low-income housing tax credits, with the most common transportation criterion being proximity to transit (e.g., whether a development was .25 or .5 miles from transit). Across metropolitan areas, the scan of regional plan documents revealed inconsistent consideration of the residential locations of low-income households. In both policy areas, the authors thus observe some attention to the relationship between housing location (for low-income households) and transportation systems. The steps toward integration are still new, without documented efficacy, and even with initial progress and attention across spheres, integration challenges may remain. KW - Low income groups KW - Low Income Housing Tax Credits KW - Policy KW - Public transit KW - Regional planning KW - Residential location KW - States UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/600451-00107-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308851 ER -