TY - RPRT AN - 01493322 AU - Ceylan, Halil AU - Gopalakrishnan, Kasthurirangan AU - Kim, Sunghwan AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Improving the Accuracy and Usability of Iowa Falling Weight Deflectometer Data PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 50p AB - This study aims to improve the accuracy and usability of Iowa Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) data by incorporating significant enhancements into the fully-automated software system for rapid processing of the FWD data. These enhancements include: (1) refined prediction of backcalculated pavement layer modulus through deflection basin matching/optimization, (2) temperature correction of backcalculated Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) layer modulus, (3) computation of 1993 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design guide related effective SN (SNeff) and effective k-value (keff ), (4) computation of Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) asphalt concrete (AC) overlay design related Structural Rating (SR) and kvalue (k), and (5) enhancement of user-friendliness of input and output from the software tool. A high-quality, easy-to-use backcalculation software package, referred to as, I-BACK: the Iowa Pavement Backcalculation Software, was developed to achieve the project goals and requirements. This report presents theoretical background behind the incorporated enhancements as well as guidance on the use of I-BACK developed in this study. The developed tool, I-BACK, provides more fine-tuned artificial neural networks (ANN) pavement backcalculation results by implementation of deflection basin matching optimizer for conventional flexible, full-depth, rigid, and composite pavements. Implementation of this tool within Iowa DOT will facilitate accurate pavement structural evaluation and rehabilitation designs for pavement/asset management purposes. This research has also set the framework for the development of a simplified FWD deflection based HMA overlay design procedure which is one of the recommended areas for future research. KW - Backcalculation KW - Bituminous overlays KW - Condition surveys KW - Data analysis KW - Falling weight deflectometers KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Iowa KW - Neural networks KW - Pavement layers KW - Software UR - http://publications.iowa.gov/14893/1/IA_DOT_InTrans_fall_weight_deflect_analysis_tool_2013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261364 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493164 AU - North Central Texas Council of Governments AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission AU - Metropolitan Transportation Commission AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - North Central Texas Council of Governments Peer Exchange on Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Programs: A TPCB Peer Exchange PY - 2013/05 SP - 26p AB - This report highlights key recommendations and best practices identified at the peer exchange on bicycle and pedestrian count programs, held on May 29 and May 30, 2013 in Arlington, Texas, through the FHWA/FTA Transportation Planning Capacity Building (TPCB) Program. The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) requested this peer exchange to learn about different approaches for setting up and operating bicycle and pedestrian count programs to inform transportation planning. NCTCOG serves as the MPO for the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and is responsible for the regional transportation planning process for all modes. The NCTCOG Transportation Department is responsible for preparing and maintaining the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (Mobility 2035-2013 Update) for the 12-county area of the metropolitan planning area (MPA). This plan includes the region's `Active Transportation' (bicycle and pedestrian) strategies for improving mobility region-wide. NCTCOG also coordinates the regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) which includes stakeholders and advocates from multiple agencies, cities, counties, special interest groups, and non-profit organizations. NCTCOG is seeking to implement a bicycle and pedestrian monitoring program in the region to support these efforts and to obtain reliable data to address bicycle and pedestrian performance measures, prioritize future projects, and quantify the benefits of investments. KW - Best practices KW - Bicycle travel KW - Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area KW - Data collection KW - North Central Texas Council of Governments KW - Pedestrian counts KW - Peer exchange KW - Regional planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48100/48113/Bicycle_Pedestrian_Count_Peer_Exchange-_Dallas_May_2013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261171 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01492324 AU - Mallen, John AU - Morandeira, Angel AU - Jahren, Charles T AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Training Development for Pavement Preservation PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 275p AB - This research project strives to help the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) fully achieve the full benefits of pavement preservation through training on proper selection, design, and application of pavement preservation treatments. In some cases, there is a lack of training when conducting one of these steps and the objective of applying pavement preservation techniques is compromised. Extensive amounts of literature on pavement preservation exist, but a structured approach on how to train staff in selecting, designing, and applying pavement preservation techniques is lacking. The objective of this project was to develop a training-oriented learning management system to address pavement preservation treatments (chip seals, fog seals, slurry systems, and crack seals and fills) as they are dealt with during the phases of selection, design, and construction. Early in the project, it was critical to identify the staff divisions to be trained and the treatments to be included. Through several meetings with the Iowa DOT, three staff divisions were identified: maintenance staff (in charge of selection), design staff, and construction staff. In addition, the treatments listed above were identified as the focus of the study due to their common use. Through needs analysis questionnaires and meetings, the knowledge gap and training needs of the agency were identified. The training modules developed target the gap from the results of the needs analysis. The concepting (selection) training focuses on providing the tools necessary to help make proper treatment selection. The design training focuses on providing the information necessary on the treatment materials (mostly binders and aggregates) and how to make proper material selection. Finally, the construction training focuses on providing equipment calibration procedures, inspection responsibilities, and images of poor and best practices. The research showed that it is important to train each division staff (maintenance, design, and construction) separately, as each staff division has its own needs and interests. It was also preferred that each treatment was covered on an individual basis. As a result of the research, it is recommended to evaluate the performance of pavement preservation treatments pre- and post-training continuously to compare results and verify the effectiveness of the learning management system. KW - Best practices KW - Chip seals KW - Crack filling and sealing KW - Fog seals KW - Iowa KW - Iowa Department of Transportation KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement preservation KW - Seal coating KW - Slurry seals KW - Training UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/research/documents/research-reports/pvmt_preservation_lms_w_cvr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261140 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491406 AU - Nichols, James L AU - Solomon, Mark G AU - Preusser Research Group, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Click It or Ticket Evaluation, 2010 PY - 2013/05 SP - 120p AB - The 2010 Click It or Ticket (CIOT) mobilization followed a typical Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP) sequence, involving paid media, earned media, and enforcement. A nationally representative telephone survey indicated that the mobilization was associated with increases in awareness of seat belt messages and special enforcement among the general population and among a target group of males 18 to 34 years old. Television was the primary source by which the public was made aware of these issues, followed by billboards and radio. Paid ads, rather than news stories, were the most frequently mentioned type of message seen or heard. Compared with the general population, young males were slightly more aware of seat belt messages and more aware of special enforcement efforts, but less likely to have seen or heard about checkpoints, or to think that they would get a ticket for not buckling up. Very few respondents felt that a traffic stop (day or night) would likely be for a seat belt violation. The National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) found that usage had increased from 84% in 2009 to 85% in 2010. While this increase was not statistically significant, it was consistent with a steady increase in usage over time. In addition, there was an average 1-percentage-point increase in State survey results from 2009 through 2010, with 31 States reporting increases and 20 jurisdictions reporting either no change or declines. A time-series analysis of usage among occupants killed in passenger vehicles found no additional increase in usage associated with the 2010 mobilization, although there was a significant increase in usage associated with the series of CIOT mobilizations that began in 2003. Analyses of passenger vehicle occupant deaths and drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2009 and 2010 found significant increases in usage for both groups. KW - Click It or Ticket KW - Evaluation KW - Fatalities KW - National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) KW - Safety programs KW - Seat belt use KW - Seat belts KW - States KW - Surveys KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811778.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1260488 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491306 AU - Angell, Linda AU - Cook, Julie AU - Perez, Miguel AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Support for NHTSA’s Development of Guidelines on Distraction-Potential From Visual-Manual Interfaces: An Examination of the Definition of “Task” and Task Taxonomies Based on Interviews With Experts PY - 2013/05 SP - 86p AB - An interview study was conducted to gather input for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as it develops guidelines for preventing distraction from tasks performed with in-vehicle electronics devices. Nine experts were interviewed about the definition of “task” used in guidelines issued by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (2006), along with a broader set of supporting terms used in conjunction with the definition for “task,” when devices are tested for adherence to limits on distraction. These interviews explored four topics: (1) Definitions of “task” in use, (2) Other definitions used in conjunction with the definition of “task” (e.g., “goal,” “subgoal,” “subtask,” “start state,” “end state”), (3) Alternate definitions for “task,” and (4) Task taxonomies. The qualitative interview data were scored for main ideas and themes. Shared ideas (versus singleton ideas) were identified through frequency counts. Among the most salient findings was that the current definition of “task” seems well accepted, at least the main portions of it. This definition gives rise to fairly common practice among users. Ideas for improving the definition and its corollary definitions were gathered. Preliminary recommendations were offered for consideration as NHTSA develops an approach to defining tasks in its guidelines to prevent and limit distraction. KW - Definitions KW - Distraction KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Guidelines KW - Taxonomy KW - U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration KW - Vehicle electronics UR - http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhtsa.gov%2FDOT%2FNHTSA%2FNVS%2FVehicle%2520Research%2520%26%2520Test%2520Center%2520(VRTC)%2Fca%2Fcapubs%2F811782.pdf&ei=YoQgUrqvMo_WsATD0YH4AQ&usg=AFQjCNG3JWjrR8gXDIsi7hBa4wdb6kppLg&bvm=bv.51495398,d.dmg UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Vehicle%20Research%20&%20Test%20Center%20(VRTC)/ca/capubs/811782.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1260481 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491302 AU - Nichols, James L AU - Solomon, Mark G AU - Preusser Research Group, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Click It or Ticket Evaluation, 2011 PY - 2013/05 SP - 110p AB - The 2011 Click It or Ticket (CIOT) mobilization followed a typical selective traffic enforcement program (STEP) sequence, involving paid media, earned media, and enforcement. A nationally representative telephone survey indicated that the mobilization was associated with increases in awareness of seat belt messages, special enforcement, and the CIOT slogan. There were significant increases in the perception that a citation was very likely if riding unbuckled. Television was the primary source by which the public was made aware of these issues, followed by billboards and radio. Paid ads, rather than news stories, were the most frequently mentioned type of message. Young males were more aware of seat belt messages, special enforcement efforts, and checkpoints, but less likely to think that they would get a ticket for not buckling up. Very few respondents felt that a traffic stop (day or night) would be likely for a seat belt violation. The National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) estimated national belt use to be statistically unchanged from 2010 to 2011. Methods for increasing public perception of enforcement efforts are discussed. KW - Click It or Ticket KW - Evaluation KW - National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) KW - Safety programs KW - Seat belt use KW - Seat belts KW - Surveys KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811779.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1260486 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491299 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Digest of Distracted Driving Laws. First Edition Current as of June 1, 2012 PY - 2013/05//1st Edition SP - 101p AB - This digest reports the status of State laws that are concerned with distracted driving offenses. Distracted driving is any non-driving activity a person engages in while operating a motor vehicle. Such activities have the potential to distract the person from the primary task of safe driving and increase the risk of crashing. Of special concern is the use of electronic entertainment and communication devices, particularly cell phones. This digest contains comprehensive information on critical distracted driving laws for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The document provides a summary chart of the key provisions of State distracted driving laws and a detailed list of these laws for every State, including statutory references. Each State entry includes: Restrictions on the Use of Electronic/Mobile Devices; Restrictions on Text Messaging; Other Prohibited Distractions; Restrictions on Novice Drivers; and Summary of Legislative History. KW - Distraction KW - Laws and legislation KW - Mobile telephones KW - Recently qualified drivers KW - State laws KW - Teenage drivers KW - Text messaging KW - United States UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811770.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1260484 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01490605 AU - Duncan, Patricia B AU - Miller, Ann Brush AU - Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Loudoun County Road Orders 1757-1783 PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 443p AB - The road history projects undertaken by the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research (formerly the Virginia Transportation Research Council) establish the feasibility of studies of early road networks and their use in the environmental review process. These projects, by gathering and publishing the early road orders of the vast parent counties and other significant areas, also lay the foundation for additional research by local groups over a broad area of Virginia. This volume marks the 28th entry in the Historic Roads of Virginia series, initiated in 1973 by the Virginia Highway & Transportation Research Council (subsequently the Virginia Transportation Research Council, and now the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research). Loudoun County Road Orders 1757-1783 is a cooperative effort between the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research and independent researcher Patricia B. Duncan. This volume furthers the coverage of early Northern Virginia transportation records begun in the previously published Fairfax County Road Orders 1749-1800, Frederick County Road Orders 1743-1772, and Orange County Road Orders 1734-1749. This volume covers the period from the creation of Loudoun County, Virginia, until the years immediately following the end of the Revolutionary War. By the last half of the 18th century, Loudoun County was already one of the most populous and economically important counties in Northern Virginia, and it contained major east-west and north-south transportation routes. The county’s early transportation records provide important information relating to transportation connections with not only neighboring counties and other southern counties in Virginia but also the Washington, D.C., region and the adjoining states of Maryland and what is now West Virginia. This publication will have particular application to the cultural resource research relating to transportation projects in this area of Northern Virginia. This information will eliminate the need for further research into the early Loudoun County road order records. If questions arise about early roads once a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) road improvement project is already underway (or nearly underway), primary historical research of this nature can take 6 to 12 months to complete. Therefore, this volume can be a source of potentially significant cost savings for VDOT, including the avoided costs of project delays and avoided consultant costs for cultural resource studies should questions arise. KW - Cultural resources KW - Highways KW - History KW - Loudoun County (Virginia) KW - Northern Virginia KW - Road orders KW - Roads KW - Virginia UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/13-r10.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1259846 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489979 AU - Peirce, Sean AU - Rainville, Lydia AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Park Service TI - NPS Transportation Innovative Finance Options PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 20p AB - This paper provides a summary of innovative transportation finance techniques and discusses their applicability to the National Park Service (NPS). The primary finding of this analysis is that while NPS is engaging in innovative finance techniques such as public-private partnerships, use of other techniques would likely require specific Congressional authorization and/or may raise questions regarding their appropriateness within the framework of the mission and values of the NPS. Section 1 of the paper provides a background discussion of innovative finance. Section 2 provides an overview of specific mechanisms and techniques and their potential applicability to the National Park Service. Section 3 presents examples of innovative finance that have previously been used by NPS. KW - Finance KW - Innovation KW - National Park Service KW - Public private partnerships UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47700/47798/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-13-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257640 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489961 AU - Yeh, Michelle AU - Goh, Juliana AU - Chase, Stephanie AU - Gabree, Scott AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - MITRE Center for Advanced Aviation System Development AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Capstone 3 Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) – Airport Moving Map Operational Evaluation: Human Factors Report PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 65p AB - This report documents the human factors activities conducted as part of the Capstone 3 Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) – Airport Moving Map operational evaluation. The purpose of that operational evaluation was to understand the safety implications of an airport moving map on a Class 2 or Class 3 EFB and/or an approved aural runway safety alerting system. Three airlines (Atlas Air, Shuttle America, and US Airways) established an EFB program for the Capstone 3 operational evaluation. This report describes (1) the status of the EFB programs at these three airlines in September 2012 when the program ended, (2) the considerations in the development of the surveys designed to gather human factors information from this operational evaluation, and (3) the human factors findings on the usability of the EFB and airport moving map. The information in this report is intended to be of use to the Federal Aviation Administration in developing guidance material for EFBs and airport moving maps. KW - Air traffic control KW - Aircraft operations KW - Airlines KW - Airport operations KW - Alert systems KW - Aviation safety KW - Electronic flight bags KW - Human factors KW - Runway incursions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47800/47847/Capstone_3_May_2013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257635 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489956 AU - Juni, Emil AU - Adams, Teresa M AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Compass 2011 Data Analysis and Reporting PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 90p AB - The “Compass” program collects rating data each year to help the department understand current infrastructure conditions and trends. Past efforts include data analysis and reporting performance and outcomes for signs, pavement, shoulders, roadsides, drainage, traffic, and bridges. In the 2005 Compass report, measures for bridge inspection and maintenance were added, and historic data was transformed from District to Region levels. In 2006, Compass reports began presenting trends for pavement condition associated with the agency’s biennial inspection cycle. In addition, starting from 2006 the Compass report took on a slightly more customer-focus by presenting overall results as a report card and by organizing the measures according to their maintenance objectives such as safety, stewardship, and aesthetics. Starting from 2008, pavement condition is presented based on the PMMS (Pavement Maintenance Management System) data. KW - Annual reports KW - Bridges KW - Compass program (Wisconsin) KW - Data analysis KW - Highway maintenance KW - Highway operations KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Traffic signs KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0601.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258466 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489949 AU - Najm, Wassim G AU - Ranganathan, Raja AU - Srinivasan, Gowrishankar AU - Smith, John D AU - Toma, Samuel AU - Swanson, Elizabeth AU - Burgett, August AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - URC Enterprises, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Description of Light-Vehicle Pre-Crash Scenarios for Safety Applications Based on Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications PY - 2013/05 SP - 109p AB - This report describes pre-crash scenarios that might be addressed by vehicle-to-vehicle communications. The focus is on crashes involving at least 1 light vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. The 2004-2008 General Estimates System crash databases were used to quantify the societal cost and describe the driving environment, driver characteristics, and crash contributing factors. The National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey was queried to statistically portray crash causal factors. Data from Event Data Recorders drawn from model year 2000-2007 vehicles were analyzed to describe the kinematics of pre-crash scenarios in terms of travel speed, brake application, and deceleration level over a period of five seconds before the crash. Most crashes occurred on straight roads, dry surfaces, in clear weather, and during daylight hours. About 56 percent of drivers were male and 60 percent were of middle age. About 27 percent of all drivers were inattentive, 4 percent were under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and 10 percent were fatigued. Speeding was a factor in 13 percent of all crashes. The average effective deceleration level was over 0.6g in the ‘lead vehicle moving’ and ‘lead vehicle decelerating’ pre-crash scenarios, when braking was initiated 2 to 3 seconds before the crash. KW - Braking KW - Crash causes KW - Crash data KW - Deceleration KW - Kinematics KW - Light vehicles KW - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey KW - Precrash phase KW - Speeding KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic safety KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2013/811731.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47600/47669/DOT-VNTSC-NHTSA-11-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257636 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01488703 AU - Sobolev, Konstantin AU - Tabatabai, Habib AU - Zhao, Jian AU - Oliva, Michael G AU - Flores-Vivian, Ismael AU - Rivero, Rossana AU - Muzenski, Scott AU - Rauf, Rehan AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Superhydrophobic Engineered Cementitious Composites for Highway Applications: Phase I PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 84p AB - The strength and durability of highway bridges are two of the key components in maintaining a high level of freight transportation capacity on the nation’s highways. This research focused on developing new hybrid superhydrophobic engineered cementitious composites (SECCs), engineered cement based concrete materials combined with polyvinyl alcohol fibers and hydrophobic compounds, to create a substitute concrete which can provide the strength and durability demanded in key regions of highway bridges. KW - Composite materials KW - Concrete construction KW - Durability KW - Fiber composites KW - Highway bridges KW - Hydrophobic properties KW - Polyvinyl alcohol fibers KW - Strength of materials UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0409.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257311 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01488547 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Preston, Howard AU - Storm, Richard AU - Scurry, Karen AU - Wemple, Beth TI - Using Risk to Drive Safety Investments PY - 2013/05 VL - 76 IS - 6 AB - In the past, the method of improving road safety has been to perform site analysis, a method in which safety upgrades are made at locations with a higher than expected number of crashes. Site analysis has led to a drop in the number of locations of fatal crashes, as well as a drop in the number of crashes overall. However, motor vehicle crashes continue to be distributed widely, with few individual locations with high numbers. An alternative system that departments of transportation have been adopting is the “systemic” approach, which identifies road locations which are of the highest risk for crashes based on roadway features and prioritizing those spots. The systemic approach identifies high-risk locations that site analysis would not, since site analysis focuses on those locations with a history of crashes. In order to emphasize the use of the systemic approach, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has developed the Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool, which outlines steps for strategic highway safety plans to help identify high-risk road characteristics. The tool is flexible and easy to use. It will adapt to a variety of systems, locations, and crash types. The FHWA Office of Safety has made the tool available for download online. KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Crashes KW - High risk locations KW - Highway safety KW - Strategic planning KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13mayjun/03.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257192 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01488546 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Burley, Paul R TI - Bridging the Digital Divide PY - 2013/05 VL - 76 IS - 6 AB - There is a great deal of transportation research that is available in print or analog formats only. It is difficult for many to access and may cause duplication of research or loss of knowledge. Many departments of transportation and transportation libraries are working to digitize important documents. This article examines case studies from a number of these. Access to print-only resources is difficult due to the localization of these resources at individual organizations. Digitization can improve accessibility. Once digitized, resources can be made available for users to find online. The costs of digitization are an issue, as are selecting the materials and deciding on procedures. A digitization project has numerous steps: the selection of material (which may require repair), inventory and transportation to the digitization lab, scanning a master copy and producing digital objects in user-friendly formats, and quality control. The process requires a major investment of time and money. It is important to devote the necessary time to planning at the beginning of a project, with a cautious selection of materials focusing on how to best serve users. KW - Electronic media KW - Information management KW - Planning KW - Print on paper documents KW - Research and educational facilities UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13mayjun/07.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257205 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01488542 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Studt, Mark AU - Woodmansey, Alan TI - A Bridge to Greater Connectivity PY - 2013/05 VL - 76 IS - 6 AB - Due to population growth, aging infrastructure, and increases in traffic, among other factors, the Custer Avenue Bridge that crosses over the I-15 in Helena, Montana no longer fit the needs of the local community, and it was decided to build a new bridge to replace it. The new bridge was to be wider, with more lanes and an interchange to connect it to the interstate. The Montana Department of Transportation was unwilling to close Custer Avenue for the four months it would take to build a new bridge using standard procedures, so they had to find an alternative option. They consulted with experts on how to get the job done faster, holding an Accelerated Construction Technology Transfer workshop and a Conference of Accelerated Bridge Construction during the planning stages, and finally advertized for a six-week project contract, with incentives for completing the project ahead of schedule. Using options developed from the workshop, the contractors were able to complete the project ahead of schedule. KW - Accelerated Construction Technology Transfer (ACTT) KW - Bridge construction KW - Case studies KW - Construction management KW - Helena (Montana) KW - Interchanges KW - Interstate 15 KW - Planning and design UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13mayjun/04.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257196 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01488541 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Gish, Judy TI - The Road Not Taken PY - 2013/05 VL - 76 IS - 6 AB - In order to build a new high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane, it was necessary for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to demolish Mulholland Bridge in 2011. The demolition required the closing of a section of the I-405, a very busy freeway that is the only one to directly connect Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. The design of the Mulholland Bridge necessitated a difficult demolition, and the decision was made to do it in a single 53-hour closure. There was extensive outreach in advance to publicize the dates of closure to motorists. Despite being called “Carmageddon” by the media, the closure went very smoothly. Traffic delays dropped from the previous weekend, and there were fewer motorists on the road. The work was completed ahead of schedule, and the freeway reopened seventeen hours early. A second closure was scheduled the following year. The coverage after the first closure was positive, and despite being called “Carmageddon II,” the closure went just as smoothly, reopening seven hours early. Both closures showcase Los Angeles' ability to cooperate successfully. KW - Bridge construction KW - California Department of Transportation KW - Freeways KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Highway bridges KW - Interstate 405 KW - Los Angeles County (California) KW - Public relations KW - Street closure UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13mayjun/02.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257191 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01488540 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Fitzgerald, Mark TI - Trip Traces PY - 2013/05 VL - 76 IS - 6 AB - In an effort to study the human factor in motor vehicle collisions, the Transportation Research Board's Strategic Highway Research Program has developed the Naturalistic Driving Study to gather data on driving behavior, particularly relating to driver distraction. Reducing crashes would save lives and ease traffic congestion. The study, which began in 2010 and will continue to November 2013, gathers data from over 3,000 volunteer participants by the use of cameras and sensors installed in their cars. The data collected includes car trips and road data, as well as speed, acceleration, steering and pedal action, and vehicle characteristics and performance. The driver data is being collected in six states. In addition, the Roadway Information Database, a spatial database of roadway characteristics and features, is being developed to study the relationship between road characteristics and crash risks. The data collected as part of the Naturalistic Driving Study is expected to be useful for at least twenty years, and a number of projects are already underway to analyze the data that has been collected so far. The study aims to develop a further understanding of the human factor in car collisions, with hopes of improving safety on the roads. KW - Automatic data collection systems KW - Behavior KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Crashes KW - Distraction KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Strategic Highway Research Program 2 KW - Transportation Research Board UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13mayjun/01.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257188 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01488496 AU - Sullivan, Andrew J AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - Kallem, Bharat R AU - University of Alabama, Birmingham AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Measuring Non-Recurrent Congestion in Small to Medium Sized Urban Areas PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 66p AB - Understanding the relative magnitudes of recurrent vs. non-recurrent congestion in an urban area is critical to the selection of proper countermeasures and the appropriate allocation of resources to address congestion problems. Small to medium sized cities such as Birmingham, Alabama typically lack the extensive traffic sensor networks necessary to monitor and record traffic performance on a continuous basis. Alternative methods are needed to gain an understanding of the magnitudes of recurrent and non-recurrent congestion and implement proper countermeasures to reduce them. The objective of this study was to test methodologies for quantifying non-recurrent congestion in a small to medium sized urban area such as Birmingham which has limited traffic monitoring infrastructure. More specifically, the study investigated the potential use of commercially available vehicle probe data to quantify incident-related non-recurrent congestion on key interstate facilities in the Birmingham region. Archived Global Positioning System (GPS) probe data collected in the Birmingham Region were analyzed and combined with accident reports from the State’s ASAP (Alabama Service and Assistance Patrol) incident response system to test the effectiveness of measuring non-recurrent congestion in this manner. KW - Birmingham (Alabama) KW - Crash reports KW - Data analysis KW - Global Positioning System KW - Measurement KW - Medium sized cities KW - Nonrecurrent congestion KW - Probe vehicles KW - Small cities KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic incidents UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2013/07/09201-Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257304 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01488344 AU - Grau-Torrent, David AU - Back, W Edward AU - McElvy, Robert JP AU - University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Nighttime Paving Operations on Asphalt Roughness Behavior PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 98p AB - The relationship between nighttime construction scheduling and future road quality in terms of roughness was investigated. Research was three-phased: interviews with local leaders in paving, on-site observations, and historical data analyses. Interviews and on-site observations served to explore potential differences in the paving practices and general opinions in the paving industry regarding daytime versus nighttime paving, while the bulk of empirical research took place in the historical data analyses. Differences in road quality, defined as pavement roughness in this study, between day-scheduled construction and night-scheduled construction were determined by an analysis of the International Roughness Index over the pavement lifecycle as made available to researchers by the Alabama Department of Transportation. Results showed that the roughness values of pavements laid at night were significantly higher than those of pavements laid in the day. Analyzed in 3, 30-month intervals beginning at project completion, night and day roughness values were equal in the first interval, but differences in means and variances expanded in the second and third intervals, with increasing significance over time. Researchers believe the increasing gap over time could be the result of initial night-time construction conditions, lack of inspector involvement, low illumination levels and poor visibility, and worker fatigue, with inspection problems being most detrimental. Several previous reports investigated the initial construction quality of pavements constructed during the day vs. pavements constructed at night. This report follows the difference in roughness of such pavements over time. The research and results are further discussed in this report. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Inspection KW - Night KW - Pavement performance KW - Paving KW - Quality control KW - Roughness KW - Service life UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2013/07/11108-Final-Report_revised.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257089 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01488181 AU - Anderson, Michael AU - Khan, Tahmina AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis of Rural Public Transit in Alabama PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 42p AB - As rural America continues to "age", access to basic necessities and health care will continue to strain rural transit providers. The state of Alabama has numerous Rural Public Transportation Providers, and while every provider is unique, each can benefit from a performance assessment and identification of methods to improve performance. This project uses recently published guides on measuring, assessing, and improving performance for rural transit operators and collects data from the rural transit providers in Alabama to evaluate the operations of the metrics and the providers, analyze performance measures, and suggest improvements. The data was collected from the Alabama Department of Transportation as well as individual agencies. The project presents alternative performance measures to evaluate rural transit providers. KW - Alabama KW - Data analysis KW - Data collection KW - Performance measurement KW - Public transit KW - Rural areas KW - Rural transit UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2013/07/11305-Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257088 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01488058 AU - Roth, Emilie AU - Rosenhand, Hadar AU - Multer, Jordan AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Using Cognitive Task Analysis to Inform Issues in Human Systems Integration in Railroad Operations PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 56p AB - U.S. Railroad operations are undergoing rapid changes involving the introduction of new technologies such as positive train control (PTC), energy management systems (EMS), and electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes in the locomotive cab. To help ensure these and other new technologies are optimally designed for safe and efficient use, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is interested in introducing Human Systems Integration (HSI) to the railroad industry. HSI is a systematic, organization-wide approach to implementing new technologies and modernizing existing systems that can increase the likelihood of successful deployment as well as user acceptance. This report provides guidance to the industry pertaining to the need for HSI in the technology acquisition process, and more specifically, how to use Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) methods and results as part of the HSI process. It draws on examples from prior FRA-sponsored CTAs for locomotive engineers, conductors, dispatchers, and roadway workers to illustrate the kinds of insights that can be drawn from performing a CTA when introducing new technologies into railroad operations. The report also provides a starting point for the industry with respect to identifying likely emerging issues that need to be explored as part of the technology introduction process. KW - Cognition KW - Conductors (Trains) KW - Dispatchers KW - Human information processing KW - Human systems integration KW - Modernization KW - Positive train control KW - Road construction workers KW - Task analysis KW - Technology KW - Train operations UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3204 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47500/47559/Using_Cognitive_Task_Analysis_20130523_final_1_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257066 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01487010 AU - MacIsaac, James D AU - Evans, Larry R AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - NHTSA Tire Aging Test Development Project Phase 4: Oven Aging of Tires Followed By Testing to Failure on a Roadwheel PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 96p AB - There were two parts to this work: (1) tire aging testing of 10 tire models using oven aging plus a stepped-up-load test, and (2) tire aging testing of 20 tire models using oven aging plus the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No.139 endurance and low pressure tests During the first part of this research, 10 tire models were subjected to a 2-hour break-in on a 1.707 m roadwheel at 80 km/h, then inflated with a mixture of 50% nitrogen (N2) gas and 50% oxygen (O2) gas and aged in a circulating air oven for 3 or 5 weeks at 65°C. The fill gas was vented and refreshed weekly to maintain a sufficient supply of oxygen gas in the tire cavity to support oxidative aging. Physical properties of the critical belt edge region of the aged tires were measured and the percentage change from the new tire properties was compared to the percentage change seen in tires retrieved from service in Phoenix. All of the measured physical properties changed in the same direction as the tires from Phoenix service. Oven aging from 3 to 5 weeks at 65°C produced percentage changes in properties similar to those found in tires with 3 to 6 years of service in Phoenix. After oven aging, these 10 tire models were tested using the stepped-up-load to structural failure (SUL) roadwheel test. The running time of tires aged for 5 weeks at 65°C were similar to those of tires that had been in Phoenix service for 3 to 6 years. Five of the tire models showed failures prior to 34 hours while the load on the tires did not exceed their maximum design load. Nearly all of these failures in the passenger tires were in the critical belt edge and shoulder area. Light-truck tire failures were predominantly separations between the carcass compounds or between the innerliner and ply of the tire. During the second part of this research, oven aging followed by the FMVSS 139 endurance and low pressure test was used to evaluate the structural durability of new tires. Twenty tire models were aged and tested to determine if this was a valid test of the durability of aged tires. Tires were oven aged for 3, 4, or 5 weeks at 65°C while inflated with the 50% N2/50% O2 mixture and then tested according to the FMVSS 139 endurance and low pressure tests. All new tires completed the endurance and low pressure tests. Six of 13 passenger tire models and 3 of 7 models of light-truck tires exhibited no failures after oven aging up to 5 weeks at 65°C. Approximately 70% of the failures for passenger tires took place in the critical belt edge and shoulder region of the tire. The light-truck tire failures were predominantly separations between components in the innerliner and sidewall region, including two tires that separated in the oven during aging. KW - Accelerated tests KW - Aging (Materials) KW - Durability KW - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards KW - Light trucks KW - Passenger vehicles KW - Phoenix (Arizona) KW - Tires UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Vehicle%20Research%20&%20Test%20Center%20(VRTC)/ca/capubs/811780.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1255007 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01486864 AU - Metzger, Andrew T AU - Kwiatkowski, Jason AU - Hutchinson, Jonathan AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Characterizing the Load Environment of Ferry Landings for Washington State Ferries and the Alaska Marine Highway System PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 219p AB - Anybody riding a ferry wants it to dock safely — and for port managers, having passengers and goods in the water is never a good thing. This project aims to mitigate uncertainty and assumptions about load demands on ferry terminal structures, specifically, ferry landing structures. The project will provide information needed to safely and efficiently design ferry berthing and landing facilities, decrease the uncertainty in design criteria, and remove assumptions associated with procedures traditionally used to design these structures. For Alaska Marine Highway System facilities, loads imposed on dolphin structures and mooring line loads are of most concern. Due to a lack of information about the magnitude of these loads or how they may be determined, AMHS engineers are forced to make (sometimes gross) design assumptions. The Washington State Ferry System also confronts these uncertainties, specifically in the design of wingwall structures that accept vessels during loading/unloading of passengers and vehicles. While the structures used by AMHS and WSFS have fundamental differences, the metrics needed to determine appropriate design criteria are the same. Thus, the instrumentation used to monitor these facilities in operation is also similar. These similarities present an opportunity for a cost-sharing project in which the ADOT&PF and Washington State DOT are able to leverage research funding and benefit from a much more comprehensive project than either might be able to support individually. To achieve this project’s goals, the research team will acquire a robust statistical sample of the metrics (strains and displacements) needed to define the design criteria (loads from vessels and waves). The data will be gathered via in situ monitoring of in-service facilities, specifically, the AMHS terminal at Auke Bay near Juneau, Alaska, and the WSF Seattle terminal in Washington. KW - Alaska KW - Bearing capacity KW - Berthing facilities KW - Design KW - Docking KW - Ferries KW - Marine transit KW - Washington (State) UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2013/06/Loads-on-Ferry-Landings-Metzger-AUTC-Final-Report_FINAL.pdf UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/804.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1256470 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01486736 AU - Begley, Justin T AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Effectively Managing Consumer Fuel Price Driven Transit Demand PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 91p AB - This study presents a literature review of transit demand elasticities with respect to gas prices, describes features of a transit service area population that may be more sensitive to fuel prices, identifies where stress points in the family of transit services will emerge, and assembles short- and long-term strategies for transit providers to manage their service when there is volatility in fuel prices. KW - Elasticity (Economics) KW - Gasoline KW - Literature reviews KW - Prices KW - Public transit KW - Strategic planning KW - Transit demand KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT-BDK85-977-39-rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/77944.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1255616 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485852 AU - McDonald, Tom AU - Sperry, Robert AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Mitigation for Safety Concerns on Low-Volume, Unpaved Rural Roads PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 79p AB - The Institute for Transportation (InTrans) at Iowa State University completed work on an in-depth study of crash history on low-volume, rural roads in Iowa in December 2010. Results indicated that unpaved roads with traffic volumes greater than 100 vehicles per day (vpd) exhibit significantly higher crash frequencies, rates, and densities than any other class of low-volume road examined, paved or unpaved. The total mileage for this class of roadway in Iowa is only about 4,400 miles, spread over 99 counties in the state, which is certainly a manageable number of miles for individual rural agencies. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine several unpaved, local road segments with higher than average crash frequencies, select and undertake potentially-beneficial mitigation, and evaluate the results as time allowed. A variety of low-cost options were considered, including engineering improvements, enhanced efforts by law enforcement, and educational initiatives. Using input, active support, and participation from local agencies and state and Federal safety advocates, the study afforded a unique opportunity to examine useful tools for local rural agencies to utilize in addressing safety on this particular type of roadway. KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash rates KW - Driver education KW - Improvements KW - Iowa KW - Low volume roads KW - Rural highways KW - Safety education KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Unpaved roads UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/research/documents/research-reports/low-vol%20_unpaved_rural_safety_w_cvr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254306 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485780 AU - Brown, Jeffrey AU - Batuhan, Tuna AU - Bhattacharya, Torsha AU - Jaroszynski, Michal AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analyzing the Effects of Transit Network Change on Agency Performance and Riders in a Decentralized, Small-to-Mid-sized US Metropolitan Area: A Case Study of Tallahassee, Florida PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 216p AB - In July 2011, StarMetro, the local public transit agency in Tallahassee, Florida, restructured its entire bus network from a downtown-focused radial system to a decentralized, grid-like system that local officials and agency leaders believed would better serve the dispersed local pattern of population and employment. Local officials and agency staff hoped the change would increase transit’s attractiveness and usefulness to the community. One year after the service restructuring, overall ridership and productivity are lower than before the service restructuring, due to the short time frame for rider adjustments and longer-than-anticipated headways, but new ridership has appeared in previously unserved or under-served corridors and neighborhoods. While the service restructuring resulted in longer walks to bus stops, overall transit travel times are shorter due to more direct routing. No particular neighborhoods or community groups disproportionately benefited from or were harmed by the change. The service restructuring was supported by some who viewed the older system as ill-suited to the increasingly decentralized community, while it was opposed by others who worried about the loss of service in some neighborhoods and issues of access and safety. StarMetro’s extensive public outreach efforts and ongoing service adjustments have reduced the intensity of the opposition to the service restructuring over time. KW - Accessibility KW - Bus transit KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Public transit KW - Quality of service KW - Ridership KW - Routes and routing KW - Tallahassee (Florida) KW - Transportation disadvantaged persons UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1102-transit-network-change-impact-riders-agency.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5t157db/1/MTI12-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250311 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485311 AU - Cleveland, Theodore G AU - Strom, Kyle B AU - Barnes, Wade J AU - Dixon, Jeremy V AU - Texas Tech University, Lubbock AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Hydraulic Performance of Staggered-Barrel Culverts for Stream Crossings PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 139p AB - Literature interpretation, laboratory experimentation, and data analysis was used to infer guidelines to assist in assessing multiple barrel staggered-systems that mimic natural stream behavior to facilitate solids migration, yet still provide the sufficient clear-water hydraulic capacity to meet their transportation infrastructure drainage needs. A database developed from literature data pertaining to solids transport was developed along with a screening tool for estimating solids transport. The laboratory study examined staggered barrel and conventional culverts both in-line with the stream axis and skew to that axis to develop tools to predict culvert performance. Experiments showed culvert open area was correlated with solids transport while culvert shape was not. Staggered systems showed some advantage in skew-settings performing slightly better than anticipated based on in-line studies. Stage-conveyance plots showed that the largest open area systems to have a curve closest to the approach section stage-conveyance until submergence; a finding supportive of matching the approach section conveyance and the culvert system conveyance to maintain solids continuity through the system. Examples illustrating the screening tool on selected experiments are presented, as are suggestions for future study. KW - Culverts KW - Drainage KW - Hydraulic properties KW - Sediments KW - Streamflow KW - Streams KW - Texas UR - http://www.depts.ttu.edu/techmrtweb/reports/complete_reports/0-6549-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253844 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485048 AU - Persad, Khali R AU - Khwaja, Nabeel AU - Harrison, Rob AU - Loftus-Otway, Lisa AU - Ardekani, Siamak AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Small Business Inclusion: A Study of TxDOT’s Consultant Procurement Program PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 180p AB - The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) sought the services of a public institution of higher education to conduct a study of TxDOT’s professional services contracting program through an Interagency Contract (IAC). The Request for Proposal (RFP) stated that it had come to TxDOT’s attention that certain small firms feel disadvantaged under its professional services contracting program. While small firms enjoy success as sub-providers under the program, comparatively few are selected as prime providers. TxDOT wished to enhance the success of small firms in this regard. Two central questions were addressed in the study: 1) Relative to large firms, why are more small firms not awarded prime contracts? 2) What are the measures that can be implemented to improve the success rate of small firms, such that more small firms are awarded prime contracts? The key deliverable for the study was this Final Report KW - Consultants KW - Contracting KW - Small business KW - Texas Department of Transportation UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/iac/48-2XXIA001.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253587 ER - TY - SER AN - 01484935 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Olson, Scott M AU - Holloway, Kurt P AU - Buenker, Jason M AU - Long, James H AU - LaFave, James M AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Thermal Behavior of IDOT Integral Abutment Bridges and Proposed Design Modifications PY - 2013/05 SP - 88p AB - The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has increasingly constructed integral abutment bridges (IABs) over the past few decades, similar to those in many other states. Because the length and skew limitations currently employed by IDOT have not necessarily been based on rigorous engineering analyses, an extensive 3-D parametric study has been performed, complemented by installation of field monitoring equipment on two recently constructed bridges, to potentially expand the use of IABs in Illinois. Some notable findings from this study include: (1) IAB configuration with extreme skew (> 60°) can perform well with proper detailing; (2) H-pile webs oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bridge, regardless of skew, substantially reduces weak-axis bending; (3) compacted backfill reduces pile stresses; (4) live loads affect thermally induced pile stresses; (5) longer intermediate spans tend to increase pile stresses; and (6) time-dependent behaviors, such as concrete shrinkage, may significantly influence maximum pile stresses. Based on these findings, a more rigorously developed set of recommendations for maximum IAB lengths and skews in Illinois are proposed. KW - Bridge design KW - Illinois KW - Jointless bridges KW - Length KW - Parametric analysis KW - Piles (Supports) KW - Skew bridges KW - Structural analysis UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45760 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253586 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484927 AU - Zhou, Hongmin "Tracy" AU - Hawkins, H Gene AU - Miles, Jeff D AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Guidelines for Freeway Lighting Curfews PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 114p AB - Roadway lighting is provided on selected highways to improve the visibility of the nighttime environment. Roadway lighting is typically warranted on the basis of the daily traffic volume. However, in the early morning hours, the traffic volumes may be so low as to diminish the need for roadway lighting. At present, the lighting infrastructure in place on Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) highways is not well suited to being dimmed. As a result, turning off roadway lighting during early morning hours is the only option. This concept is known as a lighting curfew for purposes of this research project. The lighting curfew section of the TxDOT 2003 Illumination Manual does not provide specific guidelines or criteria for implementing lighting curfews. Although lighting curfews are of interest around the country, no state has developed guidelines for lighting curfews, nor are there national guidelines at this time. The most significant potential benefits of lighting curfews include reduced power consumption and reduced light pollution. This project focused upon developing guidelines for implementing lighting curfews on urban freeways, which have the potential to impact TxDOT’s ability to manage its lighting infrastructure in an advantageous manner. The guidelines developed through this project identify threshold criteria under which freeway main lane lighting can be turned off. The guidelines also identify conditions or exceptions under which lighting curfews should be suspended, modified, canceled, or not used at all (such as periods of inclement weather or during a major late-night event). KW - Curfew KW - Freeways KW - Guidelines KW - Morning KW - Off peak periods KW - Street lighting KW - Texas Department of Transportation UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6645-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253547 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484765 AU - Zmud, Mia AU - Rojo, Claudia AU - NuStats AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Casual Carpooling Focus Group Study PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 61p AB - Qualitative research in the form of focus groups was conducted from June 2012 through September 2012 to explore the phenomenon of casual carpooling (also called slugging, informal carpooling, and dynamic ridesharing). Eight focus groups were held in three regions with the largest and longest running casual carpooling systems in the Nation: Washington, DC; Houston, TX; and San Francisco, CA. At each location, the focus groups were held with drivers and passengers who are active participants in casual carpooling. The focus groups took place over 1 to 2 days on separate evenings with generally one or two groups being held each evening (one focus group in Washington, DC, was held midday). A total of 83 individuals participated in the focus groups. With the goal of enriching understanding of casual carpooling systems from the participants’ perspective, this effort provided insights, results, and conclusions to the following research questions: 1. What are the underlying social-cultural dynamics that comprise the casual carpooling system? 2. What are the factors that attract participants to casual carpooling and influencers that motivate them to stick with the system? 3. What are the opportunities for system improvements that may improve the casual carpooling experience? KW - Carpools KW - Casual carpooling KW - Commuting KW - Focus groups KW - Houston (Texas) KW - Mode choice KW - Ridesharing KW - San Francisco (California) KW - Travel behavior KW - Washington (District of Columbia) UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/13053/13053.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251703 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484436 AU - Walubita, Lubinda AU - Lee, Sang Ick AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - University of Texas, El Paso AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Texas Flexible Pavements and Overlays: Calibration Plans for M-E Models and Related Software PY - 2013/05 SP - v.p. AB - The primary goal of this five-year project is to collect and develop a data storage system of materials and pavement performance data on a minimum of 100 highway test sections around Texas. For easy management and access, the user friendly MS Access is being used as the data storage medium for the collected data. As a minimum, the data collected will serve to calibrate and validate the mechanistic-empirical (M-E) design models and serve as an ongoing reference source and/or diagnostic tool for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) engineers and other transportation professionals. Toward these objectives and as documented in this interim report, the specific objective of this task was to develop strategic work plans for calibrating and validating the M-E models and the associated software. KW - Data storage KW - Flexible pavements KW - Mechanistic-empirical pavement design KW - Overlays (Pavements) KW - Pavement performance KW - Software KW - Test sections KW - Texas UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253060 ER - TY - SER AN - 01484435 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - LaFave, James AU - Fahnestock, Larry AU - Foutch, Douglas AU - Steelman, Joshua AU - Revell, Jessica AU - Filipov, Evgueni AU - Hajjar, Jerome AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Experimental Investigation of the Seismic Response of Bridge Bearings PY - 2013/05 IS - 13-002 SP - 130p AB - The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) commonly uses elastomeric bearings to accommodate thermal deformations in bridges. These bearings also present an opportunity to achieve a structural response similar to isolation during seismic events. IDOT has been developing an earthquake resisting system (ERS) to leverage the displacement capacity available at typical bearings in order to provide seismic protection to substructures of typical bridges. The research program described in this report was conducted to validate and calibrate IDOT’s current implementation of design practice for the ERS, based on experiments conducted on typical full-size bearing specimens, as well as computational models capturing full bridge response. The overall final report is divided into two volumes. This first volume describes the experimental program and presents results and conclusions obtained from the bearing and retainer tests. The experiments described in this volume provide data to characterize force-displacement relationships for common bearing types used in Illinois. The testing program comprised approximately 60 individual tests on some 26 bearing assemblies and components (i.e., retainers). The testing program included (1) Type I elastomeric bearings, consisting of a steel-reinforced elastomeric block vulcanized to a thick top plate; (2) Type II elastomeric bearings, distinct from Type I bearings with a steel bottom plate vulcanized to the bottom of the elastomeric block, and a flat sliding layer with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and stainless steel mating surfaces between the elastomer and the superstructure; and (3) low-profile fixed bearings. Tests conducted to simulate transverse bridge motion also included stiffened L-shaped retainers, consistent with standard IDOT practice. Tests were conducted using monotonic and cyclic displacement protocols, at compression loads corresponding to a range of elastomer compression stresses from 200 to 800 psi. Peak displacements from initial position ranged from 7-1/2 in. to 12-1/2 in., depending on bearing size. Test rates were generally quasi-static, but increased velocities up to 4 in./sec were used for bearings with PTFE and for a subset of other elastomeric bearings. On the basis of all of the experimental findings, bearing fuse force capacities have been determined, and appropriate shear stiffness and friction coefficient values for seismic response have been characterized and bracketed. KW - Base isolation KW - Bridge bearings KW - Bridge design KW - Compression tests KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Highway bridges KW - Illinois KW - Shear properties UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45761 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252957 ER - TY - SER AN - 01484410 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Stark, Timothy D AU - Long, James H AU - Assem, Pouyan AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Improvement for Determining the Axial Capacity of Drilled Shafts in Shale in Illinois PY - 2013/05//Research Report IS - 13-017 SP - 136p AB - In this project, Illinois-specific design procedures were developed for drilled shafts founded in weak shale. In addition, recommendations for field and laboratory testing to characterize the in situ condition of weak shales in Illinois were developed and presented herein. For this project, weak shale is defined as an intermediate geologic material (IGM) with an unconfined compressive strength of 10 to 100 ksf. These investigation and design improvements are anticipated to lead to safer design and substantial deep-foundation cost savings for the Illinois Department of Transportation. KW - Axial capacity KW - Bridge foundations KW - Design methods KW - Drilled shafts KW - Illinois KW - Shale UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45762 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252958 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484272 AU - Shaffer, S R AU - Fernando, H J S AU - Ovenden, N C AU - Arizona State University, Tempe AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Investigations of Environmental Effects on Freeway Acoustics (original: Environmental Measurements in support of traffic generated noise) PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 78p AB - The authors present a generalized terrain PE (GTPE) model for sound propagation in non-uniform terrain following the work of Sack and West (1995). Results for simplified terrain cases illustrate the new model’s capabilities and the effects of terrain in a neutral atmosphere. The model is extended by deriving a reflection scheme to account for two-way propagation. Thus, their model enables the study of backscatter from vertical terrain features and forward propagation of traffic noise in complex terrain. Future developments will extend the reflection scheme to terrain features with arbitrary angles. Future possibilities include coupling the sound model with flow calculation software to determine the flow response to terrain and the sound field response to perturbed flow. Additionally, the authors apply ARW-WRF v3.2’s new option of vertical nesting within the finest nest to a numerical experiment studying highway noise pollution in the Phoenix metropolitan area. This experiment was conducted for comparison on November 7, 2006, in Phoenix by Ovenden et al (2009). Vertical profiles with near-ground resolution finer than 20 m were extracted for input into a sound propagation model to produce forecasts of noise pollution from a highway line segment noise source. Vertical nesting improved the resolution of finer structures in the temperature and velocity profiles. Ovenden et al. (2009) previously demonstrated sensitivity of the resultant sound field within 600 m of the source to input effective sound speed vertical profiles, Ceff (z), in the lowest 300 m of the planetary boundary layer. Hence, resolution of such features is important when forecasting Ceff (z) for use in the highway noise propagation model. KW - Acoustics KW - Environmental impacts KW - Freeways KW - Noise KW - Noise control KW - Noise models UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ605(2).pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252519 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484260 AU - Bakhshi, Mehdi AU - Laungrungrong, Busaba AU - Bonakdar, Aboozar AU - Mobasher, Barzin AU - Borror, Connie M AU - Montgomery, Douglas C AU - Arizona State University, Tempe AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Economical Concrete Mix Design Utilizing Blended Cements, Performance-Based Specifications, and Pay Factors PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 130p AB - This report showcases several new approaches of using materials science and structural mechanics to accomplish sustainable design of concrete materials. The topics addressed include blended cements, fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC), internal curing with lightweight aggregate, and statistical process control (SPC). Materials, methodologies, and test methods to enhance the performance and durability of concrete are addressed. Properties of pozzolans, blended cements, fly ashes, and other materials, along with proposed categories of high-performance concrete (HPC) mixtures using high-volume fly ash are briefly described. Early-age cracking and drying shrinkage are addressed in detail, as they both reduce load-carrying capacity and accelerate deterioration, resulting in increased maintenance costs and reduced service life. New developments in HPC materials using FRC are proposed, and it is shown that considerable cost savings can be realized by using fiber concrete mixtures. Internal curing techniques as a means of improving the quality of concrete using pre-soaked lightweight aggregate as an internal water supply were studied. The superior results of internally cured samples with lightweight aggregates, especially sintered bottom ash, indicate a great potential for using them in hot-weather concreting or when external curing is not possible. A new method for statistical data processing of concrete strength data also is presented. Technical tools were developed to improve performance-based specifications and statistical process control methods using cumulative sum (CUSUM) and exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA). Both of these approaches allow for process control and quality control (QC) monitoring of the materials. This report concludes with specifications for quality assurance (QA) and introduces quality measures as criteria for reducing the costs. KW - Admixtures KW - Blended cement KW - Concrete curing KW - Durability KW - Fiber reinforced concrete KW - Mix design KW - Performance based specifications KW - Properties of materials KW - Statistical process control UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ633.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252518 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484023 AU - Mills, Peter AU - Dye Management Group, Incorporated AU - Colorado Department of Transportation TI - Construction Cost Forecast Model - Model Documentation and Technical Notes PY - 2013/05//Final Report AB - Construction cost indices are generally estimated with Laspeyres, Paasche, or Fisher indices that allow changes in the quantities of construction bid items, as well as changes in price to change the cost indices of those items. These cost indices, while useful in forecasting the near-term costs of construction contracts for projects that have been designed and are about to be let, are not good indicators of price inflation in highway construction. This report contains the documentation and supporting technical notes for a statistical model that estimates changes in the price components of the Colorado Construction Cost Index. The model contains two specifications. In the first, the composite construction index is a function of the producer prices of inputs: oil, concrete, steel, labor and equipment. In the second, the composite construction index is a function of the price of oil, wages and nationwide demand for construction services. Implementation The model has been transferred to Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)’s economist, who will maintain and operate it to forecast price inflation in construction costs over a thirty-year period, in support of statewide planning and programming. KW - Construction KW - Cost estimating KW - Cost indexes KW - Costs KW - Forecasting KW - Mathematical models UR - http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/research/pdfs/2013/costs.pdf/at_download/file UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250687 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483689 AU - Chaudhary, Neil K AU - Ledingham, Katherine A AU - Eby, David W AU - Molnar, Lisa J AU - Preusser Research Group, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Evaluating Older Drivers’ Skills PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 47p AB - Research has demonstrated that older drivers pose a higher risk of involvement in fatal crashes at intersections than younger drivers. Age-triggered restrictions are problematic as research shows that the majority of older people have unimpaired driving performance. Thus, it has become important to be able to identify which drivers are at risk of crashes and apply driving limitations based on this risk (instead of age alone). The objective of this project was to review the report from the 2003 University of Florida Consensus Conference as well as other important documents on similar topics, and to interview experts to obtain information about the strengths and weaknesses of these specialist-administered screening and assessment tools, self-screening instruments and training methods. This report will help to guide future research by highlighting tools and methods commonly used by clinicians that have not yet been adequately evaluated and those which may already be recommended for use. The goal was not to reach consensus but to provide a rich background from the literature combined with expert opinions in an attempt to guide decisions and research goals related to these evaluation tools. KW - Aged drivers KW - Cognition KW - Education and training methods KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - High risk drivers KW - Motor skills KW - Risk analysis KW - Screening tools (Tests) KW - Self evaluation KW - Vision UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811773.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251771 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483683 AU - Kahane, Charles J AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Injury Vulnerability and Effectiveness of Occupant Protection Technologies for Older Occupants and Women PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 349p AB - Aging increases a person’s fragility (likelihood of injury given a physical insult) and frailty (chance of dying from a specific injury). Young adult females are more fragile than males of the same age, but later in life women are less frail than their male contemporaries. Double-pair-comparison and logistic regression analyses of 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 1987-2007 Multiple cause of death file (MCOD), and 1988-2010 National Automotive Sampling System-Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) data allow quantifying the effects of aging and gender on fatality and injury risk and studying how trends have changed as vehicle-safety technologies developed. In crashes of cars and light trucks and vans (LTVs) of the past 50 model years, fatality risk increases as occupants age, given similar physical insults, by an average of 3.11 ± .08 percent per year that they age. Fatality risk is, on average, 17.0 ± 1.5 percent higher for a female than for a male of the same age (but more so for young adults and much less so for elderly occupants). The relative risk increases for aging and females may have both intensified slightly from vehicles of the 1960s up to about 1990 (even while safety improvements greatly reduced the absolute risk for men and women of all age groups); since then, the added risk for females has substantially diminished, probably to less than half, while the increase for aging may also have diminished, but by a much smaller amount. Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) ≥ 2 nonfatal-injury risk increases only by 1.58 ± .35 percent per year of aging, but it is 28.8 ± 6.0 percent higher for a female than for a male. Older occupants are susceptible to thoracic injuries, especially multiple rib fractures. Females are susceptible to neck and abdominal injuries and, at lower severity levels, highly susceptible to arm and leg fractures. Female drivers are especially vulnerable to leg fractures from toe-pan intrusion. All of the major occupant protection technologies in vehicles of recent model years have at least some benefit for adults of all age groups and of either gender; none of them are harmful for a particular age group or gender. Nevertheless, seat belts have been historically somewhat less effective for older occupants and female passengers, but more effective for female drivers. Frontal air bags are about equally effective across all ages; side air bags may be even more effective for older occupants than for young adults. Air bags and other non-belt protection technologies are helping females just as much and quite possibly even more than they protect males; this may have contributed to shrinking the historical risk increase for females relative to males of the same age. KW - Aged KW - Aged drivers KW - Aging (Biology) KW - Air bags KW - Crash injuries KW - Fatalities KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - Females KW - Gender KW - National Automotive Sampling System - Crashworthiness Data System KW - Occupant protection devices KW - Risk analysis KW - Seat belts KW - Side air bags KW - Vehicle safety UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811766.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252398 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483675 AU - Deaton, Scott L AU - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Geotechnical Information Database - Phase II PY - 2013/05//Final Project Report SP - 105p AB - The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) has been collecting geotechnical data for many years in a variety of different formats. Accessing these data and combining the data with new data for the purpose of design, analysis, visualization, and reporting are difficult because the data have been generated by disparate systems and stored as hard copies, scanned images, various digital formats, or other non-digital formats such as Microfilm. Essentially, there is no single system or repository nor an integrated, systematic approach for collecting, managing, reporting, archiving, and retrieving the vast amount of geotechnical data collected or generated by LADOTD each year. With advances in computing capabilities, software tools are now available that streamline the entire data management process from data collection through reporting, archiving, and map-based retrieval/reporting. Dataforensics, LLC created a plan to integrate and implement a customized data management system to fulfill the needs of LADOTD. This Enterprise Global Information System (GIS)-based Geotechnical Data Management System is comprised of various off -the-shelf software packages including PLog Enterprise, RAPID CPT, gINT, ArcGIS, and ArcGIS Server. It enables LADOTD to store geotechnical data in a consistent database format while improving the reliability and accessibility to key stakeholders. KW - Data management KW - Database management systems KW - Geographic information systems KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development KW - Software packages UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2013/FR_498_web.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251770 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483673 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: State Alcohol-Impaired Driving Estimates PY - 2013/05 SP - 12p AB - This fact sheet contains estimates of driver alcohol involvement in fatal crashes for the United States and individually for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 2011. For comparison, data from 10 years ago (2002) are also presented. These estimates are based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA’s) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Unfortunately, known blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test results are not available for all drivers involved in fatal crashes. Missing data can result for a number of reasons, the most frequent of which is that people are not always tested for alcohol. To address the missing data issue, NHTSA uses a statistical model called “multiple imputation” to estimate the BAC of the driver at the time of the crash. The statistical model is based on important characteristics of the crash including crash factors (e.g., time of day, day of week, type of crash, location); vehicle factors (e.g., vehicle type and role in the crash); and person factors (e.g., age, sex, restraint use, previous driving violations); and most importantly, the subjective assessment of the police officer at the scene of the crash as to whether alcohol was involved or not. The statistical model was developed using all available known data in the aggregate (that is, at the national level) and applied to each individual driver and nonoccupant with an unknown BAC test result. However, the estimates presented in this fact sheet focus on driver alcohol involvement only. KW - Blood alcohol levels KW - Drunk driving KW - Estimates KW - Fatalities KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - Missing data KW - Multiple imputation (Statistics) KW - States KW - Statistics KW - Tables (Data) KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811776.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251980 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483672 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Children PY - 2013/05 SP - 6p AB - In 2011, there were 61 million children age 14 and younger in the United States, 20% of the total U.S. resident population in 2011. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for children age 4 and every age 11 through 14 (based on 2009 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics). During 2011, there was a total of 32,367 traffic fatalities in the United States. The 14-and-younger age group accounted for 1,140 (4%) of those traffic fatalities, which is a 6% decrease from the 1,211 fatalities in 2010. In 2011, there were 171,000 children age 14 and younger injured, which remained the same as in 2010. An average of 3 children age 14 and younger were killed and 469 were injured every day in the United States in motor vehicle crashes during 2011. From 2002 to 2011, the number of fatalities in the 14-and-younger age group decreased by 46%, with the 8- to 14-year-old age group showing the largest decrease (49%). In the 14-and-younger age group, males accounted for 56% of the fatalities and 52% of those injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2011. Additional statistics on children killed or injured in traffic crashes in 2011 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/811767.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251979 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483638 AU - Bevly, David AU - Farrell, Jay AU - Auburn University AU - University of California, Riverside AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Vehicle Positioning, Navigation, and Timing: Leveraging Results from EAR Program-Sponsored Research PY - 2013/05//Summary Report SP - 28p AB - On November 20, 2012, at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) in McLean, VA, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program and Office of Operations Research and Development (R&D) convened a workshop to share information about the results of EAR Program-sponsored research on vehicle positioning and navigation. The workshop, titled “Vehicle Positioning, Navigation, and Timing: Leveraging Results From EAR Program-Sponsored Research,” was held to identify key government, industry, and academic audiences who would be interested in the results and how the EAR Program can assist in connecting the audiences with the results. It provided an opportunity to discuss potential follow on applied areas of research in addition to addressing continued fundamental research gaps that still need to be resolved to provide dependable, precise, and commercially affordable positioning and navigation for roadways. KW - Automobile navigation systems KW - Geographic information systems KW - Global Positioning System KW - Inertial navigation systems KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Mapping KW - Vehicle positioning systems UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/13052/13052.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252314 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483635 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Creating Productive Roadways: Developing an Advanced Energy Production, Storage, and Distribution System PY - 2013/05 SP - 2p AB - Renewable electric power production could reduce highway maintenance and operating costs and provide backup for critical systems during power outages. Using the public right-of-way and roadway infrastructure as a source for energy production, storage, and distribution is the goal of “A Roadway Wind/Solar Hybrid Power Generation and Distribution System: Towards Energy–Plus Roadways,” a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program study awarded to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. KW - Electric power generation KW - Electric power transmission KW - Energy storage systems KW - Highways KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Right of way (Land) UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/12063/12063.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252316 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483480 AU - Gardoni, Paolo AU - Pagnotta, Alex D AU - Huang, Qindan AU - Trejo, David AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Concrete Structures Affected by Alkali-Silica Reaction and Delayed Ettringite Formation: Part 2 PY - 2013/05 SP - 128p AB - This report details the results of a comprehensive research project aimed at evaluating the potential use of non-destructive testing (NDT) to assess structures affected by Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) and/or Delayed Ettringite Formation (DEF). This project was a collaborative effort between the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University (TAMU). The results presented in this report are those obtained by the team at TAMU. Available data on the performance of large-scale samples exhibiting ASR and/or DEF are presented, and the analysis of these data shows that steel-concrete bond is affected by ASR/DEF. Multiple techniques for assessing the steel-concrete interface are presented, and the impact-echo method is selected for further study. A small-scale laboratory experiment using impact-echo shows that this technique has the potential to detect ASR/DEF-induced defects at the steel-concrete interface. The application of impact-echo to large-scale samples with ASR yields inconclusive results, and further work is needed to determine if impact-echo can be used to assess the steel-concrete interface of ASR/DEF-affected field structures KW - Alkali silica reactions KW - Bond strength (Materials) KW - Concrete structures KW - Deterioration KW - Ettringite KW - Impact echo tests KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Reinforcing steel KW - Structural analysis KW - Texas UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251985 ER - TY - SER AN - 01483381 JO - TechBrief PB - Federal Highway Administration TI - Pavement Remaining Service Interval PY - 2013/05 SP - 4p AB - This document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration reports, "Reformulated Pavement Remaining Service Life Framework" (FHWA-HRT-13-038) and "Pavement Remaining Service Interval Implementation Guidelines" (FHWA-HRT-13-050). At the heart of pavement management decisions is the prediction of future construction events; however, many issues exist with the current remaining service life (RSL) terminology. The major source of uncertainty is the use of the term “life” to represent different points in the construction timeline. The path to consistency involves adopting terminology of time remaining until a defined construction treatment is required (i.e., RSL is replaced by remaining service interval (RSI)). The term RSI has the ability to unify the outcome of different approaches for determining needs by focusing on when and what treatments are needed as well as the service interruption created. This TechBrief introduces the RSI concept and its implementation process. KW - Definitions KW - Maintenance management KW - Pavement management systems KW - Pavement performance KW - Remaining service interval KW - Service life UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/13039/13039.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251700 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483378 AU - Perez, Miguel AU - Hulse, Melissa AU - Angell, Linda AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Support for NHTSA Visual-Manual Guidelines: Expert Review of the Visual Occlusion Method and How It Compares to Driver Eye-Glance Behavior PY - 2013/05 SP - 56p AB - The occlusion method is one of the verification test alternatives allowed under the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers guidelines to manage visual demand of certain in-vehicle devices. Since the time those guidelines were published, additional research has become available on the advantages, disadvantages, and considerations of using the occlusion method in this context. The current investigation reviewed this additional research and then asked several occlusion experts about their opinions regarding topics such as method parameter values, test settings, validity, and usefulness of results. Experts’ answers were summarized and suggested that there is consensus about some aspects of the occlusion method and disagreement over other aspects. These findings are discussed in the context of including the occlusion method as a test alternative in future versions of visual-manual device design guidelines. KW - Design standards KW - Distraction KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Drivers KW - Glance behavior KW - Guidelines KW - In-vehicle devices KW - In-vehicle tasks KW - Visual demand KW - Visual occlusion UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Vehicle%20Research%20&%20Test%20Center%20(VRTC)/ca/capubs/811763.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251631 ER - TY - SER AN - 01483374 JO - TechBrief PB - Federal Highway Administration TI - Curl and Warp Analysis of the LTPP SPS-2 Site in Arizona PY - 2013/05 SP - 6p AB - This document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report "Curl and Warp Analysis of the LTPP SPS-2 Site in Arizona" (FHWA-HRT-12-068). Variability in the roughness levels of jointed portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements can often be observed over short periods of time. This study demonstrated specialized analyses for quantifying the effect of curl and warp on the roughness of jointed PCC pavements using profile data from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Specific Pavement Studies (SPS)-2 site in Arizona. The study sought to quantify and explain changes in the International Roughness Index (IRI) observed over time on the LTPP SPS-2 site in Arizona using methods that were applied to other sites. The study analyzed the profiles in detail by calculating their IRI values, examining the spatial distribution of roughness within them, viewing them with post-processing filters, and examining their spectral properties. The study also attempted to relate changes in IRI over time to design variables, maintenance history, and observations of distress. Traditional profile analyses revealed roughness caused by transverse and longitudinal cracking as well as some localized roughness caused by built-in defects on some test sections. However, the analyses showed that curl and warp contributed to, and in some cases dominated, the roughness on many test sections. In addition, roughness did not increase steadily with time because of diurnal and seasonal changes in slab curl and warp. KW - Arizona KW - Concrete pavements KW - Curling (Pavements) KW - International Roughness Index KW - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program KW - Roughness KW - Specific Pavement Studies (LTPP) KW - Warpage UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/ltpp/13040/13040.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251701 ER - TY - SER AN - 01483373 JO - TechBrief PB - Federal Highway Administration TI - Guidelines for Sampling, Assessing, and Restoring Defective Grout in Prestressed Concrete Bridge Post-Tensioning Ducts PY - 2013/05 SP - 6p AB - This document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration report, "Guidelines for Sampling, Assessing, and Restoring Defective Grout in Prestressed Concrete Bridge Post-Tensioning Ducts" (FHWA-HRT-13-028). The objectives of this study were to provide recommended guidance for grout sampling, testing, data analysis, and interpretation of results and to propose courses of action by State transportation departments where grout deficiencies are identified. Grout is a cementitious material typically used to provide corrosion protection to the prestressing strands used in post-tensioned (PT) concrete bridges. Based on collected information and data analysis, State transportation departments can evaluate if grout deficiencies are present in the tendons of their PT bridges and determine the significance of those deficiencies. Durability concerns associated with PT tendons were raised as early as 1999. Tendon failures were seen in some PT bridges as a result of strand corrosion due to the collection of bleed water in grout voids at tendon profile locations like anchorages and crest areas. While the development of prepackaged thixotropic grout was thought to provide a solution to the bleed water problem, corrosion-caused tendon failures on relatively new PT bridges have occurred, and the forensic studies performed to-date have revealed separation and segregation of grout materials as well as the presence of soft material, free water, and high chloride, and sulfate content in some instances. Consequently, it is important to examine the overall quality of materials and construction for some in-place grouts in existing PT bridges. The product of this study is a guide for State transportation departments to employ in sampling in-place grouts from tendons in PT bridges. KW - Corrosion protection KW - Grout KW - Guidelines KW - Posttensioning KW - Prestressed concrete bridges KW - Sampling KW - State departments of transportation KW - Tendons (Materials) UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/bridge/13027/13027.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251705 ER - TY - SER AN - 01483309 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Pickrell, Timothy M AU - Ye, Tony Jianqiang TI - Motorcycle Helmet Use in 2012—Overall Results PY - 2013/05 SP - 5p AB - Use of U.S. Department of Transportation-compliant motorcycle helmets decreased to 60% in 2012 from 66% in 2011, but the decrease is not statically significant. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), the only survey that provides nationwide probability-based observed data on helmet use in the United States. The NOPUS is conducted by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The motorcycle helmet use trend has been relatively flat over the last five years. The 2012 survey also found the following: (1) Helmet use among motorcycle passengers decreased significantly to 46% in 2012 from 64% in 2011; and (2) Helmet use continued to be significantly higher in States that require all motorcyclists to be helmeted than in other States. KW - Motorcycle helmets KW - Motorcyclists KW - National Occupant Protection Use Survey KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811759.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251861 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483074 AU - Lajnef, Nizar AU - Chatti, Karim AU - Chakrabartty, Shantanu AU - Rhimi, Mohamed AU - Sarkar, Pikul AU - Michigan State University, East Lansing AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Smart Pavement Monitoring System PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 150p AB - This report describes the efforts undertaken to develop a novel self-powered strain sensor for continuous structural health monitoring of pavement systems under the Federal Highway Administration. Efforts focused on designing and testing a sensing system that consists of a novel self-powered wireless sensor capable of detecting damage and loading history for pavement structures. The developed system is based on the integration of a piezoelectric transducer with an array of ultra-low power floating gate computational circuits. A miniaturized sensor was developed and tested. The sensor is capable of continuous battery-less monitoring of strain events integrated over the occurrence duration time. The work conducted under this project resulted in the following: A. The development of a sensor that has the following attributes: (1) Self-powered, continuous, and autonomous sensing; (2) autonomous computation and non-volatile storage of sensing variables; (3) small size such that it can be installed using existing installation procedures that are accepted by State highway agencies and will not constitute a major disruption to current practices; (4) wireless communication to eliminate the need for embedding wires in the pavement structure and the use of fixed data acquisition systems on the side of the road; (5) robustness to withstand harsh loading and environmental conditions during initial construction and throughout the life of the pavement; and (6) the ability of integration in large-scale sensor networks. B. The manufacturing of the sensor electronics and the characterization of their basic functionalities in a laboratory setting. C. The design and characterization of the self-powering scheme based on piezoelectric transduction. D. The design and testing of a robust packaging system to withstand loading and environmental conditions for field implementation. E. The development of a sensor-specific data interpretation algorithm for predicting remaining fatigue life of a pavement structure using cumulative limited compressed strain data stored in the sensor memory. KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement management systems KW - Pavement performance KW - Smart sensors KW - Strain (Mechanics) KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/12072/12072.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251704 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483045 AU - Finley, Melisa D AU - Ullman, Gerald L AU - Miles, Jeffrey D AU - Pratt, Michael P AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Studies to Assess the Impact of Nighttime Work Zone Lighting on Motorists PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 84p AB - This report describes the methodology and results of analyses performed to assess the impact of work zone lighting on motorists. Field studies were conducted to provide insight into how drivers’ eyes react to typical temporary work zone lighting configurations in Texas compared to standard lighting situations (i.e., no lighting and standard fixed lighting). Researchers also conducted closed-course studies to evaluate the impact of various work zone lighting scenarios upon the ability of drivers to detect low-contrast objects (e.g., debris) and workers. The findings from these studies, as well as information from a literature review and review of other state agency specifications, were used to develop work zone lighting guidelines for nighttime operations that considered both worker and motorist needs. KW - Automobile drivers KW - Field studies KW - Guidelines KW - Highway safety KW - Lighting KW - Methodology KW - Night visibility KW - Texas KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zones UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6641-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251708 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483044 AU - Banks, Joy O AU - Wenzel, Brenda M AU - Avers, Katrina E AU - Hauck, E L AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Kenexa, Incorporated TI - An Evaluation of Aviation Maintenance Fatigue Countermeasures Training PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 22p AB - A major airline volunteered to help the Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) test a fatigue countermeasures training adapted for maintenance employees by providing employee participants and a training facility. The three-hour classroom training was developed, delivered, and evaluated by CAMI. Written tests and self-reports were used in the evaluation of the training to measure changes in employee knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding fatigue and how to manage the associated risk. Questionnaires were administered up to one week before training, at the end of training, and six weeks following training. The training was effective in increasing employees’ general fatigue knowledge. Training also had an immediate positive affect on employees’ awareness of the importance in and commitment toward managing fatigue; however, their commitment, motivation, and self-efficacy toward fatigue management significantly declined six weeks following training. At follow-up, there were increases in consistent use of a few good sleep routine habits and avoidance of the majority of sleep routine and health and fitness bad habits, but there was no real impact on good work-life habits. Additionally, the occurrence of good work-life habits declined. Follow-up results suggest the maintenance organization needs to better support fatigue management in the work environment to realize long-term organizational benefits of fatigue countermeasures training. A computer-based version of the fatigue countermeasures training is available online (MXfatigue.com) at no cost. KW - Aircraft KW - Aviation safety KW - Countermeasures KW - Evaluation KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Training UR - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2010s/media/201309.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251690 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483042 AU - McCauley, Darendia AU - Peterson, L Sarah AU - King, S Janine AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Xyant Technology, Incorporated AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Development and Utility of the Front Line Manager’s Quick Reference Guide PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 23p AB - Air traffic control Front Line Manager’s (FLMs) influence the prevention of operational incidents (OIs) and runway incursions (RIs) through practices that enable safe controller performance and mitigate problems related to specific contributing factors, including controller coordination, controller-pilot communication, and controller memory. Proximity and frequent interactions with controllers in the operational environment place FLMs in a unique position to impact air traffic safety through managing controller performance and by mitigating OIs and RIs as common contributing factors. With this understanding of the FLM role, the Human Factors Division (ANG-C1), Booz Allen Hamilton (contractor), and Air Traffic Organization (ATO) developed the Front Line Managers Quick Reference Guide (QRG). The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) subsequently helped the ATO with the reorganization of materials. The guide was intended to provide a management best practices format specific to air traffic control to assist FLMs perform their job. To determine the utility of the QRG, CAMI and ATO developed and administered a survey of FLMs. The survey also provided the ATO with a basis for additions or deletions to the QRG as it related to the specific factors that contribute to OIs and RIs. This report documents the development, implementation, and subsequent survey of the QRG for front line managers. The survey was designed for use by all field FLMs. Suggestions and recommendations from survey respondents are provided, which can keep the guide both current and relevant. KW - Air traffic controllers KW - Aviation safety KW - Best practices KW - Handbooks KW - Managerial personnel KW - Personnel performance KW - Runway incursions KW - Supervision KW - Surveys UR - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2010s/media/201310.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251694 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482922 AU - Elsasser, Devin AU - Barickman, Frank S AU - Albrecht, Heath AU - Church, Jason AU - Xu, Guogang AU - Heitz, Mark AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Tractor Semitrailer Stability Objective Performance Test Research – Yaw Stability PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 143p AB - This report documents the results from heavy-vehicle stability control (SC) system testing conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) in 2008 and 2009. Tractor semitrailer SC research was conducted in three phases. Phase I (2006-2007) focused on understanding how heavy-vehicle stability control systems performed on the test track. Phase II (2007-2008) focused on the development of a dynamic test maneuver to challenge a tractor semitrailer's roll propensity. This report documents Phase III research focused on the test track development of objective performance test maneuvers to challenge tractor semitrailers yaw stability. Phase III of research focused on developing performance tests that challenged the capabilities of a tractor-based stability control system designed to mitigate loss-of-control situations related to tractor semitrailer yaw stability. Evaluated were automated maneuvers called the Sine With Dwell (SWD), Half-Sine With Dwell (HSWD), Ramp With Dwell (RWD), Ramp Steer Maneuver (RSM), 150 ft. Brake-in-Curve (BIC), and Slowly Increasing Steer (SIS). These maneuvers are representative of lane-change, obstacle-avoidance, or negotiating-a-curve crash scenarios. Using these maneuvers, three tractors (four stability conditions), and four trailers were tested, with and without stability control enabled. Tractors and SC systems were evaluated in bobtail and loaded conditions (in combination with the trailers), on high-friction dry asphalt and reduced-friction Jennite test surfaces. To keep the test matrices manageable, all maneuvers and tractors were evaluated with a single trailer for loaded test conditions. Data from these series was then used to select a surface, loading condition, and a reduced set of maneuvers with which to evaluate stability of the tractors combined with other trailers. Using data from this test track research, several measures of performance (MOPs) were identified to have merit in evaluation of heavy-vehicle stability control systems. MOPs for both engine/power unit control and foundation braking were identified. Further, the SIS, RSM, and SWD test maneuvers were observed to be good performance maneuvers for evaluating tractor-trailer stability. KW - Directional stability KW - Electronic stability control KW - Loss of control KW - Performance measurement KW - Roll stability control KW - Tractor trailer combinations KW - Trucking safety KW - Yaw UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash Avoidance/Technical Publications/2013/811734.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251339 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482919 AU - Lee, John D AU - Moeckli, Jane AU - Brown, Timothy L AU - Roberts, Shannon C AU - Schwarz, Chris AU - Yekhshatyan, Lora AU - Nadler, Eric AU - Liang, Yulan AU - Victor, Trent AU - Marshall, Dawn AU - Davis, Claire AU - University of Iowa, Iowa City AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Distraction Detection and Mitigation Through Driver Feedback PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 166p AB - Despite government efforts to regulate distracted driving, distraction-related fatalities and injuries continue to increase. Manufacturers are introducing real-time driver monitoring systems that detect risk from distracted driving and warn drivers; however, little is known about these systems. This report identifies evaluation techniques to characterize and assess these emerging technologies, presents results of their application, develops a framework for estimating systems’ safety benefits, and provides safety relevant information to guide technology development. A standardized language for describing and differentiating systems was created, and its application revealed key trends in the design landscape. A novel approach to detection that provides prospective indications of safety-critical vehicle state changes is described. Two evaluation protocols were developed and to provide empirical assessments of (1) detection algorithm performance and (2) the effect of mitigations on driver performance and acceptance. The protocol included driving on different types of roadways and performing secondary tasks in the high-fidelity NADS-1 driving simulator. Four progressively complex distraction detection algorithms were compared to evaluate the ability of vehicle-based systems to distinguish between distracted and non-distracted drivers. Algorithm performance varied across road types and distraction tasks. A safety benefits framework appropriate for distraction mitigation systems is proposed that expands on past benefit analyses. KW - Acceptance KW - Algorithms KW - Countermeasures KW - Distraction KW - Driver feedback KW - Driver information systems KW - Driver performance KW - Driving simulators KW - Evaluation KW - Highway safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash Avoidance/Technical Publications/2013/811547A.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251342 ER - TY - SER AN - 01482916 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Vehicle Safety Research Notes PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Comparing Distraction Mitigation Methods: Post-Drive and Real-Time PY - 2013/05 SP - 2p AB - In-vehicle distraction mitigation systems are designed to provide feedback to drivers about their level of distraction and associated driving performance. There are two main types of distraction mitigation methods: real-time feedback and post-drive feedback. Both types of mitigation methods differ in timescale and objective. Real-time distraction mitigation feedback is provided as the vehicle is being driven whereas post-drive feedback is provided at the end of the drive. Real-time, or concurrent, feedback redirects drivers’ attention to the roadway when distraction thresholds are exceeded. This most common form of distraction mitigation feedback may have an immediate impact on driving performance, but may not affect drivers’ willingness to engage in distracting tasks. Post-drive, or retrospective, feedback aims to change driver behavior based on prior driving performance. The method displays patterns of behavior and performance to the driver that may better target attitudinal and cultural change regarding distracted driving. A comparison of these two feedback methods was conducted to provide insight into the effect of timescale and feedback form on short-term and long-term driving performance and behavior. In addition to changing drivers’ attitude and performance, it is important to ensure that drivers accept the system and trust its output. Thus, the study focused on the effectiveness of each mitigation method based on driving behavior, planned behavior, and user acceptance. KW - Countermeasures KW - Distraction KW - Driver feedback KW - Drivers KW - Highway safety KW - Post drive feedback KW - Real time information UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash Avoidance/Technical Publications/2013/811549.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251341 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482906 AU - Evans, Larry R AU - Matthies, Blake AU - Karmarkar, Uday AU - MacIsaac, James D AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Two-Ply Laminate Fatigue Life of New, Field-Retrieved, and Laboratory-Aged Light-Vehicle Tires PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 67p AB - This report is the seventh in a series of scientific reports intended to provide an understanding of the degradation of light vehicle tires during on-vehicle service. The report series was used to guide the agency’s development of a laboratory-based accelerated service life test for light-vehicle tires (i.e., “tire aging test”). The two-ply laminate fatigue test was one test used to quantify the level of degradation in tire belt package during on-vehicle service in Phoenix, Arizona, and to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed roadwheel tire aging methods. Preliminary data analysis showed that cycles to failure or log of cycles to failure at any of these strains had no statistically significant correlation to tire type, age, or mileage. However, since the test machine runs in “load control,” small differences in the amount of strain experienced by each sample per unit load can result in large differences in input energy (load x displacement) over the many tens or hundreds of thousands of cycles to failure. As a result, the test laboratory, ARDL, Inc., developed a new analytical technique to calculate the cycles to failure at an average energy input of 500 N-mm. This would allow for comparisons of test results between samples from the same tire, and samples from different tires. Of the six tire models collected from service in Phoenix, Arizona, only five had a sufficient number of tires available for advanced test methods such as two-ply laminate. Within these five tire models, three showed a relatively strong correlation of the “Cycles to Failure at 500 N-mm” variable to both the mileage and age variables, with a general reduction in the cycles to failure with increasing age and mileage. Excessive scatter resulted in no correlation for the other two tire models. New versions of the six tire models collected from Phoenix, Arizona, were subjected to the two-ply analysis following one of two laboratory roadwheel aging tests. Five of the six tire models showed a relatively strong correlation to time in both roadwheel tests for the Cycles to Failure at 500 N-mm, with cycles to failure decreasing with increasing test duration. In sharp contrast, the “Type B” BFGoodrich tire model, the smallest and lightest tire of the group, was almost completely insensitive to roadwheel aging. No explanation for this anomalous behavior was apparent. Overall, the results suggest that use of the two-ply laminate test in conjunction with the Average Input Energy method can be useful in determining tire belt package fatigue properties. In the end, due to the complexity and limitations of the test, as well as the variability of the results, the authors chose not to continue use of this test in subsequent phases of the project. KW - Accelerated tests KW - Aging (Materials) KW - Fatigue tests KW - Light vehicles KW - Service life KW - Tires UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Vehicle Research & Test Center (VRTC)/ca/Crash Avoidance Publications/811758.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251340 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482905 AU - Bowman, Darrell AU - Baker, Stephanie AU - Stone, Scott AU - Doerzaph, Zac AU - Hanowski, Rich AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Development of Performance Requirements for Commercial Vehicle Safety Applications PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 101p AB - The U.S. Department of Transportation is conducting research to accelerate the widespread adoption of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology in commercial vehicles such as heavy trucks and buses. The widespread deployment of V2V safety is dependent on understanding the effectiveness of safety applications. The objective of this study was to determine the high-level performance requirements for potential V2V safety applications that are appropriate for commercial vehicles. This objective was accomplished via a 9-month project that involved reviewing literature covering collision avoidance systems currently available on heavy commercial vehicles, interviewing commercial vehicle industry representatives (manufacturers, suppliers, and fleet operators) to determine suitable crash avoidance technologies for the V2V communication, and identifying and developing high-level performance requirements for the selected commercial vehicle safety applications. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Performance measurement KW - Transit safety KW - Trucking safety KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash Avoidance/Technical Publications/2013/811772.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251338 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482904 AU - Lee, John D AU - Moeckli, Jane AU - Brown, Timothy L AU - Roberts, Shannon C AU - Schwarz, Chris AU - Yekhshatyan, Lora AU - Nadler, Eric AU - Liang, Yulan AU - Victor, Trent AU - Marshall, Dawn AU - Davis, Claire AU - University of Iowa, Iowa City AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Distraction Detection and Mitigation Through Driver Feedback Appendices PY - 2013/05//Final Report Appendices SP - 283p AB - Despite government efforts to regulate distracted driving, distraction-related fatalities and injuries continue to increase. Manufacturers are introducing real-time driver monitoring systems that detect risk from distracted driving and warn drivers; however, little is known about these systems. This report identifies evaluation techniques to characterize and assess these emerging technologies, presents results of their application, develops a framework for estimating systems’ safety benefits, and provides safety relevant information to guide technology development. A standardized language for describing and differentiating systems was created, and its application revealed key trends in the design landscape. A novel approach to detection that provides prospective indications of safety-critical vehicle state changes is described. Two evaluation protocols were developed and to provide empirical assessments of (1) detection algorithm performance and (2) the effect of mitigations on driver performance and acceptance. The protocol included driving on different types of roadways and performing secondary tasks in the high-fidelity NADS-1 driving simulator. Four progressively complex distraction detection algorithms were compared to evaluate the ability of vehicle-based systems to distinguish between distracted and non-distracted drivers. Algorithm performance varied across road types and distraction tasks. A safety benefits framework appropriate for distraction mitigation systems is proposed that expands on past benefit analyses. These are the appendices to the main report. KW - Acceptance KW - Algorithms KW - Countermeasures KW - Distraction KW - Driver feedback KW - Driver information systems KW - Driver performance KW - Driving simulators KW - Evaluation KW - Highway safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash Avoidance/Technical Publications/2013/811547B.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251345 ER - TY - SER AN - 01482903 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Vehicle Safety Research Notes PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Distraction Detection Algorithm Evaluation PY - 2013/05 SP - 3p AB - In the past 10 years, several algorithms for detecting distraction have emerged. However, there has been no uniform method for assessing and comparing these algorithms to identify which algorithms are most promising and what interventions each algorithm might support. This study demonstrates a protocol for distraction detection algorithm assessment. The protocol consists of a data collection process that samples a selection of drivers 25 to 50 years old, driving situations (urban, rural, freeway), and representative distractions (turning, looking and reaching, looking and touching, and cognitive) designed to challenge the algorithms in a variety of ways and reveal their capabilities and vulnerabilities. The data was collected using a high-fidelity, motion-based driving simulator (NADS-1) equipped with eye- and head-tracking hardware; active feedback on steering wheel, brake pedal, and accelerator pedal; and a fully operational dashboard. Data were interpreted relative to evaluation metrics from signal detection theory. KW - Algorithms KW - Distraction KW - Driving simulators KW - Evaluation KW - Highway safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash Avoidance/Technical Publications/2013/811548.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251343 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482572 AU - Ngamdung, Tashi AU - daSilva, Marco AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Driver Behavior Analysis at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings using Field Operational Test Data—Light Vehicles PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 52p 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 focused on collecting and analyzing data related to driver behavior at or on approach to highway-rail grade crossings. Volpe Center reviewed and coded 4,215 grade crossing events involving light vehicle drivers collected during a recent field operational test of vehicle safety systems. The data collected for each grade crossing included information about drivers’ activities, driver and vehicle performance, driving environment, and vehicle location at or on approach to highway-rail grade crossings. One of the findings of the data analysis was that, on average, drivers were likely to engage in secondary tasks 46.7 percent of the time. Additionally, results showed that drivers failed to look either left or right on approach to passive grade crossings approximately 35 percent of the time. The ultimate objective of this research study is to assess basic driver behavior at highway-rail grade crossings so as to identify potential driver education/awareness strategies that would best mitigate risky driver behavior at grade crossings. KW - Behavior KW - Data collection KW - Distraction KW - Drivers KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Risk taking KW - Traffic violations KW - Video data UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3189 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251183 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482571 AU - Federal Railroad Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Research and Development Strategic Plan: FY2013-FY2017 PY - 2013/05 SP - 23p AB - This plan describes the strategy through which the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) research and development (R&D) program will support the Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) mission and goals. Safety is the DOT’s primary strategic goal and thus, the principal driver of FRA’s R&D program. FRA’s R&D program also contributes to other DOT strategic goals because safety-focused projects typically yield solutions that advance state of good repair, economic competitiveness, and environmental sustainability. The R&D program also has an important role to play in workforce development. KW - Personnel development KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad transportation KW - Research KW - Strategic planning KW - United States UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3184 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251186 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482568 AU - Witte, Matthew AU - Wilson, Nicholas AU - Fries, Robert AU - Wu, Huimin AU - Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Railroad Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Comparison of FRA Regulations to International High-Speed Rail Standards PY - 2013/05 SP - 158p AB - This report compares international standards with selected parts of Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Code of Federal Regulation Title 49 CFR Transportation. The parts were preselected by FRA and are meant to reflect those areas of the regulations that most influence operational safety. The comparisons in this paper identify gaps and open points relative to European standards. Notable differences were found in the areas of vehicle track interaction, noise, safety glazing, locomotive safety, locomotive crashworthiness, aerodynamics, and emergency exit requirements. The report also reviews the more accessible Far East standards from China, Taiwan, and Japan. Transportation Technology Center, Inc., recommends formal translation and study of the Korean standards at a later time, possibly in conjunction with a study of railroad regulations in India, Central Asia, and Australia. KW - Aerodynamics KW - China KW - Crashworthiness KW - Europe KW - High speed rail KW - International KW - Japan KW - Locomotives KW - Noise KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad tracks KW - Regulations KW - South Korea KW - Standards KW - Taiwan KW - United States Code. Title 49 UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3193 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251184 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482565 AU - Saat, M R AU - Barkan, C P L AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Federal Railroad Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Investigating Technical Challenges and Research Needs Related to Shared Corridors for High-Speed Passenger and Railroad Freight Operations PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 133p AB - The development of both incremental and dedicated high-speed rail lines in the United States poses a number of questions. Despite nearly 50 years of international experience in planning, designing, building and operating high-speed passenger infrastructure and rolling stock, there is a range of problems partially or completely unique to North America. Successful development of expanded higher speed, and new, very high-speed rail, will require careful analysis and, in many cases, research to develop satisfactory solutions. The questions involve a range of engineering, operational, economic, and institutional aspects. This report introduces various technical challenges related to shared high-speed passenger and freight rail corridors, describes an effort to prioritize the challenges, and presents an in-depth literature review of the high-priority challenges to identify existing research and future research needs. KW - Freight trains KW - High speed rail KW - Literature reviews KW - Research needs KW - Shared corridors KW - Strategic planning KW - United States UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3194 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251185 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482564 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Motorcycles PY - 2013/05 SP - 8p AB - In 2011, 4,612 motorcyclists were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes—an increase of 2 percent from the 4,518 motorcyclists killed in 2010. There were 81,000 motorcyclists injured during 2011, a slight decrease from 82,000 in 2010. In 2011, two-wheeled motorcycles accounted for 94 percent of motorcycle body types in fatal crashes. In 2011, motorcyclists accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, 17 percent of all occupant fatalities, and 4 percent of all occupants injured. Motorcycles made up 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States in 2011 and accounted for only 0.6 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. Per vehicle mile traveled in 2011, motorcyclists were over 30 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 5 times more likely to be injured. Per registered vehicle, the fatality rate for motorcyclists in 2011 was 6 times the fatality rate for passenger car occupants. The injury rate for motorcyclists was about the same as the injury rate for passenger car occupants. Additional statistics on motorcyclist involvement in traffic accidents in 2011 are provided in this traffic safety fact sheet. KW - Crash injuries KW - Fatalities KW - Motorcycle crashes KW - Motorcyclists KW - Registrations KW - Statistics KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811765.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251360 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482458 AU - Zornberg, Jorge AU - Armstrong, Christian AU - Plaisted, Michael AU - Walker, Trevor M AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Swelling of Highly Plastic Clays Under Centrifuge Loading PY - 2013/05 SP - 10p AB - This document details the steps taken to test compacted soil under centrifuge loading. Steps described include: soil preparation, permeameter cup preparation, soil sample compaction, permeameter cup assembly, seating load and compression cycles, and test termination. KW - Centrifuges KW - Compacted soils KW - Permeameters KW - Swelling UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/5-6048-01-P2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251113 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482298 AU - Kockelman, Kara AU - Fagnant, Dan AU - Nichols, Brice AU - Boyles, Steve AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Project Evaluation Toolkit (PET) for Abstracted Networks: Final Implementation Report PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 44p AB - This report summarizes the research completed for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Project No. 5-6235-01 and discusses the implications and future applications of the work. This project extended the capabilities of the Project Evaluation Toolkit (PET), while introducing the software to a large network of potential users across the state of Texas. The research team provided multiple training and demonstration sessions in various locations, garnering interest and feedback from the staff of metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) and other agencies. Multiple case studies were produced on various metro-area networks, providing additional resources for demonstrating the Toolkit’s capabilities and creating “tutorials” for teaching PET to new users. Along with these analyses, the research team gathered feedback from presentation attendees, which helped shape further development of the Toolkit by refining features and developing new capabilities. KW - Case studies KW - Construction projects KW - Evaluation KW - Highway projects KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Software KW - Texas UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/5-6235-01-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250798 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482297 AU - Koch, Scott AU - Huntington, George AU - Ksaibati, Khaled AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Wyoming Department of Transportation AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Performance of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement on Unpaved Roads PY - 2013/05 SP - 170p AB - As the volume of traffic on unpaved roads in Wyoming increases with increased drilling activities, dust loss and surface distresses will continue to rise. It would make sense to pave some of these roads, but many counties cannot afford these expensive operations especially when future traffic volumes on these roads are unknown. An alternative option needs to be explored that will reduce dust loss and associated surface distresses. Recycled or reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has been used as a surfacing additive on Wyoming’s unpaved roads, streets, and alleys for many years. Recent state legislation compensates the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) for RAP donated to Wyoming counties. WYDOT and local agencies need to evaluate the performance of blended RAP and virgin aggregate as a surfacing material for unpaved roads. Therefore, it is the intent of this research project to determine the feasibility of using RAP blends as surfacing material with a particular emphasis on its ability to reduce dust loss while maintaining road serviceability. Section 1 of this report describes the reasons this project was undertaken and how it will satisfy the problems laid out. Section 2 describes the use of reclaimed and RAP. It also describes issues involving gravel roads and dust control. Section 3 describes the procedures used to meet this study’s objectives, including descriptions of the test sites and construction procedures. Section 4 describes the performance of the test sections, focusing on fugitive dust emissions and roadway surface conditions as evaluated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) unsurfaced road condition index (URCI) evaluation procedure (Eaton and Beaucham 1992). Section 5 compares the cost effectiveness of using RAP as a surfacing additive for unpaved roads with RAP’s use in hot mix asphalt pavement and as road base. Section 6 briefly summarizes the discussions presented in sections 3, 4, and 5, presenting an overall view of this study’s findings. Section 7 provides advice as to how the findings of this study should be implemented. The appendices provide additional information and data that support the descriptions and conclusions presented in the body of this report, along with a list of abbreviations used in this report and their meanings. KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Dust control KW - Gravel roads KW - Paving KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements KW - Recycled materials KW - Surface course (Pavements) KW - Unpaved roads KW - Wyoming UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC13-251.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47900/47909/MPC13-251.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251065 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482288 AU - Zhang, Zhanmin AU - Murphy, Michael R AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Web-Based Pavement Performance and Maintenance Management and GIS Mapping System for Easy Access to Pavement Condition Information: Final Report PY - 2013/05 SP - 15p AB - State Departments of Transportation, including the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), have long been moving towards the development and implementation of pavement management systems that would enable monitoring of the performance of their roadways, as well as assist transportation officials with maintenance budget allocation and planning decisions. Various past attempts focused on using the available performance databases as well as state-of-the-art concepts for the development of such systems. Texas’s unique characteristics, the most predominant of which is the vast size of the managed pavement network—79,696 centerline miles of highways including 49,829 bridges—have made some of the decision support models and/or algorithms a challenge to implement. This report presents a new approach to the development of such a decision-support system with its focus on maintenance management for TxDOT. The new system is web-based and provides functional capabilities that allow transportation officials and engineers to make informed decisions regarding their budget planning and budget allocation for pavement maintenance management, fully utilizing available historical data. The developed system has been successfully pilot-tested in TxDOT’s Dallas District. KW - Budgeting KW - Decision support systems KW - Maintenance management KW - Pavement management systems KW - Texas KW - Texas Department of Transportation UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/5-9035-01-P1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250799 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482286 AU - Celoza, Amelia AU - Weimert, Kayla AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Compendium of Student Papers: 2012 Undergraduate Transportation Scholars Program PY - 2013/05 SP - 56p AB - This report is a compilation of research papers written by students participating in the 2012 Undergraduate Transportation Scholars Program. The 10-week summer program, now in its 22nd year, provides undergraduate students in Civil Engineering the opportunity to learn about transportation engineering through participating in sponsored transportation research projects. The program design allows students to interact directly with a Texas A&M University faculty member or Texas A&M Transportation Institute researcher in developing a research proposal, conducting valid research, and documenting the research results through oral presentations and research papers. The papers in this compendium report on the following topics: 1) Analysis of Factors Influencing Run-off Road Crashes on Horizontal Curves; and 2) Impact of Nighttime Work Zone Lighting on Motorists’ Detection of Objects. KW - Geometric design KW - Highway curves KW - Highway safety KW - Lighting KW - Night KW - Ran off road crashes KW - Work zones UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/compendiums/600451-00003-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250796 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482284 AU - Moses, Ren AU - Mtoi, Enock AU - FAMU-FSU College of Engineering AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Free Flow Speeds on Interrupted Flow Facilities PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 65p AB - The efficacy of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) simple model of predicting segment free flow speed by adding 5 miles per hour (mph) to the posted speed limit was compared to the performance of the new 2010 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM 2010) procedure which predicts free flow speed using posted speed limit and eight additional variables, i.e., the proportion of segment length with restrictive median, the proportion of segment with curb on the right-hand side, the number of access point approaches on the right side in the subject direction of travel, the number of access point approaches on the right side in the opposing direction of travel, the segment length, the width of the signalized intersection, the number of through lanes, and the distance between intersections. One-year speed data from 84 traffic monitoring sites located on interrupted flow facilities with speed limit ranging from 25 mph to 55 mph were used in the study. In addition, 3-day speed data were collected from 20 sites in the City of Tallahassee. Field mean free flow speed was determined for each analysis segment as well as the above geometric and traffic attributes required by HCM 2010 to predict free flow speed. The analyses were conducted separately for major arterial segments and for minor arterial segments. The comparison of the performance of the HCM 2010 and the FDOT free flow speed prediction models using root mean square error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination (R-squared) showed that the FDOT simple formula of determining free flow speed performed better than HCM 2010 procedure which requires nine input variables to predict free flow speed. In both principal arterials and minor arterials, the HCM 2010 methodology under-predicted free flow speed when field estimated free-flow speed was higher than 40 mph. Consequently, the use of free flow speed predicted by the HCM 2010 model in level of service (LOS) analysis in some cases produced lower LOS compared to the use of field measured free flow speed. KW - Arterial highways KW - Florida KW - Free flow speeds KW - Highway Capacity Manual 2010 KW - Interrupted flow KW - Level of service KW - Mathematical models KW - Tallahassee (Florida) UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PL/FDOT-BDK83-977-18-rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251062 ER - TY - SER AN - 01482185 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Crash Stats PB - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2012 PY - 2013/05 SP - 3p AB - A statistical projection of traffic fatalities shows that an estimated 34,080 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2012. This represents an increase of about 5.3 percent as compared to the 32,367 fatalities that occurred in 2011. If these projections are realized, 2012 will be first year with a year-to-year increase in fatalities since 2005. Traffic fatalities have been steadily declining over the previous six years since reaching a near-term peak in 2005, decreasing by about 26 percent from 2005 to 2011. Also, in 2012, fatalities increased in the first (up 12.6%), second (up 5.3%), third (up 3.2%) and fourth (up 1.7 %) quarters, as compared to the respective quarters in 2011. Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2012 increased by about 9.1 billion miles, or about a 0.3-percent increase. On a quarterly basis, the 2012 VMT increased by 1.4 percent and by 0.8 percent in the first and second quarter, respectively, and decreased by 0.2 percent and by 0.7 percent in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. The fatality rate, per 100 million VMT, for 2012 is projected to increase to 1.16 fatalities per 100 million VMT, up from 1.10 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2011. This rate surpasses the rate of 1.15 last reported in 2009. KW - Fatalities KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811741.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250301 ER - TY - SER AN - 01482131 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Single-Unit Straight Trucks in Traffic Crashes PY - 2013/05 SP - 7p AB - Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and General Estimates System (GES) show that, in 2011, about 3% of fatal crashes, 1.7% of injury crashes, and 2% of property-damage-only (PDO) crashes involved single-unit trucks (SUTs). Crashes involving SUTs killed 1,064 people and injured about 38,000 people. Additionally, about 87,000 SUTs were involved in crashes that resulted in major property damage. Most of the people who died or received injuries in SUT crashes were occupants of other vehicles, bicyclists, or pedestrians rather than the occupants of SUTs. In the majority of fatal, injury, and PDO crashes, the first property-damaging or injury-producing event was an SUT’s collision with another vehicle on the roadway or in motion, rather than with a fixed or non-fixed object. Such a collision was also the most harmful event, i.e., the event that caused the most severe property damage or injury, in a large majority of fatal, injury, and PDO crashes. Rollover of an SUT was not a common occurrence. KW - Crash data KW - Crash injuries KW - Fatalities KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucks UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811740.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250942 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482128 AU - Theiss, LuAnn AU - Bligh, Roger AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Worker Safety During Operations with Mobile Attenuators PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 70p AB - While most transportation agencies are very familiar with truck-mounted attenuators, trailer-mounted attenuators are increasing in popularity. There is a concern for the level of protection that attenuators provide for workers when they are mounted on trailers compared to trucks. This research evaluated and compared the level of protection provided to workers by truck-mounted and trailer-mounted attenuators. No crash testing was conducted; instead, the researchers used existing crash test report data for the comparison. The researchers found that the use of heavier support vehicles for these mobile attenuators provided better protection for workers and recommend that TxDOT maintains the current policy of requiring 20,000 lb support vehicles, regardless of attenuator type. In addition, the researchers found that the concern of trailermounted attenuators swinging around may not be justified, given that post-impact trajectories of the impacting vehicles are similar to those reported during truck-mounted attenuator impact testing. KW - Crash cushions KW - Impact tests KW - Temporary barriers KW - Texas KW - Trailer swing KW - Trailers KW - Truck mounted attenuators KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zones UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6707-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250683 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482126 AU - Estakhri, Cindy AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Improving DMS 9210 Requirements for Limestone Rock Asphalt: Year One Interim Report PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 74p AB - Limestone Rock Asphalt (LRA) mixtures have been produced and placed for several decades using specification requirements currently listed under Texas Department of Transportation Departmental Materials Specification (DMS) 9210. Several Districts have had placement issues and premature failures at the beginning of 2010. These issues and failures have been attributed to material properties. Requirements for DMS 9210 have not changed for several years and need to be evaluated to possibly produce a higher quality material to reduce the occurrence of premature failures and to minimize placement issues. The objectives of the study are to (1) evaluate specification requirements of Item 330 and DMS 9210; (2) conduct field evaluations and lab testing to determine workability and acceptability as stockpile material for use as needed in pavement maintenance; and (3) consider improvements to the specification requirements to ensure an acceptable and workable stockpile material for up to 6 months. Twenty eight test patches were constructed around the state but none of the performance problems seen in 2010 were observed in the test sections. A review of production data indicates that one of the suppliers made some significant changes to the flux oil content during the time when the 2010 performance problems were noted. Tests have been identified in this Year One study which may be better indicators of LRA field performance. These tests are being fully explored in Year Two to determine their sensitivity to flux oil content and type. KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Asphalt rock KW - Field tests KW - Flux oil KW - Limestone KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement performance KW - Performance based specifications KW - Properties of materials KW - Texas UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6686-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250682 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482123 AU - Balogh, Jeno AU - Atadero, Rebecca AU - Metropolitan State University of Denver AU - Colorado State University, Fort Collins AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Fatigue Testing of Wood-Concrete Composite Beams PY - 2013/05 SP - 24p AB - Currently, wood-concrete composite structural members are usually applied in building structures. There are a relatively small number (in the low 100s) of known bridge applications involving wood-concrete composites. A problem with using these novel composite members in bridges with high traffic is that the fatigue behavior of the composite member under long-term repeated loading is not known. This report describes research performed in coordination with work at the University of Stuttgart, attempting to establish the S-N curve for fatigue loading of notched wood-concrete connections based on low/high-cycle, repeated loading tests. Experimental results are obtained on fourteen 1524 mm span composite beam specimens in which the wood and concrete are interconnected by embedded anchor screws at the notch locations. Five specimens are loaded statically while the others are cycled to failure with a maximum to minimum cyclic load ratio of 10. Points on the S-N curve are determined for three levels of the maximum load as a function of the average static failure load. Typical observed failure modes are block-shear of the wood at the notch and tension failure of the wood at mid-span. As a result, the obtained S-N curve could be proposed for future consideration in drafting design codes addressing the timber-concrete composite structures for bridges. KW - Beams KW - Bridge design KW - Composite materials KW - Concrete KW - Failure analysis KW - Fatigue tests KW - Load tests KW - Timber KW - Wood UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC13-252.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251067 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482119 AU - McVay, Michael AU - Tran, Khiem T AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Department of Transportation TI - Detection of Sinkholes or Anomalies Using Full Seismic Wave Fields PY - 2013/05//Final Report SP - 65p AB - This research presents an application of two-dimensional (2-D) time-domain waveform tomography for detection of embedded sinkholes and anomalies. The measured seismic surface wave fields were inverted using a full waveform inversion (FWI) technique, based on a finite-difference solution of 2_D elastic wave equations and Gauss-Newton inversion method. The key advantage of this approach was the ability to generate all possible wave propagation modes of seismic wave fields (body waves and Rayleigh waves) that were then compared with measured surface data to infer complex subsurface properties. Both the pressure wave (P-wave) and shear wave (S-wave) velocities were inverted independently and simultaneously. The FWI was applied to two synthetic and four real experimental data sets. The synthetic inversion results showed that the inversion was capable of detecting layering (e.g., strong over weak), and anomalies; in addition, the initial input velocity profile for the inversion was straightforward (i.e., linearly increasing with depth). The developed FWI algorithm could run on raw collected data with a minimum manual effort (no picking of first-arrival travel times). The inversion results of real data sets showed that the waveform analysis was able to delineate: (1) an embedded concrete culvert; (2) extent of multiple existing sink holes/chimneys; and (3) a complex profile with an embedded void (unknown at time of data collection) and highly variable bedrock both laterally and vertically. Independent invasive testing (standard penetration test, SPT, and cone penetration testing, CPT) was conducted to verify the seismic test results. Finally, for the cases presented, the 2-D full waveform inversion was found computationally practical, i.e., the results were achieved in 2-4 hours of computer time on a standard laptop computer. KW - Algorithms KW - Elastic waves KW - Field tests KW - Florida KW - Sinkholes KW - Tomography KW - Waveform analysis UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_GT/FDOT-BDK75-977-66-rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250681 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481640 AU - Zimmer, Richard AU - Fernando, Emmanuel AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Skid Measurements Used by TxDOT PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 108p AB - Accurate estimates of wet roadway friction are critical to the safety of the traveling public, project selection, and for managing the wet weather accident reduction program. Currently, Texas is the only state that uses a one-channel, torque-type wheel transducer to measure the drag force. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses the measured horizontal drag force and the computed value of the dynamic vertical wheel load to determine the skid number from its ASTM E274 friction measurement system. This research project evaluated TxDOT’s existing method for measuring pavement surface friction. Given the differences found in skid measurements from tests conducted to compare one- and two-channel locked-wheel skid systems, researchers investigated options for improving TxDOT’s current friction measurement method, particularly on nontangent sections where inertial loading effects were found to be most pronounced. Measuring the dynamic vertical test wheel load was the primary focus of this investigation. In addition, researchers investigated improvements that could enhance the overall operation of the TxDOT skid measurement systems and reduce maintenance costs. Researchers recommend that TxDOT convert its current fleet of one-channel locked-wheel skid trailers to two-channel systems that provide direct measurement of vertical load and consider purchasing at least one fixed-slip system to support project-level forensic investigations. KW - Friction KW - Friction tests KW - Measuring methods KW - Skidding KW - Testing equipment KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Wet weather KW - Wheel loads UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6619-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250294 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481635 AU - Persad, Khali R AU - Harrison, Rob AU - Khwaja, Nabeel AU - Loftus-Otway, Lisa AU - Kim, Dae Young AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Assessment of TxDOT Staffing for Project Development and Construction, and Project Backlog Analysis PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 153p AB - The objective of the work documented in this report was to examine full-time-equivalent (FTE) staffing needs for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) project development and construction, and analyze needs for backlogging projects, i.e., preparing construction plans in advance and keeping them at the ready for possible construction funding in the future. As TxDOT developed its long-term project development plans (PDP-2012 and PDP-2013), the research team provided support to the respective TxDOT task forces. In fiscal year (FY) 2011, the research team examined FTE needs for TxDOT project development and construction, and began to analyze needs for backlogging projects. In FY 2012 this work was continued to complete analyses requested by TxDOT as a result of additional complexities identified during development of PDP-2012, and to address changes in funding enacted by the 82nd Texas Legislature. KW - Construction projects KW - Development KW - Programming (Planning) KW - Project management KW - Selection and appointment KW - Texas Department of Transportation UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-6581-CT-5.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250553 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481629 AU - Persad, Khali R AU - Harrison, Rob AU - Khwaja, Nabeel AU - Loftus-Otway, Lisa AU - Kim, Dae Young AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - RTI Special Studies for TxDOT Administration in FY 2012 PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 135p AB - This research project was established by Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT’s) Research and Technology Implementation Office to address special studies required by the department’s Administration during FY 2012. Three tasks were completed and are documented. These three tasks were Task 12: Assessment of TxDOT FTEs for Project Development and Construction, and PS&E Backlog Analysis-Continuation; Task 13: Assessment of durations and staffing needs for environmental approvals; and Task 14: Development of a spreadsheet based model of S101 staffing needs for use by the TxDOT Modernization Team. KW - Development KW - Project management KW - Research projects KW - Selection and appointment KW - Spreadsheets KW - Texas Department of Transportation UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-6581-CT-4.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250555 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481515 AU - Witte, Matthew AU - Swearingen, Robert AU - Wilson, Nicholas AU - Fries, Robert AU - Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Testing Strategy PY - 2013/05 SP - 81p AB - This high-speed and intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) testing strategy addresses the requirements for testing of high-speed train sets and technology before introduction to the North American railroad system. The report documents the results of a survey of industry stakeholders on the requirements for testing HSIPR technologies worldwide. The report identifies all testing required for development of new technologies, assurance of existing technologies, characterization of new designs, and qualification of equipment. The report identifies the potential locations for each type of testing and evaluates the shortcomings, if any, of those test locations. The report includes rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimates of investment and operational test costs. It also provides ROM estimates of investment costs necessary to improve resources at Transportation Technology Center (TTC) so that researchers can test very high-speed rail (HSR) equipment. At a minimum, a high-speed siding and a body structural test facility should be added at TTC to meet the testing requirements of HSR for the United States. KW - Acceptance tests KW - Durability tests KW - High speed rail KW - Intercity transportation KW - Reliability KW - Rolling contact KW - Stakeholders KW - Surveys KW - Testing KW - Train track dynamics UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3183 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250352 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481433 AU - Martino, Michael AU - Doucette, Ann AU - Chase, Stephanie AU - Gabree, Scott AU - Railroad Research Foundation AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Defining Characteristics of Intentional Fatalities on Railway Rights-of-Way in the United States, 2007–2010 PY - 2013/05 SP - 39p AB - This report presents aggregate findings from 55 psychological autopsies of decedents who were identified as an intentional death (i.e., a suicide) on railroad rights-of-way between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2010. The goal of this study was to assess whether there are unique characteristics of individuals involved in suicides on railroad rights-of-way compared with individuals who complete suicide by other means. The aggregate findings show that this sample of suicides on railroad rights-of-way share much in common with samples of suicides by other means. Only a few notable unique characteristics were found in the former population: the cases are more significantly marked by both severe mental disorder and substance abuse, the individuals tend to live near railroad tracks, and they are possibly less likely to have access to firearms. Additionally, the majority of these completed suicides occurred in urban or suburban areas as opposed to rural areas. The information collected for this effort may provide valuable information for the development of countermeasures or other intervention plans to mitigate this issue on railroad rights-of-way. KW - Autopsies KW - Drug abuse KW - Mental disorders KW - Psychological aspects KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroads KW - Right of way (Land) KW - Suburbs KW - Suicide KW - Trespassers KW - Urban areas UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3182 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250351 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481255 AU - Wang, Li AU - Kolahdoozan, Sami AU - Seedah, Dan AU - Leite, Fernanda AU - Machemehl, Randy B AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Worker Safety in Very Short Duration Work Zone Operations: State of Practice and Risk Management Process PY - 2013/05//Technical Report SP - 125p AB - Very short duration maintenance operations (VSDOs) last for 15 minutes or less and usually involve operations such as removing an object from the roadway (either on the pavement or adjacent shoulder) or pothole patching. These activities have the potential to interrupt traffic flow and can pose a safety risk for both workers and drivers. Specific guidance for VSDOs is undocumented and workers tend to use their own judgment in making critical time sensitive decisions. Identifying risk factors in VSDOs helps maintenance workers better judge the immediate conditions and make more informed decisions on whether to conduct an operation as a VSDO or not. This study sought to define a VSDO and identify typical VSDOs. In addition, this study identified risk factors that maintenance workers may face during VSDOs. Moreover, this study prepared a list of technologies and methods for minimizing risk to workers in VSDOs. This study also presented a risk management process that enables maintenance workers to identify work zone hazards for VSDOs and improve their judgment about work zone conditions and hazards. Multiple scenarios illustrating the risks were presented, and related safety recommendations were also discussed. KW - Highway maintenance KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Maintenance practices KW - Occupational safety KW - Risk management KW - Short duration maintenance operations KW - State of the practice KW - Texas KW - Time duration KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zones UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-6640-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250185 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481004 AU - Tolliver, Denver AU - Lu, Pan AU - Benson, Douglas AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis of Railroad Energy Efficiency in the United States PY - 2013/05 SP - 81p AB - The purpose of this study is to provide information about railroad fuel efficiency that may be useful in evaluating transportation energy policies and assessing the sustainability of potential projects. The specific objectives are to: (1) develop railroad energy efficiency models that describe differences in fuel economy among classes of trains and commodities; (2) apply these models to a wide range of movements to estimate fuel efficiency ratings for coal, grain, iron ore, food products, and other key commodities; (3) develop comparable procedures for estimating truck and waterway fuel consumption; and (4) compare rail, truck, and waterway energy efficiencies. The focus on railroads in this study is appropriate, because many of the alternatives to highway investment involve railroad transportation or multimodal options. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Commodities by type KW - Energy consumption KW - Freight transportation KW - Fuel consumption KW - Mathematical models KW - Railroad trains KW - Railroads KW - Trucks KW - United States KW - Waterways UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC13-250.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249878 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489955 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Beyond Bouncing Back: A Roundtable on Critical Transportation Infrastructure Resilience PY - 2013/04/30 SP - 9p AB - This publication reports on a roundtable hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center, featuring experts who discussed resiliency in the context of challenges facing the nation's transportation system. The concept of resiliency characterizes a complex transportation system that can better withstand disruptions. The design of a resilient system allows it to withstand severe blows and adapt in order to respond appropriately to threats. Among the program presentations highlighted in this report were the following: Our Fracture-Critical Transportation System; Resilience in Organizations, Systems, and Communities; A State and Local Transportation Perspective; and Preparing for the Rising Tide. KW - Infrastructure KW - Policy analysis KW - Resilience (Adaptability) KW - Service disruption KW - Transportation planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47800/47853/Bouncing_Back_Critical_Transportation_Infrastructure_Resilience_Summary.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257633 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482116 AU - Lin, Pei-Sung AU - Fabregas, Aldo AU - Gunpinar, Serkan AU - Perez-Angon, Osiel AU - Behzadi, Bijan AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Recommendations for Yield-to-Bus Traffic Control Devices and Bus Pullout Bays Design Characteristics PY - 2013/04/30/Final Report SP - 42p AB - Traffic control devices such as roadside signs and pavement markings are used to promote highway safety and efficiency for all road users. A bus pullout bay is a special geometric roadway feature that allows transit buses to stop outside the travel lanes. It facilitates the traffic flow of vehicles on the road while patrons board the stopped bus. In this project, bus pullout bays in Hillsborough and Lee counties were studied with the objectives of: (1) identifying the critical design features and prevailing conditions affecting the safety of the merging maneuvers of buses entering traffic from bus pullout bays; (2) designing a set of roadside treatments or traffic control devices to promote yield-to-bus (YTB) behavior at bus pullout bays; and (3) providing recommendations for implementation and evaluation of YTB traffic control devices on the State Highway System. First, a set of roadside sign alternatives are presented. In addition, bus bays in the participating transit agencies were measured to obtain performance measures for bus bay design features. It was found that the average acceleration distance was 70 ft. Field data collection was performed to verify the before conditions at one of the potential test sites. Field data indicated that 33% of the merging maneuvers ended in a yield to the bus. Recommendations for the implementation of an advanced YTB roadside sign included using laser detectors and incorporating bus bay data in GIS transit inventory. KW - Bus bays KW - Bus stops KW - Florida KW - Highway safety KW - Traffic control devices KW - Transit buses KW - Transit safety KW - Yield to bus KW - Yielding UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT-BDK85-977-33-rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250556 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01595738 AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Recycling, Reuse and Waste Reduction at Airports PY - 2013/04/24 SP - 52p AB - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has compiled this synthesis document, or “one-stop-shop,” for airport sponsors to use as a resource when contemplating an airport recycling, reduction, and waste reuse program to further their waste minimization initiatives. Specifically, this guidance is designed to provide recommendations on what things to consider and steps to establishing a recycling program at an airport to divert municipal solid waste (MSW) from the landfill. Although recycling of MSW is the focus of this document, other non-MSW waste streams are discussed which may require special considerations with respect to regulatory compliance. There is a special emphasis on construction and demolition waste since this is a big component by weight and volume of waste generated on an airport. The document includes lessons learned and case studies from airports around the country that not only address best practices in recycling, but also in the areas of reuse and waste reduction via “green” procurement programs. Although recycling of MSW is the focus of this document, other non-MSW waste streams are discussed for completeness since they may be a significant portion of the waste generated at an airport and may require special considerations with respect to compliance. And finally, the document provides a list of resources for the user since the market for recyclables is ever changing and these resources can be used to keep the user up to date with the most current information available. KW - Airports KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - Guidelines KW - Lessons learned KW - Recommendations KW - Recycling KW - Sustainable development KW - Waste management UR - https://www.faa.gov/airports/resources/publications/reports/environmental/media/RecyclingSynthesis2013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1398236 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01499766 TI - High Performance Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modeling Services for Highway Hydraulics AB - The objective of these pooled funds study is to provide research and analysis for a variety of highway hydraulics projects managed or coordinated by State Departments of Transportation (DOTs); to provide and maintain a high performance Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) computing environment for application to highway hydraulics infrastructure and related projects; and to support and seek to broaden the use of CFD among State Department of Transportation employees. KW - Employees KW - Fluid dynamics KW - Hydraulics KW - Research KW - State departments of transportation UR - http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/515 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1278173 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577463 TI - Transportation System Performance Measurement Using Loop Signature Amplifiers (102-FH2-009) SBIR Phase II AB - Phase II: (1) Developed basic simulation model based on open published algorithms and papers. (2) Developed C++ project to share data between operating programs. (3) Develop a server client architecture for programs. A phase II has been awarded. (4) Develop a database architecture for input output streams. (5) Develop architecture for handling multiple turning and auxiliary lanes. (6) Added linkage to coordinate cumulative and time interval measures of effectiveness  with graphical files. KW - Algorithms KW - Auxiliary lanes KW - Coordination KW - Loops (Control systems) KW - Performance measurement KW - Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) KW - Turning traffic UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370725 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481608 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - ARRA Lessons Learned: Opportunities Exist for FAA to Further Improve Its Oversight of Airport Grant Payments PY - 2013/04/18 SP - 32p AB - On February 17, 2009, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), designating $1.1 billion for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants. To maximize the impact of these grants, ARRA required Federal agencies to hold grantees accountable for their expenditures, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed agencies to increase grantee oversight for that purpose. Given the sizeable amount of funds involved and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General's (OIG's) previous findings of improper payments involving AIP grants, OIG's audit objectives were to determine whether FAA’s oversight of ARRA grantees was sufficient to (1) prevent or detect improper payments and (2) ensure funds were used in accordance with ARRA requirements. Briefly, FAA’s oversight process was not sufficient to prevent or detect more than $1.4 million in improper payments. Of this total, $890,657 were for services that lacked FAA’s approval, expenses that are not eligible for payment from Federal grant funds, or payments that were billed to the wrong grant. For example, San Francisco International Airport officials improperly billed ARRA for over $832,000 for unapproved taxiway and drainage work, as well as ineligible survey equipment. At other airports, OIG identified almost $550,000 for services that lacked sufficient documentation to support payment amounts. For example, Washington Dulles International Airport lacked support for contractor invoicing of about $113,000 billed for crushed stone, concrete, and drainage. These improper payments occurred in part because FAA over-relies on grantees to ensure their payment requests are accurate and supported. Moreover, the Agency’s oversight of payments is typically limited to reviewing sponsor summary documentation, which frequently lacks sufficient detail to reveal ineligible or erroneous charges. FAA’s oversight also did not ensure that airport grant fund expenditures fully met ARRA and AIP requirements. Examples included allowing grantees to use ARRA funds to cover prior year work and accepting single bids without seeking lower prices. In the first case, FAA reimbursed the State of Alaska, recipient of eight airport ARRA grants, almost $4.7 million in ARRA funds for prior airport planning and design work that took place between 2004 and 2008, well before ARRA’s passage in 2009. While the Act directed FAA to use its normal AIP grant process (which permits such reimbursements), the Act also directed that the funds be used to create jobs and stimulate the economy (i.e., through new work). This apparent conflict could have been avoided if FAA had reimbursed the State of Alaska with AIP planning grants and used the $4.7 million instead on other new job-creating projects. In the second case, FAA regional offices allowed two grantees (Georgetown, KY, and La Grande, OR) to accept single bids without negotiating or comparing the proposals to the cost of similar projects. This raises questions as to whether the grantees obtained the best possible prices—especially since one of the bids was 22 percent higher than the airport’s original cost estimate. KW - Airport Improvement Program KW - Airports KW - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 KW - Expenditures KW - Financial responsibility KW - Grant aid KW - Lessons learned KW - Oversight KW - Payment KW - U.S. Federal Aviation Administration UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/FAA%20Oversight%20of%20Airport%20Grants%20Funded%20By%20ARRA%5E04-18-13_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250032 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489300 AU - Martin, Andrew AU - Bell, Mark AU - Sowards, Kent AU - Inglis-Smith, Chandra AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Consolidation Study for Motor Carrier Services PY - 2013/04/17/Final Report SP - 85p AB - This study aims to facilitate the consolidation of motor carrier services and the enforcement of the laws which assist in the final implementation of functions by the state in order to achieve core Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) compliance. The West Virginia State Legislature found that it is very cumbersome and onerous for motor carrier business entities to obtain the necessary permits, licenses and file the necessary returns, reports and other documents through numerous state agencies, whose offices are scattered both geographically and administratively throughout state government. The lack of centralization of these various state agencies also results in the redundancy of information provided by motor carrier entities to those agencies. The Legislature finds the lack of centralization of these government functions does not encourage the growth and success of this industry in the State. As a result, the West Virginia Legislature passed House Bill No. 4103 during the 2012 Regular Session, which designated the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as the lead agency to develop a plan for the consolidation of motor carrier regulation and taxation responsibilities in the State of West Virginia. The Legislature also found that it would be more cost effective and efficient to all the state agencies and the motor carrier industry to provide these services through consolidated facilities, licensing and permitting processes and electronic information and communication technologies. The legislation also notes the suitability of the DMV because of its role as the lead agency of the West Virginia CVISN project and other interagency motor carrier-related projects. The agents conducting this study have examined the state agencies, divisions, and departments responsible for the delivery of government services and the enforcement of laws pertaining to the commercial vehicle or motor carrier industry, and have provided a report detailing the best options available for consolidation as mandated by H.B. 4103 (2012). KW - CVISN (Program) KW - Freight transportation KW - Law enforcement KW - Licensing KW - Motor carriers KW - Permits KW - State laws KW - West Virginia KW - West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles UR - http://www.mticutc.org/assets/pdf/DMV_Consolidation_Study_Final_Document.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257559 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481607 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - FRA Is Nearing Completion of Rules Required by the Rail Safety Improvement Act, But Needs to Improve Oversight PY - 2013/04/17 SP - 35p AB - In response to several high profile accidents between 2002 and 2008 that resulted in hundreds of casualties and millions of dollars in damages, Congress passed the Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) of 2008. For example, a 2005 collision—between two freight trains in Graniteville, SC—resulted in the release of chlorine gas from a tank car. The accident killed 9 people, required the evacuation of 5,400 others, and caused over $6.9 million in damages. In September 2008, the collision of a commuter train and a freight train in Chatsworth, CA, resulted in 25 deaths, 125 injuries, and over $12 million in damages. RSIA—the first statute in almost 15 years that reauthorizes the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) safety programs—requires FRA to undertake several wide-ranging tasks that broaden its safety-related responsibilities while it continues to meet its pre-existing responsibilities. Among these new responsibilities are requirements that FRA promulgate 17 rules to improve railroad safety. Because of this significant increase in the Agency’s rail safety responsibilities, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviewed FRA’s implementation and oversight of the new safety rules. OIG's objectives were to assess FRA’s: (1) progress in completing the RSIA-required rules; and (2) ability to ensure compliance with the new rules. Briefly, FRA has issued 8 of the 17 RSIA-required rules and has made progress on finalizing the remaining 9. However, the Agency issued seven of the eight after their statutory deadlines, and has missed the deadlines for six of the remaining nine. Weaknesses in FRA’s planning for its rulemaking work delayed rule issuance. While FRA focused its early efforts almost entirely on the rule on positive train control (PTC), Agency officials did not establish priorities for work on the other rules. Delayed promulgation of RSIA-required rules delays the mitigation of railroad industry safety hazards that Congress intended the rules to address. FRA did not provide its oversight staff with the guidance, training, and supervision required to oversee compliance with certain RSIA rules. The Agency did not update its compliance manuals to reflect new rules before beginning oversight of five new rules—PTC, electronic recordkeeping for hours of service, concrete crossties, bridge safety standards, and camp car health and safety. Furthermore, FRA staff reported that they received insufficient training to oversee compliance with the PTC, camp car health and safety standards, and electronic recordkeeping rules. Finally, FRA has not defined what constitutes adequate supervisory review, and does not require documentation of supervisory reviews. As a result, supervisory review of safety oversight work has been limited and inconsistent. KW - Compliance KW - Implementation KW - Operating rules KW - Oversight KW - Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 KW - Railroad safety KW - Safety programs KW - U.S. Federal Railroad Administration UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/FRA%20Rail%20Safety%20Improvement%20Act%20Report%5E4-17-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250031 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01492325 AU - Rehbein, Jennifer AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Flame Hardened Snow Plow Blades PY - 2013/04/15/Final Report SP - 4p AB - Underbody plows and High Speed Ice Blades are an integral part of clearing Iowa roads of snow and ice during winter operations. Changing these blades requires crews to suspend plowing operations and return to the garage decreasing time spent clearing roads and increasing workplace hazards. A blade with a longer lifespan is desired. The Iowa Department of Transportation is determining if using plow blades that have been flame hardened increases longevity of use over the Department's current underbody plow blades that are oven baked. This would reduce downtime and employee exposure to workplace hazards and increase productivity per dollar spent. KW - Blades (Machinery) KW - Flame hardening KW - Service life KW - Snow and ice control KW - Snowplows KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://www.iowadot.gov/research/reports/Year/2013/fullreports/Flame%20Hardened%20Snow%20Plow%20Blades.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261139 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483670 AU - Senadheera, Sanjaya P AU - Henderson, Rod AU - Surles, James G AU - Lawson, William D AU - Texas Tech University, Lubbock AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Implementing the Ultra-High Pressure Water Cutter for Roadway Maintenance Applications: Final Report PY - 2013/04/15/Final Report SP - 385p AB - This research project was designed to conduct a systematic evaluation of the ultra-high pressure (UHP) water cutter as a pavement preservation tool for treatment of flushed, seal-coat surfaced pavements in Texas. Relative to treatment effectiveness, comparison of pre- and post-treatment data from multiple sets of friction and texture tests collected from 14 sites located in four climatic regions in Texas indicates that the UHP water cutting treatment achieved an average increase in pavement texture of about 200%, and an average increase in friction of about 135%. Treatment durability was evaluated in terms of the survivability and life expectancy of pavement texture and friction values achieved at treatment. Relative to survivability, pavement texture and friction values were at or above the desirable threshold for seven of 13 sites upon completion of monitoring, and values were at or above the maintenance threshold for 12 of 13 sites. Relative to life expectancy, predictive models indicate that the improvement in pavement texture and friction achieved by UHP water cutting will last one or more years at 90% of the test sites, and for 40% of the test sites, the treatment may last four or more years. Relative to production considerations associated with the UHP water cutter treatment process, a direct comparison of unit cost data for UPH water cutting versus the unit costs of other maintenance functions currently used to treat flushed pavements in Texas indicates that UHP water cutting can provide cost savings of 25% to 77%, typically 41%. Overall, the findings from this implementation study offer a reasonably positive view about UHP water cutting as a roadway maintenance tool for Texas roads. KW - Bleeding (Pavements) KW - Costs KW - Cutting tools KW - Durability KW - Friction tests KW - Highway maintenance KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Seal coats KW - Texas KW - Texture KW - Water pressure UR - http://www.depts.ttu.edu/techmrtweb/reports/complete_reports/5-5230-01-2-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252325 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01492323 AU - McGehee, Daniel V AU - Reyes, Michelle L AU - Carney, Cher AU - University of Iowa, Iowa City AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Moving Beyond Teen Crash Fatality Statistics: The Go-Team Study PY - 2013/04/08/Final Report SP - 292p AB - Despite a trend of decreasing teen fatalities due to motor vehicle crashes over the past decade, they remain the leading cause of adolescent fatalities in Iowa. The purpose of this study was to create detailed case studies of each fatal motor vehicle crash involving a driver under the age of 20 that occurred in Iowa in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Data for each crash were gathered from media sources, law enforcement agencies, and the Iowa Department of Transportation. The driving records of the teens, which included their licensure history, prior traffic citations, and prior crashes, were also acquired. In addition, data about the charges filed against a teen as a result of being involved in a fatal crash were obtained. A total of 126 crashes involving 131 teen drivers that resulted in 143 fatalities were analyzed. Many findings for fatal crashes involving teen drivers in Iowa are consistent with national trends, including the overrepresentation of male drivers, crash involvement that increases with age, crash involvement per vehicle miles traveled that decreases with age, and prevalence of single-vehicle road departure crashes. Relative to national statistics, teen fatalities from crashes in Iowa are more likely to occur from midnight to 6am and from 9am to noon. Crash type varied by driver age and county population level. Teen drivers contributed to the fatal crashes at a rate of 74%; contribution of the teen driver was unknown for 11% of crashes. Speed was a factor for about 25% of the crashes for which a teen driver was at fault. The same was also true of alcohol/drug impairment. Only 20% of the rear-seat occupants of the teen drivers’ vehicles wore seat belts compared to 60% use for the front-seat occupants. Analysis of the teens’ driving records prior to the fatal crash suggests at-fault crashes and speeding violations are associated with contributing to the fatal crash. KW - Case studies KW - Crash data KW - Driver records KW - Fatalities KW - Iowa KW - Statistics KW - Teenage drivers UR - http://publications.iowa.gov/14930/1/IA_DOT_GOTM-000_UI_MovingBeyondTeenCrashFatalityStats.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261143 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478698 AU - Hulme, Kevin F AU - Thorpe, Lisa AU - University at Buffalo AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Simulation-based Assessment Approach to Increase Safety among Senior Drivers PY - 2013/04/04/Final Report SP - 14p AB - Statistics show that in the United States, there are about 38 million licensed drivers over age 65; about 1/8 of the population. By 2024, this figure will double to 25%. The current research is intended to address the driving capabilities of our older population, as accident and injury risk has been statistically shown to increase – normalized per mile driven – with advanced age. The primary objective is to perform a preliminary Pilot Study (N=10) that allows the team to analyze the impact of supplementing traditional driver evaluation for senior persons with cognitive impairment using state-of-the-art driving simulation technologies. Within a simulator, a variety of driving scenarios can be implemented that sufficiently challenge drivers in a way that, due to safety and logistical concerns, cannot be accomplished within the confines of a real vehicle. Longer-term, a driving simulator can be used to define driving tasks that are most likely to be affected by stages of dementia, and to measure, capture, and analyze vital driver performance metrics. Each driver is evaluated at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) using a conventional driver evaluation mechanism: in-clinic (to measure cognitive, motor and visual skills) and in-vehicle (to measure mechanical ability to operate a vehicle). Prior to these examinations, each driver is evaluated in a motion-based driving simulator located at the University at Buffalo (UB). A subsequent data analysis is performed in an effort to identify any trends or patterns between the three evaluation mechanisms. KW - Aged drivers KW - Driver performance KW - Driving simulators KW - Vehicle operations UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/safety-among-senior-driver-final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247736 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01557309 AU - Ashuri, Baabak AU - Mostaan, Kia AU - Hannon, David AU - Georgia Institute of Technology AU - Georgia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - How Can Innovative Project Delivery Systems Improve the Overall Efficiency of GDOT in Transportation Project Delivery? PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 589p AB - The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recommend the smart use of innovative project delivery systems, such as design-build, to improve efficiency and effectiveness of developing transportation projects. Although design-build provides state DOTs with accelerated delivery and innovations in design and construction, there is still a need to accelerate delivery of design-build projects and achieve higher level of efficiency. To fully utilize the entire potential benefits of the design-build project delivery system, state DOTs are required to overcome significant challenges in various critical areas of the project development process including project delivery system selection, procurement, environmental analysis and permitting, right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, utilities coordination and relocation, alternative technical concepts (ATCs), and design oversight, design acceptance, and quality management. The overall objective of this research project is to develop a guidebook for the Georgia DOT (GDOT) to identify major challenges in the critical areas of the project development process, determine opportunities to overcome these challenges, and describe potential best practices to enhance the efficiency of project development process for highway design-build projects. The findings of design-build review and scanning process, and the results of interviewing design-build programs in 7 state DOTs helped the research team identify various issues related to efficient delivery of design-build projects in the seven critical areas. The primary findings of this study are categorized under these critical areas. Each area begins with clear description of the new dynamics of design-build and follows with critical challenges and issues to enhance the efficiency of delivery processes. These challenges relate to a variety of legal and statutory barriers or issues that can delay the project delivery schedule, increase the project delivery cost, and hinder flexibility of the design-build team to implement innovative design and construction solutions. Furthermore, the analysis for each area presents efficiency enhancement opportunities as a set of propositions that recommend appropriate strategies for implementation. Examples of actual design-build projects are provided along with references from project Request for Qualifications/Request for Proposals (RFQs/RFPs), design-build guides and manuals, and professional and academic literature for further clarification of challenges that can happen during development of design-build projects and strategies to overcome the challenges. KW - Best practices KW - Construction projects KW - Design build KW - Environmental impact analysis KW - Georgia Department of Transportation KW - Project delivery KW - Quality assurance KW - Quality control KW - Right of way (Land) KW - State departments of transportation KW - Underground utility lines UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1346741 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543006 AU - Ebert, Sheila M AU - Reed, Matthew P AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Anthropometric Evaluation of THOR-­‐05F PY - 2013/04 SP - 48p AB - An exemplar THOR-05F was compared to the anthropometric specification from the Anthropometry of Motor Vehicle Occupants (AMVO) study on a wide variety of dimensions, including segment lengths, masses and CG locations; relative joint and landmark positions; and external body contours. Overall, the ATD matched the specifications well. Four potentially significant discrepancies were noted: (1) The upper-arm segment of the THOR-05F is shorter than the AMVO specification; (2) The shoulder cannot readily be placed into the driving posture represented by the AMVO contour, which might affect the realism of seat belt fit in some circumstances; (3) The THOR-05F buttock contour differs substantially from the AMVO contour, but the differences may represent an appropriate compromise given the differences between ATD and human flesh; and (4) The jacket components representing breast tissue may not have sufficient positional control, potentially affecting belt routing and thoracic response. Based on these observations, five recommendations were made: (1) Consideration should be given to lengthening the upper arm segment by 35 mm to better match the AMVO specification; (2) The static positioning of the shoulder components should be examined to determine if a more realistic driving posture could be created; (3) The vertical position of the ATD as installed in vehicle seats should be compared to the positioning of similar-size occupants to address the buttock contour concerns; (4) The effects of the jacket and breast components on belt routing relative to the pelvis, thorax, and shoulder should be examined to determine if greater control of the installation and positioning of these soft components is needed to ensure test repeatability and reproducibility; and (5) Future ATD development efforts should include the provision of physical landmarks on the ATD to support anthropometric verification. KW - Anthropometry KW - Dummies KW - Evaluation KW - Specifications UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/107475 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1329072 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01536609 AU - Lee, Jusang AU - Hastak, Makarand AU - Harris, Dwayne AU - Hyung, Jun Ahn AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Subsurface Condition Evaluation for Asphalt Pavement Preservation Treatments PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 52p AB - This report presents a case study on the SR‐70 section with microsurface for understanding its performance; a development of a methodology for evaluating the asphalt pavement subsurface condition for applying pavement preservation treatments; and a development of a tool for identifying and quantifying the subsurface distresses. From the case study, it was found that the main distresses on SR‐70 were longitudinal cracks, fatigue cracks, and potholes. The longitudinal cracking was the most widely distributed distress with 22% of lane length in the 2‐mile test section among the three distress types. Based on the water stripping test results and the core visual observations, it was confirmed that the test section on SR‐70 had the water stripping problem. In order to have a representative condition indicator for the test section, the conditions were converted into the scores scaled from 0 to 100. Layers with closer to a score of 100 have the better subsurface condition. Therefore, the 28% of the test section length with the surface distress was detected as the fair subsurface condition with a score of 56. The rest 72% of the length was estimated as the good subsurface condition with a score of 78. Similarly, 20.5% of the test section length with the problem locations determined by Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) had the fair subsurface condition with a score of 56 and the rest 79.5 % of the length had the good subsurface condition with a score of 76. The lab test results showed poor correlations among the water stripping severities, air voids, and tensile strengths. Thus, the air voids or tensile strength cannot properly estimate the water stripping severity or vice versa. When the laboratory test results with the surface distresses or in the GPR‐based problem locations were compared to that without the surface distresses or in the GPR‐based non‐problem locations, in general, average air voids and water stripping severities decrease and average tensile strengths increase. The observation confirms that the evaluation processes are applicable for evaluating the subsurface condition. Furthermore, the probability that a location determined to be problematic by GPR to be on one of poor conditions based on lab tests was 1.0. The same probability was obtained for a global positioning system (GPS)‐based problem location. Accordingly, it was concluded that the laboratory tests with the surface distresses survey or the GPR measurement were reliable method to evaluate the subsurface condition. The Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) results had a weak correlation with the laboratory test results possibly due to fairly long testing interval (i.e., 328 ft). The current FWD test protocol should be improved for evaluating the subsurface condition in pavement preservation application. Guidelines of subsurface condition evaluation for pavement preservation treatment application was developed utilizing the findings from the case study. A concept of hierarchy was used in the guideline by taking project importance and available resources into consideration. A tool including guidelines, computer software (e.g., iSub and iMoisture), and its manual was also developed based on the methodology as a research product. Based on the guideline, it was concluded that the subsurface condition of the case study section on SR‐70 was inadequate for the application of the pavement preservation treatments. KW - Air voids KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Case studies KW - Condition surveys KW - Geological surveying KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Methodology KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement layers KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Stripping (Pavements) KW - Tensile strength UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284315187 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1321130 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526305 AU - Proctor, Gordon D AU - Varma, Shobna AU - Gordon Proctor and Associates, Incorporated AU - StarIsis Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Asset Sustainability Index: Quick Guide Proposed Metrics for the Long-Term Financial Sustainability of Highway Networks PY - 2013/04 SP - 36p AB - This report provides a Quick Guide to the concept of asset sustainability metrics. Such metrics address the long-term performance of highway assets based upon expected expenditure levels. It examines how such metrics are used in Australia, Britain and the private sector. It also reviews asset management data from selected states to illustrate that long-term sustainability metrics could be produced using available U.S. asset management data. KW - Asset management KW - Australia KW - Financing KW - Highways KW - Infrastructure KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Performance measurement KW - Private enterprise KW - States KW - United Kingdom KW - United States UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51600/51638/asi_quick_guide.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310482 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522355 AU - Willer, Mark AU - Bombardier Mass Transit Corporation AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Transit Track Worker Safety Protection Demonstration Project PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 43p AB - This report describes the demonstration of an innovative system, TrackSafe, to reduce the hazards of working in the track environment. TrackSafe provides improved location awareness and highly-relevant alerts to train operators and roadway workers. It provides this enhanced level of safety through the use of proven Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and use of the existing transit infrastructure as much as possible so that the system can be installed quickly and inexpensively. This document describes the deployment of the system, provides a summary of developments to further enhance the system for transit agencies and railroads, describes the testing of the system, and summarizes user feedback. KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Occupational safety KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Rail transit KW - Railroad tracks KW - Technological innovations KW - Transit safety UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/FTA_Report_No._0046.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55500/55534/FTA_Report_No._0046.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306590 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522345 AU - Shah, Vaishali AU - Burnier, Carolina AU - Hicks, Drennan AU - Hatcher, Greg AU - Greer, Liz AU - Sallman, Doug AU - Ball, William AU - Fender, Katie AU - Murray, Dan AU - Noblis AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Longitudinal Study of ITS Implementation: Decision Factors and Effects PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 87p AB - The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) is placing increasing emphasis on transferring ITS technology from research to deployment, and on accelerating the rate of ITS technology adoption. As part of these efforts, the JPO has sponsored research studies intended to improve the state of knowledge regarding the underlying characteristics and factors for technology adoption and deployment. This report is the final deliverable from the most recent of these studies, the Longitudinal Study of Implementation: Decision Factors and Effects (started in January 2012). This final report documents the findings and key observations from all tasks of the Longitudinal Study of Implementation. The Longitudinal Study of Implementation builds upon a body of existing work related to decision factors influencing ITS adoption, growth, maintenance or decline within the public and private sectors. The Longitudinal Study uses an interview-based approach to further analyze decision factors among public sector transportation agencies and the trucking industry; interviews with connected vehicle technology representatives from the automotive industry to assess their perspectives on what is needed for the connected vehicle environment to be fully realized; a post-hoc set of studies reviewing deployments, costs, and benefits at early ITS deployment sites; and a workshop and analysis of how to present cost and benefit information in a way that best informs and influences decision-makers. Finally, based on a cross-cutting assessment of these findings, the study team suggests several major themes for the federal government to consider regarding next generation ITS and the connected vehicle environment. Results indicate that for the public sector, the most important technology and application factor was quality and reliability, followed by interoperability considerations and demonstration of benefits. The most important external factor was budget and funding sources. For the trucking industry, the most important factors for adopting a new technology were the price/ Return-on-Investment (ROI), compatibility with existing systems, readiness and maturity of the technology, quality and reliability, and product service and support. KW - Decision making KW - Deployment KW - Implementation KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Motor carriers KW - Motor vehicle industry KW - Performance measurement KW - Transportation departments UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47600/47681/FHWA-JPO-13-067_Final_Pkg_508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1305300 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522323 AU - Plotkin, Kenneth J AU - Page, Juliet A AU - Gurovich, Yuriy AU - Hobbs, Christopher M AU - Wyle AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Detailed Weather and Terrain Analysis for Aircraft Noise Modeling PY - 2013/04//Final Contractor Report SP - 107p AB - A study has been conducted supporting refinement and development of Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA’s) airport environmental analysis tools. Tasks conducted in this study are: (1) updated analysis of the 1997 KDEN noise model validation study with newer versions of integrated noise model (INM) and related tools; (2) analyze a sample of the 1997 KDEN validation data with simulation modeling; (3) develop algorithms for detailed weather modeling in FAA tools; (4) assess available validation data from studies at other airports; and (5) develop simplified terrain processing implementation, adapting the process successfully employed in simulation models. KW - Aircraft noise KW - Airport noise KW - Algorithms KW - INM (Integrated Noise Model) KW - Noise models KW - Simulation KW - Terrain KW - Validation KW - Weather UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51500/51557/DOT-VNTSC-FAA-14-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306565 ER - TY - CONF AN - 01518921 AU - Jacobsen, Karina AU - Llana, Patricia AU - Carolan, Michael AU - Sullivan, Laura AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Fuel Tank Integrity Research: Fuel Tank Analyses and Test Plans PY - 2013/04 SP - 10p AB - The Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Research and Development is conducting research into fuel tank crashworthiness. Fuel tank research is being performed to determine strategies for increasing the fuel tank impact resistance to mitigate the threat of a post-collision or post-derailment fire. In accidents, fuel tanks are subjected to dynamic loading, often including a blunt or raking impact from various components of the rolling stock or trackbed. Current design practice requires that fuel tanks have minimum properties adequate to sustain a prescribed set of static load conditions. Current research is intended to increase understanding of the impact response of fuel tanks under dynamic loading. Utilizing an approach that has been effective in increasing the structural crashworthiness of railcars, improved strategies can be developed that will address the types of loading conditions which have been observed to occur in a collision or derailment event. U1 - ASME/ASCE/IEEE 2013 Joint Rail ConferenceAmerican Society of Mechanical EngineersAmerican Society of Civil EngineersIEEEKnoxville,Tennessee,United States StartDate:20130415 EndDate:20130418 Sponsors:American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, IEEE KW - Crashworthiness KW - Design KW - Dynamic loads KW - Fuel tanks KW - Impact KW - Railroad crashes UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/50000/50900/50984/JRC2013-2425_Fuel_Tank_Integrity_Research.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1302154 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518899 AU - Heymsfield, Ernie AU - Osweiler, Adam B AU - Selvam, R Panneer AU - Kuss, Mark AU - University of Arkansas, Fayetteville AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Feasibility of Anti-Icing Airfield Pavements Using Conductive Concrete and Renewable Solar Energy PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Snow, ice, and slush pavement conditions significantly impact aircraft landing, takeoff, and ground operational safety. Snow removal operations, involving plowing and chemical treatment, are costly to airport operators and result in delays to the traveling public. This report presents an alternative approach that combines photovoltaic energy with conductive concrete to develop an anti-icing airfield pavement to prevent snow/ice accumulation. This approach maintains the concrete slab surface at an above-freezing temperature using direct current energy supplied by a photovoltaic and battery system. To test this approach, the University of Arkansas Engineering Research Center constructed a series of conductive concrete overlay test sections. The thermal mass properties of concrete were used in this work to minimize energy demands. Energy was continually supplied to the concrete mass to maintain a uniform temperature and, therefore, to negate the need of an energy surge to remove snow. Although the conductive concrete test sections showed some heat gain from the photovoltaic energy system, the overall heat gain was not sufficient to ensure reliable snow-melting capabilities during cold and windy conditions. Additionally, the costs for additional photovoltaic cells and batteries necessary to supply the energy needed for the system would result in poor cost-to-benefit ratios. KW - Airport runways KW - Anti-icing KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Concrete overlays KW - Concrete pavements KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Solar energy KW - Test sections KW - Thermal conductivity UR - http://www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov/DesktopModules/FlexNews/DownloadHandler.ashx?id=1b12bf3e-6715-4606-8c53-eeab0e14b4f0&f=TC-13-8.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1300237 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516438 AU - Friedman-Berg, Ferne AU - Racine, Nicole AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Staffed NextGen Tower Human-in-the-Loop (SNT HITL 2): Camera Integration Evaluation PY - 2013/04//Technical Report SP - 148p AB - The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a Staffed NextGen Tower (SNT) environment on air traffic control (ATC) operations. The primary objective was to determine whether cameras are beneficial for SNT operations. The SNT concept shifts from relying primarily on the out-the-window view to a model that relies more on using surveillance and cameras. There are different ways to implement the SNT concept. Two alternatives are Supplemental use (in addition to out the window display) and Contingency use (when the out the window view is unavailable). Eight controllers ran traffic in this study with two main conditions, Supplemental and Contingency, with four off-nominal events (aircraft crosses unoccupied runway, aircraft crosses occupied runway, wheels up on approach, aborted takeoff aircraft on runway). The controllers were able to perform their jobs effectively in both Supplemental and Contingency conditions using cameras and surveillance displays. Controllers in conditions with the camera consistently detected the wheels up on approach. off-nominal condition. Controllers in conditions without the camera did not detect the wheels up on approach. off-nominal condition at all. The other three off-nominal conditions were detected primarily using the Traffic Information Display System (TIDS) and alerts. The controllers rated the camera as essential in both Supplemental and Contingency conditions, although less for Supplemental than Contingency. Controllers agreed that the SNT concept would be beneficial for the National Airspace System (NAS) and for control tower operations. Results of this study show that controllers can perform their jobs effectively in both Supplemental and Contingency SNT environments and show that cameras provide a benefit to operations. These findings will directly influence decisions on the SNT concept implementation. Although cameras were found to be beneficial, the details of camera coverage, display configuration, and control functionality will still need to be refined. Small improvements based on controller feedback from this study should lead to enhanced situational awareness for controllers and improved ATC performance. KW - Air traffic control KW - Air traffic controllers KW - Airport control towers KW - Approach control KW - Cameras KW - Information display systems KW - Next Generation Air Transportation System KW - Surveillance UR - http://hf.tc.faa.gov/publications/2013-04-staffed-nextgen-tower-human-in-the-loop-2/full_text.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290615 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516366 AU - Lee, Ming AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Fairbanks North Star Borough AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Fairbanks North Star Borough Rural Roads Upgrade Inventory and Cost Estimation Software User Guide: Version I PY - 2013/04//Final Report AB - The Rural Road Upgrade Inventory and Cost Estimation Software is designed by the Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) research team to help the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) estimate the cost of upgrading rural roads located in the Borough's Service Areas. The Software performs two major functions: existing road condition inventory and upgrade cost estimation. Upgrade cost estimation requires road condition inventory data, thus it can only be performed after existing inventory data are entered. Estimation of upgrade cost also requires that material unit costs be specified and updated by the software users before the estimation can be performed. KW - Computer program documentation KW - Condition surveys KW - Cost estimating KW - Fairbanks (Alaska) KW - Rural highways KW - Software KW - Upgrades (Roads) UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2014/01/309020.Final_.Lee_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290647 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01504020 AU - Mead, Jill AU - Zegeer, Charlie AU - Bushell, Max AU - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Pedestrian-Related Roadway Measures: A Summary of Available Research PY - 2013/04 SP - 116p AB - This document represents an effort to compile all known research on the effect of the pedestrian safety countermeasures discussed in PEDSAFE: Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System. It is intended to serve as a companion document for the guide, providing a complementary overview of the researchers, research methods, and evaluation results that have guided the development and design of pedestrian safety countermeasures. KW - Countermeasures KW - Design KW - Development KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Research KW - Research management KW - Researchers UR - http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/cms/downloads/PedestrianLitReview_April2014.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1284787 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01503978 AU - Torres, Jonathan AU - SRA International, Incorporated AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Development of Prototype Nozzles for Freighter Aircraft Fire Applications PY - 2013/04//Technical Note SP - 28p AB - Advisory Circular 150/5210-17B, “Program for Training of Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Personnel,” added freighter aircraft familiarization as a requirement for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) training. To develop the tactics and strategies for this training, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requested research in freighter aircraft firefighting. Part of this research entailed developing tactics for extinguishing freighter aircraft fires with an aircraft skin-penetrating nozzle (ASPN). Early in the research effort, it was determined that the current nozzle designs were not adequate to fight cargo fires on freighter aircraft, and a new nozzle design would have to be developed. Four prototype ASPNs were designed and fabricated specifically to fight cargo fires on freighter aircraft indirectly. Various tests were performed on all four prototype ASPNs to measure flow rates, spray patterns, and extinguishment effectiveness. Flow and pressure readings were taken from each prototype ASPN to confirm that they met industry standards. All prototype ASPNs met industry standards when using the FAA Oshkosh Striker® ARFF research vehicle. Prototype Nozzle 3 exhibited the highest flow rate of all prototype ASPNs, while Prototype Nozzle 4 displayed the highest pressure readings. Photo documentation was taken of the spray pattern for each prototype ASPN to analyze the different spray trajectories each nozzle produced. These trajectories would show where water would go during a container fire. Prototype Nozzles 2 and 3 exhibited similar spray patterns consisting of a wide umbrella spray and a forward-projecting straight stream. Prototype Nozzle 4’s spray pattern consisted of three different range hollow spray cones. Container fire tests inside an aircraft section were conducted to determine the effectiveness of each nozzle. Visual inspection and thermocouple readings were used to determine the effectiveness. Although all prototype ASPNs were able to extinguish a portion of the fire, Prototype Nozzle 3 provided the best design based on these criteria and practicality of nozzle design. Prototype Nozzle 3 was selected to be used for full-scale cargo fires to validate the earlier testing. KW - Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting KW - Cargo aircraft KW - Containers KW - Fire fighting equipment KW - Nozzles KW - Prototype tests UR - http://www.airtech.tc.faa.gov/Safety/Downloads/TC-TN13-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1286166 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01503974 AU - Kreckie, Jack AU - ARFF Professional Services, LLC AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Strategies and Tactical Considerations for New Large Aircraft PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 138p AB - The evolution of aircraft design and construction has brought about new challenges to Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) personnel. The New Large Aircraft (NLA) entering the market have introduced increased passenger capacities, fuel loads, hydraulic pressures, and the use of advance composite materials. The most significant change is the introduction of the full-length, upper-passenger deck on the Airbus A380 with certification for up to 853 total passengers. The B-747-8 was just beginning flight service in the United States as this report was being developed. A supplement to this report will be issued following additional research specific to the B-747-8. This report examines previous incidents with multilevel aircraft, as well as research conducted in relevant areas such as aircraft evacuations and advanced composite materials. In addition, accepted interior firefighting models were applied to the unique NLA configurations, thereby providing guidance for emergency planning of such events. This report provides a discussion of the primary topics, such as agent quantity, aircraft systems, and components, which are pertinent to NLA firefighting strategies. Configurations and aspects of NLA layouts that require strategic consideration, and influence ARFF tactical decisions and response preplanning, are discussed in this report, as well as recommendations for best practices in NLA firefighting strategies. KW - Airbus A380 KW - Aircraft KW - Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting KW - Best practices KW - Boeing 747 aircraft KW - Fire fighting KW - New large aircraft KW - Search and rescue operations KW - Vehicle capacity UR - http://www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov/DesktopModules/FlexNews/DownloadHandler.ashx?id=abff5769-42f3-47e3-a58c-5d851b216ce6&f=TC-13-12.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1286159 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01501092 AU - Lloyd, Jason B AU - Connor, Robert J AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development and Verification of Web‐based Bridge Monitoring Interface PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 21p AB - With the advancement of many off-the-shelf data acquisition systems readily available today and the availability of 3G and 4G high-speed wireless cellular networks, the potential for remote monitoring of critical bridges has never been better. Needs exist regarding scour and general structural response for long-term monitoring. However, short-term monitoring using quickly deployable, rugged systems are also desirable in cases where impact, fire, environmental effects, or other damage may occur. These robust systems can be deployed rapidly, and endure harsh elements, enabling state departments of transportation (DOTs) to constantly assess and monitor a structure, or a network of structures. Hence, the objective of this project is to explore the feasibility and proof of concept of using a web-based bridge monitoring interface for use on selected Indiana DOT (INDOT) bridges for both short-term and long-term applications. This report will focus on a single case study, the Virginia Avenue Bridge over I-65 SB, a steel plate girder bridge that frequently falls victim to truck impact as a result of low clearance. This case study is uniquely different and provides insight into how targeted instrumentation systems can be used to probe specific parameters desired by owners for bridge condition assessment and monitoring. It will be shown how commercially available instrumentation systems can be tailored to fit any unique application required. Additionally, it will be demonstrated that INDOT benefited from this specific case of field-deployed, short-term monitoring, which included automated notifications of critical onsite conditions. KW - Case studies KW - Highway bridges KW - Indiana Department of Transportation KW - Long term KW - Remote sensing KW - Short term KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Web applications KW - Web-based systems UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284315215 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1279418 ER - TY - SER AN - 01500401 JO - TRAFFIC TECH PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Countermeasures That Work, Seventh Edition PY - 2013/04 SP - 2p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has published the seventh edition of Countermeasures That Work. The guide is a basic reference to assist State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) in selecting effective, evidence-based countermeasures for traffic safety problem areas. These areas include: Alcohol-Impaired and Drugged Driving; Seat Belts and Child Restraints; Aggressive Driving and Speeding; Distracted and Drowsy Driving; Motorcycle Safety; Young Drivers; Older Drivers; Pedestrians; and Bicycles. This Traffic Tech describes the information included in the guide and new countermeasures that have been introduced in this edition. KW - Aged drivers KW - Aggressive driving KW - Child restraint systems KW - Countermeasures KW - Cyclists KW - Distraction KW - Drowsiness KW - Drugged drivers KW - Drunk drivers KW - Highway safety KW - Motorcycles KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Speeding KW - Teenage drivers UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811736.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1278460 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01497434 AU - Salon, Deborah AU - Sciara, Gian-Claudia AU - University of California, Davis AU - University of California, Davis AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Survey of Local Sustainability Practices in California PY - 2013/04//Final Report AB - This report conveys the Round I results of the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) sponsored survey of local governments’ sustainability practices in California. Part I discusses the development and administration of the survey. Part II reports and examines the survey results. The SGC has an important interest in measuring local government activity to improve environmental sustainability. Captured in Spring 2012, these measurements establish a baseline snapshot of city- and county-level efforts to increase the resource efficiency of both local governments and the communities they serve. These baseline data provide a view of local government sustainability activity across various sectors and the factors that may encourage local governments to enhance their efforts further. When paired with future survey measurements, the data will allow the Council to identify trends in local sustainability efforts over time, as well as to assess the impact on local sustainability of the SGC sponsored Sustainable Communities Learning Network KW - California KW - Local government KW - Sustainable development KW - Transportation policy UR - http://www.its.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/themes/ucdavis/pubs/download_pdf.php?id=1898 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1262948 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01497433 AU - Handy, Susan AU - Sciara, Gian-Claudia AU - University of California, Davis AU - University of California, Davis AU - William and Flora Hewlett Foundation AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Cultivating Cooperation without Control: A Study of California's MPO-Driven Smart Growth Programs PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 41p AB - California’s Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (SB375) establishes a new framework for the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that plan and allocate federal funding for regional transportation investments in California. MPOs must plan for transportation investments that would support land use and development patterns to reduce automobile reliance and transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions; this plan is called the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). MPOs themselves have no direct control, however, over land use and development patterns. SB375 anticipates that they will instead leverage the federal transportation funds at their disposal to incentivize local land use decisions compatible with their SCS (and ultimately SB 375 GHG reduction goals). Four longstanding MPO-driven programs to encourage smart growth in the state’s four largest metropolitan regions are examined to determine whether such incentives are likely to achieve the desired results. KW - California KW - Federal aid KW - Government funding KW - Land use planning KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Metropolitan Transportation Commission (California) KW - Planning methods KW - Redevelopment KW - Regional planning KW - Sacramento Area Council of Governments KW - San Diego Association of Governments KW - Smart growth KW - Southern California Association of Governments UR - http://www.its.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/themes/ucdavis/pubs/download_pdf.php?id=1897 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1262946 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01496771 AU - Jenkins, Ryan W AU - Kreger, Michael E AU - Frosch, Robert J AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Post‐Tensioning Technologies PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 17p AB - Post-tensioned bridge construction has become increasingly popular and financially competitive with traditional prestressed concrete and steel plate girder bridges. Unfortunately, Indiana has experienced several construction-related problems in the few post-tensioned structures built, some of which have caused significant long-term durability concerns. Indiana’s problems have generally been attributed to a lack of a standard set of specifications for post-tensioned construction as well as inexperience and inadequate training of contractors and inspectors. These types of issues, however, were once more prevalent throughout the industry and much work has been accomplished in recent years to address these issues. This research program had two primary objectives: (1) to improve the quality of post-tensioned bridge construction in Indiana and (2) to provide the State with more confidence when using this type of construction. First, past problems related to post-tensioned construction were identified, and for each, case studies were conducted. Each case study includes an overview of the bridge, a summary of the problems related to post-tensioning, and possible sources and remedies to those problems. Next, a standard post-tensioning construction specification was developed. The specification addresses problems specific to Indiana which were found in the case studies and common problems experienced in the industry as a whole. Specifically, the specification addresses industry standards of practice, requirements for certification and experience of personnel, and proper testing and sampling procedures. In addition, specific recommendations are provided for training programs and certification of Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) construction personnel to ensure they are properly trained to inspect post-tensioned construction. KW - Bridge construction KW - Case studies KW - Certification KW - Contractors KW - Durability KW - Indiana KW - Inspectors KW - Posttensioning KW - Specifications KW - Standards KW - Training UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284315186 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1265620 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01496672 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Traffic Monitoring Guide PY - 2013/04 SP - 468p AB - This edition of the Traffic Monitoring Guide (TMG) is intended to provide the most up to date guidance to State highway agencies in the policies, standards, procedures, and equipment typically used in a traffic monitoring program. The TMG presents recommendations to help improve and advance current programs with a view towards the future of traffic monitoring and with consideration for recent transportation legislation resulting from the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). Improvements in traffic data collection technology since the publication of the TMG in 2001, has allowed States to improve their data collection processes and to streamline quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures, thereby replacing manual procedures with new automated ones. New technology also now enables States to collect data on non-motorized travel including bicycle and pedestrian traffic. This new capability is addressed in more detail in Chapter 4. The use of non-motorized travel data and information supports analysis regarding the impact to the transportation network (from a volume and safety perspective), resulting from the use of bicycles as an alternative method for travel compared to the traditional motor vehicle. The new technologies and procedures for traffic monitoring presented in this Guide are supplemented (in the appendices) with practical examples from actual State experiences in improving traffic monitoring programs. KW - Case studies KW - Data collection KW - Data quality KW - Equipment KW - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act KW - Nonmotorized transportation KW - Recommendations KW - State departments of transportation KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic surveillance UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/tmguide/tmg_fhwa_pl_13_015.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1265603 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01496642 AU - Madi, Marwan AU - Wiegmann, John AU - Parkany, Emily AU - Swisher, Myron AU - Symoun, Jennifer AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Booz Allen Hamilton AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Guidebook for State, Regional, and Local Governments on Addressing Potential Equity Impacts of Road Pricing PY - 2013/04 SP - 70p AB - This guidebook is designed to assist transportation agencies to better assess and mitigate perceived and potential equity impacts of road pricing projects on local communities, commuters, and system users. Addressing potential equity issues is often vital to obtaining support needed to implement road pricing projects. In order for road pricing projects to succeed, the implementing state, regional, and local agencies must understand equity issues, develop mitigating measures, and articulate the issues and mitigation strategies to both the decision makers and the public. This guidebook will help agencies understand and communicate both the horizontal and vertical equities of their road pricing policies and projects. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Equity (Justice) KW - Handbooks KW - Local government KW - Regional government KW - Road pricing KW - State government UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop13033/fhwahop13033.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1265992 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01495823 AU - Hansen, Kent R AU - Copeland, Audrey AU - National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - 2nd Annual Asphalt Pavement Industry Survey on Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Reclaimed Asphalt Shingles, and Warm-Mix Asphalt Usage: 2009–2011 PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 24p AB - One of the shared goals of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) is to support and promote sustainable practices such as pavement recycling and warm-mix asphalt (WMA). The use of recycled materials, such reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and reclaimed asphalt shingles (RAS), in asphalt pavements reduces the amount of new materials required to produce asphalt mixes and materials going to landfills. This is vital to the mission of environmental stewardship and extending the service life of the nation’s infrastructure while lowering overall costs. WMA technologies have been introduced to reduce the mixing and compacting temperatures for asphalt mixtures as a means of reducing emissions. Additional benefits include improved compaction of asphalt mixtures leading to improved pavement performance. As part of FHWA’s Every Day Counts initiative, WMA was chosen for accelerated deployment in federal-aid highway, state department of transportation (DOT), and local road projects. It is important that the industry track the deployment of these technologies that reduce costs, energy, waste, emissions, and the amount of new materials required for road construction. FHWA has established two survey mechanisms for tracking the use of recycled materials and WMA in asphalt pavements. The first survey tracks state DOT usage and the other tracks industry usage. These have established a baseline of RAP, RAS, and WMA usage and tracked the growth of the use of these sustainable practices in the highway industry. The objective of this survey was to quantify the use of RAP, RAS, and WMA produced by the asphalt pavement industry. Survey results show significant growth in the use of RAP, RAS, and WMA technologies from 2009 through 2011. The asphalt industry remains the country’s number one recycler by recycling asphalt pavements at a rate of over 99 percent and almost all (98 percent) contractors/ branches reported using RAP in 2011. The amount of RAP used in asphalt mixtures has increased by 19 percent, from 56 million tons in 2009 to 66.7 million tons in 2011. Assuming 5 percent liquid asphalt in RAP, this represents over 3.3 million tons (19 million barrels) of asphalt binder conserved. The estimated savings at $600 per ton for asphalt binder is $1.98 billion. Use of RAS (both manufacturers’ scrap and post-consumer shingles) increased 70 percent from 2009 to 1.2 million tons 2011. Assuming a conservative asphalt content of 20 percent for the RAS, this represents 380,000 tons (2.2 million barrels) of asphalt binder conserved. The estimated savings at $600 per ton for asphalt binder is $228 million. In 2011, WMA was about 19 percent of the total asphalt mixture market. WMA use increased by 67 percent from 2010 to 2011, and over 300 percent since 2009. Plant foaming is used most often in producing WMA, with about 95 percent of the market. WMA additives accounted for 5 percent of the market. KW - Asphalt KW - Paving KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements KW - Recycled materials KW - Recycling KW - Shingles KW - Surveys KW - Warm mix paving mixtures UR - http://www.asphaltpavement.org/PDFs/IS138/IS138-2011-RAP-RAS-WMA-Survey-Full-Report-Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1264728 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01495430 AU - Roesler, Jeffery AU - Hiller, Jacob E AU - Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement: Design Using the AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design Procedure PY - 2013/04//Technical Summary SP - 34p AB - With the completion of the Mechanistic–Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) and the recent designation of the MEPDG software as “AASHTOWare® Pavement ME Design,” the standard for CRCP design has undergone significant changes from the 1993 AASHTO Pavement Design Guide. CRCP performance problems observed in the past, such as material durability, base erosion, steel placement and content, and construction methods have been addressed, and the improved pavement design procedure reflects modern construction practices, pavement layer materials, specifications, and best concrete pavement engineering practices. The primary purpose of this technical summary is to provide engineers with the basic mechanistic–empirical design background and criteria utilized in the AASHTO Pavement ME Design software for CRCP. Secondly, this technical summary describes the key CRCP design inputs to assist the pavement engineer through the CRCP design process with the AASHTO Pavement ME Design software, including identifying the most sensitive design inputs and features. Finally, example problems are included in this document to demonstrate the robustness of the new design software for both new CRCP and CRCP overlays in different climatic zones. It is expected that as the mechanistic–empirical design procedure for CRCP continues to evolve, refinements in the failure mechanisms and data inputs likely will be made, providing even greater reliability in the design process. KW - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials KW - Continuously reinforced concrete pavements KW - Design methods KW - Mechanistic-empirical pavement design KW - Pavement design KW - Software UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/concrete/pubs/hif13025.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1264834 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01495428 AU - Gulden, Wouter AU - Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement: Extending Service Life of Existing Pavements PY - 2013/04//Technical Summary SP - 67p AB - The purpose of this guide is to provide information on best practices in rehabilitation strategies for extending the service life of continuously reinforced concrete pavements (CRCP). The procedures described consist of defining the problem, identifying potential solutions, and selecting the preferred rehabilitation alternatives. The rehabilitation strategies described comprise two categories: restoration and resurfacing. Restoration activities preserve the existing pavement by repairing isolated or localized areas of distress in the CRCP and to prevent their reoccurrence by stopping or delaying the deterioration process. Restoration activities include preventive maintenance and repair methods. Restoration activities can be utilized either before or in conjunction with pavement resurfacing methods. Resurfacing activities, or overlays, significantly increase the structural or functional capacity of an existing pavement. These treatments are not localized, but are applied over the entire surface of the existing pavement. Overlays are used when restoration techniques are no longer sufficient or cost effective, but before reconstruction is required. When restoration and rehabilitation treatments are applied correctly and in a timely manner, the service life of an existing CRCP can be extended by 10 to 25 years or more without destroying the structural integrity of the existing CRCP. KW - Continuously reinforced concrete pavements KW - Overlays (Pavements) KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Preventive maintenance KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Repairing KW - Resurfacing KW - Service life UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/concrete/pubs/hif13024.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1264836 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493299 AU - Phares, Brent AU - Rouse, Jon "Matt" AU - Miksell, Jacob AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Laboratory and Field Testing of an Accelerated Bridge Construction Demonstration Bridge: US Highway 6 Bridge over Keg Creek PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 61p AB - The US Highway 6 Bridge over Keg Creek outside of Council Bluffs, Iowa is a demonstration bridge site chosen to put into practice newly-developed Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) concepts. One of these new concepts is the use of prefabricated high-performance concrete (HPC) bridge elements that are connected, in place, utilizing advanced material closure-pours and quick-to-install connection details. The Keg Creek Bridge is the first bridge in the United States to utilize moment-resisting ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) joints in negative moment regions over piers. Through laboratory and live load field testing, performance of these transverse joints as well as global bridge behavior is quantified and examined. The effectiveness of the structural performance of the bridge is evaluated to provide guidance for future designs of similar bridges throughout the U.S. KW - Bridge construction KW - Field tests KW - High performance concrete KW - Iowa KW - Laboratory tests KW - Prefabricated bridges KW - Structural analysis KW - Structural connection KW - Transverse joints UR - http://publications.iowa.gov/14957/3/IA_DOT_RB02-012_InTrans_keg_creek_bridge.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1262147 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01491759 JO - Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior PB - Taylor & Francis AU - Raslear, Thomas AU - Gertler, Judith AU - DiFiore, Amanda AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Work schedules, sleep, fatigue, and accidents in the US railroad industry PY - 2013/04 VL - 1 IS - 1-2 SP - pp 99-115 AB - The objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive description of fatigue in US railroad workers employed in safety-sensitive positions. Five survey studies were conducted between 2006 and 2011 on maintenance of way employees, signalmen, dispatchers, train & engine (T&E) employees, and T&E employees engaged in passenger service. These studies were reanalyzed and compared with regard to work schedules and sleep patterns. Fatigue exposure was determined by analysis of work schedules and sleep patterns with a fatigue model, the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST). Twelve different schedules of work exist in the five groups of railroad employees. Work schedules largely determine sleep patterns, which, in turn, determine fatigue exposure. T&E crews and dispatchers have the highest fatigue exposure, but these two groups have considerably less fatigue exposure than T&E crews who were involved in accidents. Passenger service T&E employees have the least fatigue exposure, even though the distribution of work time is highly similar to that of T&E employees. This difference in fatigue exposure may be due to the greater predictability of work for the passenger service T&E. Human factor accident probability and the cost of human factor accidents increase with fatigue exposure. The risk (probability x cost) of a human factor accident increases exponentially with fatigue exposure. A methodology has been developed for studying the work schedules and sleep patterns of railroad workers. This methodology allows for the collection of data which makes it possible to identify differences in sleep patterns as a function of both work group and work schedule. Future work on fatigue in occupational groups should focus on similar methods to expand our knowledge of the role of work schedules on sleep, fatigue, and accident risk. KW - Dispatchers KW - Employees KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Railroads KW - Shifts KW - Sleep deprivation KW - Trainmen KW - United States UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21641846.2012.748330 UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2860 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258771 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491548 AU - Stern, Seymour D AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) System 2008-2010 Noncrash Injuries Database User’s Manual PY - 2013/04 SP - 16p AB - The Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) system is a virtual data collection system designed to provide counts and details regarding fatalities and injuries that occur in nontraffic crashes and in noncrash incidents. This document describes the creation of the noncrash injury database using a special study conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) for NHTSA. Frequent types of noncrash injury incidents included injuries while entering or exiting vehicles (boarding or alighting), injuries from closing doors, overexertion while unloading cargo from a vehicle or pushing a disabled vehicle, cuts from parts of the vehicle, striking a vehicle or struck by a part of the vehicle, falls from or against vehicles, incidents involving jacks or hoists, and radiator or antifreeze burns. This document also describes the noncrash injury database, which is available as a Microsoft Excel file. KW - Boarding and alighting KW - Burns (Injuries) KW - Databases KW - Falls KW - Injuries KW - Loading and unloading KW - Noncrash incidents KW - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance System KW - Traffic data UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811724.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258776 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491367 AU - Samdahl, Donald AU - Swisher, Myron AU - Symoun, Jennifer AU - Lisska, Will AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Fehr & Peers AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Congestion Pricing: A Primer on Institutional Issues PY - 2013/04 SP - 40p AB - Institutional issues provide challenges to implementing congestion pricing strategies. This primer explores the types of institutional issues that are commonly encountered with priced lanes, zone-based pricing, and parking pricing programs. These issues include the up-front challenges of establishing leadership, meeting legislative requirements, and setting an organizational structure. Once the challenges are overcome, there are numerous institutional issues related to the planning process, public involvement and implementation procedures. The primer examines these topics with the insights gained from case study applications around the United States and Europe. KW - Case studies KW - Congestion pricing KW - Europe KW - Implementation KW - Institutional issues KW - Legislation KW - Parking KW - Public participation KW - Road pricing KW - Tolls KW - Transportation planning KW - United States UR - http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop13034/fhwahop13034.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257624 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01490202 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Overview PY - 2013/04 SP - 12p AB - Motor vehicle travel is the primary means of transportation in the United States, providing an unprecedented degree of mobility. Yet for all its advantages, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for age 4 and every age 11 through 27 (based on 2009 data). The mission of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is to reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses from motor vehicle crashes. In 2011, 32,367 people were killed in the estimated 5,338,000 police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes; 2,217,000 people were injured; and 3,778,000 crashes resulted in property damage only. Compared to 2010, this is a 2% decrease in the number of fatalities, and a 1.5% decrease in the number of police=reported motor vehicle traffic crashes, a 1% decrease in the number of people injured, and a 2% decrease in crashes resulting in property damage. This overview fact sheet contains statistics on motor vehicle fatalities based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Crash and injury statistics are based on data from the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (GES). KW - Crash injuries KW - Fatalities KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - General Estimates System KW - National Automotive Sampling System KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811753.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258775 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489963 AU - Singer, Jeremiah AU - Robinson, A Emanuel AU - Krueger, Jessica AU - Atkinson, Jennifer E AU - Myers, Matthew C AU - Westat AU - SAIC AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Travel Time on Arterials and Rural Highways: State-of-the-Practice Synthesis on Rural Data Collection Technology PY - 2013/04//Synthesis Report SP - 58p AB - Travel time to a destination is a key piece of information that motorists want and need, and is vital for good decision-making by travelers. Technology now makes it feasible to provide drivers with real-time information about how long it takes to reach a given destination. The collection of travel time data is a challenging problem that deserves a systematic review. The purpose of this project was to identify, review, and synthesize information on current and potential future efforts in real-time travel time on rural highways. The current report focuses on rural highway travel time data technology considerations and is not a primer for general travel time best practices. Also, a companion report on arterial travel time data collection technology can be found in Singer, Robinson, Krueger, Atkinson, & Myers (2013). The core of the report discusses available and emerging rural travel time (RTT) data sources as well as implementation considerations, advantages, and limitations of each. These technologies researched include Bluetooth detectors, toll tag readers, in-pavement magnetic detectors, automatic license plate readers (ALPR), machine vision, connected vehicle, radar/microwave/LIDAR, inductive loops, crowdsourcing, and cell phone signal monitoring. Several implementations of RTT data collection are also discussed. In addition, two case studies are reviewed in detail (in Minnesota and Maine). The report then emphasizes key lessons learned based on questions for a practitioner to consider at each step of the planning, implementation, and management process. Although RTT data collection is a relatively new and rapidly evolving area, RTT can be successfully implemented when a project is properly planned and executed. Successful implementers have carefully considered project objectives and have provided detailed implementation plans. Regardless of the latest specific data collection technology, asking the right questions is paramount, beginning with planning, continuing to selection, and culminating with execution and evaluation. Practitioners who focus on asking the right questions and heed lessons learned by colleagues will greatly increase the chances of a successful implementation. KW - Arterial highways KW - Case studies KW - Data collection KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Maine KW - Minnesota KW - Real time information KW - Rural highways KW - Technology KW - Travel time UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop13029/fhwahop13029.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257558 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489941 AU - Singer, Jeremiah AU - Robinson, A Emanuel AU - Krueger, Jessica AU - Atkinson, Jennifer E AU - Myers, Matthew C AU - Westat AU - SAIC AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Travel Time on Arterials and Rural Highways: State-of-the-Practice Synthesis on Arterial Data Collection Technology PY - 2013/04//Synthesis Report SP - 60p AB - Travel time to a destination is a key piece of information that motorists want and need, and is vital for good decision-making by travelers. Technology now makes it feasible to provide drivers with real-time information about how long it takes to reach a given destination. The collection of travel time data is a challenging problem that deserves a systematic review. The purpose of this project was to identify, review, and synthesize information on current and potential future efforts in real-time travel time on arterials. The current report focuses on arterial highway travel time data technology considerations and is not a primer for general travel time best practices. Also, a companion report on rural travel time data collection technology can be found in Singer, Robinson, Krueger, Atkinson, & Myers (2013). The core of the report discusses available and emerging arterial travel time (ATT) data sources as well as implementation considerations, advantages, and limitations of each. These technologies researched include Bluetooth detectors, toll tag readers, in-pavement magnetic detectors, automatic license plate readers (ALPR), machine vision, connected vehicle, radar/microwave/LIDAR, inductive loops, crowdsourcing, and cell phone signal monitoring. Several implementations of ATT data collection are also discussed. In addition, two case studies are reviewed in detail (Chandler, AZ and St. Louis, MO). The report then emphasizes key lessons learned based on questions for a practitioner to consider at each step of the planning, implementation, and management process. Although ATT data collection is a relatively new and rapidly evolving area, ATT can be successfully implemented when a project is properly planned and executed. Successful implementers have carefully considered project objectives and have provided detailed implementation plans. Regardless of the latest specific data collection technology, asking the right questions is paramount, beginning with planning, continuing to selection, and culminating with execution and evaluation. Practitioners who focus on asking the right questions and heed lessons learned by colleagues will greatly increase the chances of a successful implementation. KW - Arterial highways KW - Case studies KW - Data collection KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Maine KW - Minnesota KW - Real time information KW - Technology KW - Travel time UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop13028/fhwahop13028.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258622 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489425 AU - Meier, Paul J AU - Holloway, Tracey AU - Luedke, Matt AU - Frost, Ethan A AU - Scotty, Erica AU - Williams, Scott P AU - Bickford, Erica AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Does Natural Gas Make Sense for Freight? Environmental and Resource Implications of the “Pickens Plan” PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 40p AB - The “Pickens Plan” is a highly promoted U.S. energy strategy, proposing to use natural gas as a transportation fuel to displace imported oil and, simultaneously, to increase renewable contributions to national electricity production. While the principal goal of the Pickens Plan is to improve domestic energy security and its associated foreign trade imbalance, the authors investigated the proposed strategies for their environmental benefits. They simulated a variation of the Pickens Plan across a seven-state Midwestern U.S. region to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) and air quality implications of the plan. In this scenario, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is used to replace 100 percent of long-haul, diesel-powered freight, while wind-power is roughly doubled over the anticipated 2020 levels under existing renewable portfolio standards. Relative to a business-as-usual (BAU) reference case, the Pickens scenario reduces NOx, SO2, and GHG emissions. Most reductions occur within the electricity sector versus the freight sector: 73 percent of NOx reductions, 99 percent of SO2 reductions, and 94 percent of GHG reductions occurred within the power sector. While the LNG truck is estimated to have 21 percent lower GHG emissions than its diesel counterpart, methane leakage from the natural gas fuel cycle significantly reduces the GHG benefit from LNG trucking. Thus, LNG-powered freight only slightly reduces greenhouse gas emissions relative to the diesel-powered freight. To assess the benefits of natural gas in the transportation sector (Pickens Plan) versus the electricity sector, the authors considered a scenario where natural gas is increased in the electricity sector instead of the freight sector. This scenario yielded greater emissions reductions than the Pickens plan for all species, suggesting that natural gas fuel switching has more impact as an emissions mitigating measure within the electricity sector, rather than within the freight sector. To assess how emissions reductions would affect ambient pollutant concentrations, and the formation of secondary air pollutants, the authors employed a regional air quality model. Under the Pickens scenario, ambient concentrations of SO2, NO2, O3 and PM2.5 were all reduced relative to BAU. In general, the largest reductions were simulated near metro areas, along major highways, and in the Ohio River Valley. KW - Air quality KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Environmental impacts KW - Exhaust gases KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Liquefied natural gas KW - Trucks UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_CFIRE0422.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257315 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489297 AU - Stewart, Richard D AU - Lautala, Pasi AU - Ogard, Elizabeth AU - Chartier, Steven AU - Rasul, Irfan AU - Peterson, Brady AU - Chong, Kenneth AU - Anderson, Andre AU - University of Wisconsin, Superior AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluating Export Container Pooling Options in MN, WI, and MI's Upper Peninsula PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 104p AB - Research was undertaken to investigate the issues impacting the expansion of containerized cargo in Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Best practices in container pooling, load matching, inland ports and electronic tracking were assessed. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders to determine regional anomalies. Regional intermodal terminals and depots were cataloged and selective ones toured. Proposals were made for adopting best practices. Outreach to the stakeholders in the region on the results of the study was undertaken. KW - Automatic tracking KW - Best practices KW - Container traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Intermodal terminals KW - Logistics KW - Michigan KW - Minnesota KW - River ports KW - Stakeholders KW - Wisconsin UR - http://wisdotresearch.wi.gov/wp-content/uploads/WisDOT-CFIRE-project-0092-12-12-final-report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257434 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01487060 AU - Ashford, Scott A AU - Scott, Michael H AU - Rayamajhi, Deepak AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reducing Seismic Risk to Highway Mobility: Assessment and Design of Pile Foundations Affected by Lateral Loading PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 178p AB - Damage in pile supported structures due to liquefaction and liquefaction induced deformation were reported in past earthquakes around the world. For example, a reconnaissance report from a recent subduction zone event, the 2010 Chile earthquake (Mw=8.8), showed the pervasive nature of liquefaction and liquefaction-induced lateral spreading damage to bridge foundations. In terms of seismic hazard, the Pacific Northwest shares similar conditions from a Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake source with the expected earthquake magnitude of 9.0 (Mw) and return period of 300 years. The risk and damage from a CSZ earthquake event is widely recognized by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). A large number of bridges were found to be vulnerable to a CSZ event, and repair and replacement costs of Oregon bridges have been estimated at more than 1 billion USD. Moreover, thousands of bridges require some kind of modification and/or seismic retrofitting to the foundation in order to improve seismic performance under liquefaction induced lateral spreading. To evaluate the seismic performance of bridge foundations and liquefaction mitigation alternatives, Department of Transportation/Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium funded collaborative research between Oregon State University (OSU), University of California at Davis (UCD), University of California at San Diego (UCSD), Hayward Baker Inc., and Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER). The main objectives of the research were to develop design charts for different liquefaction mitigation alternatives and to develop methodologies for assessing the performance of bridge pile foundations in laterally spreading ground. The cooperative research focuses on two aspects of liquefaction and liquefaction induced lateral spreading: (1) ground improvement methods, particularly using stone columns and deep soil mixing (DSM) grids, and (2) assess the seismic performance of bridge foundations (e.g., drilled shaft, pile groups) and seismic retrofitting alternatives for the bridge foundation. Stone columns for liquefaction mitigation and pile groups foundation assessment were investigated by the OSU team, while DSM and large diameter piles/shafts alternatives were investigated by the UCD team. Research teams used OpenSees (http://opensees.berkeley.edu/), an open source computational platform for three dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) modeling and analysis. OpenSeesPL, a graphical user interface developed by the UCSD team, was used to investigate liquefaction mitigation alternatives (i.e., stone columns and DSM grids) and the performance of pile foundations in liquefaction induced laterally spreading ground. KW - Bridge design KW - Bridge foundations KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Finite element method KW - Highway bridges KW - Liquefaction KW - Literature reviews KW - Oregon KW - Pile foundations KW - Seismicity UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47800/47821/OTREC-RR-13-05_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254237 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485766 AU - Nguyen, Tang-Hung AU - Khoo, I-Hung AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation TI - Noise Mapping of Container Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles PY - 2013/04 SP - 54p AB - The purpose of this study is to predict and model the noise of container terminals at the Port of Los Angeles. The noise maps generated from this study present the noise distribution in and around the port areas. They illustrate the relative contribution of different groups of noise sources (e.g. road traffic, rail traffic and industrial noise). The noise sources in the port areas can be broadly grouped into two major categories: industrial activities and traffic related activities. The industrial noise sources include cargo handling, container handling, cranes, vehicles, auxiliary equipment, etc., whereas the traffic related noise sources are roads, vehicles, railways, trains, etc. Results reveal that trucks are the primary contributor of container activities noise in the Port, followed by cargo handling equipment. In general, the noise levels generated from the port are all within the allowable noise limits. KW - Container terminals KW - Environmental impacts KW - Mapping KW - Noise sources KW - Port of Los Angeles KW - Traffic noise UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/11-26_Nguyen-Khoo_Final_0_0.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm51r6v8g/1/METRANS11-26.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250019 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485310 AU - Liang, Robert Y AU - University of Akron AU - Ohio Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Long Term Validation of an Accelerated Polishing Test Procedure for HMA Pavements PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 280p AB - The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has set strategic goals to improve driving safety by maintaining smooth pavement surfaces with high skid resistance. ODOT has taken the initiative to monitor pavement friction on Ohio roadways and remedy the pavement sections with low skid resistance. However, this is a passive and reactive approach toward the problem. A more proactive approach would be to test hot mix asphalt (HMA) in the laboratory during the mix design stage to ensure that the aggregates used will provide adequate friction over the life of the pavement. With the validity of a research-grade polishing machine established in a previous study, ODOT has initiated this project to conduct a long-term field study to collect field performance data over a longer time period. The research effort was aimed at further validating the applicability of the previously developed laboratory test protocol and acceptance criteria through a correlation and comparison study with long-term field performance data. This research has produced the following deliverables: (a) a new commercial grade accelerated polishing machine called “The Polisher,” (b) models for predicting the field performance of asphalt pavement friction under traffic, and (c) supplemental notes with draft specifications for polishing HMA samples and for testing friction properties. The commercial grade polishing machine and the supplemental notes were recommended for ODOT implementation. KW - Aggregates KW - Field studies KW - Friction KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Laboratory tests KW - Mix design KW - Ohio KW - Pavement performance KW - Polishing (Aggregates) KW - Skid resistance KW - Test procedures UR - http://worldcat.org/webharvest/ArcViewerRedirect.jsp?volumeid=h1394562067310 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253832 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484800 AU - Dayan, Sinaya AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - West Virginia Department of Commerce AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enterprise GIS; Economic Development Data Portal PY - 2013/04 SP - 67p AB - The West Virginia Development Office (WVDO) and the Office of Coalfield Community Development (OCCD) have identified a need for broad access to geospatial data and applications throughout the West Virginia Department of Commerce. The agencies shared a need to establish a framework through which they can access, manage, disseminate, and display their data using available client and mobile connections. The project objectives included the establishment of an ArcGIS for server to deliver advanced GIS (Geographic Information System) capabilities, integration of the spatial data owned by the WVDO and OCCD, hosting and management of related services. The solution developed by the Rahall Transportation Institute (RTI) enables sharing of data and facilitates access to the server through both ArcGIS desktop and mobile ArcGIS applications. The application is restricted to authorized users through the use of tiered access control mechanism and role based management control. KW - ArcGIS KW - Data access KW - Data integration KW - Data management KW - Data sharing KW - Economic development KW - Geographic information systems KW - Geospatial data KW - West Virginia UR - http://www.mticutc.org/assets/pdf/213041EDDPFinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253472 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483681 AU - Staplin, Loren AU - Lococo, Kathy H AU - Brooks, Johnell O AU - Srinivasan, Raghavan AU - TransAnalytics, LLC AU - Greenville Hospital System AU - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Validation of Rehabilitation Training Programs for Older Drivers PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 264p AB - This project studied the effectiveness of four interventions designed to bolster safe performance among healthy older drivers: (1) Classroom driver education with supplemental behind-the-wheel instruction; (2) Computer-based exercises to improve speed of processing and divided attention; (3) Clinical occupational therapy-based exercises to improve visual skills and attention; and (4) Physical conditioning to improve strength, flexibility, and movement. Seventy-eight drivers 65 and older were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups or to a control group that completed activities unrelated to driver improvement. Training effects for each intervention were gauged in relation to the common control group using two types of measures. First, measures of effectiveness emphasized tactical driving skills demonstrated through on-road assessments conducted by a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS). Next, performance on a driving simulator was measured for various attention and divided attention tasks. Both types of measures were obtained before training, immediately following training, and three months post-training. For the on-road assessments, only the OT-Administered training group and the classroom + BTW training group demonstrated a significant gain relative to the control group, in the percentage of drivers with skill deficits at the pre-treatment assessment who improved their skills on the immediate post-treatment assessment. None of the treatments demonstrated significant gains on the three-month post-treatment assessment, relative to controls. There were no significant gains for any of the treatment groups on post- versus pre-training performance in the simulator tasks. The positive findings for the OT-Administered visual skills training points to a new opportunity for those professionals without the relatively scarce "driver rehabilitation specialist" certification to enhance seniors' safety behind the wheel. The development of on-road evaluation methods using scales with interval properties is also recommended. KW - Aged drivers KW - Driver education KW - Driver improvement programs KW - Driver performance KW - Driver rehabilitation KW - Driver training KW - Driving simulators KW - Measures of effectiveness KW - Motor skills KW - Occupational therapy KW - Physical therapy KW - Visual perception UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811749.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47400/47477/811749.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251772 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483676 AU - Reich, Stephen L AU - Kolpakov, Alexander AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Tracking Costs of Alternatively Fueled Buses in Florida – Phase II PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 46p AB - The goal of this project is to continue collecting and reporting the data on the performance and costs of alternatively fueled public transit vehicles in Florida in a consistent manner in order to keep the Bus Fuels Fleet Evaluation Tool (BuFFeT) cost model current. Over the course of this project, repeated data requests were sent to all fixed-route transit agencies in Florida. Despite the challenges in data collection and low response rate, enough data were collected to represent the majority of the Florida fixed-route fleet and perform a valid analysis of costs. Data for both fixed-route and paratransit vehicles were requested. However, due to the low response rate and inconsistency of reporting for the demand response vehicles, the extent and reliability of the analysis of the paratransit fleet is limited and should be interpreted with caution. As more data are collected, the reliability of the analysis will improve. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Costs KW - Data collection KW - Florida KW - Paratransit vehicles KW - Public transit KW - Transit buses UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT-BDK85-977-38-rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/77943.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252430 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483310 AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - 2012 Continuous Traffic Count Data and Traffic Characteristics on Nebraska Streets and Highways PY - 2013/04 SP - 295p AB - The Nebraska Department of Roads, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, collected and analyzed data at 61 continuous traffic count locations in 2012. Of these 61 locations, 38 are on rural state and federal highways, 8 on low volume rural roads, 2 on city streets in Grand Island, 3 on city streets in Lincoln, 7 on city streets in Omaha, 1 on the Interstate in South Sioux City, 1 on a city street in Scottsbluff, and 1 on a city street in Holdrege. Most of the machines have been converted to collect data on vehicle type, not just volume. As a result, continuous classification data is available at the majority of the stations. Short-term manual vehicle classification data was collected during 2012 at many of the remaining permanent continuous traffic counters. A traffic counter detects each passing vehicle and records hourly totals electronically. This information is retrieved periodically over the telephone lines by the Planning and Project Development Division of the Nebraska Department of Roads. Here the information is processed into Average Daily Traffic (ADT) figures. Some of the uses of these ADT values are determination of design standards, classification of highways, development of improvement programs and safety programs. Another important use of the information provided by these permanent traffic counters is to adjust many statewide 24- and 48-hour machine counts and 8-hour manual counts to annual average daily traffic volumes. KW - Average daily traffic KW - Nebraska KW - Traffic counts KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic volume KW - Vehicle classification UR - http://nlc1.nlc.state.ne.us/epubs/R6000/S009-2012.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251968 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483039 AU - Epps, Jon AU - Hewes, Bailey AU - Sebesta, Stephen AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Mixture Design Procedure for Flexible Base PY - 2013/04 SP - 22p AB - This document consists of information on mixture design requirements for a flexible base course. Sections include: design requirements, job mix formula, contractor's responsibility, and engineer's responsibility. Tables include: material requirements; requirements for recycled portland cement concrete and reclaimed asphalt pavement; test methods, requirements, and frequency; and reporting schedule, KW - Contractors KW - Engineers KW - Flexible pavements KW - Materials selection KW - Mix design KW - Subbase (Pavements) KW - Test procedures KW - Texas UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6621-P1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251709 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482570 AU - Abernathy, Craig AU - Montana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Various Pavement Fabric and Mat Applications to Retard Reflective Cracking PY - 2013/04 SP - 18p AB - The objective of this project was the experimental assessment of various asphalt pavement reinforcement systems in an effort to determine effectiveness of these treatments for potential use in future road construction projects for the reduction of reflective cracking in Montana. The paving mats selected for the test sections were as follows: TruPave Engineered Paving Mat – Full Lane Application; PavePrep Geo-Composite Membrane – Spot Treatment of Transverse Cracks; GlasPave 25 Waterproofing Paving Mat - Full Lane Application; and GlasGrid 8512 Pavement Reinforcement System - Spot Treatment of Transverse Cracks. Test sections were mapped for transverse cracking prior to construction and during 2009 and 2012. The majority of the cracking appeared between the fall of 2010 and summer of 2012. Overall transverse cracking was rated as low severity. During the 2012 site visit it was found that all cracks had been sealed. No additional cracking was noticed on the control and test sections during the 2013 site visit. All sections (control and tests) appeared to progressively transverse crack since the 2008 installation, leading to a conclusion that none of the treatments delayed cracking as compared to the control section. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Geomembranes KW - GlasGrid KW - Impervious membranes KW - Montana KW - Product evaluation KW - Reflection cracking KW - Reinforcing materials KW - Transverse cracking UR - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/research/external/docs/epsl/paving_fabrics/final_report_may13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251361 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482556 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Multimodal Transportation Indicators PY - 2013/04 SP - 34p AB - This report provides statistical data for a range indicators within the transportation industry, and places the data in economic and societal context. The indicators' broad categories are safety, economy, fuel prices, end-user prices, passenger usage, freight usage, system performance and capital expenditures. Tables included within the report compare the indicator's current value to a comparable preceding period of time. KW - Capital expenditures KW - Economic indicators KW - Freight transportation KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Passengers KW - Performance KW - Prices KW - Ridership KW - Safety UR - http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/mti_2013_04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250022 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482555 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Fatality Analysis Reporting System General Estimates System, 2011 Data Summary PY - 2013/04 AB - This publication contains selected data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the General Estimates System (GES) for the year 2011. FARS contains data on a census of fatal traffic crashes within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. To be included in FARS, a crash must involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public, and must result in the death of an occupant of a vehicle or a nonoccupant within 30 days of the crash. The 2011 FARS data file used for the statistics in this report was created in August 2012. The updated final counts for 2010 are reflected in this report and the updated final counts for 2011 will be reflected in the 2012 report. Data in the General Estimates System (GES) are obtained from a nationally representative probability sample selected from all police-reported crashes. To be eligible for the GES sample, a police accident report (PAR) must be completed for the crash, and the crash must involve at least one motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway and must result in property damage, injury, or death. The 2011 GES file used for the statistics in this report was completed in September 2012. KW - Crash data KW - Crash injuries KW - Crashes KW - Data files KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - General Estimates System KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811755DS.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250629 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482296 AU - Mokwa, Robert AU - Foster, Andrew AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Montana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Testing and Evaluation of Recovered Traction Sanding Material PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 72p AB - The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is searching for a solution to the accumulation of traction sand that is applied to Montana highways every winter. An analysis of reuse and recycle options for salvaged traction sand was conducted using results of mechanical and chemical tests conducted on samples collected along the Bozeman Pass and the Lookout Pass areas. The results indicate there are viable alternatives to landfilling or roadside dumping of collected traction sand. The most appealing and cost-effective option is to reuse the collected material as traction sand in subsequent winters. A potential secondary option would be to process and mix (co-mingle) collected sand with gravel to produce a material that meets MDT gradation specifications for imported aggregate. The most promising co-mingling options are those that only necessitate the addition of finer aggregate and do not require additional coarse particles. MDT materials including plant mix surfacing, cement treated base, shoulder gravel, and crushed top surfacing could be economically produced by co-mingling collected traction sand with additional aggregate. Based on laboratory tests conducted to measure chemical and metals concentrations, it appears that the samples tested in this study have chemical and metal concentrations that are generally characteristic of naturally occurring background levels. Nonetheless, a quality assurance process is recommended before reusing recovered traction sanding material to confirm that unhealthy levels of contaminants are not present. An implementation plan outlining best practices for separating, collecting, testing and processing salvaged traction sand is described. The results of this study indicate that the practice of recycling and reusing traction sand could potentially save money by eliminating landfill costs and by reducing the amount of new abrasives and aggregates that are purchased every year KW - Aggregate mixtures KW - Best practices KW - Montana KW - Quality assurance KW - Recycling KW - Reuse KW - Sand KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/research/external/docs/research_proj/recycling/final_report_apr13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250947 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482279 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2002-2011 Data: School Transportation-Related Crashes PY - 2013/04 SP - 4p AB - A school transportation-related crash is a crash which 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 2002 there were 355,834 fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of those, 1,221 (0.34%) were classified as school transportation-related. Since 2002, 1,351 people have died in school transportation-related crashes—an average of 135 fatalities per year. Occupants of school transportation vehicles accounted for 7% of the fatalities, and nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for 21% of the fatalities. Most (72%) of the people who lost their lives in these crashes were occupants of other vehicles involved. Since 2002, 123 school-age pedestrians (younger than 19) have died in school transportation-related crashes. Two-thirds (66%) were struck by school buses, 6% by vehicles functioning as school buses, and 28% by other vehicles involved in the crashes. There were 49 (40%) school-age pedestrians killed in school transportation-related crashes between the ages of 5 and 7. From 2002 to 2011, among the 95 occupants killed in school transportation vehicles, 41 were drivers and 54 were passengers. Among the 236 pedestrians killed in school transportation-related crashes, 192 were struck by school vehicles and 43 were struck by other vehicles. Since 2002, two drivers and one passenger have died in school bus body vehicles providing transportation for purposes other than school or school-related activities (churches, civic organizations, etc.) KW - Crash data KW - Crashes KW - Fatalities KW - Pedestrians KW - School buses KW - School transportation KW - School trips KW - Traffic crash victims KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Vehicle occupants UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811746.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250021 ER - TY - SER AN - 01482276 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Estimating Lives Saved by Electronic Stability Control, 2009-2011 PY - 2013/04 SP - 4p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) produces annual estimates of the number of lives saved by various occupant protection devices and laws. These estimates of the number of lives saved are produced in order to quantify the benefits of seat belts, frontal air bags, motorcycle helmets, child restraints, and minimum-legal-drinking-age laws. In recent years, the percentage of passenger vehicles equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) systems has increased significantly. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 126 was required to be in place and in force by September 1, 2011. As such, all new passenger cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and vans must be equipped with ESC and comply with this standard. It is important to note that as the overall passenger vehicle fleet becomes more equipped with ESC, the lives-saved estimate will continue to rise. This report updates the progress and details the methodology for estimating the number of lives saved annually by ESC systems. In 2011, ESC saved an estimated 634 lives among passenger car (PC) occupants, and 411 lives among light truck and van (LTV) occupants, for a total of 1,045 lives saved among passenger vehicle (PV) occupants. This estimate of lives saved is a substantial increase over the estimated 876 lives saved in 2010 and the estimated 705 lives saved in 2009. KW - Crash data KW - Electronic stability control KW - Fatalities KW - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards KW - Occupant protection devices KW - Passenger vehicles KW - Stability (Mechanics) KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic safety KW - Vehicle safety UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811750.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250024 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482258 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Young Drivers PY - 2013/04 SP - 6p AB - In 2011, 1,987 young (15- to 20-year-old) drivers died in motor vehicle crashes, an increase of 1% from 1,965 in 2010. Additionally 180,000 young drivers were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2011, a decrease of 4% from 187,000 in 2010. The two-year comparison of total driver involvement in fatal crashes showed a 2-percent reduction from 44,599 in 2010 to 43,668 in 2011. During this same period, young driver involvement decreased 6% from 4,603 in 2010 to 4,347 in 2011. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for all 15- to 20-year-olds, according to the most recent data available (2009) from the National Center for Health Statistics. There were 211.9 million licensed drivers in the United States in 2011. Young drivers accounted for 6% (12.6 million) of the total, a 0.8% increase from the 12.5 million young drivers in 2002. Population for this age group increased from 2002 to 2011 – by 5.9%. Additional statistics on motorcycle riders and alcohol involvement are provided in this traffic safety fact sheet. KW - Crash injuries KW - Drunk driving KW - Fatalities KW - Motorcycle crashes KW - Statistics KW - Teenage drivers KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States KW - Young adults UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811744.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250033 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482234 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Bicyclists and Other Cyclists PY - 2013/04 SP - 5p AB - In 2011, 677 pedalcyclists were killed and an additional 48,000 were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Pedalcyclist deaths accounted for 2% of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities, and made up 2% of the people injured in traffic crashes during the year. For the purpose of this traffic safety fact sheet, the term pedalcyclists includes bicyclists and riders of two-wheeled nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered solely by pedals. The number of pedalcyclists killed in 2011 is 9% higher than the 623 pedalcyclists killed in 2010. The majority of pedalcyclist fatalities, 201 (30%), occurred between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. Additional statistics on gender differences as well as alcohol involvement and blood alcohol concentration level are provided in this traffic safety fact sheet. KW - Bicycle crashes KW - Blood alcohol levels KW - Crash injuries KW - Cyclists KW - Fatalities KW - Gender KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes KW - United States UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811743.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250034 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482229 AU - Molino, John A AU - Kennedy, Jason F AU - Beuse, Pascal A AU - Miller, C Cameron AU - Davis, Wendy AU - Andersen, Carl K AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Daytime Color Appearance of Retroreflective Traffic Control Sign Materials PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 74p AB - Photometric measurements of the daytime chromaticity and luminance of retroreflective sign materials were made both in the laboratory and in the field. These instrument measurements were compared with daytime perceptual judgments of color properties made by human observers in the field. Hue, saturation, and brightness were determined for four different types of retroreflective sheeting materials and one diffuse material at four quadrants of each color area for six different colors specified in the Code of Federal Regulations for use on street and highway traffic control signs. Overall, participants’ responses aligned well with the instrument measurements. The introduction of retroreflective properties reduced both the apparent saturation and the brightness of all the colors. The results for the white, green, and blue color areas showed distinct color separations for retroreflective sign materials. The results for the red, orange, and yellow areas showed less color separation but little overlap among contiguous colors in the perceptual color space. This outcome has implications for determining the shape and size of the color areas used to specify the colors that may be employed on traffic control signs. While the present color areas seem to adequately support the daytime perception of the color of retroreflective sign materials for the six colors tested, special attention needs to be paid to the red/orange and orange/yellow color boundaries in any future revisions to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) color areas. The results of the present experiment indicate that there is no pressing need to modify the FHWA color areas, but improvements might be made in future iterations so as to enhance separation of those color areas that are more difficult to discriminate. KW - Brightness KW - Chromaticity KW - Color KW - Daylight KW - Hue (Color) KW - Luminance KW - Photometry KW - Reflectorized materials KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Sign sheeting KW - Specifications KW - Traffic control devices KW - Traffic signs KW - Visual perception UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/13018/13018.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250025 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482214 AU - Gillham, Olivia AU - Horton, Suzanne AU - Schwenk, Judith AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - FMCSA Safety Program Effectiveness Measurement: Intervention Model Fiscal Year 2009 PY - 2013/04//Executive Summary SP - 48p AB - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in cooperation with the researcher, has developed an analytic model to measure the effectiveness of roadside inspections and traffic enforcements in terms of crashes avoided, injuries avoided, and lives saved. Traffic enforcements and roadside inspections are considered interventions and this analytic model is known as the Intervention Model. This model provides FMCSA management with information to address the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GRPA), which obligates federal agencies to measure the effectiveness of their programs as part of the budget cycle process. It also provides FMCSA and State safety program managers with a quantitative basis for optimizing the allocation of safety resources in the field. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crash avoidance KW - Government Performance and Results Act KW - Inspection KW - Measures of effectiveness KW - Motor carriers KW - Roadside KW - Safety programs KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucking safety KW - U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48100/48198/FMCSA-Intervention-FY-2009.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250628 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482210 AU - Elsasser, Devin AU - Barickman, Frank S AU - Albrecht, Heath AU - Church, Jason AU - Xu, Guogang AU - Heitz, Mark AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Test Track Lateral Stability Performance of Motorcoaches Equipped With Electronic Stability Control Systems PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 175p AB - The research detailed in this report supports The Motorcoach Safety Action Plan released by the Department of Transportation (DOT) on November 16, 2009 and ongoing safety research by DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Electronic stability control (ESC), a crash avoidance technology was identified in the plan as a potential motorcoach safety enhancement designed to improve stability in rollover and loss-of-control scenarios. The research described in this report was performed by the NHTSA’s Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) from 2008-2010. The goals of this testing were to evaluate motorcoach lateral stability and understand how motorcoach ESC systems modify the handling and stability characteristics on the test track. Measures of performance from preceding commercial vehicle research with truck tractors were evaluated to determine their potential use in assessing lateral stability and responsiveness of motorcoaches equipped with stability control systems. Performance maneuvers evaluated were the sine with dwell, half-sine with dwell, ramp with dwell, ramp steer maneuver, slowly increasing steer maneuver, and the constant radius maneuver. These test track maneuvers are representative of lane changes, obstacle avoidance, or negotiating-a-curve crash scenarios. Using these maneuvers, three commercial Class 8 (air braked) motorcoaches were equipped with safety outriggers and tested with and without ESC enabled. The motorcoaches and ESC systems were evaluated lightly loaded and at a loaded weight with simulated passengers. Maneuvers were performed on high friction dry asphalt and reduced friction Jennite test surfaces. Using data from this test track research, several measures of performance were analyzed that have merit for use in evaluating the lateral stability performance of commercial vehicles. KW - Buses KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crash avoidance KW - Electronic stability control KW - Lateral stability KW - Loss of control KW - Performance measurement KW - Rollover crashes KW - Safety equipment KW - Stability (Mechanics) KW - Test tracks KW - Vehicle safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2013/811633.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249729 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482186 AU - Montgomery, Ron W AU - Wood, Kathryn J AU - Civil Aerospace Medical Institute AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Laser Illumination of Helicopters: A Comparative Analysis With Fixed-Wing Aircraft for the Period 1980 – 2011 PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 10p AB - Introduction: Laser illuminations of aircraft have resulted in pilots reporting distraction, disruption, disorientation, adverse visual effects, and operational problems that put at risk the safety of the aircraft and those onboard. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Order 7400.2 was revised in 1995 to establish lower laser exposure limits that protected flight crewmembers in specific zones of airspace around airports. However, helicopters (including police, air ambulance, military, and news media aircraft) that routinely operate at low altitudes outside these zones continue to be exposed to hazardous levels of laser radiation. This study examines the frequency of these events and adverse effects of laser illuminations involving helicopters compared with fixed-wing aircraft for a 32-year study period (from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2011). Methods: Reports of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft illuminated by high-intensity light have been collected from various sources and entered into a database maintained by the Vision Research Team at the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute. The frequency of laser illumination events involving aircraft in the United States were stratified by altitude into 1,000-foot increments, categorized, and analyzed. Analysis included identifying adverse effects experienced by helicopter flight crewmembers, compared to those experienced by crewmembers of fixed-wing aircraft. Results: The majority of helicopter laser exposures (70% or 751/1,072) were within the altitude limit established for the Laser Free Zone (LFZ ≤ 2,000 feet) versus only 18% (1,980/11,111) for fixed-wing aircraft. More than 86% (328/379) of all adverse effects reported by helicopter pilots were in this altitude range, compared to 29% (294/1,027) of all fixed-wing effects reported. Conclusion: Special protective measures may be needed for helicopters and other low-flying aircraft outside of designated airport hazard zones due to the higher percentage of adverse effects associated with these events and the increased risk inherent in low-altitude flight operations. KW - Adverse effects KW - Air pilots KW - Airplanes KW - Airspace (Aeronautics) KW - Aviation safety KW - Comparative analysis KW - Flight crews KW - Helicopters KW - Laser beams KW - Laser light exposure KW - Lighting KW - Low altitude KW - Radiation hazards KW - Vision UR - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2010s/media/201308.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250023 ER - TY - SER AN - 01482130 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Kalita, Prasanta AU - Bhattarai, Rabin AU - Cooke, Richard AU - Howard, Heidi AU - Svendsen, Niels AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Stormwater Pollution, Erosion, and Sediment Control Products Demonstration and Training Center PY - 2013/04 SP - 88p AB - The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), and the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joined in a partnership to develop a training and demonstration facility for erosion and sediment control and stormwater management. With funding from IDOT and in-kind contribution from the Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association (ILICA), a facility was built on 5 acres of land at the UIUC South Farm. The formal name of this training, demonstration, and research facility is the Erosion and Sediment Control Research and Training Center (ESCRTC). The aim of the center is to provide training and perform research and evaluation of stormwater management, soil erosion control, and sediment control best management practices (BMPs). The center has a field research and demonstration site, along with a field classroom for training. The field site includes a large earthen berm, a pump house, a detention pond, and three channels of varying configurations. KW - Demonstration projects KW - Erosion KW - Research and educational facilities KW - Runoff KW - Sediment discharge KW - Training UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45776 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250944 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482129 AU - Reich, Stephen L AU - Davis, Janet L AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Quantifying the Benefits of the Florida Transit Research Inspection Procurement Services (TRIPS) Program PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 69p AB - This study details the analysis of the Florida Transit Research Inspection Procurement Services (TRIPS) Program. It provides a comparative assessment of the program with respect to out-of-state practice, provides recommendations to improve life cycle vehicle data reporting procedures and details benefits of the program. The collection of this information can be used to compare TRIPS vehicle performance with vehicles purchased by transit agencies by other means, or to compare TRIPS vehicles with similar vehicle fleets in sample out-of-state locations. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Florida KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Procurement KW - Public transit KW - State of the practice KW - Transit buses KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT-BDK85-977-31-rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/77936.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250557 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482125 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Large Trucks PY - 2013/04 SP - 6p AB - In 2011, 3,757 people were killed and 88,000 people injured in crashes involving large trucks (gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds). In the United States, 287,000 large trucks were involved in traffic crashes during 2011. Fatalities in crashes involving large trucks showed a 2% increase from 3,686 in 2010 to 3,757 in 2011. Of these fatalities in 2011, 72% were occupants of other vehicles, 11% were nonoccupants, and 17% were occupants of large trucks. Between 2010 and 2011 fatalities in these crashes showed a 4% drop in the number of occupants of other vehicles killed, but a 3% increase in the percentage of large-truck occupants killed. The percentage of nonoccupants killed also increased by 1%. Additional statistics on the involvement of large trucks in crashes in 2011 are provided in this fact sheet. KW - Crash data KW - Crash injuries KW - Fatalities KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucks KW - United States UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811752.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250940 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482122 AU - Tia, Mang AU - Lawrence, Adrian AU - Ferraro, Chris AU - Do, Tu Anh AU - Chen, Yu AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Pilot Project for Maximum Heat of Mass Concrete PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 168p AB - A 3-D finite element model was developed for prediction of early age behavior of mass concrete footing placed on a soil layer. Three bridge pier footings and one bridge pier cap in Florida were monitored for temperature development. The measured temperatures were compared with the results obtained from the model. Isothermal calorimetry testing was done on the cementitious materials of concrete mixtures to determine the energy released during hydration, which was then converted to temperature rise as inputs for the finite element model. Analysis of behavior of mass concrete placed directly on various types of soil was conducted. A user-friendly software called "DIANA Input File Generator" was developed to provide the needed input files to TNO DIANA software for modeling of typical mass concrete structures such as rectangular footings and columns. The developed 3-D finite element model was found to be effective in predicting the thermal behavior of mass concrete structures at early ages, as the temperature predictions from the finite element modeling showed close agreement with those measured in the field. The in situ condition of the soil was found to have a great effect on the thermal behavior of the concrete footing and determines whether or not an insulation layer would be needed to reduce the temperature difference in the mass concrete and the likelihood for cracking. Dry soil with an R-value of 0.41 or greater (or thermal conductivity of 0.35 J/sec-m-degree C or lower) would provide adequate insulation at the bottom of mass concrete footing in terms of preventing thermal cracking. However, for wet soil where its R-value is less than 0.41, an insulation layer between the soil and the concrete footing would be needed. The development of the user-friendly software "DIANA Input File Generator" provides a convenient and effective tool for generating the needed input files to the TNO DIANA software for analysis of typical mass concrete structures of rectangular footings and columns. It allows engineers and contractors who are not familiar with the detailed inputs to the TNO DIANA software to use this software conveniently and efficiently. KW - Bridge piers KW - Finite element method KW - Florida KW - Footings KW - Mass concrete KW - Soil types KW - Temperature KW - Thermal analysis UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_SMO/FDOT-BDK75-977-47-rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250680 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482120 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Speeding PY - 2013/04 SP - 6p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) considers a crash to be speeding-related if the driver was charged with a speeding-related offense or if an officer indicated that racing, driving too fast for conditions, or exceeding the posted speed limit was a contributing factor in the crash. Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes and at a tremendous cost. NHTSA estimates that the annual economic cost to society of speeding-related crashes is $40.4 billion. In 2011, speeding was a contributing factor in 30% of all fatal crashes, and 9,944 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes. Speeding- related fatalities decreased by 5% from 10,508 in 2010 to 9,944 in 2011. Additional data in this report includes alcohol involvement and seat belt use. KW - Blood alcohol levels KW - Crash injuries KW - Fatalities KW - Seat belts KW - Speeding KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic safety KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811751.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250943 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481625 AU - Giannini, Eric R AU - Folliard, Kevin J AU - Zhu, Jinying AU - Bayrak, Oguzhan AU - Kreitman, Kerry AU - Webb, Z AU - Hanson, Brian AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Non-Destructive Evaluation of In-Service Concrete Structures Affected by Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) or Delayed Ettringite Formation (DEF)—Final Report, Part I PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 228p AB - Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and delayed ettringite formation (DEF) are expansive reactions that can lead to the premature deterioration of concrete structures. Both have been implicated in the deterioration of numerous structures around the world, including many transportation structures in Texas. Research on various aspects of ASR has been conducted since the late 1930s and has led to the identification of the mechanism of the reaction and subsequent expansion, as well as measures to prevent its occurrence in new construction. It consists of a reaction between alkali hydroxides in the pore solution and certain forms of silica in aggregate particles; with sufficient moisture, the product of the reaction swells and leads to expansion and cracking of the concrete. Eliminating any one of these components will prevent deleterious effects. KW - Alkali silica reactions KW - Concrete structures KW - Deterioration KW - Ettringite KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Structural analysis KW - Texas UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-6491-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250554 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481618 AU - Jensen, Terry AU - Wendt, Scott AU - Gray, Joe AU - Lo, Chester AU - Margetan, Frank AU - Eisenmann, David AU - Nakagawa, Norio AU - Brasche, Lisa AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility Study for Detection and Quantification of Corrosion in Bridge Barrier Rails PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 103p AB - Technical challenges exist with infrastructure that can be addressed by nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods, such as detecting corrosion damage to reinforcing steel that anchor concrete bridge railings to bridge road decks. Moisture and chloride ions reach the anchors along the cold joint between the rails and deck, causing corrosion that weakens the anchors and ultimately the barriers. The Center for Nondestructive Evaluation at Iowa State University has experience in development of measurement techniques and new sensors using a variety of interrogating energies. This research evaluated feasibility of three technologies—x-ray radiation, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and magnetic flux leakage (MFL)—for detection and quantification of corrosion of embedded reinforcing steel. Controlled samples containing pristine reinforcing steel with and without epoxy and reinforcing steel with 25 percent and 50 percent section reduction were embedded in concrete at 2.5 in. deep for laboratory evaluation. Two of the techniques, GPR and MFL, were used in a limited field test on the Iowa Highway 210 Bridge over Interstate 35 in Story County. The methods provide useful and complementary information. GPR provides a rapid approach to identify reinforcing steel that has anomalous responses. MFL provides similar detection responses but could be optimized to provide more quantitative correlation to actual condition. Full implementation could use either GPR or MFL methods to identify areas of concern, followed by radiography to give a visual image of the actual condition, providing the final guidance for maintenance actions. KW - Anchor bolts KW - Bridge railings KW - Concrete bridges KW - Corrosion KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Magnetic flux KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Radiography KW - Reinforcing steel KW - Story County (Iowa) KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/research/documents/research-reports/bridge_barrier_rails_w_cvr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250623 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481611 AU - Metaxatos, Paul AU - Sriraj, P S AU - University of Illinois, Chicago AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Pedestrian/Bicyclist Warning Devices and Signs at Highway-Rail and Pathway-Rail Grade Crossings PY - 2013/04 SP - 176p AB - Federal reporting shows a relatively constant number of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities at highway-rail and pathway-rail grade crossings over the past 10 years. This is in contrast to a marked decrease in train–vehicle collisions at highway-rail crossings. Although engineering solutions and education and enforcements initiatives have been proposed and implemented, little is known about their effectiveness to mitigate such incidents. This study reports on findings from the literature, discussions with professionals in the public and private sectors involved in safety at rail grade crossings, and pedestrian/non-motorized user behavior and attitudes toward safety at such crossings. The study highlights the multitude of factors related to pedestrian safety in this context and provides an informed discussion for stakeholders to advance safety initiatives. KW - Best practices KW - Bicycle crashes KW - Grade crossing protection systems KW - High risk locations KW - Highway facilities for nonmotorized users KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Warning signals KW - Warning signs UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45777 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250622 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481610 AU - Hallmark, Shauna AU - Hawkins, Neal AU - Knickerbocker, Skylar AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Speed Management Toolbox for Rural Communities PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 96p AB - The primary objective of this toolbox is to summarize various known traffic-calming treatments and their effectiveness. This toolbox focuses on roadway-based treatments for speed management, particularly for rural communities with transition zones. Education, enforcement, and policy strategies should also be considered, but are not the focus of this toolbox. The research team identified treatments based on their own research, a review of the literature, and discussion with other professionals. This toolbox describes each treatment and summarizes placement, advantages, disadvantages, effectiveness, appropriateness, and cost for each treatment. The categories of treatments covered in this toolbox are as follows: horizontal physical displacement, vertical physical displacement, narrowing, surroundings, pavement markings, traffic control signs, and other strategies. KW - Communities KW - Highway traffic control KW - Rural areas KW - Rural highways KW - Speed control KW - Speed zones KW - Traffic calming UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/research/documents/research-reports/rural_traffic_calming_toolbox_w_cvr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250621 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481518 AU - Markos, Stephanie H AU - Pollard, John K AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Passenger Train Emergency Systems: Review of Egress Variables and Egress Simulation Models PY - 2013/04 SP - 96p AB - Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations are intended to ensure the safe, timely, and effective evacuation of intercity and commuter rail passengers when necessary during passenger train emergencies. Although it is recognized that during the majority of emergency scenarios, it is much safer for passengers to remain on the train, it may be necessary for passengers and crew to evacuate a passenger train quickly, due to certain life-threatening conditions (e.g., fire). FRA is sponsoring a research program to investigate a variety of emergency evacuation concepts, strategies, and techniques for applicability to passenger trains operating in the United States. One aspect of the FRA research program is directed at evaluating the potential applicability to passenger trains of performance-based criteria specifying minimum necessary evacuation times. No methodology currently exists for evaluating the passenger rail car emergency egress system as a whole, or the effects on egress times of failures within this system. However, with certain refinements to existing egress computer model calculations, time-based egress models could have potential applicability to passenger rail cars. This report presents the results of a review of passenger rail car egress variables and evaluation of the potential application of computer models that simulate egress for developing passenger train evacuation times. KW - Disaster preparedness KW - Emergency exits KW - Evacuation KW - Evaluation KW - Passenger trains KW - Railroad safety KW - Simulation KW - U.S. Federal Railroad Administration UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3124 UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3188 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47400/47438/DOT-VNTSC-FRA-12-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250354 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481517 AU - Carolan, Michael E AU - Jeong, David Y AU - Perlman, Benjamin AU - Murty, Yellapu V AU - Namboodri, Shannon AU - Kurtz, Bob AU - Elzey, R K AU - Anankitpaiboon, Satima AU - Tunna, Lucy AU - Fries, Robert AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Cellular Materials International, Incorporated AU - Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Application of Welded Steel Sandwich Panels for Tank Car Shell Impact Protection PY - 2013/04 SP - 76p AB - This report describes research conducted to examine the application of sandwich structure technology to provide protection against the threat of an indenter striking the side or shell of a tank car in the event of an accident. This research was conducted in two phases over a 3-year period. Testing and analysis of flat, welded steel sandwich panels was conducted in the initial phase of the research. Based on the observations and results from that initial phase, a curved, welded steel sandwich panel was designed and built to protect the side or shell of a decommissioned liquid chlorine tank car during a full-scale impact test. Although the protective panel experienced severe damage, the commodity-carrying tank experienced only permanent deformation and did not puncture. KW - Impact KW - Impact tests KW - Panels KW - Sandwich panels KW - Tank cars UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3125 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250355 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481516 AU - Pinney, Chris AU - Smith, Brian AU - Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Cost-Benefit Analysis of Alternative Fuels and Motive Designs PY - 2013/04 SP - 125p AB - This project was funded by the Federal Railroad Administration to better understand the potential cost and benefits of using alternative fuels for U.S. freight and passenger locomotive operations. The framework for a decision model was developed by Transportation Technology Center, Inc., to evaluate the feasibility of these newly emerging technologies. Because these alternatives (fuels and engine designs) are at early stages of development, the objective is to identify the most feasible alternatives and support their future development. Various government agencies, U.S. railroads, and the original equipment manufacturers of locomotives are considered the primary stakeholders in this study. The biodiesel blend of B20 is compared with the baseline technology (petroleum diesel) using an operating scenario for Class I railroad line-haul operations in 2010 to demonstrate the decision model approach in this study from a volumetric standpoint. This is not a recommendation for using B20 in railroad operations, but it is a good case with which to illustrate the decision framework developed to analyze alternative fuels for future research and development initiatives. The main drivers for the decision model identified in this research effort are cost, energy security, emissions, safety, and efficiency. Under each decision driver, there are multiple criteria that may be used for comparison between proposed alternatives. The goal is to understand if the criteria under the decision drivers are independently a cost or a benefit to industry stakeholders compared with the baseline. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Decision support systems KW - Locomotives by motive power KW - Multiple criteria decision making KW - Stakeholders UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3128 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250358 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481514 AU - Anankitpaiboon, Satima AU - Fries, Robert AU - Tunna, Lucy AU - Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Crippling Load Test of Budd Pioneer Car 244, Test 3 PY - 2013/04 SP - 33p AB - This report summarizes Test 3, a crippling load test on Budd Pioneer Car 244, conducted on June 28, 2011. Before the crippling load test, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., conducted two 800,000-pound (lb) quasi-static tests on Car 244 in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations 49 CFR 239.203. The tests, which are summarized in this report, applied compressive end loads along the line of draft to ensure that Car 244 was suitable for the crippling load test. Car 244 was previously modified to include a crash energy management (CEM) system, and it was subjected to several impact tests. For the crippling load test, the CEM system was removed. Loads were applied at the four CEM pockets on one end of the car and reacted at the CEM pockets on the other end. Crippling first occurred on the roof at approximately 1,070,000 lb, and complete car crippling occurred at approximately 1,200,000 lb. Crippling occurred on the side sills, center sill, side walls, and roof near the loading end. The total car length after the test was reduced by approximately 3 inches. The instrumentation for this test measured car strains, displacements, and compressive forces. KW - Compressive loads KW - Compressive strength KW - End loads KW - Load tests KW - Passenger cars KW - Strain measurement UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3126 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250356 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481513 AU - di Scalea, Francesco Lanza AU - Reynolds, Faye M AU - Rizzo, Piervincenzo AU - Salamone, Salvatore AU - Bartoli, Ivan AU - Al-Nazer, Leith AU - Avanti Tech, LLC AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Research and Development to Demonstrate Ultrasonic Tomography Technology for Three-Dimensional Imaging of Internal Rail Flaws: Modeling and Simulation PY - 2013/04 SP - 120p AB - This report covers the work performed under the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) High-Speed BAA 2010–2011 program to demonstrate the technology of ultrasonic tomography for 3-D imaging of internal rail flaws. There is a need to develop new technologies that are able to quantify characteristics of the internal rail flaws so as to ensure increased safety of rail transportation and reduced rail maintenance costs. In this work, ultrasonic tomography has been applied to the detection of a 5 percent rail head area (RHA) transverse defect in the railhead. This project has built finite element models of ultrasonic tomographic arrays on a flawed rail and identified an algorithm designed to perform the tomographic imaging of the internal rail flaw in 3-D and automatically. The results show excellent 3-D imaging performance with the proposed approach. The work therefore confirms the potential of the ultrasonic tomography technique for quantitative verification of internal rail flaws. KW - Algorithms KW - Defects KW - Finite element method KW - High speed rail KW - Imaging systems KW - Rail (Railroads) KW - Signal processing KW - Three dimensional imaging KW - Tomography KW - Ultrasonic tests UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3127 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250357 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481512 AU - Akhtar, Muhammad N AU - Davis, David D AU - Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Load Environment of Rail Joints – Phase I Effects of Track Parameters on Rail Joint Stresses and Crack Growth PY - 2013/04 SP - 47p AB - The load environment of joint bars was assessed under a variety of loading and track conditions. Bending stresses, thermal stresses, and residual stresses were measured on commonly used joint bars. Crack growth rates from artificially induced cracks were also monitored. This study provides the relevant data and analysis results needed for developing more comprehensive models for joint bar failure, fatigue life, crack growth, and inspection interval optimization. The data provided will also help railroads to design more reliable and safer joint bar designs. Bending stresses in joint bars vary widely in local foundation and loading conditions. Stresses too low to cause fatigue damage and stresses large enough to cause joint bar breakage were measured. Thermal stresses in insulated joint bars are similar to those found in rail. Data also shows that once one joint bar of a standard joint is broken because of fatigue or manufacturing defect, the other joint bar carries all of the longitudinal and bending loads from the broken bar. This puts high stresses on the remaining bar, which sometimes breaks. This is consistent with the fact that in many cases both joint bars are found broken on inspection. The data also shows that thermal stresses can increase significantly because of maintenance operations, such as surfacing and under cutting. KW - Bending stress KW - Load tests KW - Rail joints KW - Stress cracking KW - Thermal stresses UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/3132 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250353 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481381 AU - Copeland, Kyle AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Recent and Planned Developments in the CARI Program PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 20p AB - CARI-6 is the sixth major release of galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) dose calculation software developed by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The software is of benefit to the FAA and the public as a tool used by scientists investigating health effects of ionizing radiation in the atmosphere. It provides GCR dose estimates for past flights and also serves as a verified radiation monitoring tool to aid the aviation industry and individuals in their radiation protection programs. Compiled versions of the software are available from the Radiobiology Research Team Website. The source code is available upon request. CARI-6 is based on the last major revision of the galactic cosmic radiation transport code LUIN (LUIN2000, released in 2000). The last minor variant of LUIN2000 (LUINNCRP) was delivered to the FAA in 2003 and reported effective doses as defined in National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Report 116. LUINNCRP was revised to produce dose outputs of ambient dose equivalent (H*(10)) and effective dose as defined in International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 103, in addition to the release standard of effective dose as defined in ICRP Publication 60. These modifications were needed because ICRP Pub. 103 made ICRP Pub. 60 effective doses obsolete (though still legally the standard in many countries) and H*(10) is a measurable quantity to which instruments are often calibrated, whereas effective dose cannot be measured. Thus, adding H*(10) and the new effective dose was needed to keep CARI-6 up-to-date in terms of dose calculation standards. As another improvement, cutoff rigidities for geomagnetic epoch 2000 are included (previous most recent epoch was 1995). KW - Air travel KW - Galactic cosmic radiation KW - Health hazards KW - Ionizing radiation KW - Radiation doses KW - Software UR - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2010s/media/201306.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250305 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481380 AU - Pierce, Linda G AU - Williams, Clara A AU - Broach, Dana AU - Bleckley, M Kathryn AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Assessing Prior Experience in the Selection of Air Traffic Control Specialists PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 42p AB - Qualification standards published by the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) describe the minimum experience or education that individuals must have to qualify for specific positions within the federal government. These standards are developed and revised in conjunction with the appropriate federal agency. The purpose of the current research project was to evaluate the OPM qualification standard for the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Series 2152 and provide recommendations for renewing the standard for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) human resources personnel. In addition to general and specialized experience and education requirements, the ATC Series 2152 qualification standard includes seven alternate requirements for use in qualifying applicants for selection by the FAA as air traffic control specialists (ATCSs). These alternate requirements reflect prior, relevant experiences of the applicants seen as adequate to qualify them for selection. In Study 1, biographical questionnaire data were used to assess the relationship between five of the seven alternate requirements and performance of prospective ATCSs in training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Having prior experience in ATC, holding a prior instrument flight rating, and having a pilot’s license all had a positive relationship with FAA Academy training performance and, with slight modifications, were recommended for retention as alternate requirements. The relationship between having experience as a dispatcher for an air carrier and FAA Academy training performance was not significant. However, the alternate requirement was recommended for retention due to the small number of ATCSs having experience in air-carrier dispatch. There was also no relationship found between having experience as a navigator/bombardier in the Armed Forces and FAA Academy training performance, and a recommendation was made to eliminate it as an alternate requirement. The remaining alternate requirements were addressed in Study 2, using a more qualitative approach of interviews and document review. For one alternate requirement, an update to the name of the military job referenced in the requirement was proposed. The final alternate requirement, which reflected an obsolete pay scale and testing procedures, was recommended for elimination. Based on results of Studies 1 and 2, suggestions were made for additional data collection to validate and extend the current standard to ensure that only those applicants most likely to succeed as ATCSs are selected. Periodic review of the OPM 2152 qualification standard is necessary as the role of the ATCS and the experiences of the populations being targeted for recruitment continue to evolve. KW - Air traffic controllers KW - Employment KW - Hiring policies KW - Qualifications KW - Recruiting KW - Selection and appointment UR - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2010s/media/201307.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250306 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481347 AU - Abd El Fattah, Ahmed Mohsen AU - Rasheed, Hayder AU - Esmaeily, Asad AU - Kansas State University Transportation Center AU - Kansas Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - LRFD Software for Design and Actual Ultimate Capacity of Confined Rectangular Columns PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 220p AB - The analysis of concrete columns using unconfined concrete models is a well established practice. On the other hand, prediction of the actual ultimate capacity of confined concrete columns requires specialized nonlinear analysis. Modern codes and standards are introducing the need to perform extreme event analysis. There has been a number of studies that focused on the analysis and testing of concentric columns or cylinders. This case has the highest confinement utilization since the entire section is under confined compression. On the other hand, the augmentation of compressive strength and ductility due to full axial confinement is not applicable to pure bending and combined bending and axial load cases simply because the area of effective confined concrete in compression is reduced. The higher eccentricity causes smaller confined concrete region in compression yielding smaller increase in strength and ductility of concrete. Accordingly, the ultimate confined strength is gradually reduced from the fully confined value fcc (at zero eccentricity) to the unconfined value f’c (at infinite eccentricity) as a function of the compression area to total area ratio. The higher the eccentricity, the smaller the confined concrete compression zone. This paradigm is used to implement adaptive eccentric model utilizing the well known Mander Model. Generalization of the moment of area approach is utilized based on proportional loading, finite layer procedure and the secant stiffness approach, in an iterative incremental numerical model to achieve equilibrium points response up to failure. This numerical analysis is adapted to assess the confining effect in rectangular columns confined with conventional lateral steel. This model is validated against experimental data found in literature. The comparison shows good correlation. Finally computer software is developed based on the non-linear numerical analysis. The software is equipped with an elegant graphics interface that assimilates input data, detail drawings, capacity diagrams and demand point mapping in a single sheet. Options for preliminary design, section and reinforcement selection are seamlessly integrated as well. The software generates 3D failure surface for rectangular columns and allows the user to determine the 2D interaction diagrams for any angle between the x-axis and the resultant moment. Improvements to Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Bridge Design Manual using this software with reference to AASHTO LRFD are made. This study is limited to stub columns. KW - Bridge design KW - Columns KW - Confined concrete KW - Design practices KW - Eccentricity KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Load factor KW - Reinforced concrete bridges KW - Software KW - Structural analysis UR - http://idmweb.ksdot.org/PublicLib/publicDoc.asp?ID=003827536 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250287 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481258 AU - Bronson, Arturo AU - Rocha, Sergio AU - Nazarian, Soheil AU - Borrock, David M AU - University of Texas, El Paso AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Characterization of Coarse Backfill Materials for Prevention of Corrosion of MSE Metallic Wall Reinforcement PY - 2013/04 SP - 131p AB - The service life of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls depends on the rate of corrosion of the metallic reinforcements used in their construction. Assessment of corrosion potential requires the accurate evaluation of pH, resistivity, and ionic (e.g., sulfate and chloride) concentrations of aqueous solutions in contact with the surrounding aggregate. There is a tendency to utilize larger-size aggregates that contain only a small amount of fine material (passing No. 40 sieve) in the backfill. Evaluation of the electromechanical parameters of coarse aggregates is challenging because traditional methods utilize only fine-grained material. The effectiveness of traditional soil characterization techniques for use with coarse aggregates was evaluated by performing leaching experiments with coarse limestone and dolomite aggregates from six materials in Texas. Chemical differences were isolated from size-related kinetic leaching effects by comparing results from the same-sized material collected in the field versus material derived from the crushing of larger (>= 3/8 in.) aggregates in the laboratory. Testing demonstrated that fines collected from the field were enriched in chemicals that when exposed to water decreased pH and resistivity and increased chloride or sulfate concentrations relative to the bulk rock. This phenomenon can bias traditional soil testing results and therefore the assessment of corrosion potential. In this report a more representative geochemical testing protocol is recommended. The rate of corrosion was primarily controlled by the chloride content developed from the geochemistry of the backfill and the rate was predicted from the measured conductivity, as well as a two-step corrosion model was determined for the MSE. KW - Backfill soils KW - Coarse aggregates KW - Corrosion tests KW - Earth walls KW - Geochemistry KW - Leaching KW - Mechanically stabilized earth KW - Retaining walls KW - Soil chemistry KW - Texas UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250184 ER - TY - SER AN - 01481173 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Rudd, Joseph AU - Banas, Gregory AU - Hahin, Christopher AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Fatigue Performance of Brass Breakaway Light Pole Couplings PY - 2013/04 SP - 64p AB - Breakaway couplings connect light pole bases to foundation anchor bolts and are intended to fracture on impact after vehicle collision to protect drivers and passengers from severe injury. The coupling consists of an internally threaded hollow hexagon made of half‐hard CDA 360 brass with a thread‐locked stainless steel stud. Several designs of the notched hexagonal shaped coupling were tested in bending by attaching them to a simulated pole tube and base and then inducing stresses by deflection of the tube by a hydraulic jack. Individual couplings were also fatigued in axial tension‐compression by a servo‐controlled universal testing machine. Using the data obtained, the axial tension‐compression fatigue relationship for the brass couplings was ΔS = 433N–0.153, where ΔS is the alternating stress from tension to compression. Finite element analysis using ABAQUS® found that stress concentrations in the external notch radius and the internal threads were accurate to about 20% of the values obtained from experimental strain gage data. The stress concentration factors for the final design were determined to be Ktt = 10.8 in tension and Ktc = 10.4 in compression. Couplings were fatigue tested in laboratory air at room temperatures in the range of 10,000 to 10,000,000 cycles. Couplings that were exposed to 1000 hr of salt fog prior to fatigue testing showed no difference in fatigue life compared to couplings fatigued in air. Standard structural theory was used to determine the nominal stresses of couplings attached to steel poles subjected to winds of 90 mph. Using an average stress concentration factor Ktavg of 10.6, the peak coupling stress in various orientations of the pole base with respect to the wind direction was determined to be 24.1 ksi. When a more accurate segmental wind pressure method of determining moments acting on the pole base was used, the calculated peak stress was 23.9 ksi. At 90 mph, a +24 ksi to –24 ksi alternating stress develops, resulting in a 50% mean fatigue life estimated at 1,799,000 cycles. Variances in notch section were caused by straightness deviations of hexagon stock and from drilling and tapping operations, averaging 4.2% to a maximum of 9%. The fatigue initiation zone was about 30 degrees of the notch circumference. The probability that four couplings would have only the weakest one facing the maximum wind exposure is 30 degree/360 degree/4, which is about 2% of the time. Maximum wind speeds recorded in Illinois are less than the 90 mph AASHTO requirement. Decreasing notch depth by 9% would lessen the likelihood of premature failure due to insufficient load‐bearing section of the coupling notch. KW - Anchor bolts KW - Bending stress KW - Brass KW - Breakaway supports KW - Couplings KW - Fatigue tests KW - Finite element method KW - Laboratory tests KW - Lighting equipment KW - Poles (Supports) KW - Salt fog tests KW - Wind UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/18288 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250020 ER - TY - SER AN - 01481172 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Pociask, Geoffrey E AU - Matthews, Jeffrey W AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Restoration Progress and Flood Disturbance at IDOT Wetland Mitigation Sites PY - 2013/04 SP - 40p AB - As required under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and the Illinois Interagency Wetland Policy Act of 1989, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has established wetlands at mitigation sites throughout Illinois to compensate for impacts to natural wetlands by road construction. One of the mechanisms for meeting regulatory obligations is to mitigate wetland impacts through restoration or creation of wetlands that provide functions similar to natural wetlands, under the federal policy goal of “no net loss” of wetland area and function. Progress toward restoring wetland functions is measured through the use of prescribed performance standards issued by state and federal regulatory agencies. In most cases, these performance standards contain measures of quality, health, and structure of wetland plant communities. The majority of extant Illinois wetlands and most IDOT wetland mitigation sites are located in floodplain areas and are exposed to varying degrees of flooding, depending on their location within a given watershed, their position within the floodplain setting, and their climate zone within the state. Among the major challenges in attaining vegetation-based performance standards at IDOT wetland mitigation projects are poor plant-community quality (e.g., low species richness) and mortality of planted trees. Although floodplain wetlands are supported by regular flooding, floods can also produce excessive sediment, cause ice damage, and result in prolonged inundation—leading to mortality in wetland plants, thereby interrupting expected trajectories of succession and progress toward achieving mitigation performance standards. In this study, the authors analyzed data collected by the Illinois Natural History Survey and the Illinois State Geological Survey during past and current site monitoring to examine the influence that flooding has on ecological mechanisms that lead to variation in the performance levels among a large number of floodplain compensatory mitigation wetlands. The goals of the analyses were to evaluate the influence that flooding has on (1) plant-community quality at the landscape scale and (2) species turnover within plant-community functional groups at wetland mitigation sites. For the first component of the analysis, simple linear regression was used to evaluate the influence of flooding on the levels of ten plant-community metrics. Results of linear regression analysis showed significant, inverse relationships between mean annual flood exposure and average levels of three of the ten plant-community metrics: species richness, floristic quality index (FQI), and proportion of perennial species. Also, hierarchical mixed models were used to evaluate the influence of flooding on loss and subsequent gain of species within seven species functional groups. Mixed models showed significant correlation of the loss of species within all species groups with magnitude of flood intensity in the same year, and the gain of non-hydrophytic, annual, and non-native species with magnitude of flood intensity in the preceding year. Results of this study indicate two general tendencies at IDOT wetland mitigation sites: (1) Higher average magnitudes of flooding will lead to decreased species richness, floristic quality, and proportion of perennials in floodplain settings and significantly decrease the likelihood of attaining performance standards based on these metrics; and (2) higher-magnitude floods will tend to disrupt succession by eliminating the species groups that are associated with higher-quality plant communities and allow more undesirable species to colonize in the year following flood disturbance. These tendencies highlight the importance of considering flood-disturbance regime, when evaluating the quality of plant communities in floodplain wetlands. Additionally, planted-tree counts and mapping were conducted to provide a baseline for future tree-survival studies at three sites. Potential future studies would track survivorship of each tree species in response to flood disturbance. KW - Flood plains KW - Floods KW - Illinois Department of Transportation KW - Linear regression analysis KW - Performance measurement KW - Plants KW - Restoration ecology KW - Vegetation KW - Wetlands KW - Wetlands Mitigation Program UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45782 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250018 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481108 AU - Toma, Samuel AU - Swanson, Elizabeth AU - Najm, Wassim G AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Light Vehicle Crash Avoidance Needs and Countermeasure Profiles for Safety Applications Based on Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications PY - 2013/04 SP - 48p AB - This report discusses light-vehicle crash countermeasure profiles and functions for five target pre-crash scenario groups based on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications. Target pre-crash scenario groups include rear-end, lane change, opposite direction, junction crossing, and left turn across path from opposite direction (LTAP/OD) crashes involving at least one light vehicle (e.g., passenger car, van, minivan, sport utility vehicle, or light pickup truck with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less). There are 10 pre-crash scenarios in these groups to be addressed by V2V-based crash countermeasures. Kinematic equations are presented for the time-to-collision and avoidance maneuvers to identify information needs for these crash countermeasures. Information needs are translated into countermeasure functional requirements based on relevant safety applications devised in two prior research projects dealing with cooperative V2V communications and autonomous vehicle-based sensing systems. This report identifies two target pre-crash scenarios that would require new safety applications not developed in prior projects, including the LTAP/OD and “opposite direction/no vehicle maneuver” pre-crash scenarios. KW - Automobiles KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance KW - Equations KW - Pickup trucks KW - Precrash phase KW - Precrash scenarios KW - Sport utility vehicles KW - Time to collision KW - Vans KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/Research/Crash+Avoidance/ci.Office+of+Crash+Avoidance+Research+Technical+Publications.print UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249907 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481107 AU - Liu, Henry X AU - Sun, Jie AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improving Freeway Traffic Speed Estimation Using High-Resolution Loop Detector Data PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 27p AB - In this project, the authors developed an innovative methodology to solve a long-standing traffic engineering problem, i.e., measuring traffic speed using data from single inductive loop detectors. Traditionally, traffic speeds are estimated using aggregated detector data with a manually calibrated effective vehicle length. The calibration effort (usually through running probe vehicles), however, is time consuming and costly. Instead of using aggregated data, in this project, the data collection system records every vehicle-detector actuation "event" so that for each vehicle the authors can identify the time gap and the detector occupation time. With such high-resolution "event-based" data, the authors devised a method to differentiate regular cars with longer vehicles. The proposed method is based on the observation that longer vehicles will have longer detector occupation time. Therefore, the authors can identify longer vehicles by detecting the changes of occupation time in a vehicle platoon. The "event-based" detector data can be obtained through the implementation of the SMART-Signal (Systematic Monitoring of Arterial Road Traffic Signals) system, which was developed by the principal investigator and his students in the last five years. The method is tested using the data from Trunk Highway 55, which is a high-speed arterial corridor controlled by coordinated traffic signals. The result shows that the proposed method can correctly identify most of the vehicles passing by inductive loop detectors. The identification of long vehicles will improve the estimation of effective vehicle length on roads. Consequently, speed estimation from the inductive loop detector is improved. KW - Arterial highways KW - Automatic vehicle classification KW - Estimating KW - Freeways KW - Loop detectors KW - Speed measurement KW - Traffic speed KW - Vehicle length UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2280 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249882 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481105 AU - Fitch, Gregory M AU - Soccolich, Susan A AU - Guo, Feng AU - McClafferty, Julie AU - Fang, Youjia AU - Olson, Rebecca L AU - Perez, Miguel A AU - Hanowski, Richard J AU - Hankey, Jonathan M AU - Dingus, Thomas A AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - The Impact of Hand-Held and Hands-Free Cell Phone Use on Driving Performance and Safety-Critical Event Risk PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 273p AB - This study investigated the effects of distraction from the use of three types of cell phones: (1) hand-held (HH), (2) portable handsfree (PHF), and (3) integrated hands-free (IHF). Through a naturalistic driving study (NDS), 204 drivers were continuously recorded for an average of 31 days. Only drivers who reported talking on a cell phone while driving at least once per day were recruited. A key feature was that drivers provided their cell phone records for analysis, making this the first NDS to date to combine call and text records with continuous naturalistic driving data. Results show that drivers talked on a cell phone 10.6 percent of the time the vehicle was in operation (28% of all calls and 10% of all text messages occurred while the vehicle was being operated). Talking on a cell phone, of any type, while driving was not associated with an increased safety-critical event (SCE) risk. SCEs comprised crashes, near-crashes, and crash-relevant conflicts. Visual-manual (VM) subtasks performed on an HH cell phone, however, were associated with an increased SCE risk. HH cell phone use in general was thus found to be associated with an increased SCE risk. In contrast, PHF and IHF cell phone use, absent of any VM HH cell phone subtasks, were not found to be associated with an increased SCE risk. However, VM HH cell phone subtasks were frequently observed during hands-free cell phone use. Driver performance when using a cell phone was also investigated through a within-subject comparison. VM HH cell phone subtasks were found to significantly increase the percentage of time drivers took their eyes off the forward roadway, while talking on an HH cell phone significantly decreased the percentage of time drivers took their eyes off the forward roadway. The effects of cell phone use on vehicle control were less pronounced. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Crash risk KW - Distraction KW - Driver performance KW - Hands-free telephones KW - Naturalistic driving data KW - Text messaging UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2013/811757.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249880 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481103 AU - Najm, Wassim G AU - Toma, Samuel AU - Brewer, John AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Depiction of Priority Light-Vehicle Pre-Crash Scenarios for Safety Applications Based on Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications PY - 2013/04 SP - 79p AB - A template of pre-crash scenarios is presented to depict national crash statistics and kinematic information of time-to-collision for the design of appropriate crash countermeasures based on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications. This template serves the development of functional requirements, performance specifications, test procedures, and benefits estimation for potential light-vehicle V2V safety applications. A set of ten pre-crash scenarios is suggested as a priority list to be addressed by V2V technology for light vehicles (i.e., passenger cars, vans and minivans, sport utility vehicles, and light pickup trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings of 10,000 pounds or less). This report presents the time-to-collision equations as well as the crash statistics for each of the ten priority scenarios based on data available in the General Estimates System, National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey, and Event Data Recorder databases. KW - Automobiles KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance KW - Crash causes KW - Databases KW - Event data recorders KW - General Estimates System KW - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey KW - Pickup trucks KW - Precrash phase KW - Precrash scenarios KW - Sport utility vehicles KW - Statistics KW - Time to collision KW - Vans KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2013/811732.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249869 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481101 AU - Harris, John R AU - Evans, Larry R AU - MacIsaac, James D AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Laboratory Tire Bead Unseating – Evaluation of New Equipment, Pressures and “A” Dimension From ASTM F-2663-07as PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 62p AB - Under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was assigned the task of revising and updating the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for tires. Part of this effort included research to support a possible update or replacement of the FMVSS No. 109 Tubeless Tire Bead Unseating Resistance test. In the current FMVSS test, a profiled metal “block” is located perpendicular to the sidewall of a mounted and inflated tire, then force is applied until the bead component (region where the tire meets the rim) unseats with the resulting air loss or the specified minimum force value is achieved. The objective of the test is to evaluate the ability of the tubeless tire’s bead to remain seated on the rim and retain tire inflation pressure when the tire is subjected to high lateral forces such as during severe turning maneuvers, curb scrubbing, or negotiating deep ruts in the roadway. Since introduction of the FMVSS No. 109 in 1967, there has been a steady introduction of larger wheel diameters and smaller tire sidewall aspect ratios. For tires with rim codes above 18 (e.g., P345/30R18), the bead unseating blocks in the current Federal standard can contact the rim or slide down the tread during tests (especially for low aspect ratio tires). To account for these issues, an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) task group working to develop a new standard test method for bead unseat testing (ASTM F2663-07a) proposed using the original FMVSS No. 109 equipment and two larger-radius bead-unseating blocks with a new method for positioning the block on the tire sidewall. The agency conducted an independent evaluation of the new ASTM standard using nineteen models of passenger and light truck tires that ranged in nominal widths from 155 to 345 millimeters, aspect ratios from 30 to 80, and rim codes from 12 to 28. For some tires, tests were conducted at two inflation pressures to evaluate the effects of pressure on unseat force. The three blocks used in the ASTM standard (the original FMVSS No. 109 block and two new designs) allowed testing of all tires to the minimum FMVSS No. 109 bead unseat force requirements without contacting the rims. The new ASTM method for positioning the block on the sidewall generally produced lower unseat forces than the method in the current Federal standard, meaning that the ASTM method is more severe. Furthermore, occurrences of the test block sliding across the tread when testing with the FMVSS No. 109 positioning method did not occur when using the new ASTM method. As expected, the results of tests at two tire inflation pressures indicated that tire bead unseating force was sensitive to inflation pressure, with lower unseating forces recorded at lower pressures. KW - American Society for Testing and Materials KW - Aspect ratio KW - ASTM F2663-07a KW - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards KW - FMVSS 109 KW - Force KW - Laboratory tests KW - Test procedures KW - Tire pressure KW - Tires UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/Research/Crash+Avoidance/ci.Office+of+Crash+Avoidance+Research+Technical+Publications.print UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249883 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481081 AU - Dixon, Karen AU - Zheng, Jianfei AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Developing Safety Performance Measures for Roundabout Applications in the State of Oregon PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 186p AB - This report documents the research effort to quantify the safety performance of roundabouts in the State of Oregon. The primary goal of this research is to provide the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) with safety performance functions (SPFs) that can be used to evaluate the safety performance of single-lane, four-leg roundabouts. These safety metrics generally conform to the statistical models and methodologies similar to those outlined in the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) published in 2010 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Geometric design KW - Highway safety KW - Intersections KW - Oregon KW - Performance measurement KW - Roundabouts UR - http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/ResearchReports/SPR733_Roundabout.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250029 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481080 AU - Medina, Juan C AU - Benekohal, Rahim F AU - Ramezani, Hani AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Field Evaluation of Smart Sensor Vehicle Detectors at Intersections—Volume 2: Performance Under Adverse Weather Conditions PY - 2013/04 SP - 44p AB - Two microwave-based systems for vehicle detection (by Wavetronix and MS SEDCO) were evaluated at stop bar and advance zones of a signalized intersection under three adverse weather conditions: (1) wind, (2) snow-covered roadway, and (3) rain. Weather effects were very different for the two systems both in terms of the type of condition that could affect performance and in the magnitude of those effects. For Wavetronix, wind had significant effects on the advance zone by increasing false calls to over 50%, but it did not affect the stop bar zones. On the other hand, false calls in snow significantly increased to more than 40% in the stop bar zones and to about 30% in the advance zone. Snow also increased missed and stuck-on calls but in lower proportion than the false calls. Rain also affected the detection at stop bar zones, but all error types were below 8%, and it did not affect the advance zone. For Intersector, weather effects were less pronounced both at the stop bar and advance zones. Snow increased false calls to a range of about 4% to 8% compared to 1.65% to about 4% in normal weather. In addition, rain increased stuck-on calls to a range of 2.7% to 6.35% at the stop bar zones and increased missed calls at advance zones to 3.44%. Wind had no significant effects at stop bar or advance zones. In particular for the rain data, the intensity of the precipitation seemed to be related to the degree of performance degradation. In datasets with higher precipitation per unit of time, higher false calls were observed at Wavetronix stop bar zones, and a higher frequency of missed calls was observed at the Intersector advance zone. Findings from this evaluation can provide valuable information to users and manufacturers of these products regarding expected performance under adverse weather conditions at locations with similar mountings and settings, as well as insight about potential solutions to preventing negative effects in such scenarios. KW - Data collection KW - Data quality KW - Microwave detectors KW - Performance KW - Sensors KW - Signalized intersections KW - Vehicle detectors KW - Weather conditions UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45778 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250027 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481076 AU - Mishra, Debakanta AU - Tutumluer, Erol AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Field Performance Evaluations of Illinois Aggregates for Subgrade Replacement and Subbase—Phase II PY - 2013/04 SP - 186p AB - The project objective was to validate the results from ICT Project R27-1, which characterized in the laboratory the strength, stiffness, and deformation behaviors of three different aggregate types commonly used in Illinois for subgrade replacement and subbase applications, through accelerated loading of full-scale pavement working platform test sections. Six different test “cells” were constructed at different combinations of aggregate material quality and subgrade strength, and were tested to failure using the University of Illinois Accelerated Transportation Loading Assembly (ATLAS). Each cell was tested along two different wheel paths representing two different aggregate layer moisture contents (Cells 1-5), or geotextile reinforcement conditions (Cell 6). Performances under loading were monitored through surface profile measurements as well as transverse scanning with ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Field and laboratory test results highlighted the importance of considering aggregate quality in the thickness design of aggregate layers for construction platforms. Thick layers of uncrushed gravel placed over a weak subgrade mainly underwent internal shear failure due to excessive movement of the aggregate particles. Crushed aggregate layers constructed with high relative compaction, on the other hand, showed significantly higher resistance to internal shear deformation and permanent deformation accumulations. Prolonged exposure to moisture and freeze-thaw effects was found to be beneficial for a crushed dolomite material with high amounts of nonplastic fines probably due to carbonate cementation within the fine fraction. Failure of test sections under flooded conditions was primarily caused by excessive deformation in the subgrade layer. Recommendations were made based on the study findings for improved material selection and thickness designs of aggregate working platforms. KW - Accelerated tests KW - Aggregates KW - Deformation KW - Illinois KW - Materials selection KW - Mechanistic-empirical pavement design KW - Pavement performance KW - Properties of materials KW - Subgrade (Pavements) KW - Test sections KW - Working platforms (Road construction) UR - https://apps.ict.illinois.edu/projects/getfile.asp?id=3081 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250026 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481008 AU - Goodwin, Arthur AU - Kirley, Bevan AU - Sandt, Laura AU - Hall, William AU - Thomas, Libby AU - O'Brien, Natalie AU - Summerlin, Daniel AU - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Seventh Edition, 2013 PY - 2013/04//Seventh Edition, Final Report SP - 388p AB - This guide is a basic reference to assist State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) in selecting effective, evidence-based countermeasures for traffic safety problem areas. These areas include: Alcohol-Impaired and Drugged Driving; Seat Belts and Child Restraints; Aggressive Driving and Speeding; Distracted and Drowsy Driving; Motorcycle Safety; Young Drivers; Older Drivers; Pedestrians; and Bicycles. The guide: describes major strategies and countermeasures that are relevant to SHSOs; summarizes strategy/countermeasure use, effectiveness, costs, and implementation time; and provides references to the most important research summaries and individual studies. KW - Aged drivers KW - Aggressive driving KW - Child restraint systems KW - Costs KW - Countermeasures KW - Cyclists KW - Distraction KW - Drowsiness KW - Drugged drivers KW - Drunk driving KW - Highway safety KW - Implementation KW - Motorcycles KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Research KW - Seat belts KW - Teenage drivers UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811727.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249637 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481006 AU - Brown, Daniel J AU - Danforth, Christopher M AU - UVM Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Intelligent Traffic Signals: Extending the Range of Self-Organization in the BML Model PY - 2013/04 SP - 17p AB - The two-dimensional traffic model of Biham, Middleton and Levine (BML) is a simple cellular automaton that exhibits a wide range of complex behavior. It consists of both northbound and eastbound cars traveling on a rectangular array of cells, each cell equipped with a traffic signal. The traffic signals switch synchronously from allowing northbound flow to eastbound flow. By gating individual traffic signals, i.e. allowing individual traffic signals to break from synchrony in predetermined, deterministic scenarios based on the local state of traffic, the range for which the system self-organizes into a state of unimpeded flow is extended. On a 100x100 cell array, this additional intelligence enables accomodation of 200 cars more than the original BML model, without any reduction in average velocity. KW - Traffic flow theory KW - Traffic models KW - Traffic signals KW - Two dimensional flow UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/pdf/12-005DANFORTH.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249663 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481000 AU - Hovell, Catherine AU - Avendano, Alejandro AU - Moore, Andrew AU - Dunkman, David AU - Bayrak, Oguzhan AU - Jirsa, James AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Structural Performance of Texas U-Beams at Prestress Transfer and Under Shear-Critical Loads PY - 2013/04//Technical Report SP - 355p AB - The Texas U-Beam standard designs were released in the 1990’s and have been used increasingly in bridges across the state since. While prototypes of the 54-in. deep prestressed concrete beam were built during the design phase, no full-scale load tests were performed. This study of the U-Beam had five goals: (1) determine the magnitude and location of stresses induced in reinforcing bars in the end region of the beam at prestress transfer; (2) measure concrete curing temperatures in square and skewed end blocks; (3) establish the vertical shear capacity of the standard section; (4) evaluate interaction between behavior at prestress transfer and performance under shear-critical loads; and (5) identify design and detailing improvements and make recommendations. Eight full-scale Texas U54 prestressed concrete beams were fabricated to achieve these goals. Load tests on the first four of these beams resulted in a failure along the bottom flange-to-web interface of the beam. These failures occurred at loads well below the calculated shear capacity. Given the horizontal sliding observed, the failure mode was called horizontal shear. The next two beams were fabricated to test three modifications to the end-region design, two of which were deemed successful. The final two beam sections tested contained the recommended new standard reinforcement and concrete geometry. A method to evaluate the horizontal shear demand on and capacity of the bottom flange-to-web interface of prestressed concrete beams was developed. The calculations were formulated using the theories of beam bending and shear friction. This method was calibrated and verified using the U-Beam test data and results of shear tests in the literature. This dissertation contains the specifics of the beams tested and the data collected, and provides the details of recommended changes to the Texas U-Beam standard drawings KW - Beams KW - Durability KW - Load tests KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Recommendations KW - Shear reinforcement KW - Shear strength KW - Structural analysis KW - Texas KW - U beams UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-5831-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249661 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01480968 AU - Hurwitz, David S AU - Monsere, Chris AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improved Pedestrian Safety at Signalized Intersections Operating the Flashing Yellow Arrow PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 80p AB - In some jurisdictions, protected left-turn phasing has been replaced with the flashing yellow arrow (FYA) for protected/permissive left turns (PPLTs) to reduce delay. However, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the conflict between pedestrians and the permissive left-turning vehicle. This presentation summarizes the results of research conducted with a high-fidelity, motion-based driving simulator and mobile eye-tracking equipment to study the effects of the opposing traffic, the presence and walking direction of pedestrians, and the number of section heads to display the FYA on driver performance. To accomplish this research, a six-intersection simulated environment was created. In total, 27 subjects completed the course, allowing the analysis of 620 permissive left-turn maneuvers. Eye-glance durations for the intersection approach and turning maneuver were captured for left-turn pavement bay markings, the signal indication, the pedestrian and vehicle waiting area, and the pedestrian signal heads. The total glance durations for each of these areas were analyzed. The following results were obtained: 1) the increased presence of pedestrians led drivers to focus more attention on these crossing pedestrians; 2) as the number of opposing vehicles increased, drivers spent less time fixating on pedestrians; 3) Four to seven percent of drivers did not focus on pedestrians in the crosswalk; and 4) there did not appear to be a difference between any variable and the presence of a three- or four-section head. In terms of practice, the results suggest that it may be desirable to limit the permissive operation when pedestrians are present. Moreover, the findings may indicate that the additional cost of four-section heads is not justified. KW - Arrows (Signals) KW - Driving simulators KW - Exclusive permissive phasing KW - Eye movements KW - Flashing traffic signals KW - Left turn phase KW - Opposing traffic KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Pedestrian traffic KW - Signalized intersections UR - http://library.state.or.us/repository/2013/201304261019565/ UR - http://otrec.us/project/484 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249598 ER - TY - SER AN - 01480643 JO - TRAFFIC TECH PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - National Telephone Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors – 2012 PY - 2013/04 SP - 2p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted its second national survey of distracted driving to monitor the public’s attitudes, knowledge, and self-reported behavior about cell phones, texting, and driver choices. The first distracted driving survey was conducted in 2010. The 2012 survey was administered by telephone to 6,016 respondents 16 and older, with 3,872 interviews completed with respondents who were using landline phones and 2,144 interviews completed with respondents who were using cell phones. The survey over-sampled young adults 16 to 34. Interviewing was conducted from February to June 2012. People who always or almost always answered a cell phone call declined from 33% in 2010 to 28% in 2012. Making calls while driving is down from 10% in 2010 to 6% in 2012. The percentage of respondents who said they send text messages while driving increased from 12% in 2010 to 14% in 2012. More respondents in 2012 reported they had decreased cell phone use while driving over the past 30 days than did respondents in 2010, with the most common reason for a decrease being safety awareness. Support for laws banning handheld phone use while driving increased from 68% in 2010 to 74% in 2012. Support for laws banning texting remains high, at about 93% in 2012. KW - Attitudes KW - Behavior KW - Cellular telephones KW - Distraction KW - Drivers KW - Interviewing KW - Laws KW - Public support KW - Surveys KW - Text messaging UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811730.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249531 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01480472 AU - Quiroga, Cesar AU - Li, Yingfeng (Eric) AU - Kraus, Edgar AU - Le, Jerry AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Optimizing Utility Owner Participation in the Project Development and Delivery Process PY - 2013/04//Technical Report SP - 166p AB - Coordination with utility owners during the project development and delivery process involves multiple activities, such as requesting and collecting data about the location and characteristics of existing facilities to identifying and analyzing utility conflicts, coordinating with utility stakeholders for the resolution of those utility conflicts, preparing and executing utility agreements, coordinating and inspecting utility adjustments, and coordinating reimbursements and audits. Effective communication, cooperation, and coordination among utility stakeholders are critical to keeping transportation projects on schedule. Unfortunately, these elements are frequently lacking during project development and delivery to allow for the adoption of cost-effective solution strategies. This report documents the results of research completed to develop strategies to improve the participation and response of utility owners in the project development and delivery process. To achieve this objective, the researchers (1) reviewed strategies that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and other agencies use to engage utility owners, (2) developed a set of strategies designed to optimize utility owner participation, (3) conducted stakeholder meetings and workshops to gauge the potential acceptability of these strategies, and (4) developed recommendations for changes to business processes and procedures. The four sets of strategies are: (1) modernization of the utility process, (2) utility conflict matrix approach, (3) streamlining and standardization of utility cost data submissions, and (4) core skill training on utility topics. The research also included the development of an implementation plan and standalone guidebook and training materials to assist in the implementation of each of these strategies. KW - Communication KW - Construction projects KW - Coordination KW - Project management KW - Public utilities KW - Stakeholders KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Training KW - Workshops UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6624-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248970 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01480471 AU - Kraus, Edgar AU - Li, Eric Yingfeng AU - Overman, John AU - Quiroga, Cesar AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Utility Investigation Best Practices and Effects on TxDOT Highway Improvement Projects PY - 2013/04//Technical Report SP - 378p AB - The lack of adequate information about the location and characteristics of utility facilities can result in a number of problems, including damages to utilities, disruptions to utility services and traffic, “lost” utility facilities as construction alters the landscape and pre-existing benchmarks are removed, and delays to highway projects. To address this issue, the research team reviewed the state of the practice in utility investigations and developed best practices for timing and use of utility investigation services in the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) project development process. Major activities of the research included a review of current utility investigation techniques and technologies, a review of best practices and use of utility investigation practices in other states, and a review of TxDOT project data to examine effects of utility investigation services. The research team surveyed TxDOT organizational units on current utility investigation practices, developed draft best practices for utility investigations, and conducted workshops to allow feedback from practitioners. Based on the feedback, the research team reviewed and revised the draft best practices for utility investigations, developed draft content for inclusion in the Right of Way (ROW) Utility Manual, and developed and tested training materials. KW - Best practices KW - Construction projects KW - Project management KW - Public utilities KW - Right of way (Land) KW - State of the practice KW - Subsurface Utility Engineering KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Underground utility lines UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6631-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248972 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01480463 AU - Snyder, Jeremy D AU - Bullough, John D AU - Radetsky, Leora C AU - Besenecker, Ute AU - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Innovative Roadway Light Source and Dye Combinations to Improve Visibility and Reduce Environmental Impacts PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 28p AB - Sky glow light pollution is caused largely by reflected light off of roadway and other surfaces. The authors investigated the feasibility of a system consisting of a specialized light emitting diodes (LED) streetlight and a dye-based roadway surface coating that would reduce sky glow, but still provide adequate illumination of objects in the road. As envisioned, the streetlight would produce white light with narrow-band LEDs of red, green, and blue wavelengths. The roadway surface coating would use three dyes that would selectively absorb the specific wavelengths produced by the streetlight. This investigation examined the optical properties of green and blue absorbing dyes. The dyes, when in their liquid states, did selectively absorb light at the expected wavelengths. However, the dyes did not selectively absorb light when applied as a surface coating, so appropriate encapsulants would need to be developed for subsequent implementation. Also, issues of stability over time, cost, and safety were identified. A number of significant hurdles would need to be overcome before this could become a practical method of reducing sky glow from roadway illumination systems. KW - Blue KW - Dyes KW - Environmental impacts KW - Green KW - Light emitting diodes KW - Light pollution KW - Luminance KW - Night visibility KW - Optical properties KW - Seal coats KW - Street lighting UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/LRC-Dye-FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248919 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01480421 AU - Harrison, James AU - daSilva, Marco AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - 2012 Right-of-Way Fatality and Trespass Prevention Workshop PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 69p AB - Based on the success of the 2008 Trespasser Workshop, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) sponsored this follow-on workshop. The keynote speech by FRA Administrator, Mr. Joseph C. Szabo, was followed by 23 technical presentations in the areas of Pedestrian Safety, Hazard Management, Design Technology and Infrastructure, Community Outreach, Enforcement, and Intentional Deaths/Acts. Workshop attendees broke into working groups charged with developing prioritized recommended actions for their respective topics; they developed more than 90 ideas which covered new or expanded initiatives, strategies, and research projects. Each group then defined three to five top recommended actions for its respective topic area. This resulted in the identification of 23 high-priority recommended actions. KW - Communities KW - Fatalities KW - Hazards and emergency operations KW - Law enforcement KW - Light rail transit KW - Outreach KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Railroad safety KW - Right of way (Land) KW - Trespassing KW - Workshops UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47400/47439/DOT-VNTSC-FRA-12-06.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248939 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479860 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Older Population PY - 2013/04 SP - 7p AB - This fact sheet focuses on the older population in the United States, defined as people age 65 and older. In 2011, 13 percent of the total U.S. resident population (41.4 million people) were age 65 and older. In 2011, 5,401 people age 65 and older were killed and 185,000 were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes. These older individuals made up 17 percent of all traffic fatalities and 8 percent of all people injured in traffic crashes during the year. Compared to 2010, fatalities among people age 65 and older and injured persons in this age group decreased by 2 percent. For older people, 69 percent of pedestrian fatalities in 2011 occurred at non-intersection locations. For other pedestrians, 83 percent of fatalities occurred at nonintersection locations. KW - Aged KW - Aged drivers KW - Crash injuries KW - Crash rates KW - Fatalities KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811745.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248196 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479859 AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data: Occupant Protection PY - 2013/04 SP - 7p AB - Seat belt use in 2011 was 84 percent, down slightly from 85 percent in 2010. This is still a huge increase from 75 percent in 2002 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 2011, 21,253 occupants of passenger vehicles (passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs) died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of the 21,253 total occupants killed, 9,439 were restrained. Restraint use was not known for 1,634 occupants. Looking at only occupants where the restraint status was known, 52 percent were unrestrained at the time of the crash. The proportion of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes has decreased from 2002 to 2011. Among passenger vehicle occupants killed, when restraint use was known, the percentage of unrestrained deaths decreased by 7 percentage points, from 59 percent in 2002 to 52 percent in 2011. Data is also presented on age, gender, seating position and restraint use, vehicle type and restraint use, and lives saved by frontal air bags. Additional sections address seat belt use and benefits, frontal air bag use and benefits, and restraint use laws. KW - Age groups KW - Air bags KW - Crash data KW - Fatalities KW - National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) KW - Occupant protection devices KW - Passenger vehicles KW - Restraint systems KW - Seat belt usage KW - Seat belt use laws KW - Seat belts KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811729.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248197 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479824 AU - Donaldson, Bridget M AU - White, James J AU - Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Composting Animal Mortality Removed From Roads: A Pilot Study of Rotary Drum and Forced Aeration Compost Vessels PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 34p AB - The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) removes an estimated 55,000 deer carcasses from its roadways each year at a cost of more than $4 million per year. Many VDOT maintenance facilities have a need for viable, environmentally compliant, and cost-effective carcass management strategies. Disposal challenges include a decreasing availability of conventional disposal methods, such as landfills, and a lack of viable burial areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two in-vessel composting systems to determine the utility of each as a carcass management option for VDOT. The systems were a rotary drum system and a forced aeration bin system (forced air system). Pilot projects were conducted to determine the utility of each system based on two factors: (1) whether the generated compost met a set of established composting criteria, including regulatory standards; and (2) whether the system performed well from an operational standpoint. A rotary drum system was installed at a VDOT maintenance facility and monitored for 163 days. The generated compost met the established pathogen destruction criteria but was inconsistent with regard to meeting the temperature and moisture criteria. The operational performance of the system was also inconsistent. The problems encountered may be preventable in future installations, but the system requires further evaluation to determine its utility as a means of animal mortality management for VDOT. It is recommended that VDOT install a smaller rotary drum system at a selected maintenance facility and evaluate its performance when the lessons learned described in this study are applied. A forced air system was installed at another VDOT maintenance facility and monitored for 274 days. The generated compost met all established compost criteria (i.e., temperature, compost maturity, and pathogen destruction), and the system performed well from an operational standpoint. This system is a useful means of animal mortality management for VDOT. It is recommended that VDOT install several additional forced air system units at maintenance areas interested in this method of composting. When the savings in disposal fees and travel costs from composting mortalities in a compost vessel rather than disposing of them at a facility are taken into account, the initial investment in a compost vessel would be offset in less than 5 years for maintenance facilities with particularly long drives to a disposal facility (25 to 40 miles). This study will be followed by an in-depth study to evaluate the economics and logistics of in-vessel composting to complete the feasibility analysis of this method of animal mortality management for VDOT. A composting guidance document will also be prepared to support the implementation of animal mortality composting at VDOT maintenance facilities. KW - Compost KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Deer KW - Highway maintenance KW - Virginia Department of Transportation KW - Waste disposal KW - Wildlife UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/13-r8.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47900/47901/13-r8.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248194 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479822 AU - El-Rayes, Khaled AU - Liu, Liang AU - Elghamrawy, Tarek AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Minimizing Traffic-Related Work Zone Crashes in Illinois PY - 2013/04 SP - 226p AB - This report presents the findings of a research project to study and develop recommendations to minimize work zone crashes in Illinois. The objectives of this project were (1) to provide in-depth comprehensive review of the latest literature on traffic-related work zone crashes and conduct site visits of work zones in Illinois, (2) to analyze the frequency and severity of traffic-related work zone crashes in Illinois, (3) to quantify the impact of layout parameters on the risk of crash occurrence and develop practical recommendations to control the factors contributing to work zone crashes in Illinois, and (4) to evaluate the practicality and effectiveness of adding temporary/portable rumble strips within and before work zones. To achieve these objectives, the research team carried out six major tasks: (1) conducting a comprehensive literature review, (2) collecting and fusing all available data and reports on work zone crashes in Illinois, (3) analyzing work zone crashes and identifying their contributing factors, (4) identifying the impact of layout parameters on the risk of crash occurrences and developing practical recommendations to improve work zone layouts, (5) performing field experiments to evaluate the efficiency of using temporary rumble strips in work zones, and (6) evaluating the effectiveness of temporary rumble strips before work zones begin and at the edge of work zones. During this study, the research team identified a number of promising research areas for further in-depth analysis and investigation: (1) investigating the practicality and effectiveness of using new prototypes of temporary rumble strips at the edge of work zones, (2) improving safety for construction equipment entering and exiting work zones, and (3) optimizing work zone transportation management plans (TMPs) to maximize work zone safety while minimizing total work zone costs. KW - Crash data KW - Illinois KW - Literature reviews KW - Rumble strips KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic safety KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45772 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248193 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479799 AU - Miles, Jeffrey D AU - Ge, Hancheng AU - Carlson, Paul J AU - Zhang, Yunlong AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Mobile Luminance Data Collection System User Manual PY - 2013/04 SP - 50p AB - While nighttime driving volumes are lower than daytime, the percentage of crashes with respect to volume is higher, so it is critical that transportation agencies do everything economically possible to improve nighttime driving safety. One crucial part of nighttime driving safety is the visibility of traffic control devices (TCDs). This manual provides a description of the mobile luminance data collection system designed for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to evaluate the nighttime visibility of TCDs. The manual also contains detailed guidance on how to install the software and hardware, how to use the system, and how to conduct a post-processing analysis of images taken of the nighttime driving scene. KW - Computer program documentation KW - Data collection KW - Highway delineators KW - Luminance KW - Night visibility KW - Reflectorized materials KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Traffic control devices UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6647-P2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248609 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479797 AU - Li, Ming-Han AU - Sung, Chan Yong AU - Swapp, Mark AU - Kim, Myung Hee AU - Chu, Kung-Hui AU - McFalls, Jett AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Bioretention for Highway Stormwater Quality Improvement in Texas: Final Report PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 132p AB - This final report summarizes five years’ worth of work in evaluating the applicability and performance of bioretention best management practices (BMPs) for highway environments in Texas. Within the five-year time frame, the research team did a literature review, conducted pilot experiments, and constructed a field demonstration site. The field site was tested with two different designs: (1) dry (or non-internal water storage (IWS)) and (2) internal water storage types. The field site is near the intersection of SH 21 and SH 6 in Bryan, Texas. The site includes a water hydrant for irrigation and synthetic runoff tests. The report includes introduction, research methods, test results, discussion, drawing examples, designs and maintenance guidelines, a special specification, a planting plan guide, a summary of the site selection process, and test data. In summary, bioretention BMPs can reduce peak flow and increase detention time. Non-IWS design moderately removed suspended solids, less effectively removed copper and zinc, less effectively removed total nitrogen, and moderately removed total phosphorus. The IWS layer significantly improved all performances, including hydraulic and water quality. The significance of this research project is that bioretention BMPs are a promising method for highway application in hot, semi-arid areas. Furthermore, the IWS layer is a viable application to improve bioretention performances. KW - Best practices KW - Bioremediation KW - Bioretention KW - Detention basins KW - Drainage KW - Runoff KW - Semi-arid regions KW - Texas KW - Water quality management UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5949-4.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248157 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479793 AU - Abu-Odeh, Akram AU - Williams, William AU - Ferdous, Rubiat AU - Spencer, Matthew AU - Bligh, Roger AU - Menges, Wanda AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Signs on Concrete Median Barriers PY - 2013/04 SP - 324p AB - Concrete median barriers have been used throughout the state as permanent and temporary barriers for providing separation of traffic. Typically, these barriers are tested and considered crashworthy through crash testing according to National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 350 or American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Manual for Assessment of Safety Hardware. Due to space restrictions, a sign or a light pole is placed on top of such barriers. However, when signs or light poles are mounted on top of barriers, the crashworthiness of the system is not necessarily guaranteed. There is very limited research on how a combination of device and barrier would perform if impacted by an errant vehicle. Moreover, no full-scale crash tests have been performed to accurately identify the influence of attachments on vehicular deceleration. Therefore, there is a need to identify existing practices of placing hardware on top of median barriers, as well as defining the crashworthiness of such combinations. In this project, a survey of the practice of mounting hardware on top of barriers was performed. Analytical, computer simulation, and testing tasks were conducted to define crashworthy hardware and placement guidelines. This research developed a design guideline and a standard that could be incorporated into Texas Department of Transportation standards and specifications. KW - Crashworthiness KW - Design standards KW - Highway safety KW - Impact tests KW - Median barriers KW - Sign supports KW - Simulation KW - Texas KW - Traffic signs UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6646-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248158 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478958 AU - Fay, Ginny AU - Schwörer, Tobias AU - Guettabi, Mouhcine AU - Armagost, Jeffrey AU - University of Alaska, Anchorage AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis of Alaska Transportation Sectors to Assess Energy Use and Impacts of Price Shocks and Climate Change Legislation PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 93p AB - The authors analyzed the use of energy by Alaska’s transportation sectors to assess the impact of sudden fuel price changes. They conducted three types of analysis: 1) development of broad energy use statistics for each transportation sector, including total annual energy and fuel use, carbon emissions, fuel use per ton-mile and passenger-mile, and cost of fuel per ton-mile and passenger-mile; 2) economic input-output analysis of air, rail, truck, and water transportation sectors and; 3) adjustment of input-output modeling to reflect sudden fuel price changes to estimate the potential impact on industry output and employment. Alaska air transportation used approximately 1.9 billion gallons of fuel annually; 961 million gallons were used for intra-state and exiting Alaska flights. Water transportation used 101.8 million gallons annually, with approximately 84.3 million gallons for intra-state and exiting segments. Railroad and truck transportation used 5.1 and 8.8 million gallons annually, respectively. Simulated fuel price increases resulted in an estimated $456.8 million in value-added losses to the Alaska economy through cost increases of transportation services. The cost increases, or equivalent loss in income, to Alaska households are $26.8 million. A carbon emissions tax would have the greatest impact on the cost of air transportation services followed by water, trucking and rail. KW - Air transportation KW - Alaska KW - Carbon dioxide KW - Climate change KW - Economic impacts KW - Energy consumption KW - Fuel consumption KW - Fuel costs KW - Fuel prices KW - Input output models KW - Legislation KW - Pollutants KW - Prices KW - Railroad transportation KW - Taxes KW - Trucking KW - Water transportation UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2013/04/309002.Fay_.Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247862 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478897 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Teen Distracted Driver Data, 2011 Data PY - 2013/04 SP - 1p AB - This one page document presents 2011 data on distracted driving and fatalities, focusing on the percentage of teen drivers involved in distraction-affected crashes. In 2011, 380 people died in crashes that involved distracted teen (15 to 19) drivers; 305 teens were killed in distraction-affected crashes; and 344 teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were distracted. KW - Crash data KW - Distraction KW - Fatalities KW - Highway safety KW - Teenage drivers KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811739.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247800 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478896 AU - Yager, Christine AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Voice-To-Text Programs at Reducing Incidences of Distracted Driving PY - 2013/04//Final Project Report SP - 142p AB - Text messaging is no longer limited to manual-entry. There are several mobile applications that aim to assist the driver in sending and receiving text messages by incorporating a voice-to-text component. To date, there has been no published research that evaluates the impact of voice-to-text mobile applications on driver behavior and safety. To address this issue, 43 participants drove an instrumented vehicle on a closed course for a baseline as well as three texting conditions: manual-entry, using Siri, and using Vlingo. Results indicate that driver reaction times were nearly two times slower than the baseline condition, no matter which texting method was used. Eye gazes to the forward roadway also significantly decreased compared to baseline, no matter which texting method was used. Additionally, it took drivers longer to complete the same texting task using the voice-to-text applications than it did when texting manually, though Siri produced the fewest errors. Self-assessment feedback revealed that participants felt less safe using any of the three texting methods compared to the baseline, but felt safer using either voice-to-text application than when manually texting. These results have immediate implications for improving our understanding of the dangers of texting while driving and the potential safety improvements of using voice-to-text options. KW - Distraction KW - Hands free telephones KW - Reaction time KW - Smartphones KW - Text messaging KW - Traffic safety KW - Voice communication KW - Voice to text UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/600451-00011-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247909 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478888 AU - Labib, Emad L AU - Dhonde, Hemant B AU - Howser, Rachel AU - Mo, Y L AU - Hsu, Thomas T C AU - Ayoub, Ashraf AU - University of Houston AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Shearing in High Strength Concrete Bridge Girders: Technical Report PY - 2013/04//Technical Report SP - 300p AB - Prestressed Concrete (PC) I-girders are used extensively as the primary superstructure components in Texas highway bridges. A simple semi-empirical equation was developed at the University of Houston (UH) to predict the shear strength of PC I-girders with normal strength concrete through the project Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) 0-4759. The UH-developed equation is a function of shear span to effective depth ratio, concrete strength, web area and amount of transverse steel. This report intends to: (1) validate the UH-developed equation for high strength concrete by testing ten 25-ft long full-scale PC I-girders with different concrete strength; and (2) validate the UH-developed equation for different sizes of PC girders and study the possibility of having premature failure due to local failure in end zone. Ten modified Tx28 PC girders were tested for the first objective. The girders were divided into three groups (namely Groups A, C and F) based on the concrete compressive strength. Group A consisted of two girders with a concrete compressive strength of 7000 psi. Group F had four girders with a concrete compressive strength of 13000 psi and Group C included four girders with a compressive strength 16,000 psi. Girders in Group A were designed to have a balanced condition in shear. A pair of girders each belonging to Group F and Group C were designed to have a balanced condition while remaining girders were designed as over-reinforced sections. Each group of the PC girders was tested with different shear span to effective depth ratio so as to get two types of shear failure modes, i.e., web-shear and flexure-shear. The validity of the proposed UH-developed equation was ascertained using the girders test results. UH-developed equation was found to accurately predict the ultimate shear strength of PC girders having concrete strength up to 17,000 psi with enough ductility. Six PC girders of Tx-series with three different sizes were tested for the second objective. The girders were divided into three groups (namely Groups D, E and G) based on the girder depth. The test data shows that the PC girders of the new Tx-series has no cracks under service loads and can reach the maximum shear capacity without having a shear bond failure. Also, these girders’ test results ensured the validity of the UH-developed equations for PC girders with different sizes. Simulation of Concrete Structures (SCS), a finite element program recently developed at UH, was used to predict the shear behavior of the tested girders. Analytical results presented in this report proved the validity of SCS to predict the behavior of PC girders with different concrete strength up to 17,000 psi and with different depth up to 70 inches. KW - Compressive strength KW - Failure analysis KW - Girders KW - High strength concrete KW - Highway bridges KW - Load tests KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Shear strength KW - Texas UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=QUERY&TN=catalog&RL=1&RF=.Detail&DF=.Detail&BU=http%3A%2F%2Flibrary.ctr.utexas.edu%2Fcatalog&QY=find+ID+%3D+31287&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewestTxdotResearch+%28New+TxDOT+Research+Publications+%28Feed%29%29 UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6152-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247894 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478883 AU - Ban, Xuegang Jeff AU - Sun, Zhanbo AU - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Vehicle Classification Using Mobile Sensors PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 47p AB - In this research, the feasibility of using mobile traffic sensors for binary vehicle classification on arterial roads is investigated. Features (e.g. speed related, acceleration/deceleration related, etc.) are extracted from vehicle traces (passenger cars, trucks) collected from real world arterial roads. Machine learning techniques such as support vector machines (SVM) are developed to distinguish passenger cars from trucks using these features. To address privacy concerns, classification is conducted using long vehicle traces and short vehicle traces separately. For classification using long traces, the proportions of accelerations and decelerations larger than 1meter per second square (mpss) and the standard deviations of accelerations and decelerations are the most effective features. By classifying general trucks from passenger cars, the average misclassification rate for the best 4-feature SVM model is about 1.6% for the training data, and 4.2% for the testing data. For classification using short traces, it is necessary to define multiple types of traces and analyze them case-by-case. It was found that particularly for the turning movement traces, features such as average speed, standard deviation of speed, maximum acceleration/deceleration and standard deviation of acceleration/deceleration are fairly effective to classify vehicles. The misclassification rate for the best SVM classifier using short traces is about 14.8% for the stop-and-go traffic, and 15.6% for the non-stopped traffic. KW - Arterial highways KW - Automatic vehicle classification KW - Global Positioning System KW - Mobile sources KW - Passenger cars KW - Sensors KW - Traffic data KW - Trucks UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Vechile-Classification-Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247901 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478712 AU - Liu, Henry X AU - Hu, Heng AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - SMART-Signal Phase II: Arterial Offset Optimization Using Archived High-Resolution Traffic Signal Data PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 37p AB - Traditionally, offset optimization for coordinated traffic signals is based on average travel times between intersections and average traffic volumes at each intersection, without consideration of the stochastic nature of field traffic. Using the archived high-resolution traffic signal data, this project developed a data-driven arterial offset optimization model that will address two well-known problems with vehicle-actuated signal coordination: the early return to green problem and the uncertain intersection queue length problem. To account for the early return to green problem, the authors introduce the concept of conditional distribution of the green start times for the coordinated phase. To handle the uncertainty of intersection queue length, the authors adopt a scenario-based approach that generates optimization results using a series of traffic-demand scenarios as the input to the offset optimization model. Both the conditional distributions of the green start times and traffic demand scenarios can be obtained from the archived high-resolution traffic signal data. Under different traffic conditions, queues formed by side-street and main-street traffic are explicitly considered in the derivation of intersection delay. The objective of this model is to minimize total delay for the main coordinated direction and at the same time it considers the performance of the opposite direction. Due to model complexity, a genetic algorithm is adopted to obtain the optimal solution. The performance of the optimized offsets are tested not only in a simulated environment but also in the field. Results from both experiments show that the proposed model can reduce travel delay of coordinated direction significantly without compromising the performance of the opposite approach. KW - Arterial highways KW - Genetic algorithms KW - Green interval (Traffic signal cycle) KW - Offsets (Traffic signal timing) KW - Optimization KW - Queuing KW - Traffic actuated controllers KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic signal timing KW - Traffic signals UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=2288 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247810 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478590 AU - Bayrak, Oguzhan AU - Chao, Shih-Ho AU - Jirsa, James O AU - Klingner, Richard E AU - Azimov, Umid AU - Foreman, James AU - Foster, Stephen AU - Karki, Netra AU - Kwon, Ki Yeon AU - Woods, Aaron AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - University of Texas, Arlington AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Bridge Deck Reinforcement and PCP Cracking: Final Report PY - 2013/04//Final Report; Technical Report SP - 356p AB - Bridge decks composed of precast, prestressed panels (PCPs) overlain by cast-in-place (CIP) are popular in many states, including Texas. Optimization of top-mat reinforcement and reduction of collinear panel cracking were addressed in this project. Longitudinal top-mat reinforcement was found to be already optimized. Further optimization of transverse top-mat reinforcement is possible by slightly reducing the area of deformed reinforcement or by using welded-wire reinforcement. Collinear panel cracking can be reduced by lowering the initial prestress or by placing additional transverse reinforcement at panel ends. Measured prestress losses in PCPs were at most 25 ksi, much less than the 45 ksi currently assumed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The comparative efficiency of different types of high-performance steel fibers was examined. Double-punch testing, appropriately standardized as proposed in this report, is a reliable and repeatable measure of the comparative efficiency of high-performance steel fibers. KW - Bridge decks KW - Cast in place concrete KW - Concrete tests KW - Cracking KW - High performance steel KW - Panels KW - Precast concrete KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Reinforcement (Engineering) KW - Steel fibers KW - Test procedures KW - Texas KW - Welded wire reinforcement UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-6348-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247497 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478575 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - 2012 Urban Congestion Trends: Operations: The Key to Reliable Travel PY - 2013/04 SP - 8p AB - Congestion levels remained relatively unchanged from 2011 to 2012 in the 19 urban areas in the United States monitored in this report. Congestion levels across all of the congestion measures are still generally below the levels experienced in 2007, prior to the economic downturn. As the economy improves, increased congestion levels are expected. While congestion levels remained relatively unchanged (or decreased slightly) from 2011 to 2012, the use of congestion-mitigating techniques will become important to manage future increases in traffic and congestion. The use of operational strategies, in particular, provides a toolbox of alternatives that can be implemented to mitigate growing congestion. Transportation agencies and professionals should use this time to implement operational strategies (and/or fine-tune existing operational strategies) prior to congestion levels likely increasing in an improving economy. The benefits of successful operational strategies are multiple—faster, more reliable trips, improved safety, and reduced environmental impacts. This report highlights several case studies where operational strategies have been successfully implemented. The first two case studies identify how reporting and monitoring can improve stakeholder decision making. Proactive reporting and monitoring ensure that transportation improvements are designed to get the best return on the investment. KW - Case studies KW - Highway operations KW - Highway traffic control KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Urban areas UR - http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop13016/fhwahop13016.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247662 ER - TY - SER AN - 01478520 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Nie, Yu (Marco) AU - Wu, Xing AU - Li, Qianfei AU - Northwestern University AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Illinois Center for Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Travel Reliability Inventory for Chicago PY - 2013/04 IS - 013-011 SP - 64p AB - The overarching goal of this research project is to enable state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to document and monitor the reliability performance of their highway networks. To this end, a computer tool, Travel Reliability Inventory for Chicago (TRIC), was developed to produce travel reliability inventories from various traffic data sources. In due course, travel reliability inventories will provide necessary inputs to next-generation transportation decision-making tools that are sensitive to travel reliability. TRIC incorporates reliable routing algorithms to construct and rank travel reliability indexes on routes between any given origin-destination pair in the network. It also implements a basic graphical user interface for creating and visualizing travel reliability indexes and archiving them in Esri shape format, which can be read by most geographic information system (GIS) software. Case studies using data from the Chicago area were conducted for demonstration purposes. KW - Algorithms KW - Case studies KW - Chicago (Illinois) KW - Decision support systems KW - Geographic information systems KW - Graphical user interfaces KW - Highway travel KW - Origin and destination KW - Road networks KW - Routing KW - State departments of transportation KW - Traffic data KW - Travel time KW - Travel time reliability UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45775 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247371 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478097 AU - Sternberg, Steven P AU - Hasan, A Rashid AU - Mereddy, Venkatram R AU - University of Minnesota, Duluth AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Prototype System for Chemical Hydrogen Generation and Storage for Operating ITS Devices PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 44p AB - This research project sought to develop a prototype hydrogen-based fuel cell system for intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices. The project investigated hydrogen storage capacities of the various candidate chemical hydride analogs; selected the most efficient of the candidates for energy storage based on volume, mass, and cost; developed a prototype system; and estimated the capital and operating cost for such a system. A hydrogen fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, providing a clean, high-efficiency energy source that circumvents the problems associated with conventional batteries. A major drawback that limits its utility, however, is the use of heavy and bulky compressed metal cylinders as the source of hydrogen. The chemical-based hydrogen generation used in this project can provide a compact, atmospheric-pressure storage option for the controlled release of hydrogen. Many ITS-based applications can be envisaged with hydrogen-based fuel cells, such as alternating-traffic signs, directional signals, speed-limit signs, blinkers in series, warning blinkers, and backup power sources at traffic signals during power outages. This system is particularly attractive because many remote traffic signals on northern Minnesota roads lack access to a power grid, requiring the use of batteries that must be changed often, thus incurring maintenance costs KW - Electricity KW - Energy storage systems KW - Fuel cells KW - Hydrogen storage KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Minnesota KW - Power outages KW - Traffic signals UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=2286 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247381 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478011 AU - Schroeder, Paul AU - Meyers, Mikelyn AU - Kostyniuk, Lidia AU - Abt SRBI Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - National Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors -- 2012 PY - 2013/04//Final Report SP - 172p AB - The 2012 National Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors (NSDDAB) is the second in a series of surveys on distracted driving that have provided data to help further the understanding of driving behavior and to contribute to the development of countermeasures and interventions to reduce distracted driving on the Nation’s roadways. Like the previous 2010 study, this survey yields national estimates of behavior and attitudes toward distracted driving in the United States. The present study differs from the earlier study in that it developed and used a driver typology based on the pattern of responses across multiple distracted driving behavior questions. Cluster analysis identified two distinct groups of drivers with similar overall behavioral tendencies and, among those categorized, 33% are distraction-prone and 67% are distraction-averse. Driver type is a powerful predictor of norms and attitudes towards distracted driving behavior and sanctions for distracted driving. This report details the findings from the 2012 NSDDAB, examining the data using the above mentioned driver typology as well as standard demographics. In the final chapter, results from the current study are compared to those of the 2010 NSDDAB. KW - Attitudes KW - Behavior KW - Cellular telephones KW - Cluster analysis KW - Distracted drivers KW - Distraction KW - Drivers KW - Driving KW - Surveys KW - Text messaging UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811729.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47200/47284/Distracted_Driving_Survey.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247323 ER - TY - SER AN - 01478010 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Pickrell, Timothy M AU - Ye, Tony Jianqiang TI - Driver Electronic Device Use in 2011 PY - 2013/04 IS - DOT HS 811 719 SP - 8p AB - The percentage of drivers text-messaging or visibly manipulating hand-held devices increased significantly for a second year in a row from 0.9 percent in 2010 to 1.3 percent in 2011, while driver hand-held cell phone use stood at 5 percent in 2011. These results are from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which provides the only nationwide probability-based observed data on driver electronic device use in the United States. The NOPUS is conducted annually by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The percentage of drivers holding cell phones to their ears while driving stood at 5 percent in 2011. This rate translates into 660,000 vehicles driven by people using handheld cell phones at a typical daylight moment in 2011. It also translates into an estimated 9 percent of the vehicles whose drivers were using some type of phone (either hand-held or hands-free) at a typical daylight moment in 2011. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Distraction KW - Drivers KW - Handheld devices KW - National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) KW - Text messaging KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811719.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247373 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478007 AU - Pickrell, Timothy M AU - Ye, Tony Jianqiang AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - The 2011 National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats PY - 2013/04 SP - 44p AB - This technical report presents results from the 2011 National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS). NSUBS is the only probability-based nationwide child restraint use survey in the United States that observes restraint use and interviews adult occupants to collect race, ethnicity and other data. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA’s) National Center for Statistics and Analysis conducts the NSUBS. The 2011 NSUBS found that 47 percent of 4- to 7-year-old children were restrained in booster seats in 2011 as compared to 41 percent in 2009. Restraint use for all children under 13 increased to 91 percent in 2011. Although there were some indications of premature graduation to restraint types that are not appropriate for children’s age, height, and weight, significant improvements are seen in the use of appropriate restraint types among children of various categories in 2011 as compared to 2009. KW - Age groups KW - Booster seats KW - Child restraint systems KW - Children KW - Highway safety KW - National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats KW - Persons by race and ethnicity KW - Surveys UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811718.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247374 ER - TY - SER AN - 01478005 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Distracted Driving 2011 PY - 2013/04 IS - DOT HS 811 737 SP - 6p AB - Distracted driving is a behavior dangerous to drivers, passengers, and nonoccupants alike. Distraction is a specific type of inattention that occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving task to focus on some other activity. A distraction-affected crash is any crash in which a driver was identified as distracted at the time of the crash. 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). In a continuing effort towards data improvement, NHTSA changed the coding for distracted driving in the FARS beginning with the 2010 FARS data. For this reason, this document will only include distraction-affected fatal crash data for 2010 and 2011. In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers and an estimated additional 387,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Of those people killed in distraction-affected crashes, 385 died in crashes in which at least one of the drivers was using a cell phone (12% of fatalities in distraction-affected crashes) at the time of the crash. Use of a cell phone includes talking/listening to a cell phone, dialing/texting a cell phone, or other cell-phone-related activities. Of those injured in distraction-affected crashes, an estimated 21,000 were injured in crashes that involved the use of cell phones at the time of the crashes (5% of injured people in distraction-affected crashes). Eleven percent of all drivers 15-19 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. For drivers 15-19 years old involved in fatal crashes, 21 percent of the distracted drivers were distracted by the use of cell phones. In 2011, 495 nonoccupants were killed in distraction-affected crashes. KW - Age groups KW - Cellular telephones KW - Crash data KW - Crash injuries KW - Crashes KW - Distraction KW - Drivers KW - Driving KW - Fatalities KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - General Estimates System UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811737.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247311 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01587725 AU - Dunn, William C AU - Ecosystem Management, Incorporated AU - New Mexico Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Assessing the Potential to Sequester Carbon within State Highway Rights-of-Way in New Mexico Phase I: Inventory of Soil Organic Carbon and Current Management Practices PY - 2013/03/31/Final Report SP - 70p AB - A study to assess carbon sequestered in soils (soil organic carbon (SOC)) within state highway rights-of-way in New Mexico was initiated in April 2011. During October–November, 2011, the authors gathered soil and vegetation samples at 117 randomly located sites in 3 biomes (19 upper montane, 54 lower montane, 44 prairie) throughout areas of the state that receive ≥35 cm precipitation. Samples were obtained along 3 transects/site and in up to 4 right-of-way (ROW) zones per transect. Physical and chemical characteristics were measured from 854 soil samples. Composition, cover, and biomass were measured for vegetation within 0.5-m² quadrats, placed centrally within each zone of each transect. Environmental characteristics of each site were captured via Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Total and mean SOC were estimated to be 153,481 Mg and 57.9 Mg/ha in the Upper Montane; 204,311 Mg and 36.2 Mg/ha in the Lower Montane; and 591,822 Mg and 42.9 Mg/ha in the Prairie biomes. Relative precision for mean SOC was 7.7% across the study area and 11–12% for individual biomes. These values were within, or close to, the 10% precision required by the Chicago Climate Exchange for trading or selling carbon credits. The authors developed regression models using untransformed variables (“standard model”) and variables grouped via factor analysis (“factor model”) to determine associations between the variables the authors measured and SOC. Annual precipitation, clay, litter, and grass in the managed and inflection ROW zones were associated with SOC in the standard model. In the factor model, Factor 1 (characterized by annual precipitation, elevation, Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation, and evaporation) and Factor 2 (characterized by grass/vegetation cover) explained 30% of the variance; seven factors explained 62% of the variance. Spatial and temporal patterns of mowing and chemical spraying were analyzed using New Mexico Department of Transportation's (NMDOT’s) Highway Maintenance Management System database to determine if adjusting these management practices might contribute to carbon sequestration. Both practices were most common in the prairie districts. The authors identified 56 highways in which reducing the number of visits to mow to the average for the district would result in 1,893 fewer miles mowed annually (3.1% of the statewide total). The authors also identified 86 highways where mowing might be limited to the dormant season. The authors found little potential for contributing to carbon sequestration by reducing the number of passes by mowers or by limiting chemical spraying. For the next phase of the study, the authors recommend testing the effects of different rates of removal of biomass and different methods to enhance growth of plants to determine which provide optimal sequestration of carbon in ROW soils. The authors also outline 3 steps in development of a ROW carbon offset protocol for marketing carbon credits. KW - Carbon KW - Carbon sequestration KW - Geographic information systems KW - Mowing KW - New Mexico KW - Regression analysis KW - Right of way (Land) KW - Soils KW - Vegetation control UR - http://dot.state.nm.us/content/dam/nmdot/Research/NM10ENV_01_Carbon_Final%20Report_032213.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1394950 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01587721 AU - Dunn, William C AU - Ecosystem Management, Incorporated AU - New Mexico Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - The Path Forward: An Implementation Plan for Phase 1 of the project “Assessing the Potential to Sequester Carbon within State Highway Rights-of-Way in New Mexico” PY - 2013/03/31 SP - 23p AB - To implement “Assessing the Potential to Sequester Carbon within State Highway Rights-of-Way” (Contract No. C05438), the authors investigated nine management practices that occur over large areas, are effective for long periods, and that might increase carbon sequestration. These included (1) reseeding after new construction or major rehabilitation of roads; (2) adding arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to soil to enhance the ability of plants to capture nutrients; (3) increasing water availability by adding water retention polymers to the soil; (4) increasing water availability by imprinting offset divots in the soil; (5) increasing nitrogen availability through fertilization; (6) increasing nitrogen availability by interseeding legumes into established vegetative communities; (7) increasing mowing heights from 15 to 20 cm, thereby leaving more live biomass to capture atmospheric carbon; (8) mowing only at the onset of the dormant season; (9) planting trees and shrubs outside of the clear zone. Of these, soil imprinting, interseeding with legumes, increasing mowing heights from 15 to 20 cm, and mowing only at the onset of the dormant season appeared to have the highest potential to enhance carbon sequestration. Here the authors present a literature review of each of the nine management practices. Based on this review and discussions with New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) district personnel, the authors then present an experimental design to test the effects of three different rates of removal of biomass via adjustments in mowing and four different methods to enhance growth of plants to determine which provide optimal sequestration of carbon in rights-of-way (ROW) soils. Next, the authors outline three steps in development of a ROW carbon offset protocol for marketing carbon credits. Lastly, the authors discuss how increasing carbon sequestration can be integrated into the mission of NMDOT. KW - Biomass KW - Carbon KW - Carbon sequestration KW - Fertilization (Horticulture) KW - Implementation KW - Literature reviews KW - Mowing KW - New Mexico KW - Right of way (Land) KW - Roadside flora KW - Seeding UR - http://dot.state.nm.us/content/dam/nmdot/Research/NM10ENV_01_Carbon_Implementation%20Plan_031113.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1394949 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01587633 AU - Karaa, Fadi A AU - New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of a Comprehensive Inventory Management System for Underground Fiber Optic Conduits PY - 2013/03/31/Final Report SP - 38p AB - Major State Departments of Transportation operate and maintain networks of thousands of miles of conduits, many carrying fiber optic cables that are vital to State communication systems. These conduits are located alongside or across highways and frequently must be located and marked to avoid damage from digging or boring resulting from construction. The existing inventory system often consists merely of sections of pipelines of varying length with differing lengths and sometimes unknown or changing diameters and materials. In order to facilitate the location of fiber optic facilities by operations personnel and enable access to junction boxes and conduits, a computerized connectivity-based inventory system of all external (pipes, junction boxes) and internal assets (conduits, cables) was developed. In a first phase, the system enabled the transition from a flat incomplete and inaccurate system of facility identification to a network model of fiber optic segments and nodes (junction boxes). In this work, a comprehensive hierarchical system of facility cataloguing was achieved through an expansion of the system to include multiple inner layers within pipes and junction boxes, such as Conduits and Cables. This enabled the definition of a Routing entity, an essential component of a comprehensive fiber optic connectivity-based system. Key to the system design is the definition of the multi-layered hierarchical relationship between various levels of facility definition. The ability to “drill-down” from an external layer to an inner component and to establish multi-directional facility contiguity enables the progressive improvement of data quality and the establishment of a reliable connectivity model between facilities. This extended prototype enables the successful future transition from a system based on section records to a more connectivity-based hierarchical asset management model of fiber optic underground facilities, with significant savings in operational costs and reliability of the field investigative work, and the support of improved maintenance management and capacity/capital planning. KW - Asset management KW - Conduits KW - Data quality KW - Fiber optics KW - Inventory KW - State departments of transportation KW - System design KW - Underground structures UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/Final-Report-Inventory-Management-Fiber-Optic-Conduits.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1394945 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489534 AU - Li, Zhixia AU - Chitturi, Madhav V AU - Noyce, David A AU - University of Wisconsin, Madison AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Next Generation Intersection Control PY - 2013/03/31/Final Report SP - 84p AB - A reservation-based autonomous intersection control system, named Autonomous Control of Urban TrAffic (ACUTA), was developed as a part of this research effort. ACUTA allows centralized management of autonomous vehicles within a certain distance from an intersection to allow vehicles to pass the intersection with fewer stops and no conflicts. To address the operational issues of reservation-based autonomous intersection management identified in previous studies, three operational enhancement strategies are introduced and incorporated into ACUTA. The three strategies were evaluated and shown to be effective in reducing intersection delay. Along with the operational improvements offered by ACUTA, its implementation in VISSIM, a standard simulation platform is a significant achievement. By using a widely applied standard simulation platform, measures of effectiveness for different autonomous control algorithms can be standardized, and simulation results can be more reliable. Most importantly, results from different studies, particularly for operational performance, can be compared to each other through standardization of the simulation platform. In addition, various simulation experiments were conducted to evaluate operational performance of both multi-tile ACUTA and single-tile ACUTA. Results show that multi-tile ACUTA has significant operational superiority over optimized signal control, especially under high traffic demand conditions, while single-tile ACUTA shows promise in replacing four-way stop control for efficient management of autonomous vehicles at low volume intersections. Evaluation results also indicate that ACUTA system has successfully resolved both minor-road starvation issue under unbalanced demand conditions and slow-speed reservation issue identified in previous studies. To optimize ACUTA system’s operational performance, sensitivity analyses were conducted on ACUTA’s configurable parameters, identifying parameters that intersection delay is sensitive to, along with their trend in impacting intersection delay. Finally, ACUTA’s capability of accommodating heavy trucks was also evaluated. Results show that ACUTA can efficiently accommodate high demands of heavy trucks with short delays. KW - Advanced traffic management systems KW - Advanced vehicle control systems KW - Autonomous vehicle guidance KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Intersections KW - Simulation KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0418.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258464 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481639 AU - Sanchez, Alex AU - Unnikrishnan, Avinash AU - Martinelli, David AU - Schonfeld, Paul AU - Kim, Myungseob (Edward) AU - West Virginia University, Morgantown AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improved Methods for Operating Public Transportation Services PY - 2013/03/31/Final Report SP - 65p AB - In this joint project, West Virginia University and the University of Maryland collaborated in developing improved methods for analyzing and managing public transportation services. Transit travel time data were collected using global positioning system (GPS) tracking services and the resulting trends were analyzed to understand the variations in corridor travel time. Special events like football and basketball games were found to increase travel times significantly. Median was found to be a more robust statistic than mean due to the high number of missing values and discrepancies. Analytical models were developed to minimize the total system cost by jointly optimizing the type of bus services (i.e., conventional or flexible service), vehicle sizes, numbers of zones (i.e., route spacings or service areas) for conventional and flexible bus services, headways, and resulting fleet sizes. For the numerical example tested in the study, conventional bus services were found to be economical over flexible services with given input parameters. For the specific instance tested in the study, total costs of conventional bus services were 9.5~10.8 percent lower than the total costs of flexible bus services, by region. KW - Bus routes KW - Bus travel KW - Global Positioning System KW - Public transit KW - Scheduling KW - Special events KW - Travel time UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/MAUTC-2011-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250551 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01570303 AU - Conklin, Clifford A AU - Bahler, Stephen J AU - Belmore, Katherine L AU - Hallenbeck, Mark AU - Ishimura, John AU - Schnell, Genevieve M AU - Clark, James E AU - Curley, Cathleen E AU - Kandarpa, Ram AU - Hill, David AU - But, Alexander AU - Booz Allen Hamilton AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Transportation Management Center Data Capture for Performance and Mobility Measures Guidebook PY - 2013/03/27/Final Report SP - 47p AB - The Guide to Transportation Management Center (TMC) Data Capture for Performance and Mobility Measures is a two-volume document consisting of this summary Guidebook and a Reference Manual. These documents provide technical guidance and recommended practices regarding concepts, methods, techniques, and procedures for collecting, analyzing, and archiving TMC operations data to develop measures of roadway and TMC performance, as well as documenting the benefits of TMC activities for a variety of stakeholders. This guide is designed to be used by TMC technical and management staff involved in developing, implementing, and/or refining a TMC performance monitoring program. Effective performance monitoring efforts can assist the user in a variety of tasks including traffic performance monitoring, asset management, evaluation of TMC activities and strategies, and planning and decision-making. They can also provide persuasive data in support of continued or enhanced TMC programs; conversely, a lack of available data regarding the value of TMC programs can make agencies more vulnerable to budget reductions when resources are constrained and the remaining budgets are being allocated. The contents of this guide are based on a literature survey, a survey of TMC Pooled-Fund Study (PFS) members, follow-up interviews, and the project study team’s experience and judgment. The study team began with a literature survey of publications regarding TMC data, performance data, performance measures, performance analysis, and reporting. Next, a survey of the PFS members was performed to gain an understanding of the current state of the practice and to determine PFS member needs. The team conducted follow-up discussions with members as needed and then selected a core set of performance measures that would form the basis for this guide. KW - Data collection KW - Handbooks KW - Highway operations KW - Mobility KW - Performance measurement KW - Traffic control centers UR - http://www.its.dot.gov/data_capture/pdf/data_capture_performance_guidebook.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359889 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479058 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Amtrak's New Cost Accounting System is a Significant Improvement but Concerns Over Precision and Long Term Viability Remain PY - 2013/03/27 SP - 21p AB - For several years, Amtrak management, Congress, and other stakeholders expressed concerns about weaknesses in Amtrak’s cost accounting system, the Route Profitability System (RPS). Specifically, they raised concerns over the system’s weaknesses in transparency, timeliness, system maintenance, and cost allocation. In 2005, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that Amtrak’s reliance on cost allocation rather than cost assignment and RPS’s lack of transparency contributed to unreliable financial performance reporting. In response to these problems, Congress required the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to develop and Amtrak to implement a modern cost accounting and reporting system. The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) required the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) to review the new system to determine whether it produces reliable reporting on Amtrak’s financial performance. Specifically, OIG's objectives were to assess whether the system: (1) tracks Amtrak’s financial performance by route, line of business, and major activity; (2) addresses concerns with RPS; and (3) calculates Amtrak’s avoidable costs with respect to each of its routes using a sound methodology. Briefly, while APT and SAP, Amtrak’s cost accounting and financial accounting systems, were independently designed pursuant to separate congressional mandates, together they allow Amtrak to track and report on its financial performance by route, line of business and major activity. However, implementation issues related to data flow between the two systems have delayed its performance reporting. APT addresses the concerns raised about RPS’s shortcomings including system transparency and reporting timeliness but it does not address concerns related to system maintenance and cost assignment. To improve transparency, Amtrak maintains both paper and electronic copies of APT’s methodology and has developed a formal process to evaluate and document system changes. With APT, Amtrak expects to be able to produce monthly performance reports in 12 to 14 days after the end of the reporting period, a significant improvement over RPS. However, when designing APT, Amtrak customized the system to its operations rather than using an off-the-shelf system. This custom design makes APT challenging and more costly to maintain, raising concerns regarding its long-term utility. According to Amtrak officials, Amtrak has not yet implemented FRA’s methodology for calculating avoidable costs due to time and resource limitations. However, this methodology has significant limitations. FRA’s methodology relies notably on the use of statistical estimation that is not supported by economic theory; fails to account for key factors such as wages and rents; and bases its calculations on a limited data sample. Consequently, Amtrak and Congress may not have a reliable estimate of the savings that could result from eliminating a route. KW - Amtrak KW - Cost accounting KW - Costs KW - Financial analysis KW - Financial reporting KW - Financing KW - Route Profitability System KW - Routes UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/Amtrak's%20New%20Cost%20Accounting%20System%20Report%5E3-27-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247798 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479057 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Improvements to DOT’s Governance Processes Are Needed to Enhance Oversight of Major IT Investments PY - 2013/03/27 SP - 29p AB - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) fiscal year 2012 major information technology (IT) investment portfolio was just over $2.2 billion. About 94 percent ($2.07 billion) of the portfolio is managed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FAA’s major IT investments fund important aviation modernization programs, including the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), a multibillion-dollar effort to modernize the U.S. air traffic control system. However, since 2005, FAA has experienced cost overruns, schedule delays, or both on 7 of its 14 major air traffic control IT programs, including 1 that exceeded original cost estimates by $2 billion and was delayed by 14 years. The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have issued numerous audit reports and testimonies related to FAA’s major IT investments that point to longstanding and significant concerns in the Agency’s management and oversight of these critical programs. To improve oversight of major Federal IT investments, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) called for agencies to establish executive investment governance processes. In response, DOT established a departmental Investment Review Board (IRB), effective December 4, 2009, to help ensure the Department realizes optimal value for its IT investments. DOT also required that individual IRBs be established within each of its 12 Operating Administrations that are responsible for overseeing their IT investments. The Joint Resources Council (JRC) serves as FAA’s IRB to help ensure FAA’s capital investments fulfill mission priorities and maximize resources. Given the cost, complexity, and importance of major IT investments to the Department’s mission, OIG assessed whether (1) DOT’s investment governance practices meet Federal and statutory investment oversight requirements and best practices, and (2) FAA and DOT provide sufficient oversight of FAA’s major IT investments. Briefly, DOT’s investment oversight practices do not fully meet OMB requirements or DOT policies. Specifically, DOT does not have an active IRB or supporting boards to provide a comprehensive management framework. FAA and DOT face challenges in providing sufficient oversight of FAA’s major IT investments. FAA’s JRC has a comprehensive framework for investment governance, yet the Agency does not always follow the JRC approval and oversight process. KW - Cost overruns KW - Governance KW - Information technology KW - Investments KW - Oversight KW - Program management KW - Scheduling KW - U.S. Federal Aviation Administration UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/DOT%20Major%20IT%20Investment%20Governance%20Processes%5E3-27-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247799 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478784 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - FHWA Provides Sufficient Guidance and Assistance to Implement the Highway Safety Improvement Program but Could Do More to Assess Program Results PY - 2013/03/26 SP - 18p AB - Reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our Nation’s highways continues to be a top safety priority for the Department of Transportation (DOT). The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is the primary DOT program for reducing fatalities and serious injuries on roadways through infrastructure improvements, such as guard rails or rumble strips. HSIP has received approximately $8.4 billion in funding from 2006 through 2011. The current surface transportation authorization, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), continues HSIP and increases its funding to roughly $2.4 billion per year for the next 2 years. Given the major contribution HSIP is intended to make to highway safety and the large funding levels involved, DOT's Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated this audit to assess whether FHWA (1) provides sufficient guidance and assistance to enable the States to effectively implement the data-driven, performance-based approach called for in HSIP legislation and (2) evaluates HSIP results, which States report to FHWA annually, to determine the program’s impact. Briefly, results of the OIG audit indicate that FHWA provides sufficient guidance and technical assistance to the States to implement HSIP in accordance with current requirements that permit substantial State flexibility. As required by law, States used safety data to select HSIP projects and develop performance-based programs. Overall, OIG's review of States’ 2011 HSIP reports found that 98 percent of States met program requirements and 92 percent followed FHWA’s program guidance on reporting. FHWA periodically evaluates HSIP results and other traffic safety information reported by the States, but conclusions from these evaluations are limited and FHWA does not have an effective way to regularly use program data to report HSIP results nationwide. This is largely because States provide varying types and quantities of data to FHWA in their annual HSIP reports, even though the States all met the current legal reporting requirements on what information to include. KW - Countermeasures KW - Data quality KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Guidance KW - Highway safety KW - Highway Safety Improvement Program KW - Improvements KW - Performance measurement KW - States KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/FHWA's%20Highway%20Safety%20Improvement%20Program%5E3-26-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247376 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491335 AU - Ullman, Gerald L AU - Pesti, Geza AU - Klein, Rachel AU - Battelle AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Guidance on Data Needs, Availability, and Opportunities for Work Zone Performance Measures PY - 2013/03/20 SP - 102p AB - Current Federal Regulations (23 CFR 630 Subpart J) encourage States to collect and analyze both safety and mobility data to support the initiation and enhancement of agency-level processes and procedures addressing work zone impacts. The purpose of this guidance document is to provide practitioners with the skills to identify current data sources (both existing data and data collected specifically for the work zone) for use in work zone performance measurement, as well as potential data sources that could be useful to work zone performance measurement in the near future. This document is also intended to assist practitioners in determining how to select and compute useful work zone performance measures, given the data sources available to them. For both current and potential data sources, guidance is presented on the viability of each source for work zone performance measurement, as well as on possibly leveraging opportunities to maximize the value of data collection and extraction efforts. In addition to information about data sources and opportunities, guidance is provided regarding work zone performance measures that the various data sources can support. Where appropriate, examples are provided as to how data assessment, collection, application, and interpretation can be accomplished. In this way, document users can obtain an overall perspective KW - Data collection KW - Performance measurement KW - Traffic safety KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control KW - Work zones UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/publications/fhwahop13011/fhwahop13011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257623 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576056 TI - A Remote, Self-Sustained System for Monitoring Water Quality Near Highways AB - This research project will enable in situ monitoring of water quality near highways (e.g., stormwater runoff that occurs in the spring) by applying a self-organized and sustainable sensing system. After their first deployment, sensors can operate continuously for many years without the need for recharging or replacing batteries because they are powered by novel microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that harvest electricity through electrochemical reactions using bacteria, which are abundant in streams. The sensing system automatically measures the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water, periodically transmitting collected data wirelessly to a nearby base station and then on to a remote data center. This visionary technology takes advantage of technical breakthroughs found in the fields of MFCs, bioenergy harvesting, power regulation, data processing and management, sensor network, and wireless communication. KW - Electrochemical processes KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fuel cells KW - Remote sensing KW - Runoff KW - Streams KW - Sustainable development KW - Water quality management KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/projectsdb/projectdetails.cfm?projectid=FHWA-PROJ-13-0108 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370006 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485050 AU - Steiner, Ruth L AU - Cho, Heedeok AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Florida Long-distance Travel Characteristics and Their Potential Impacts on the Transportation System PY - 2013/03/15/Final Report SP - 92p AB - The overall goal of this project is to enhance the fundamental understanding of Florida long-distance travel characteristics, and to provide policy implications for long-distance transportation planning in the future. To achieve the research goal, this study first conducts a descriptive analysis of long-distance travel with special emphasis on the modes used, distance traveled, and origins and destinations. Then, this study estimates mode choice models for long-distance travel that are sensitive to alternative specific attributes and traveler characteristics. It is important to have appropriate models that are able to provide accurate predictions of travelers’ mode choice behavior that consider how people choose one mode or another. The descriptive analysis shows that nearly 90% of trips are made by personal passenger cars, and most are on I-4, I-95, and Turnpike corridors that connect the Tampa, Orlando, and Miami/Fort Lauderdale urbanized areas as defined by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Among MSAs in Florida, Orlando is the hub for long-distance travel. The estimated model shows that both travel time and travel cost decrease car users’ utility, indicating that people will have a greater chance to shift to other modes as travel time and travel costs increase. In contrast, air travel has a positive sign for travel time, and a negative sign for travel cost, while bus has a negative coefficient for travel time and a positive sign for travel cost. Positive signs of these estimated parameters may imply that air travelers and bus users are willing to increase travel time and travel cost, respectively. In addition, residents in rural areas seem to have a higher probability to drive personal cars for long-distance travel. Considering that less air and other public transportation service options are available in rural areas, the sign of this estimated parameter is reasonable. These results suggest Florida needs to focus more on long-distance travel up to the 200-mile range between MSAs . The I-4 corridor between Daytona and Tampa/Saint Petersburg MSAs, the Turnpike – I-95 corridor that connects the Orlando, Port Saint Lucie, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami MSAs, and the northern section of I-95 between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach MSAs will need to be planned for in the near future. For this 200-mile travel distance, a new alternative mode may need to be provided at a speed of 150 or more miles per hour, while maintaining a lower cost level than for air travel. KW - Choice models KW - Florida KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Mode choice KW - Origin and destination KW - Transportation modes KW - Transportation planning KW - Travel costs KW - Travel patterns KW - Travel time KW - Trip length UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/steiner_final_report2011-013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253781 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01535809 AU - Ray, Malcolm H AU - Plaxico, Chuck A AU - Roadsafe LLC AU - Wyoming Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Update to: A Guide to Standardized Highway Lighting Pole Hardware PY - 2013/03/13/Final Report SP - 79p AB - This report describes the development of an updated Online Guide to Luminaire Supports. The Guide is a web-based content management system for luminaire support systems that allows full viewing, submission, management, and reporting services to its users (e.g., State department of transportation (DOT) personnel, construction contractors, etc.). The Online Guide to Luminaire Supports is one of six online guides maintained by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials-Associated General Contractors of America-American Road & Transportation Builders Association (AASHTO-AGC-ARTBA) Joint Committee on New Highway Materials Task Force 13 (TF13). The homepage for the Online Guides can be found online at http://guides.roadsafellc.com/. The luminaire support systems included in the Online Guide to Luminaire Supports have been successfully crash tested according to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 or the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) and comply with the AASHTO Standard Specification for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires and Traffic Signals. A link to the appropriate Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Eligibility Letter is included in the index listing for each system. KW - AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware KW - Impact tests KW - Luminaires KW - Poles (Supports) KW - Standards KW - Street lighting KW - Traffic signals KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51800/51895/TPF-05_002__FHWA_1302F_Update_to_Guide_to_Standardized_Highway_Lighting_Pole_Hardware.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1318118 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479819 AU - Yi, Huiming AU - Columbia University AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Prototype Development of the Open Mode Integrated Transportation System (OMITS) PY - 2013/03/12 SP - 19p AB - This report presents an overview of the Open Mode Integrated Transportation System (OMITS), introduces its key components and algorithms in the recent development and implementation, and demonstrates the working mechanism of dynamic transit service. The OMITS has been designed to integrate the availability of multiple transit modes into the ridesharing service to provide riders and driver s flexible, efficient, and reliable transportation services, through dynamic matching and routing algorithms and emerging information communication and data mining and fusion technologies. The OMITS App, which is run on a smart phone (iPhone or Android), has been developed for customers to communicate with the OMITS server, detect roadway traffic conditions, and receive driving directions. Using the multimodal travel system, the OMITS integrates multimodal transit option s including the information of time-dependent arc weights, namely travel time, and switching delays and provides the time-dependent multimodal shortest path using the Dijkstra’s algorithm under the FIFO condition. The OMITS also applying Dijkstra’s algorithm on social network calculation, to find out the best matching for users. The OMITS system provides an optimized ridesharing and transit service based on spontaneous transportation demands and service availability. KW - Data mining KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Open Mode Integrated Transportation System (OMITS) KW - Ridesharing KW - Shortest path algorithms KW - Travel time KW - Traveler information and communication systems UR - http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Integrated-Transit-System-Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248192 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478344 AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Aeronautical Information Publication, United States of America. Twenty-Second Edition, March 7, 2013 PY - 2013/03/07 SP - 1582p AB - This document is made up of three Parts; General (GEN), En Route (ENR), and Aerodromes (AD); each divided into sections and subsections as applicable, containing various types of information subjects. Part 1 GEN includes: National Regulations and Requirements, Tables and Codes, Services, and Charges for Aerodromes/Heliports and Air Navigation Services. Part 2 ENR includes: General Rules and Procedures, Air Traffic Services (ATS) Airspace, ATS routes, Navigation Aids/Systems, Navigation Warnings, and Helicopter Operations. Part 3 AD includes: Aerodrome availability and listings. KW - Aeronautics KW - Airports KW - Aviation KW - Charts KW - Fees KW - Procedures KW - Regulations KW - Standards KW - United States UR - http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/AIP/AIP_22nd_Edition.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1246788 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01613744 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Local Road Safety Peer Exchange - Region 4 PY - 2013/03/06 SP - 14p AB - This report provides a summary of the proceedings of the Local Road Safety Peer Exchange held in Atlanta, Georgia on March 6th and 7th, 2013. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsored the Peer Exchange in coordination with Region 4 Local Technical Assistance Program. The purpose of the Peer Exchange was to facilitate the exchange of information on local road safety and explore opportunities for greater coordination and communication between FHWA, State Departments of Transportation (DOTs), Local Technical Assistance Program Centers (LTAPs), regional and local officials/practitioners within the States in the region. The Peer Exchange covered three key topics: (1) Increasing local agencies’ participation in the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP); (2) Encouraging local involvement in the development and implementation of the State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSPs); and (3) Improving interagency collaboration. Representatives from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee participated in the event. The format of the Peer Exchange consisted of expert and peer presentations on State practices, facilitated discussions, and break-out sessions. At the end of the second day, participants met with colleagues in their respective States to develop action plans covering the three key topics discussed. The action plans identified: Strategies for consideration/implementation; Resources needed for implementation; and Champions to lead implementation. A brief description of the peer exchange proceeding is provided in this report. KW - Coordination KW - Highway safety KW - Highway Safety Improvement Program KW - Implementation KW - Peer exchange KW - State departments of transportation KW - Strategic planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/59000/59800/59828/peer_report_GA_Mar2013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1425520 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516169 AU - Vogel, Jason R AU - Storm, Daniel E AU - Barfield, Billy J AU - Harp, Sam AU - Bhadbhade, Neha AU - Mittelstet, Aaron AU - McLemore, Alex AU - Rogers, Brad AU - Neupane, Sagar AU - Garbrecht, Karl AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Design of Turbidity Controls for Oklahoma Highway Construction PY - 2013/03/04/Final Report SP - 206p AB - The Environmental protection Agency (USEPA) has issued new requirements on the construction industry to control the discharge of pollutants from the sites. The construction effluent guidelines or ELG’s require construction sites to reduce the pollutant discharge to ‘maximum extent practicable’ and comply with the Clean Water Act. Sediment is the primary pollutant in a construction site effluent runoff. It is mainly composed of large amounts of fine silt, clay and colloidal particles. These particles have low settling velocities and remain in suspension for long durations and therefore cannot be trapped effectively in conventional BMP’s like detention ponds, grass lined channels, sedimentation basins that rely on gravity for settling. The trapping efficiencies of the particles can be enhanced by flocculation, where addition of the flocculant to the sediment discharge would bind multiple particles together, increasing them in size and increasing the settling velocity. Construction sites often experience space restrictions and therefore a modular sediment trapping system based on flocculation would require much less space compared to a settling pond especially in those regions which have high clay content in their soil, which is commonly found in state of Oklahoma. The following report presents the improved design for our passive flocculent and mixing devices. The report includes the refined algorithms for the prediction of the flocculation system performance to remove the sediment from the construction site runoff and the simple Visual Basic Model designed for turbidity control. Preliminary research data required to quantify the turbidity constants for Port A and Port B soils from Oklahoma is presented. KW - Construction sites KW - Effluents KW - Environmental protection KW - Flocculating agents KW - Oklahoma KW - Road construction KW - Runoff KW - Sediments KW - Turbidity UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS11.1-61-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1300103 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01618692 AU - Cross, Stephen A AU - Shitta, Helal AU - Workie, Alem AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of the Hamburg Rut Tester and Moisture Induced Stress Test (MIST) for Field Control of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) in Oklahoma PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 73p AB - This report covers the evaluation of the Hamburg Loaded Wheel Rut Tester (OHD L-55) and the Moisture Induced Stress Tester (MIST) for field control of Oklahoma hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures. OHD L-55 was evaluated as a possible replacement for AASHTO T 283 and for suitability for field control of HMA mixtures. The MIST was evaluated for possible replacement of AASHTO T 283. OHD L-55 was not able to successfully identify mixtures that had failed AASHTO T 283 and is not recommended for replacement of AASHTO T 283 at this time. OHD L-55 does appear suitable for field control of HMA mixtures for rutting. The MIST gave similar but slightly more severe results than AASHTO T 283 and was recommended for further evaluation as a replacement for AASHTO T 283. KW - AASHTO T 283 KW - Hamburg Wheel Rut Tester KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Moisture Induced Stress Tester KW - Moisture susceptibility KW - Oklahoma KW - Rutting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/60000/60300/60307/FY12_2226_Cross_FinalReport3.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1436219 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01611969 AU - Beainy, Fares AU - Singh, Dharamveer AU - Commuri, Sesh AU - Zaman, Musharraf AU - Pham, Thao AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - New Asphalt Mix Design System For Oklahoma Department Of Transportation PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 227p AB - Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been using the Superpave mix design software for several years. The original Superpave mix design software was built around Fox Database and did not meet ODOT requirements. The software currently being used by ODOT is implemented using two Microsoft Excel® files to create asphalt mix designs and is customized for ODOT use. However, the implementation is inefficient and cumbersome to maintain. The aim of this project is to develop a Microsoft Visual Basic based Asphalt Mix Design Software that is efficient and easy to use. Further, all the pertinent data is stored in a SQL database with strict access security. This design enables users to securely access the mix design data over the internet while enabling ODOT personnel to synchronize the data with proprietary data in SiteManager. The Asphalt Mix Design software is developed using industry standard user interfaces and coding techniques to enable its easy maintenance and upgrade. KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Databases KW - Implementation KW - Mix design KW - Oklahoma Department of Transportation KW - Software UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/60000/60300/60309/FY12_2238_Commuri_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1423504 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01611960 AU - Cross, Stephen A AU - Shitta, Helal AU - Workie, Alem AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of the Hamburg Rut Tester and Moisture Induced Stress Tester (MIST) for Field Control of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) in Oklahoma PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 73p AB - This report covers the evaluation of the Hamburg Loaded Wheel Rut Tester (OHD L-55) and the Moisture Induced Stress Tester (MIST) for field control of Oklahoma hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures. OHD L-55 was evaluated as a possible replacement for American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) T 283 and for suitability for field control of HMA mixtures. The MIST was evaluated for possible replacement of AASHTO T 283. OHD L-55 was not able to successfully identify mixtures that had failed AASHTO T 283 and is not recommended for replacement of AASHTO T 283 at this time. OHD L-55 does appear suitable for field control of HMA mixtures for rutting. The MIST gave similar but slightly more severe results than AASHTO T 283 and was recommended for further evaluation as a replacement for AASHTO T 283. KW - AASHTO T 283 KW - Evaluation KW - Hamburg Wheel Rut Tester KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Laboratory tests KW - Mix design KW - Moisture content KW - Moisture damage KW - Moisture Induced Stress Tester KW - Oklahoma KW - Rutting KW - Tensile strength KW - Test procedures UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1423502 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01584279 AU - Black, Chuckerin AU - Cassady, Jim AU - Le, Steven AU - Veile, Al AU - Schaefer, Ron AU - Leidos AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Smart Roadside Initiative System Design Document PY - 2013/03 SP - 61p AB - This document describes the software design for the Smart Roadside Initiative (SRI) for the delivery of capabilities related to wireless roadside inspections, electronic screening/virtual weigh stations, universal electronic commercial vehicle identification and truck parking. This document has been updated with the final design as deployed in the field. KW - Commercial truck parking KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Electronic screening KW - Motor carriers KW - Real time information KW - Smart Roadside Initiative KW - Software KW - System design KW - Universal electronic commercial vehicle identification KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Virtual weigh stations KW - Wireless roadside inspections UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56200/56204/FHWA-JPO-16-261.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1377222 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01578166 AU - Bledsoe, James AU - Sadasivam, Suri AU - Mallela, Jagannath AU - Applied Research Associates, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Missouri Demonstration Project: Replacement of Three Bridges Using Hybrid-Composite Beam Technology PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 68p AB - As part of a national initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration under the Highways for LIFE program, the Missouri Department of Transportation was awarded a $1.5 million grant to demonstrate the use of proven, innovative technologies for accelerated bridge construction. This report documents the use of hybrid-composite beam (HCB) technology to accelerate the replacement of three bridges at various locations in Missouri. Using innovations on these projects increased safety, enhanced quality, and resulted in structures that will provide increased longevity and lower maintenance costs for the people of Missouri. Using hybrid-composite technology increased the initial cost of the beams from 30 to 80 percent on the three projects. This increase is due in part to the cost of transporting the beams from the factory in Maine, a haul distance of more than 1,400 miles. The use of portland cement concrete (PCC) decks with HCB also added to the initial costs. Considering the future maintenance cost savings associated with PCC decks, the net increase in life cycle costs ranged from 23 to 74 percent on these three projects. It is assumed that the experience gained from this project will allow for more routine use of this technology in the future if a more cost-effective source for the product becomes available. KW - Bridge construction KW - Bridge replacement KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Demonstration projects KW - Highways for LIFE KW - Hybrid composite beams KW - Life cycle costing KW - Missouri KW - Prefabricated bridges KW - Technological innovations UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/summary/pdf_2/Missouri_HCB_%20Revised_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371164 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01570357 AU - Ma, David T AU - University of Hawaii, Manoa AU - Hawaii Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - An Autonomous Structural Health Monitoring System for Waiau Interchange PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 96p AB - Bridge infrastructure is a critical element of the transportation system which makes maintaining its safety and performance vital to a healthy society. However, the civil infrastructure systems in the United States are decaying at an accelerated rate due to factors such as aging, drastically increased traffic loads, insufficient funds for maintenance and management, along with many others. The collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2007 has manifested the drawbacks of the maintenance and management efforts currently implemented. In the State of Hawaii, bridges are currently managed by the Bridge Section of the Hawaii Department of Transportation using Pontis, an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) bridge and highway management software package. The data required for this approach is obtained through periodic visual inspections, which have been shown to be unreliable and subjective. This project develops an automatic structural health monitoring system that collects and analyzes realtime data so that structural behavior is continuously assessed. The system includes sensing instruments, a data acquisition subsystem, a power supply unit, a data transmission unit and a remote server for data processing and storage. The system is deployed on a highway bridge in Honolulu, HI. The detailed design and installation of the system are included in this report. Typical monitoring results are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the system. KW - Highway bridges KW - Honolulu (Hawaii) KW - Information processing KW - Installation KW - Real time information KW - Structural health monitoring KW - System design UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55300/55314/An_Autonomous_Structural_Health_Monitoring_System_for_Waiau_Interchange_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1361270 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01548633 AU - Crowson, Ginny AU - Deeter, Dean AU - Athey Creek Consultants AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Next Era of Traveler Information PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 22p AB - Over the last decade, 511 telephone and web services have been deployed in many states and provinces. Some agencies have already deployed ‘second-generation’ 511 systems with the intent of adding functionality, improving content or reducing operating costs. Agencies are also expanding their dissemination of real-time traveler information using push services like Constant Contact and social media tools like Twitter. Many agencies have also developed partnerships to reduce operating costs through sponsorship or outsourcing. It is increasingly challenging to plan, evaluate, operate and enhance real-time traveler information services because of limited resources, overwhelming information and rapidly changing dynamics. ENTERPRISE sponsored this project to help agencies understand how real-time traveler information technology and use is changing and how the changes are impacted by current and emerging trends. Emphasis was placed on sharing lessons learned by agencies that have experience related to current trends. The areas of interest that were explored during this project included dissemination tools, data management, cost management, customer needs and performance targets. KW - 511 (National Travel Information Number) KW - Costs KW - Customer satisfaction KW - Information dissemination KW - Performance measurement KW - Real time information KW - State of the practice KW - Technological innovations KW - Transportation departments KW - Traveler information and communication systems UR - http://enterprise.prog.org/Projects/2010_Present/nexteraoftravelinfo/Milestone%204%20Framework%20and%20Final%20Report%20032213.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1333223 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01544658 AU - Sanborn, Devon AU - Tremblay, Jason P AU - Vermont Agency of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Westfall Fiberglass Bridge Drain System PY - 2013/03//Final Report AB - Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) Transportation District Administrators have asked the Agency’s Structures Section to consider using nonmetallic materials in bridge drainage systems. Fiberglass is inert to oil, gas, road salt, ice melting solutions and many other corrosive chemicals. The effort behind this project was to learn about the product, the installation details, to compare its costs to other commonly installed drainage systems and to make observations regarding its durability. The drain system used was the Westfall Company Fiberglass Bridge Drain System. This system had not been used in Vermont. The material that is to be used is for bridge and highway piping and is a filament wound composite pipe consisting of a thermosetting resin and continuous glass filament structural reinforcement. The individual components are nonmetallic. The results of this work showed that the initial installation cost of using Fiberglass Bridge Drain System is about same as current practice. The work showed that the system is less susceptible to corrosion and defects, and subsequently the product will sustain its functionality longer, thus reducing the costs of repairs and/or replacement. The Agency should update the Special Provisions and Supplemental Specifications to include specifications that allow and direct the use of the Fiberglass Drain System. KW - Bridges KW - Corrosion KW - Costs KW - Drainage KW - Durability KW - Fiberglass KW - Installation KW - Vermont UR - http://vtransplanning.vermont.gov/sites/aot_program_development/files/documents/materialsandresearch/completedprojects/2013%20-%2003%20Westfall%20Fiberglass%20Bridge%20Drain%20System.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331777 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01541499 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Eco-Logical Successes PY - 2013/03//Fourth SP - 6p AB - In 2006, an interagency steering team of eight Federal agencies created a process for developing infrastructure that is sensitive to terrestrial and aquatic habitats. This approach, documented in the publication Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects (Eco-Logical), encourages an integrated planning approach across agency and disciplinary boundaries and endorses ecosystem-based mitigation. Since signing the document, the eight signatory agencies have continued to promote the principles embodied in Eco-Logical. This edition of Eco-Logical Successes focuses on three agencies’ programs that exemplify the Eco-Logical approach to infrastructure development:The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Regional Ecological Assessment Protocol (REAP), The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Watershed-Based Mitigation Approach, and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs). KW - Ecosystems KW - Environmental policy KW - Federal government agencies KW - Habitat (Ecology) KW - Infrastructure KW - Sustainable development KW - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers KW - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency KW - U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration KW - Watersheds UR - http://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/ecological/successes/fourth_edition.asp UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48300/48342/EcoLogical_Successes_IV.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1327138 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526387 AU - Rao, Priscilla AU - Snow, Nancy AU - Transit Authority of River City AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Louisville Region Demonstration of Travel Management Coordination Center: System Pre-Deployment Preparation PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 32p AB - The purpose of the Greater Louisville Region Demonstration of Travel Management Coordination Center (TMCC): System Pre-Deployment Preparation grant was to further phased implementation of the region’s TMCC design by focusing on two major components. One component was “Travel Management Information Integration” to design and build integrations with phone systems to improve customer service. Tasks chosen were to improve and increase ways customers can interact with the TMCC and to improve service efficiency. Activities centered on testing an interactive voice response (IVR) system, including automated “day-before reminder” and “10-minute alert” calls to a volunteer group of paratransit customers. The other major component was “Coordination Model Enhancement.” The intent was to develop new procedures and/or streamline existing processes to improve efficiency and the ability of the TMCC to manage multiple transportation providers and funding sources. Activities included optimizing use of existing Trapeze PASS software by obtaining consulting services to identify issues and increase staff knowledge of the software programs’ functions and features. Evaluation tools included surveys, performance monitoring, and customer and staff feedback. Pre-deployment results indicate that implementation of these changes can improve customer satisfaction, service efficiency, and the ability to coordinate services. KW - Communication systems KW - Customer service KW - Implementation KW - Louisville (Kentucky) KW - Messages (Communications) KW - Software KW - Surveys KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Travel Management Coordination Center UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/FTA_Report_No._0040.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308235 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526253 AU - Dexter, Robert J AU - Ocel, Justin M AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Manual for Repair and Retrofit of Fatigue Cracks in Steel Bridges PY - 2013/03//Draft Report SP - 134p AB - This manual is a synthesis of published literature as well as the collective experience gathered from participants of a workshop held at Lehigh University August 14-15, 2002. It presents what are the consensus best practices for repair and retrofit of fatigue cracks in steel bridges as of 2010. The manual is also a guide for owners and consulting engineers to use for design and detailing of repairs and retrofits for fatigue cracks. It should be used in conjunction with existing specifications, codes, and engineering judgment. KW - Best practices KW - Fatigue cracking KW - Literature reviews KW - Manuals KW - Repairing KW - Retrofitting KW - Steel bridges UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/steel/pubs/hif13020/hif13020.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55700/55780/FHWA-IF-13-020.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1308583 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522241 JO - Technology Brief PB - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Wireless Roadside Inspection Program PY - 2013/03 SP - 1p AB - The Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Program employs technology to transmit real-time information on commercial motor vehicles (CMV), drivers, and motor carriers to a government system when a CMV approaches a fixed inspection station or enters a pre-defined geofence. While the CMV continues down the highway, this information is assessed for compliance and a wireless inspection report is sent to the participating carrier, local roadside enforcement, and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA's) Safety Measurement System (SMS), as part of Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA). In September 2012, FMCSA began a Field Operational Test (FOT) of the WRI program. The goal of the FOT is to determine the viability and effectiveness of wireless CMV inspections using existing telematics technologies. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Field tests KW - Inspection KW - Motor carriers KW - Real time information KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51300/51386/Wireless-Roadside-Inspection-Tech-Brief.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306444 ER - TY - SER AN - 01522217 JO - Technology Brief PB - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Natural Gas Systems Safety Study, 2012 PY - 2013/03 SP - 2p AB - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sponsored a study to examine potential changes to the current regulations and inspection procedures as they apply to the use of natural gas as an alternative fuel among commercial vehicles. The study provided recommendations on updates in the following: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), North American Standard (NAS) inspection procedures, and Out-Of-Service (OOS) criteria. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations KW - Inspection KW - Motor carriers KW - Natural gas KW - Recommendations KW - Regulations UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51300/51334/Natural-Gas-Systems-Tech-Brief-508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306433 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516566 AU - Lee, Ming AU - Moose, Dan AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of the Overheight Detection System Effectiveness at Eklutna Bridge Final Report PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 65p AB - The Eklutna River/Glenn Highway bridge has sustained repeated impacts from overheight trucks. In 2006, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) installed an overheight vehicle warning system. The system includes laser detectors, alarms, and message boards. Since installation, personnel have seen no new damage, and no sign that the alarm system has been triggered. Although this is good news, the particulars are a mystery: Is the system working? Is the presence of the equipment enough to deter drivers from gambling with a vehicle that might be over the height limit? Is it worth installing similar systems at other overpasses? This project is examining the bridge for any evidence of damage, and is fitting the system with a datalogger to record and video any events that trigger the warning system. Finally, just to be sure, researchers will test the system with (officially) overheight vehicles. Project results will help ADOT&PF determine if this system is functioning, and if a similar system installed at other bridges would be cost-effective. KW - Alaska KW - Bridges KW - Crashes KW - Evaluation KW - Height KW - Overheight vehicles KW - Trucks KW - Warning signals KW - Warning signs UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2013/10/Final-Report-for-Eklutna-March-2013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290649 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516452 AU - McHattie, Robert AU - Mullin, Anthony AU - Liu, Juanyu AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluating the Need to Seal Thermal Cracks in Alaska’s Asphalt Concrete Pavements PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 129p AB - The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (AKDOT&PF) has promoted routine sealing of all cracks in asphalt concrete (AC) pavements for many years. In doing so, AKDOT&PF follows the generally accepted “best practice” of sealing pavement cracks to the extent that time and money allows. This study of 91 sites on 20+ year old AC pavements in AKDOT&PF’s Central and Interior Regions identified two distinct types of thermal cracks. Both types are known to be ubiquitous on AC pavements throughout all but the most southern parts of the State. Based on the field observations during 2012, researchers conclude that significant maintenance funds can be saved or redirected by not sealing or reduced sealing of thermal cracks in AC pavements. Furthermore, the authors suggest that thermal crack maintenance be significantly reduced without negatively influencing general long-term pavement performance. The report addresses, separately, each of the two recognized forms of thermal cracking. It recommends that “lessor thermal cracking” receive little or no maintenance. The report recommends that maintenance treatment of even the relatively large “major transverse thermal cracks” can be greatly reduced based on inexpensive, long-term assessments following new pavement construction. KW - Alaska KW - Asphalt concrete pavements KW - Cracking of asphalt concrete pavements KW - Field studies KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement performance KW - Sealing compounds UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2014/01/510005.Thermal-Crack-Sealing_Final-Report-07-02-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290651 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516192 AU - Zaman, Musharraf AU - Gransberg, Douglas AU - Bulut, Rifat AU - Commuri, Sesh AU - Pittenger, Dominique AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Develop Draft Chip Seal Cover Aggregate Specification Based on AIMS Angularity, Shape and Texture Test Results PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 105p AB - The objective of the study is to improve Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) chip seal design and performance through introducing new criteria for the selection of cover aggregate and binder. These criteria will be based upon the recent technological advances in the characterization of aggregate shape and texture as well as aggregate-binder compatibility. The study evaluates the shape and texture-related index properties, as well as durability, of commonly used cover aggregates in chip seal programs in Oklahoma. Additionally, it will provide a methodology for inclusion of these characteristics as a metric in future chip seal specifications. The study includes both laboratory testing and construction and performance evaluation of chip seal test sections. The study is ongoing and is quantifying how well the newly developed performance-based uniformity coefficient (PUC) correlate with chip seal performance in Oklahoma, and if it should be incorporated into state chip seal specifications. It has generated aggregate-binder compatibility data, based on the surface free energy (compatibility ratio) approach, for commonly used aggregates and asphalt emulsion binders in Oklahoma. Moreover, the chip seal construction practice followed by different ODOT Maintenance Divisions was documented and the best practice identified. This repository of information will be a useful resource for ODOT maintenance divisions. KW - Aggregates by shape and surface texture KW - Angularity KW - Binders KW - Chip seals KW - Oklahoma KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Paving KW - Preservation UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS11.1-65-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1300104 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01502019 AU - Olsen, Ryan AU - Perkins, Gail AU - Byington, Russel AU - Hsieh, Jon AU - Maritime Administration TI - Vessel Calls Snapshot, 2011 PY - 2013/03//Revised SP - 24p AB - This snapshot contains data on calls by oceangoing vessels of 10,000 deadweight (DWT) or greater at United States ports. Vessel capacities are expressed in terms of deadweight tons for all vessel types, twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU’s) for containerships and cubic meters (CM) for gas carriers. In 2011, 7,836 oceangoing vessels made 68,036 calls at U.S. ports. Vessel calls were up 7.9 percent from five years earlier, but 13.6 percent from the year before. The recovery was spread over all of the major vessel types. Of the 2011 calls, 35 percent were by tankers, 32.5 percent were by containerships, 16.1 percent were by dry bulk vessels, 9.1 percent were by Roll-On/Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) vessels, and 5.9 percent were by general cargo ships. In 2011, 98 percent of the tanker calls were by double-hull tankers, up from 83.7 percent five years earlier. KW - Cargo ships KW - Containerships KW - Ports KW - Ships KW - Tankers KW - United States KW - Vehicle capacity UR - http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/Vessel_Calls_at_US_Ports_Snapshot.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1279457 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01502006 AU - O'Connor, J S AU - BridgeComposites, LLC AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Composite Bridge Decking: Final Project Report PY - 2013/03//Final Project Report SP - 98p AB - The overall objective of this Highways for LIFE Technology Partnerships project was to find the optimal materials and methods to fabricate a composite bridge deck based on a prototype devised by the University at Buffalo, under the sponsorship of New York State Department of Transportation. Benefits of this type of deck are their resistance to corrosion and fatigue, their light weight, and the ability to prefabricate into panels that can be installed on a bridge quickly to minimize disruption to traffic and improve safety. The process used to fabricate deck panels was improved by combining consistent-quality pultruded subcomponents with a vacuum-infused outer wrap. The strength and stiffness were first determined analytically using finite element methods, then validated independently with extensive full-scale laboratory testing. Details of the installation were demonstrated on a 40-foot-long bridge during August 2012. After a two-course wearing surface was applied, the bridge was instrumented and load tested to further refine the finite element model. The numerical model was found to be a reliable and accurate representation of actual conditions, with predicted strains and deflections within 5 percent of what was measured in the field. With working stresses less than 25 percent of the material’s ultimate strength, a sudden failure of the deck is virtually impossible. Furthermore, panels purposely overloaded in the lab exhibited a pseudo-ductile behavior and had residual strength after failure. The 5-inch-thick composite deck carried two 35-ton test trucks during a field test, with a self-weight of about 20 psf. The lightweight deck helped improve the load rating of the bridge, which was a priority for the owner. The end result of the project is a robust, high-quality deck suitable for many applications, including moveable bridges, historic trusses, and posted bridges. Because the initial material cost is higher than conventional alternatives, future use may be restricted to situations where the rapid installation offsets the cost of maintenance and protection of traffic, or where the light weight is especially important, such as on moveable, deteriorated or historic structures. In any case, the total life cycle cost is competitive because of the material’s innate resistance to deterioration (such as corrosion and fatigue). KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge design KW - Composite materials KW - Demonstration projects KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Finite element method KW - Laboratory tests KW - Life cycle costing KW - Load tests KW - Panels KW - Strength of materials UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/partnerships/hif13029/fhwahif13029.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1280726 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01496806 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Generic Work Plan for Developing a TAMP PY - 2013/03 SP - 26p AB - In July 2012, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) codified asset management principles into law. This legislation establishes a performance-based highway program with the goal of improving how Federal transportation funds are allocated. In addition, MAP-21 requires each state department of transportation (DOT) to develop a risk-based Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP). This document presents a generic work plan for developing a TAMP. Using this document as a starting point, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is working with the Louisiana, Minnesota, and New York DOTs to develop state-specific work plans. After these tailored work plans are complete, FHWA will make adjustments to this generic version. KW - Asset management KW - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act KW - Resource allocation KW - State departments of transportation UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/asset/tamp/workplan.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1265577 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01496781 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Highway Performance Monitoring System Field Manual PY - 2013/03 SP - 279p AB - A biennial Conditions & Performance estimate of the future highway investment needs of the nation is mandated by Congress (23 U.S.C. 502(h)) for the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) to prepare for its customers. Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data are used for assessing highway system performance under the U.S. DOT and the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA’s) strategic planning and performance reporting process in accordance with requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA, Sections 3 and 4) and for apportioning Federal-aid highway funds under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), (23 U.S.C. 104). To address these needs, the HPMS was first developed in 1978 as a national highway transportation system database. This Field Manual provides a comprehensive overview of the HPMS program at FHWA, and describes in detail the data collection and reporting requirements for HPMS. This manual is a valuable resource that guides the States as they address their HPMS data collection and reporting responsibilities. This manual includes detailed information on technical procedures, a glossary of terms, and various tables to be used as reference by those collecting and reporting HPMS data. KW - Data collection KW - Highway Performance and Monitoring System KW - Highway planning KW - Information dissemination KW - Manuals KW - State highway departments UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/hpms/fieldmanual/hpms2013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1265602 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01496660 AU - Thomas, M D A AU - Fournier, B AU - Folliard, K J AU - Transtec Group, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Alkali-Aggregate Reactivity (AAR) Facts Book PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 224p AB - This document provides detailed information on alkali-aggregate reactivity (AAR). It primarily discusses alkali-silica reaction (ASR), covering the chemistry, symptoms, test methods, prevention, specifications, diagnosis and prognosis, and mitigation. Alkali-carbonate reaction (ACR) is also addressed. KW - Alkali aggregate reactions KW - Alkali carbonate reactions KW - Alkali silica reactions KW - Prevention KW - Reactive aggregates KW - Specifications KW - Test procedures UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/concrete/asr/pubs/hif13019.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1265597 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01495869 AU - Varma, Shobna AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Risk-Based Transportation Asset Management: Managing Risks to Networks, Corridors, and Critical Structures: Report 4: Managing Risks to Critical Assets PY - 2013/03 SP - 29p AB - Transportation asset management (TAM) enters a new risk-based era with the enactment of the moving ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, also known as MAP-21. The legislation requires a risk-and-performance based asset management plan for bridges and pavements on the national Highway system (NHS). MAP-21 also requires development of a national freight network that consists of critical corridors, facilities and connectors. As transportation agencies develop their asset management plans, it is likely that they will stratify their risks based upon the importance of the key networks, corridors and facilities. This report, the fourth in a series of five reports on risk management, examines how agencies may apply risk-based asset management practices to key networks, corridors and facilities, particularly ones moving freight. The first three reports covered an overview of risk management, multi-level management of risks and achievement of policy objectives through risk management. KW - Asset management KW - Bridges KW - Cargo facilities KW - Critical assets KW - Freight transportation KW - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act KW - Networks KW - Pavements KW - Risk management KW - Transportation corridors UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/asset/pubs/hif13017.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1265583 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01495865 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Risk-Based Transportation Asset Management: Building Resilience into Transportation Assets: Report 5: Managing External Threats Through Risk-Based Asset Management PY - 2013/03 AB - This is the fifth of five reports examining how risk management complements asset management. This last report examines how physical, climatic, seismic and other external threats can be addressed in risk-based asset management programs. The first four reports and the literature review emphasized the definition of risk as the positive or negative effect of uncertainty or variability upon agency objectives. Those reports emphasized that risks could be positive in that some types of uncertainty can create opportunities. However, this report will focus more on negative risks, or threats. These risks generally are external, and while highly probable over a long period of time, are difficult to predict in the short term. Randomness and variability complicate planning for them. In August 2011, Hurricane Irene reached one of the nation’s most northern states, Vermont, and damaged 480 bridges out of a total network of 2717 bridges. In one day, more bridge deterioration occurred than normally would occur over many years. Accurate prediction of such events is nearly impossible. Such a significant storm had not struck Vermont for 83 years. In managing risks to assets from external threats, this report emphasizes the Three Rs, which are Redundancy, Robustness and Resiliency. These will be defined, described and illustrated through several agency examples. Asset management plays a critical role in each, particularly Robustness and Resiliency. Including the Three Rs in asset planning efforts can better prepare agencies to cope with an increasingly unpredictable world. KW - Asset management KW - Redundancy KW - Resilience (Adaptability) KW - Risk management KW - Robustness KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/asset/pubs/hif13018.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1265582 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493940 AU - Maerz, Norbert AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety/NUTC program AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Quantitative Model for the Mechanism of Raveling Failure in Highway Rock Slopes using LIDAR PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 18p AB - Rock falls on highways while dangerous are unpredictable. Most rock falls are of the raveling type and not conducive to stability calculations, and even the failure mechanisms are not well understood. LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) has been shown to be able to measure the volumes of raveled rock as small as 1cm when repeatedly scanned over a period of 16 months. Rock fall volumes can be correlated to external stimuli such as rainfall, seismic activity, and freeze thaw cycles to determine trigger for failure. A modeling method for raveling rock has been proposed and demonstrated. KW - Computer models KW - Highways KW - Laser radar KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Quantitative analysis KW - Rock mechanics KW - Rock slopes KW - Slope failure KW - Stripping (Pavements) UR - http://transportation.mst.edu/media/research/transportation/documents/R274.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1262556 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493471 AU - Hawkins, Neal AU - Smadi, Omar AU - Bektas, Basak Aldemir AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Measuring Salt Retention PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 35p AB - This research developed and completed a field evaluation of salt distribution equipment. The evaluation provides a direct comparison of three different types of salt spreaders at three different truck speeds and brine rates. A rubber mat was divided into eight sample areas to measure the salt distribution across the lane by each variable combination. A total of 264 samples were processed and measured. These results will support future efforts to target areas of efficiencies specific to salt and brine delivery methods. These results support Iowa Department of Transportation efforts to progress winter maintenance efficiencies and ultimately motorist safety. KW - Brines KW - Deicing chemicals KW - Delivery systems KW - Distribution systems KW - Iowa KW - Salts KW - Spreaders KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://publications.iowa.gov/14897/1/IA_DOT_InTrans_measuring_salt_retention_w_cvrFINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261326 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493362 AU - Lowell, Dana AU - M.J. Bradley & Associates, Incorporated AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Natural Gas Systems: Suggested Changes to Truck and Motorcoach Regulations and Inspection Procedures PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 86p AB - This report provides recommendations for suggested changes to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), North American Standard (NAS) inspection procedures, and out-of-service (OOS) criteria to accommodate and facilitate the use of natural gas (compressed or liquefied) as an alternative to traditional fuels such as diesel and gasoline in commercial vehicles. In addition to providing specific recommendations for changes, this report summarizes the process used to arrive at these recommendations, which included a literature review and gap analysis, industry site visits/consultations, and a formal peer review process. Current FMCSRs, NAS inspection procedures, and OOS criteria are targeted primarily toward liquid-fueled vehicles. They address the unique characteristics of gaseous-fueled vehicles in a very limited way and fail to address cryogenic fuels. The purpose of this project was to identify changes to the current FMCSRs and inspection procedures, if any, that would specifically and fully address the unique characteristics of natural gas used as a fuel and serve to improve the overall safety of commercial vehicle operations by ensuring that commercial vehicles powered by natural gas meet appropriate safety criteria at all times while operating on public roads. KW - Buses KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Inspection KW - Methodology KW - Natural gas KW - Recommendations KW - Regulations KW - Trucks KW - Vehicle safety UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51300/51333/Natural-Gas-Systems-Report-508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261154 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493357 AU - Hagemann, Garrett AU - Hymel, Kent AU - Klauber, Adam AU - Lee, Douglass B AU - Noel, George AU - Pace, David AU - Taylor, Catherine AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Delay and Environmental Costs of Truck Crashes PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 132p AB - This report presents estimates of certain categories of costs of truck- and bus-involved crashes. Crash related costs estimated as part of this study include vehicle delay costs, emission costs, and fuel consumption costs. In addition, this report also develops improved methods for estimating property damage costs and presents the results of that improved methodology used on updated data. Finally, the report presents costs specific to crashes involving hazardous material (HM) releases. The development of each of these costs, including underlying assumptions, model framework and methodology, and data analysis, is discussed in detail. KW - Bus crashes KW - Costs KW - Data analysis KW - Fuel consumption KW - Hazardous materials KW - Methodology KW - Pollutants KW - Property damage KW - Traffic delays KW - Truck crashes UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48200/48200/Crash-Costs-Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261153 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491356 AU - Lin, Jane AU - Chen, Qin AU - Kawamura, Kazuya AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - University of Illinois, Chicago AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Environmental and Energy Benefits of Freight Delivery Consolidation in Urban Areas PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Among new, innovative city logistics strategies, delivery cooperation has received increasing academic and practical attention mostly in Europe and Japan. The idea is to establish cooperation among the suppliers, carriers and the customers through Urban Consolidation Center (UCC), a public facility usually located at the city boundary; with proper consolidation of loads and routing, the goods are then sent to the customers in the urban area with cleaner vehicles and less vehicle miles traveled (VMT). This study investigates the feasibility of UCC in an urban setting at the tactical level with respect to total logistics cost and environmental impact. In other words, whether UCC could reduce the logistics cost which involves the monetary costs for activities from production to consumption, while maintaining acceptable level of energy consumption and vehicular emissions. It is found that under certain conditions, UCC may become a favorable last-mile urban delivery solution to the current one without a UCC. Especially the benefits of UCC strategies become significant when the customer rent cost is high and UCC terminal operation cost is low. UCC becomes more beneficial as the economic scale is greater (i.e., higher numbers of customers and suppliers). In addition, public subsidy for UCC terminals would make urban cooperative delivery more competitive, resulting in lower truck VMT and emissions in the urban area. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Delivery service KW - Energy consumption KW - Environmental impacts KW - Logistics KW - Pollutants KW - Urban areas KW - Urban freight consolidation centers KW - Urban goods movement UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0319.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257323 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491336 AU - Eisele, William L AU - Fossett, Tyler AU - Schrank, David L AU - Farzaneh, Mohamadreza AU - Meier, Paul J AU - Williams, Scott P AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Estimating and Incorporating CO2 Emissions and Associated Fuel Consumption into the Urban Mobility Report PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 44p AB - Texas A&M Transportation Institute's (TTI's) Urban Mobility Report (UMR) is acknowledged as the most authoritative source of information about traffic congestion and its possible solutions. As policymakers from the local to national levels devise strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, the level of interest in the environmental impact of congestion has increased. To this end, this research effort developed and applied a methodology for determining the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) due to congestion for use in the UMR. The methodology also estimated fuel consumption based upon the carbon dioxide emissions estimates. Researchers at TTI collaborated with researchers at the Wisconsin Energy Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop CO2 estimates to include in the UMR. Researchers developed a five-step methodology using data from three primary data sources: 1) the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS), 2) INRIX traffic speed data, and 3) The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model. The research successfully developed and applied the methodology. Emission rates (lbs of CO2 per mile) were validated in selected cities, with results in the range of 80% to 99% of the literature values. Researchers incorporated the new methodology for all urban areas into the 2012 Urban Mobility Report and plan to include these same measures in future releases of the report. Researchers reported that, in 2011, 56 billion pounds of additional CO2 were produced in all 498 urban areas during congestion only, equating to 2.9 billion gallons of “wasted” fuel. Researchers reported the amount of CO2 produced at free-flow conditions (i.e., absent congestion) is 1.8 trillion pounds in 2011 in all 498 urban areas. KW - Air quality KW - Carbon dioxide KW - Estimating KW - Exhaust gases KW - Fuel consumption KW - Methodology KW - Mobility KW - Pollutants KW - Traffic congestion KW - Urban areas UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_CFIRE0516.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257330 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491298 AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Schroeder, Jeremy AU - Huff, Amy AU - Thomas, Amy AU - Leibrand, Amy AU - Battelle AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Planning for Systems Management & Operations as part of Climate Change Adaptation PY - 2013/03 SP - 42p AB - This white paper presents various effects of climate change, and how those effects will impact transportation system management and operations. Also presented are various options for agencies to assess the vulnerabilities of transportation systems and proposed changes to make transportation operations more resilient to climate change. KW - Climate change KW - Ground transportation KW - Transportation departments KW - Transportation operations KW - Transportation system management KW - United States UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop13030/fhwahop13030.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257520 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489988 AU - Seiberlich, Erik AU - Lee, Ming-Shiun AU - Thompson, Gary AU - Crawford, John AU - Scriba, Tracy AU - URS Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Applying the Principles of the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule to Design-Build Projects: Two Case Studies PY - 2013/03 SP - 64p AB - The Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule (the Rule), published in 2004, aims to bring about greater consideration and understanding of work zone impacts throughout project development;minimization of those impacts where possible through scheduling, coordination, design, and staging decisions; and better management of remaining impacts during construction. While the principles advocated by the Rule apply to design-build projects, they may need to be applied somewhat differently to address the differences in process between design-build and traditional design-bid-build processes. This case study report describes how the good work zone planning, design, and management principles of the Rule were applied to two design-build projects, the US 285 Design-Build Project in Colorado and the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project in North Carolina, and how application of these principles differed from traditional design-bid-build projects. Lessons learned from the two case studies and other research will be used to identify tips, guidance, and other resources that may be helpful to agencies and design-builders to facilitate application of the principles of the Rule to design-build projects. KW - Case studies KW - Colorado KW - Design build KW - Mobility KW - North Carolina KW - Road construction KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/publications/fhwahop13024/fhwahop13024.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258434 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489969 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Applying the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule to Design-Build Projects. Key Considerations PY - 2013/03 SP - 24p AB - The purpose of this technical memorandum is to identify key aspects of the FHWA Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule (the Rule) and how they might apply to design-build (DB) projects in a different manner than they apply to design-bid-build (DBB) projects. The Rule was originally designed for DBB projects. Because the stakeholders have different roles and responsibilities in the two project delivery methods, some issues can arise when those aspects are applied to DB projects. With the recent popularity of the DB project delivery method, it has become necessary to assess how best to apply the Rule to DB projects and to provide tips, guidance, and other useful information to agencies, contractors, and other stakeholders. The memorandum describes the issues and the effect they have on the application of the Rule. KW - Bids KW - Design build KW - Mobility KW - Road construction KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/publications/fhwahop13023/fhwahop13023.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258435 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489945 AU - Kuhn, Beverly AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Schreffler, Eric AU - Texas A&M Transportation Institute AU - Battelle AU - ESTC AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - The Active Transportation and Demand Management Program (ATDM): Lessons Learned PY - 2013/03//Technical Report SP - 54p AB - Active transportation and demand management (ATDM) is the proactive and dynamic management, control, and influence of travel demand, traffic demand, and traffic flow of transportation facilities. Using available tools and assets, traffic flow is managed and traveler behavior is influenced in real time to achieve operational objectives, such as preventing or delaying breakdown conditions, improving safety, promoting sustainable travel modes, reducing emissions, or maximizing system efficiency. Under an ATDM approach, the transportation system is continuously monitored. This report documents the lessons learned and critical issues related to the deployment of ATDM across the United States to date. Common themes that resonate with transportation professionals regarding ATDM include agency approaches to incorporating ATDM in the planning process, regulatory and institutional obstacles that may need to be overcome prior to implementation, the importance of developing strong partnerships with stakeholders, the importance of outreach, addressing design exceptions created by ATDM applications, appropriate signage to adequately convey operational strategies to travelers, and operations and maintenance approaches and responsibilities. KW - Active Transportation and Demand Management KW - Deployment KW - Traffic flow KW - Transportation planning KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel demand UR - http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop13018/fhwahop13018.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258436 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489743 AU - Lin, Jane AU - Chen, Qin AU - Kawamura, Kazuya AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Environmental and Energy Benefits of Freight Delivery Consolidation in Urban Area PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Among new, innovative city logistics strategies, delivery cooperation has received increasing academic and practical attention mostly in Europe and Japan. The idea is to establish cooperation among the suppliers, carriers and the customers through Urban Consolidation Center (UCC), a public facility usually located at the city boundary; with proper consolidation of loads and routing, the goods are then sent to the customers in the urban area with cleaner vehicles and less vehicle miles traveled (VMT). In this study, the authors investigated the feasibility of UCC in an urban setting at the tactical level with respect to total logistics cost and environmental impact. In other words, whether UCC could reduce the logistics cost which involves the monetary costs for activities from production to consumption, while maintaining acceptable level of energy consumption and vehicular emissions. It is found that under certain conditions, UCC may become a favorable last-mile urban delivery solution to the current one without a UCC. Especially the benefits of UCC strategies become significant when the customer rent cost is high and UCC terminal operation cost is low. UCC becomes more beneficial as the economic scale is greater (i.e., higher numbers of customers and suppliers). In addition, public subsidy for UCC terminals would make urban cooperative delivery more competitive, resulting in lower truck VMT and emissions in the urban area. KW - Cities KW - Cooperation KW - Costs KW - Delivery service KW - Energy consumption KW - Environmental impacts KW - Freight consolidation KW - Freight transportation KW - Logistics KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0319.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258468 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489415 AU - Cao, Mei AU - Golias, Mihalis M AU - Karafa, Jeffery AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of the Effect of Gate Strategies in Drayage Related Emissions PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 74p AB - Intermodal Marine Container Terminals are experiencing growth in container volumes and are under pressure to develop strategies to accommodate increasing demand. One of the major factors contributing to the problem is inefficient gate operations that can cause serious safety, congestion, and environmental problems. There is a plethora of ongoing discussions concerning the implementation of different operational strategies that may relieve the effects of congestion and improve air quality. This research presents the development of a traffic simulation model capable of measuring the impact of various gate strategies on congestion at terminal gates. The proposed model is used to quantify both travel time and delay, and emission levels at terminal gates before and after gate strategies have been implemented. To the authors' knowledge this is the first attempt, in the published literature, to capture delays and emissions at the gates of terminals using a traffic simulation model. KW - Container terminal gates KW - Container terminals KW - Drayage KW - Pollutants KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic simulation KW - Water traffic UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_CFIRE0419.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257313 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01489298 AU - Wan, Baolin AU - Foley, Christopher M AU - Ainge, Steven W AU - Nguyen, Christie AU - Marquette University AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Procedures, Cost and Effectiveness for Deteriorated Bridge Substructure Repair PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 408p AB - Deterioration of bridge substructures has been a serious concern throughout Wisconsin. Concrete, steel and timber components all require distinct repair methods which not only address the true cause of the deterioration, but also protect the component from future damage. In order to determine common repair practices and their success rates, the research team surveyed maintenance engineers throughout the United States to determine successful and reliable substructure repair techniques. The survey indicated that concrete surface repair is the most common repair technique, and was also viewed as the most unreliable. The survey results indicated that the most reliable repair technique for scour was the correct sizing and use of riprap. Eight bridges were visited throughout the Southeast and Southwest regions of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). These bridges were documented, both for their typical deterioration and unique repair methods. Various methods and procedures of repairing concrete, timber and steel substructures, and countering scour were summarized and discussed. Decision matrices were created to compare different repair methods based on their unit costs and estimated service life. A repair manual including detailed drawings and procedures of 72 different repair methods was created for use by WisDOT personnel. KW - Bridge substructures KW - Costs KW - Deterioration KW - Field studies KW - Maintenance practices KW - Manuals KW - Repairing KW - Riprap KW - Scour KW - Surveys KW - Wisconsin UR - http://wisdotresearch.wi.gov/wp-content/uploads/WisDOT-WHRP-project-0092-11-08-final-report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257432 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01487888 AU - Bergeron, Kathleen AU - Kinsaul, Alisa AU - Zmud, Mia AU - Mallela, Jagannath AU - Applied Research Associates, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Guide to Developing Marketing Research for Highway Innovations PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Highways for LIFE (HfL) focuses on speeding up the widespread adoption of proven innovations in the highway community. Such innovations include technologies, materials, tools, equipment, procedures, specifications, methodologies, processes, and practices used to finance, design, or construct highways. HfL is based on the recognition that innovations are available that, if widely and rapidly implemented, would result in significant benefits to road users and highway agencies. This guide addresses how to use marketing research to deploy technologies and how it has been used for understanding public perception of the organization. It can help an agency better manage its funding, because good marketing research in the form of a customer satisfaction survey can reveal what areas are important to customers. KW - Customer satisfaction KW - Highways KW - Highways for LIFE KW - Innovation KW - Marketing KW - Public opinion KW - Research KW - Technological innovations UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/pdfs/hfl_research_guide.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1256744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01487030 AU - Robertson, Robyn D AU - Holmes, Erin A AU - Vanlaar, Ward G M AU - Traffic Injury Research Foundation AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Alcohol Interlock Programs: Data Management System Implementation SN - 9781926857435 PY - 2013/03 SP - 40p AB - This report focuses on transitioning the management of alcohol interlock programs from a paper-based system to an automated system. State and vendor experiences with data management were explored at a workshop held in December 2010 in Toronto. Sections include plan development; system components; system requirements; and vendor interactions. Reporting samples from Illinois, Maryland, and New York are included in an appendix. Screenshots from South Carolina's automated data management system with explanations are included in an appendix. KW - Alcohol ignition interlock devices KW - Automation KW - Information processing KW - Management and organization KW - Workshops UR - http://www.tirf.ca/publications/PDF_publications/NHTSA_Tech_Assistance_DataManagement_9.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254314 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01486984 AU - Hamric, Karly AU - Martinelli, David R AU - Unnikrishnan, Avinash AU - Martinelli, Diana AU - West Virginia University, Morgantown AU - West Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Evaluation of School Zone Traffic Control Strategies, Phase I PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 81p AB - Throughout the past six decades, the predominant mode of student transport has shifted from walking to riding in a school bus or personal vehicle which has impacted both the safety and efficiency of school zone traffic control strategies. In order to improve school zone operations in West Virginia, current warrant and laws relevant to school zones within West Virginia and other states are researched. Concerns are characterized with respect to traffic efficiency and safety parameters and are addressed in a survey polling county and district transportation officials throughout West Virginia. In addition, school zone crash data provided by the Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) is analyzed for Ohio and North Carolina to gain a better understanding of the cause and nature of school zone crashes. Through multi-disciplinary cooperation, school zone traffic control strategies should implement uniform procedures that target driver awareness and education on their actions and the effect they have on safety and efficiency and how the two issues are inter-related. KW - Crash data KW - North Carolina KW - Ohio KW - Schools KW - Speed control KW - Surveys KW - Traffic control devices KW - Traffic safety KW - West Virginia UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/WVU-2010-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254564 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01485724 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Lochrane, Taylor W P AU - Al-Deek, Haitham AU - Paracha, Jawad AU - Scriba, Tracy TI - Understanding Driver Behavior in Work Zones PY - 2013/03 VL - 76 IS - 5 SP - pp 22-25 AB - Work zones cause about 24% of nonrecurring congestion and 10% of all congestion. As such, work zones affect the overall mobility of a highway, having a reach that extends well beyond the limits of the construction area. This article discusses a research effort to study driver behavior as a means to generate data to improve the modeling and simulation of traffic flow at freeway work zones. The research examines differences in driver behavior to better calibrate models and improve the accuracy of estimates of work zone impacts on traffic flow. To collect and analyze data on driver behavior, researchers equipped a sport utility vehicle with sensors to capture information on the gaps between vehicles and the speed oscillations of drivers. Participants were recruited to drive the instrumented test vehicle through an actual, real-world work zone set up along a 3-mi (4.8-km) stretch of freeway. They also completed a short questionnaire documenting their comfort levels while driving through the work zone. The same questionnaire was also released through a variety of social media outlets to obtain opinions from drivers from across the United States. The results support the assumption that drivers may change their normal driving behavior while traveling through a freeway work zone. The researchers hypothesized that car following would be the main influence on throughput and capacity in modeling results and therefore did not focus on lane changing. This assumption was supported by the questionnaire results, with most drivers reporting that they remain in the same lane while in a construction zone and maintain the speed of the vehicle in front of them. Maintaining the speed of and distance from the car in front is the unconscious car-following behavior that the instrumented vehicle sought to capture. Calibrating the car-following algorithms currently used in microsimulation tools with the results from this study will enable modelers to see the effects of behavioral changes caused by work zone activity with greater accuracy. More accurate planning could help transportation agencies better mitigate disruptions on freeways due to work zones, which ultimately will help reduce congestion and delays during peak- and nonpeak-hour traffic. KW - Behavior KW - Car following KW - Drivers KW - Field studies KW - Questionnaires KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic models KW - Traffic simulation KW - Work zone traffic control KW - Work zones UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13marapr/04.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254354 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01485722 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Gibson, David R P AU - Burton, Paul AU - Boudreau, Neil AU - Bobinsky, Michael J AU - Hoben, Jim AU - Ling, Bo AU - Bentzen, Billie Louise TI - Taking the Next Step PY - 2013/03 VL - 76 IS - 5 SP - pp 26-33 AB - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently conducted a large-scale field test of a stereo vision system for detecting pedestrians at signal-controlled intersections. Stereo vision, also called stereopsis and binocular vision, uses two views of a scene viewed with two cameras to compare slightly different pixel images to extract information that can be used to calculate depth. Proving that stereo vision will reliably detect pedestrians in real-world environments is critical to convincing engineers that using these systems is safe for improving intersection crossings. The field test was conducted to confirm that stereo vision systems can effectively actuate pedestrian calls and trigger the audible locator tones on accessible pedestrian signals. The researchers conducted the tests in Tucson, Arizona; Somerville, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; and Manchester, New Hampshire -- sites selected for their temperature extremes and wide variations in weather conditions. The field test shows that when pedestrians are detected near the pushbuttons, the stereo pedestrian detection system actuates either regular or accessible pedestrian signal pushbuttons to make requests for the pedestrian crossing phases. The overall positive detection rate for the automated pushbutton actuation zone at all four cities is close to 98%, and the average number of false calls per day is less than 3. To date, all of the systems continue to be operational, 24/7, in complex outdoor environments. Now that a stereo vision system is available that can identify pedestrians and turn on locator tones, much additional research is needed to fine-tune the system to optimize it for the needs of visually impaired individuals. Ultimately, the stereo camera system’s ability to reliably detect pedestrians and automate actuation of pushbuttons based on the presence of pedestrians promises to help reduce the likelihood of conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. The end result is safer crossings and, ideally, fewer fatalities. KW - Field tests KW - Pedestrian actuated controllers KW - Pedestrian detectors KW - Pedestrian vehicle interface KW - Sensors KW - Stereoscopic cameras KW - Visually impaired persons UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13marapr/05.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254959 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01485634 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Pettis, Emily AU - Squitieri, Amy TI - Postwar Houses: A Transportation Timebomb? PY - 2013/03 VL - 76 IS - 5 SP - pp 16-21 AB - Across the country, large urban areas, smaller cities and formerly rural areas all experienced significant growth and development during the post-World War II period. As a result, the built environment along major transportation corridors is often dominated by entire subdivisions and neighborhoods full of similar houses built between the mid-1940s and 1970s. Many of these houses reflect the architectural styles and forms popular at the time, and although some geographic variation exists, many of these houses are nearly identical in style and form. These houses are now, or soon will be, more than 50 years old and, therefore, are subject to evaluation for eligibility in the National Register of Historic Places. Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, agencies seeking Federal dollars or permits must take into account the potential effects of their projects on properties eligible for listing in the National Register. As a result, transportation project planners increasingly must consider postwar residences as part of a project’s compliance with Section 106. With so many houses from that era, how do Federal agencies decide which ones represent the best examples of their respective styles and contexts -- that is, those that are likely to be eligible for listing in the National Register? A research team working for the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) took an important step toward providing answers in a 2012 report, A Model for Identifying and Evaluating the Historic Significance of Post-World War II Housing (NCHRP Report 723). This article summarizes the NCHRP report. The report establishes a national historic context, or narrative history, of residential properties of the postwar era and outlines methodologies for streamlining survey and evaluation of those properties for eligibility for listing in the National Register. KW - Compliance KW - Historic preservation KW - History KW - Housing KW - National Register of Historic Places KW - Planning KW - Residential areas KW - Surveys UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13marapr/03.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254353 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01485631 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Bergeron, Kathleen TI - Every Day Counts: The Second Phase PY - 2013/03 VL - 76 IS - 5 SP - pp 2-7 AB - This article describes the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Every Day Counts (EDC) program, which was established to move lesser used innovations and processes into mainstream use quickly in order to reduce project delivery time. EDC is unique due to the high level of FHWA leadership involvement, its process for selecting focus innovations that encourages a broad spectrum of suggestions from throughout the highway community, and the fact that key decisions as to which innovations to use are made in the State itself. In December 2012, this first round of EDC projects (EDC1) hit the end of its 2-year lifespan. At that point, FHWA responsibilities for managing the innovations returned to the offices from which they originated. EDC1 focused on 15 processes and methods for shortening project delivery, many of which have been adopted by States and Federal Lands Highways divisions. In Summer 2012, FHWA announced 10 new innovations and 5 carryovers from EDC1. Together, these innovations make up EDC2. EDC2 innovations include: programmatic agreements; locally administered federal-aid projects; three-dimensional engineered models for construction; intelligent compaction; accelerated bridge construction; design-build contracting; construction manager/general contractor; alternative technical concepts; high friction surface treatments; intersection and interchange geometrics; geospatial data collaboration; implementing quality environmental documentation; and national traffic incident management responder training. The new surface transportation law, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), encourages the widespread use of innovative technologies and practices and mentions by name several of the EDC initiatives. KW - Bridge construction KW - Construction management KW - Construction projects KW - Every Day Counts KW - Innovation KW - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act KW - Project delivery methods KW - Road construction KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13marapr/01.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254193 ER - TY - JOUR AN - 01485630 JO - Public Roads PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Park, Seri AU - McCarthy, Leslie Myers AU - McFadden, John AU - Merritt, George TI - Innovative Partnerships Help Inventory Traffic Signs PY - 2013/03 VL - 76 IS - 5 SP - pp 8-15 AB - In recent years, State departments of transportation (DOTs) and local public agencies have faced the challenges of shrinking budgets and reduced staffing to conduct the business of supporting transportation programs. At the same time, universities are taking steps to integrate relevant, real-world experience into their curricula to better prepare undergraduate and graduate students to hit the ground running once they enter the transportation workforce. Many universities have embraced the idea of collaboration between academia and the public sector as a means to benefit both parties during a time of limited resources. Villanova University in Pennsylvania recently put this type of collaboration to the test, forming an ongoing partnership with five nearby municipalities. Starting in 2009, Villanova students interested in transportation engineering conducted several projects, under the advisement of university faculty, designed to address the needs of the five local transportation agencies. The projects included studies regarding traffic impacts, signal coordination, and infrastructure capacity. This article describes one of these projects, which focused on a methodology to develop local inventories of traffic signs. The inventories are a tool that municipalities can use to help them comply with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements for minimum levels of sign retroreflectivity, as outlined in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD). The objective was to develop a sign inventory system while also integrating traffic operational parameters, such as crash and exposure data, to explore criteria for prioritizing sign inspections when agencies are unable to collect data from the entire population of signs. In general, the process included three major steps: (1) assessing available resources, (2) establishing a tiered ranking system and identifying signs that play a critical role in safety, and (3) measuring retroreflectivity and collecting other data for the sign inventory. The partnership between the university and the local DOTs resulted in an innovative approach to resolving a real transportation need while engaging students in a constructive manner to achieve the solution. Moving forward, the university and the townships are exploring additional opportunities for systematic, long-term collaboration between academia and the public sector. KW - College students KW - Curricula KW - Inventory KW - Local government agencies KW - Partnerships KW - Pennsylvania KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Traffic signs KW - Universities and colleges KW - Villanova University UR - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13marapr/02.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254352 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485307 AU - Rollins, Kyle M AU - Price, Jacob S AU - Nelson, Kent R AU - Brigham Young University AU - Utah Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Lateral Resistance of Piles Near Vertical MSE Abutment Walls PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 433p AB - Full scale lateral load tests were performed on eight piles located at various distances behind Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls. The objective of the testing was to determine the effect of spacing from the wall on the lateral resistance of the piles and on the force induced in the MSE reinforcement by the pile load. Lateral load-displacement curves were obtained for the test piles at various spacings and with various reinforcement ratios (reinforcement length, L divided by wall height, H). Reinforcements involved both welded wire grids and ribbed straps. The force in the reinforcements was measured using strain gauges. As the pile spacing behind the MSE wall decreased, the lateral pile resistance decreased substantially. However, by increasing the reinforcement length the reduction in lateral resistance was arrested to some degree. Lateral load analyses were performed to determine the minimum spacing required to eliminate any effect of the wall on the pile resistance and the reduction in soil resistance as a function of normalized distance and reinforcement length. Little pile-wall interaction was observed for piles located more than 4 to 6 pile diameters behind the wall depending on the reinforcement. The induced force in the reinforcements increased as lateral load increased and decreased rapidly with transverse distance relative to the direction of loading. Separate upper bound design curves were developed for the welded wire grids and the ribbed strips which can be used to compute the increased force in the reinforcement produced by the laterally loaded pile. The testing to date has allowed us to develop a framework for understanding the complex interaction between the wall panels, the reinforcements, and the soil resistance against a pile based on the spacing of an abutment pile behind an MSE wall. Tentative design curves have been developed based on the limited available testing to date. However, additional testing is necessary to define behavior for lower L/H ratios typical of static conditions and to refine relationships for determining p-multipliers and induced reinforcement forces. This testing is expected to be performed as part of an upcoming pooled-fund study. KW - Bridge abutments KW - Earth walls KW - Load tests KW - Mechanically stabilized earth KW - Piles (Supports) KW - Resistance (Mechanics) KW - Strain gages UR - http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=6610400770684835 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253835 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484416 AU - Atkinson-Palombo, Carol AU - Marshall, Wesley AU - University of Connecticut, Storrs AU - Center for Transportation and Livable Systems AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Quantifying Transit-Oriented Development's Potential Contribution to Federal Policy Objectives on Transportation-Housing-Energy Interactions PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 231p AB - This project involved a comprehensive and compact study of the built environment in light rail transit (LRT) station areas in Denver, Colorado and travel behaviors in both Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)- and non-TOD areas in the region. Graduate students from the University of Connecticut and University of Colorado, Denver participated in a workshop in Denver in Spring 2011 to collaborate on designing questions for two comprehensive travel surveys and subsequently carry out an intensive field campaign to collect data. The principal objectives were to provide insight into how different types of TOD affect travel behavior patterns—specifically reductions in vehicle miles traveled (VMT)—and to understand what prevents people from living in TOD areas. The latter information was intended to help assess the potential for region-wide reductions in VMT. An additional objective was to provide University of Connecticut students with experience in carrying out collaborative, integrative, and interdisciplinary research with students from a National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education, Research and Training (IGERT) Program. The intention was to help to build a community of emerging scholars equipped to engage in trans-disciplinary work on policy-relevant issues, and help to better position faculty at the University of Connecticut to advance ongoing initiatives to establish an IGERT in Sustainable Urbanism. The main findings of the research are that although the LRT system in Denver, Colorado, may have met its goals with respect to congestion relief and ridership, the fact that the system has been located in existing travel corridors housing freeways and heavy freight trains limits the extent to which the system can become integrated into the fabric of the built environment. A thorough and systematic index of pedestrian level-of-service shows a tremendous variation in the pedestrian accessibility of stations across the system. In addition, stations that have park-and-ride lots show similar levels of vehicle ownership and VMT to other locations across the metropolitan area that are nowhere near LRT systems. Only those stations defined as walk-and-ride locations (i.e., those without park-and-ride lots) register lower car ownership and lower levels of VMT. The results of the research are in the process of being disseminated to academics, practitioners, and policymakers interested in the interactions between transportation, housing, and energy demand. To date, the research has resulted in one MA Thesis completed in May 2011, one MS Thesis due to be completed at the end of August 2013, one presentation at the Transportation Research Board January 2013 annual meeting, one presentation at the Annual Association of American Geographers’ annual meeting in New York in March 2012, one paper in the Transportation Research Record, and one presentation at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. KW - Accessibility KW - Built environment KW - Denver (Colorado) KW - Energy consumption KW - Housing KW - Land use KW - Light rail transit KW - Policy KW - Rail transit stations KW - Transit oriented development KW - Travel behavior KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.ctls.uconn.edu/pdf/10-01Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252658 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484071 AU - Howes, Brandon AU - Colorado Department of Transportation TI - Alternatives to the Public Funding and Operation of Colorado's Rest Areas PY - 2013/03//Final Report AB - Due to budget challenges, Colorado is looking for alternative funding sources for the operation and maintenance of its interstate safety rest areas (SRAs). Federal Code 23 U.S.C. § 111 prohibits commercial “establishments for serving motor vehicle users on any highway which has been, or is hereafter, designated as a highway...on the Interstate System”… “unless the establishment is owned by a state and existed in its location prior to January 1, 1960.” Based on this law, the majority of SRAs in the U.S. have been developed to provide motorists with access to restrooms, picnic tables, and vending machines, but no other commercial services. In FY 2012, the cost of operating and maintaining twenty-seven rest areas in Colorado was just above $3.5 million. In addition, planned and emergency projects in 2012 cost Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) an additional $251,233 for a total cost of approximately $3.75 million in 2012. Although CDOT’s cost of operating rest areas is lower than some states, the maintenance budget has not grown fast enough to finance their operation and maintenance. The closure of five SRAs in 2012 has been estimated to save the department $300,000 annually. CDOT also closed two SRAs in 2009 for financial and other reasons. operation and maintenance. These alternatives include small-scale strategies such selling tourism-related items or lottery tickets, and a large-scale strategy that includes developing a commercialized rest area outside of the interstate right of way through a public-private partnership. In addition, CDOT could advocate for changes to federal law. KW - Colorado KW - Government funding KW - Interstate highways KW - Operating costs KW - Privatization KW - Public private partnerships KW - Roadside rest areas KW - Transportation facility operations UR - http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/research/pdfs/2013/restareas.pdf/at_download/file UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250686 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482792 AU - Kockelman, Kara AU - Chen, T Donna AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Transportation Economics Reference for Practitioners: Final Report PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 28p AB - Transportation projects and policies are rooted in economic considerations and consequences. This report documents the development of a relatively comprehensive transportation economics reference for practitioners, entitled The Economics of Transportation Systems: A Reference for Practitioners. This guidebook is tailored for those on the front lines of transportation planning, design, and policy at state Departments of Transportation and elsewhere, so that they can more easily anticipate and evaluate the economic implications of their work. In addition to introducing key transportation economic terms and concepts, the Reference describes a wide variety of tools for project and policy evaluation and analysis, to help transportation professionals address fundamentally complex questions with more confidence, particularly under resource constraints. The Reference’s contents address issues ranging from appropriate contractor charges for project delays to optimal budget allocation across capacity-expansion and maintenance projects, and speak directly to the day-to-day needs of practitioners. The Reference’s provision of transportation economics fundamentals, analytical methods, and case studies illustrate the endless opportunities for successful economic considerations and applications within transportation. KW - Case studies KW - Economics KW - Handbooks KW - Information organization KW - Policy analysis KW - State departments of transportation UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-6628-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251368 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482773 AU - Schlossberg, Marc AU - Meyer, Cody AU - Dill, Jennifer AU - Ma, Liang AU - University of Oregon, Eugene AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Measuring the Performance of Transit Relative to Livability PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 120p AB - This project sought to understand the relationship between urban form, transit service characteristics, and ridership measured at the stop level. Most previous work in this area has looked at these issues separately, by either linking system performance (e.g. on-time performance, cost, etc.) to ridership or exploring the connection between urban form (e.g. density) and transit use. This project synthesized these disparate approaches. While transit service characteristics (e.g. frequency, travel time, etc.) are important to help individuals reach their desired destinations, most transit users are pedestrians at the beginning and end of any transit trip. Therefore, focusing on the walkable zone around each transit stop was also important. KW - Land use KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Oregon KW - Performance measurement KW - Public transit KW - Quality of life KW - Rail transit stations KW - Ridership KW - Transportation planning KW - Urban design UR - http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/ResearchReports/SPR735.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251380 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482192 AU - Cambridge Systematics, Inc. AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Strategic Highway Safety Plans – A Champion’s Guidebook to Saving Lives, Second Edition PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 40p AB - This document reviews the basic principles and important considerations concerning the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). It is intended as a resource for states to consult during examination of their SHSP process, as well during SHSP updates. It is also a valuable reference for professionals new to safety and planning or newly involved in the SHSP process. This document addresses the SHSP fundamentals of champions, leadership, organizational structure, safety partners, and collaboration; data collection and analysis; content; preparation (of document); and implementation and evaluation. The original Champion’s Guide, published in April 2006, provided guidance to states as they developed their first SHSPs. This revised second edition, while not guidance, is consistent with current legislation and builds upon more than five years of states’ experiences implementing SHSPs. It is designed to encourage practitioners to revisit their SHSP with effective practices and processes in mind and includes a helpful checklist at the end of each chapter with recommended steps for achieving these standards. The document concludes with a list of additional tools and references. KW - Data collection KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Handbooks KW - Highway safety KW - Implementation KW - Leadership KW - Organizational structure KW - Strategic Highway Safety Plan KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation safety UR - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/shsp/guidebook/chmpgd.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249728 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482132 AU - Qi, Yi AU - Chen, Xiaoming AU - Yu, Lei AU - Liu, Haixia AU - Liu, Guanqi AU - Li, Da AU - Persad, Khali R AU - Pruner, Kristopher AU - Texas Southern University, Houston AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of Guidelines for Operationally Effective Raised Medians and the Use of Alternative Movements on Urban Roadways PY - 2013/03//Technical Report SP - 270p AB - The development of raised medians is an important access management technique commonly used in urban settings. It can be used to control or restrict mid-block left turns, U-turns or crossing maneuvers for implementing of alternative left-turn/U-turn movements. The objective of this research project was to develop guidelines for operationally effective raised medians and the use of alternative movements on urban roadways. To fulfill this goal, the researchers (1) reviewed and synthesized national and peer states’ practices, (2) conducted a survey of traffic engineers, (3) conducted field studies, (4) analyzed the design issues relating to raised medians and alternative movements through simulation studies, and (5) developed guidelines for future implementation of raised medians and representative alternative movements in Texas. The results of this study provide recommendations on some critical design issues in the use of raised medians, including median widths, median left-turn lane lengths, placement of median openings, and the use of directional median openings. In addition, a set of implementation-oriented guidelines regarding the applicability, geometric design, and access management of three typical types of alternative movements, including restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT), median U-turn (MUT) and continuous flow intersection (CFI), were developed. KW - Access control (Transportation) KW - Geometric design KW - Guidelines KW - Highway operations KW - Median openings KW - Medians KW - Simulation KW - State of the practice KW - Texas KW - U turns KW - Urban highways UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6644-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250684 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481619 AU - Akin, Michelle AU - Huang, Jiang AU - Shi, Xianming AU - Veneziano, David AU - Williams, Dan AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Minnesota Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Snow Removal at Extreme Temperatures PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 80p AB - Extremely cold winter storms (below about 10°F) bring about different considerations for taking care of roads than warmer winter storms, where granular salt and salt brine are cost-effective measures of melting snow and ice when used in combination with other operations (e.g., plowing). At temperatures lower than about 10°F, either extremely large quantities of salt are needed or no amount of salt can melt snow or ice pack. Best practices for using chemicals during extremely cold winter storms include: waiting until the end of the storm, using deicers in daylight hours only, mixing salt with MgCl2, CaCl2, and/or agriculture by-products, and using high application rates. Despite their environmental and hidden costs (air pollution, sedimentation, spring cleanup & disposal), abrasives are frequently used during extreme temperatures to provide temporary traction. Best practices for using abrasives during severe cold includes prewetting with liquid deicers (although not plain salt brine - it may freeze) or hot water. Innovative strategies continue to be tested at severe temperatures, including conductive pavements and geothermal systems, which have demonstrated to be potentially effective tools. KW - Best practices KW - Deicing chemicals KW - Frigid regions KW - Low temperature KW - Snow and ice control KW - Snow removal KW - Snowstorms KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://www.clearroads.org/downloads/Snow-Removal-Extreme-Temps-Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250619 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481545 AU - Tao, Wendy AU - Leary, Caroline AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Preliminary Study of Climate Adaptation for the Statewide Transportation System in Arizona PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 116p AB - This research study presents recommendations for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to continue working toward being more resilient, flexible, and responsive to the effects of global climate change. The main objectives were to identify key individuals within ADOT with decisionmaking authority relevant in incorporating climate change adaptation in planning, design, and operations; review literature and best practices for climate change adaptation as relevant to the desert Southwest; develop a research agenda for ADOT to further understand the impacts of climate change on the agency (including a knowledge-mapping exercise using an online survey questionnaire, structured interviews, and focus groups); and identify key areas for further research. By initiating this study, there is already an internal interest and momentum at ADOT for climate adaptation planning. Without institutional support, however, it will be difficult to continue forward with the research agenda in a more extensive study. To move beyond a preliminary assessment, ADOT will have to find ways to bring its lessons learned to the forefront and into the national spotlight. This study reveals that ADOT already experiences extreme heat and dust storms, and thus it will be the first to develop tools and techniques that can be applied to other states and regions that will experience climate impacts that Arizona will face first. The study provides some recommendations for ADOT to tap into the national dialogue on climate adaptation so it will not miss opportunities for peer exchange and potential funding and technical assistance. KW - Adaptation planning (Climate change) KW - Arizona KW - Climate change KW - Decision making KW - Global warming KW - State departments of transportation KW - Transportation planning UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ696.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248094 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481530 AU - Simpson, Sarah A AU - United Civil Group AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Wrong-way Vehicle Detection: Proof of Concept PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 58p AB - Vehicles that enter freeway exit ramps going the wrong way present one of the most serious traffic hazards on Arizona’s urban freeways. Moler cites a study that finds on average 350 people are killed annually in the United States as a result of wrong-way crashes (Moler 2002). This typically occurs due to one or more of these reasons: (1) the driver is impaired; (2) the driver gets distracted or is confused; or (3) the signage and markings are difficult to follow. The primary focus of this research was to determine the viability of existing detector systems to identify entry of wrong-way vehicles onto the highway system using five different technologies: microwave sensors, Doppler radar, video imaging, thermal sensors, and magnetic sensors. The devices were installed on freeway exit ramps. Each device was tested in both a controlled environment and in the field under normal traffic operating conditions. During the controlled testing, staged events were conducted to determine whether the devices would accurately detect wrong-way vehicles. The study results of this proof of concept effort verify that wrong-way vehicles can be detected using easily deployable equipment that is currently available on the market. While each system tested over the trial period had missed or false calls, none of the systems were installed under the vendors’ ideal conditions. KW - Arizona KW - Countermeasures KW - Highway safety KW - Traffic crashes KW - Urban highways KW - Vehicle detectors KW - Wrong way driving UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ697.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248095 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481527 AU - Gagnon, Jeffrey W AU - Dodd, Norris L AU - Sprague, Scott AU - Nelson, Rob AU - Loberger, Chad AU - Boe, Susan AU - Schweinsburg, Raymond E AU - Arizona Game and Fish Department AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Elk Movements Associated with a High-Traffic Highway: Interstate 17 PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 125p AB - The authors evaluated wildlife-highway relationships from 2007 to 2010 along a 46-mi stretch of Interstate 17 (I-17) in north-central Arizona (MP 294−340). This highway had an average annual daily traffic (AADT) volume of 16,100 vehicles/day during the study. The specific objectives of this research project were to: 1. Assess elk movements, highway crossing patterns, and distribution, and determine permeability; 2. Investigate spatial and temporal relationships of elk crossings and distribution to traffic volume; 3. Investigate spatial and temporal wildlife-vehicle collision (WVC) patterns and traffic relationships; 4. Investigate elk crossings and WVC in relation to riparian-meadow habitats; and 5. Develop recommendations to reduce WVC and promote highway permeability. The research team instrumented 71 elk (Cervus elaphus) with GPS receiver collars along I-17. Elk crossed the highway 912 times and had a mean passage rate of 0.09 crossings/approach. Compared to other Arizona highways with lower AADT, I-17 was a significant barrier to elk passage. Passage rates were significantly higher along stretches with wide medians and near the Munds Canyon Bridge. In total, 395 WVC were analyzed, and an average of 79.0 elk-vehicle collisions occurred each year. Traffic volume influenced elk distribution, permeability, and WVC patterns. Proximity to riparian-meadow habitats also influenced elk crossing, approach, and WVC locations. The team recommended 17 wildlife passage structures and ungulate-proof fencing along the length of I-17 to reduce WVC and promote permeability, largely validating the recommendations in the draft environmental assessment (DEA). KW - Animal behavior KW - Animal migrations KW - Animal vehicle collisions KW - Arizona KW - Elk KW - Highway traffic KW - Interstate highways KW - Traffic volume KW - Wildlife crossings UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ647.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248093 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481345 AU - Mohammad, Louay N AU - Cooper, Samuel B AU - King, Bill AU - Raghavendra, Amar AU - Louisiana Transportation Research Center AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Characterization of HMA Mixtures Containing High Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Content With Crumb Rubber Additives PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 109p AB - As the price of petroleum and material costs escalate and pressures of maintaining the sustainability of our environment, owners must continually find methods to decrease material costs and maximize their benefits. This paper presents the findings of laboratory characterization of HMA mixtures containing high reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) content with crumb rubber (CR) additives. Five mixtures were examined in this study. The conventional mixture contained a styrene-butadiene-styrene, polymer-modified asphalt cement, Performance Grade (PG) 76-22M and no RAP. The second mixture utilized 15 percent RAP and PG 76-22M asphalt cement binder. The third mixture contains no RAP, 30 mesh CR additives blended (wet process) with a PG 64-22 binder. The fourth mixture contains 40 percent RAP, 30 mesh CR additives blended (dry process) with a PG 64-22 asphalt cement binder. The final mixture utilized 100 percent RAP with CR additives. Laboratory mixture characterization includes the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tests (Dynamic Modulus, E*, and Flow Number, FN), Semi-Circular Bend test, Dissipated Creep Strain Energy test, and the Modified Lottman test. In addition, Loaded Wheel Tracking, LWT, test was performed. Results indicate that the addition of CR additives as a dry feed to carry rejuvenating agents is promising. Mixtures containing high RAP content and CR additives exhibited similar performance as conventional mixture with PG 76-22M binder. KW - Additives KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Crumb rubber KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Mix design KW - Performance tests KW - Properties of materials KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2013/fr_465.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250119 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01481003 AU - Bose, Pablo S AU - UVM Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Refugees and Transportation in Vermont: Travel Behaviour and Critical Questions Based on Gender, Age and Transportation Hierarchies PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 37p AB - This study examines the travel behaviour and attitudes of recently resettled refugees in Chittenden County, Vermont, with particular attention to distinctions based on gender and age. It is based on an earlier project conducted between 2008-2012 that examined transportation practices amongst recently arrived refugees in Vermont as a generalized group. One of the findings from that initial study was that more in-depth research was necessary in order to understand the ways in which mobility and access to transportation impact specific parts of the refugee population, especially women, children and the elderly. Drawing on qualitative research methods using techniques such as interviews, focus groups, and surveys, this current study examines what kinds of possibilities and barriers exist to full mobility for these sub sets of the refugee population. In addition one of the key goals of this project was to examine what particular mode choices were favored by refugees both within the larger community but also within these subgroups of the population. KW - Aged KW - Attitudes KW - Chittenden County (Vermont) KW - Focus groups KW - Gender KW - Interviews KW - Mobility KW - Mode choice KW - Refugees KW - Surveys KW - Travel behavior UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/pdf/13-002FinalReportBose.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249662 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01480392 AU - Ranney, Thomas A AU - Baldwin, G H Scott AU - Smith, Larry A AU - Martin, John AU - Mazzae, Elizabeth N AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Driver Behavior During Visual-Manual Secondary Task Performance: Occlusion Method Versus Simulated Driving PY - 2013/03 SP - 92p AB - An experiment was conducted to assess proposed acceptance criteria of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA’s) Visual-Manual Driver Distraction Guidelines. Seventy-two participants, ages 18-75 (3 age groups, balanced gender), performed secondary tasks (radio tuning, destination entry, 7-digit phone dialing, and 10-digit phone dialing) in two protocols: (1) driving a low-fidelity simulator; and (2) wearing occlusion goggles. Secondary tasks were performed using the integrated in-vehicle information and communication system of a 2010 Toyota Prius V. The Dynamic Following and Detection (DFD) driving simulator protocol combines car following with detection of visual targets presented in the roadway display during a single 3-minute drive. Performance metrics included: total eyes-off-road time (TEORT), mean glance duration, proportion of long glances, standard deviation of lane position (SDLP), car following delay, target detection accuracy (proportion correct), and target detection response time. The occlusion protocol required participants to perform 5 instances of each secondary task while wearing occlusion goggles that switched every 1.5 seconds between open and closed (occluded) states (as defined in ISO 16673). Total shutter open time (TSOT) was the performance metric. The full sample (N = 72) was used to determine “ground truth” test outcomes for each metric. Test results were compared with expectations that radio tuning is acceptable for driving and destination entry is not. Occlusion TSOT values were greater than the 9-second proposed NHTSA acceptance criterion, indicating all four secondary tasks did not meet the acceptance criterion. TEORT values were less than the 12-second proposed NHTSA acceptance criterion for 7-digit dialing and radio tuning, but not for destination entry and 10-digit dialing. Criterion values for mean glance duration and proportion of long glances were not sensitive to differences among secondary tasks. The observed TEORT/TSOT ratio was close to 1.0, considerably less than the predicted value (1.33). DFD driving performance metrics were compared to fixed and benchmark acceptance criteria. Results for fixed criteria included: 1) car following delay – all tasks met acceptance criterion; 2) SDLP – destination entry did not meet acceptance criterion, other tasks met criterion; 3) target detection response time – all tasks met acceptance criterion; and 4) target detection accuracy – destination entry did not meet acceptance criterion, other tasks met criterion. Results relative to the destination entry benchmark included: 1) car following delay – no tasks met acceptance criterion; 2) SDLP – all tasks met acceptance criterion; 3) target detection response time –acceptable for 10-digit dialing, but unacceptable for other tasks; and 4) target detection accuracy – all tasks met acceptance criterion. Results were not entirely consistent for fixed vs. benchmark approaches. Analyses of 3 subsets (N = 24) were performed to assess consistency of results over repeated testing. Results were consistent across groups for the glance-based metrics in both the DFD and occlusion protocols, however because criteria for some metrics did not discriminate among tasks as predicted, these tests were not strong. Results for several driving performance metrics were not consistent across groups. Strong age effects were apparent for all metrics. Younger drivers (18-25) were most likely to provide outcomes meeting the acceptance criteria; older drivers (60-75) were most likely to provide outcomes not meeting the acceptance criteria. Strong and consistent age effects reflect heterogeneity of sample construction, which could reduce test sensitivity when using relatively small samples. Overall, 3 metrics found destination entry unacceptable and radio tuning acceptable: (1) TEORT (driving simulator); (2) lane position variability (SDLP); and (3) target detection accuracy. The distribution of TSOT values suggests that increasing the proposed criterion could provide the expected outcomes. The proportion of long glances appears more promising than mean glance duration for ensuring tasks can be performed without long glances. Samples of 24 cannot be expected to provide consistent results over repeated testing for all metrics. Both occlusion and DFD protocols are too demanding for some older drivers. Other procedural issues that could influence test outcome were identified. KW - Age groups KW - Cellular telephones KW - Distraction KW - Driver performance KW - Drivers KW - Driving simulators KW - Glance duration KW - Global Positioning System KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Radio KW - Secondary tasks KW - Traveler information and communication systems UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249186 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01480152 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Challenges and Defenses II: Claims and Responses to Commmon Challenges and Defenses in Driving While Impaired Cases PY - 2013/03 SP - 44p AB - Driving under the influence (DUI) cases have become some of the most complex in the criminal justice system. As a result, defense challenges are being raised more frequently and are more procedural and scientific in nature. These challenges range from the initial law enforcement stop of the vehicle to the testing procedures used to determine alcohol concentration in blood, breath, and urine samples to possible alternative explanations for those results. This monograph was developed to assist prosecutors and law enforcement in understanding the nature of these challenges. It will assist prosecutors in formulating effective responses to these newer challenges and defenses and include drugged driving, alternative explanations to breath test results, blood draws and testing, scientific uncertainty, and computer source code discovery requests. The National Traffic Law Center previously published Overcoming Impaired Driving Defenses, thanks to a contribution from a charitable foundation, discussing such defense challenges as invalid traffic stops, arrests and Miranda issues, as well as common trial tactics of attacking the investigation, such as driving observations, personal contact, field sobriety tests and breath testing. That monograph may be downloaded from the National District Attorneys Association Web site at www.ndaa.org. The terms DUI (driving under the influence), DWI (driving while intoxicated or impaired) and OUI (operating under the influence) are considered interchangeable for the purposes of this publication. KW - Alcohol tests KW - Blood alcohol levels KW - Criminal justice KW - Drugged drivers KW - Drunk driving KW - Law enforcement KW - Prosecution UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811707.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248170 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479789 AU - Vela, A AU - Barnett, B AU - Harkleroad, E AU - Kuchar, J AU - Merchant-Bennett, R AU - Massachusetts Institute of Technology AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Risk-Based Modeling to Support NextGen Concept Assessment and Validation PY - 2013/03 SP - 72p AB - This report provides a brief review of major recent risk-based modeling (RBM) approaches, with particular emphasis on how these tools can be applied during initial Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) concept development and how their use can be validated. Effective safety analysis should begin as early as possible during a systems life cycle in order to have maximum impact. Ideally, safety considerations should play a role even during a new systems concept definition and development. Elements of NextGen are currently progressing through these early phases. NextGen will increasingly rely on integrating multiple systems and information sources together to enable improved efficiency, safety, and reduced environmental impact. Ensuring that such complex interconnected systems are developed to meet safety goals requires corresponding advances in RBM and safety assessment approaches. This report does not cover the more detailed safety analyses that must be applied to mature system concepts. Rather, the focus is on approaches for hazard identification, scoping, and coarse risk estimation for systems in the early conceptual development stage, when details on the design and operation of the system have yet to be resolved. Risk models applied in this constrained context cannot be expected to provide the same complete, quantitative results as they do for mature systems. Following a review of prior models, this report continues with recommendations for RBM development, application, validation, and coordination between NextGen efforts. Also, a discussion on safety and concept development is provided. KW - Air transportation KW - Next Generation Air Transportation System KW - Risk analysis KW - Safety factors KW - System design KW - System safety KW - Validation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247577 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479774 AU - Jenkins, Brian Michael AU - Kozub, Chris AU - Butterworth, Bruce R AU - Haider, Renee AU - Clair, Jean-Francois AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Department of Homeland Security TI - Formulating a Strategy for Securing High-Speed Rail in the United States PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 124p AB - This report presents an analysis of information relating to attacks, attempted attacks, and plots against high-speed rail (HSR) systems. It draws upon empirical data from MTI’s Database of Terrorist and Serious Criminal Attacks Against Public Surface Transportation and from reviews of selected HSR systems, including onsite observations. The report also examines the history of safety accidents and other HSR incidents that resulted in fatalities, injuries, or extensive asset damage to examine the inherent vulnerabilities (and strengths) of HSR systems and how these might affect the consequences of terrorist attacks. The study is divided into three parts: (1) an examination of security principles and measures; (2) an empirical examination of 33 attacks against HSR targets and a comparison of attacks against HSR targets with those against non-HSR targets; and (3) an examination of 73 safety incidents on 12 HRS systems. The purpose of this study is to develop an overall strategy for HSR security and to identify measures that could be applied to HSR systems currently under development in the United States. It is hoped that the report will provide useful guidance to both governmental authorities and transportation operators of current and future HSR systems. KW - Disaster preparedness KW - High speed rail KW - Railroad crashes KW - Railroad safety KW - Security KW - Strategic planning KW - Terrorism KW - United States UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1026-securing-US-high-speed-rail.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248499 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478889 AU - Drew, Daniel AU - Hayes, Caroline AU - Nguyen, Mai-Anh AU - Cheng, Xuan AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hand Images in Virtual Spatial Collaboration for Traffic Incident and Disaster Management PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 190p AB - The purpose of this study was to develop demonstration technology that can overlay hand videos on spatial images such as traffic maps, and assess the impact of this technology on virtual collaboration. This work explores to what degree gestures impact collaboration effectiveness in the task of traffic incident management, with the goal of informing design of tools to support virtual collaboration in this domain. Eighteen participants worked in pairs to solve three traffic incident scenarios using three different interaction approaches: 1) face-to-face: participants worked together by marking up an electronic map projected on the table in front of them; 2) separated: participants were separated by a soft wall while they worked together on the electronic map with electronic drawing tools; or 3) hand images: same as 2 with the addition of the partner’s hand images projected on the map. Participants were video recorded. The questionnaires were given to participants after each trial to evaluate workload, positive interactions, team behaviors, connection to teammate, and frustration. Participants spent more time on the task and perceived a higher level of time pressure when using hand images than when working face-to-face. When working face-to-face, participants felt more like their teammate was at the same table and felt less disconnected from their teammate than when working separately or using hand images. The results indicate that adding hand videos to a virtual drawing tool for the task of traffic incident management can increase team behaviors and change the way in which team members communicate information. KW - Behavior KW - Communication KW - Cooperation KW - Hand KW - Incident management KW - Nonverbal gestures KW - Teams KW - Technology assessment KW - Traffic incidents UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=2282 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247904 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478885 AU - Davis, Gary A AU - Mudgal, Abhisek AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Field Study of Driver Behavior at Permitted Left-Turn Indications PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 35p AB - A digital video camera was used to record left-turning vehicles and through vehicles at an urban intersection. A total of 39 left-turn events, with a total of 195 gap decisions, were identified and vehicle trajectories corresponding to those were extracted from the video and transformed into real coordinates using photogrammetry. Bayes estimates of each opposing vehicle’s distance, speed, and time-to-arrival were then computed from the trajectories and used as predictors in logit models of acceptance/rejection decisions. It was found, when models are penalized for the numbers of their parameters, that arrival time, the ratio of initial distance to initial speed, was best predictor. This contrasts with an earlier study that found distance clearly superior to arrival time. This may be due to the fact that in the current study, speeds and initial distances were substantially higher than in the earlier study. KW - Behavior KW - Decision making KW - Drivers KW - Gap acceptance KW - Left turn phase KW - Left turns KW - Logits KW - Photogrammetry KW - Signalized intersections KW - Urban areas UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=2272 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247905 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478879 AU - Papagiannakis, A T AU - Dessouky, S AU - University of Texas, San Antonio AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Synthesis of Best Practices for the Placement of Long and Short Patches for Ride Quality: Technical Report PY - 2013/03//Technical Report SP - 92p AB - Level-up patching is a common corrective maintenance activity in Texas performed by most districts. It involves laying down a thin asphalt mix layer over an existing pavement (rigid or flexible) in areas of sagging or rutting to improve the ride score, reduce pavement roughness, improve drainage, and restore cross-slope. Level-up patching is applied in areas of surface-related failures rather than areas with foundation (base/subgrade) problems. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses level-up patching in most of the districts as a corrective pavement treatment. Total expenditures for patching/ overlaying costs are in the order of $180 million annually. This report documents the best level-up practices for the benefit of the TxDOT districts. It provides them with guidelines on materials, equipment, and best practices for improving the quality of patching and extending its service life, which ultimately will produce significant cost savings statewide. KW - Best practices KW - Patching KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Ride quality KW - Service life KW - Surface course (Pavements) KW - Texas UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6667-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247897 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478708 AU - Qian, Qin AU - Liu, Xinyu AU - Charbeneau, Randall AU - Barrett, Michael AU - Lamar University AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Hydraulic Performance of Small Scale Bridge Deck Drains PY - 2013/03//9/2010-8/2012 SP - 112p AB - Efficient removal of stormwater runoff from bridge deck surfaces is an important safety issue. This study investigates hydraulic performance characteristics of a new type of rectangular bridge deck drain. A physical modeling study was conducted to evaluate the hydraulic performance of the innovative rectangular bridge deck drain as a function of the approach discharge, different drain configurations, and bridge characteristics. Experiments included different numbers of open drains in series for variable approach discharge cross slope and longitudinal slope. Measurements included gutter flow depth (Y) and ponding width (T) at different stations along the deck, and the capture discharge and bypass discharge. A model equation is presented for predicting the capture discharge as a function of drain size (L+W), the number of open drains (N), Manning’s coefficient (n), depth of approached gutter flow (Y), longitudinal slope (S0), and cross slope (Sx). For experiments considering one through five drains in series (1-5 drains), the rating curve for each individual drain is the same when the drain size is 4 by 8 inches; however, the rating curve decreases slightly with successive drains when the drain size is 6 by 8 inches. KW - Bridge decks KW - Drains KW - Geometric design KW - Hydraulics KW - Runoff KW - Texas UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/0-6653-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247863 ER - TY - SER AN - 01478703 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Al-Qadi, Imad L AU - Son, Songsu AU - Carpenter, Samuel H AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of an Economical, Thin, Quiet, Long-Lasting, High Friction Surface Layer, Volume 1: Mix Design and Lab Performance Testing PY - 2013/03 SP - 126p AB - This project developed and evaluated four new asphalt concrete (AC) mixtures that use locally available aggregates whenever possible with the ultimate goal of a cost-effective mixture that also improves pavement performance. Although numerous tactics have previously been introduced to improve the performance of asphalt pavement, these improvements often add expenses because they use unnecessarily large amounts of high quality aggregates and highly modified binder. The Illinois Department of Transportation initiated a program to develop sustainable asphalt pavements that use locally available aggregates as much as possible to reduce the material cost while also improving performance. These new mixtures were developed using the Bailey method to provide a promising aggregate structure that makes it possible to ensure compactability at thinner layers. The newly developed mixes use locally available natural aggregates such as dolomite, and include smaller amounts of imported materials such as quartzite, steel slag, and fibers to improve their performance in terms of durability, rut resistance, moisture susceptibility, fracture, and complex modulus. To evaluate the performance of each new mixture, five laboratory tests were conducted at the Advanced Transportation and Research Engineering Laboratory (ATREL), and the results suggest a preferred mixture. KW - Aggregate mixtures KW - Asphalt concrete pavements KW - Compactibility KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Durability KW - Illinois KW - Laboratory tests KW - Local materials KW - Mix design KW - Pavement performance UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45783 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247808 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478702 AU - Pohll, Greg M AU - Carroll, Rosemary W H AU - Reeves, Donald M AU - Parashar, Rishi AU - Muhunthan, Balasingam AU - Thiyagarjah, Sutharsan AU - Badger, Tom AU - Lowell, Steve AU - Willoughby, Kim A AU - Desert Research Institute AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Design Guidelines for Horizontal Drains Used for Slope Stabilization PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 390p AB - The presence of water is one of the most critical factors contributing to the instability of hillslopes. A common solution to stabilize hillslopes is installation of horizontal drains to decrease the elevation of the water table surface. Lowering the water table dries a large portion of the hillslope which increases the shear strength of the soil, thereby decreasing the probability of slope failure. The purpose of this manual is to provide a single comprehensive reference for geotechnical engineers and hydrogeologists on designing horizontal drainage systems to improve slope stability. Guidelines are provided for translational and rotational failure and consider fractured systems. Basics of hydrogeologic and geotechnical terminology, site characterization and conceptualization, groundwater modeling techniques and template projects help to guide the user with respect to identifying important parameters to drainage design. An iterative approach is presented for determining the minimum drain construction to lower water levels enough to keep the factor of safety (FOS) greater than 1.2. KW - Fractured rock KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Groundwater KW - Guidelines KW - Horizontal drains KW - Hydrogeology KW - Rotational landslides KW - Slope stability KW - Subsurface drainage KW - Translational landslides UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/787.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247804 ER - TY - SER AN - 01478699 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Al-Qadi, Imad L AU - Son, Songsu AU - Zehr, Thomas AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of an Economical Thin, Quiet, Long-Lasting, High Friction Surface Layer for Economical Use in Illinois, Volume 2: Field Construction, Field Testing, and Engineering Benefit Analysis PY - 2013/03 SP - 63p AB - This project provides techniques to improve hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlays specifically through the use of special additives and innovative surfacing technologies with aggregates that are locally available in Illinois. The ultimate goal is to improve pavement performance through optimized materials while also controlling cost by efficiently using local materials. Therefore, the proposed new mixes use locally available aggregates when possible. The project also considered the use of alternative aggregates such as steel slag to increase the friction quality of the HMA and therefore improve pavement performance. To evaluate the newly developed wearing course mixtures and evaluate their performance under actual traffic loading, test pavements were constructed, including control mixtures, between August and November 2010 in northern Illinois. The newly proposed mixtures include fine dense-graded HMA and stone matrix asphalt (SMA). The fine dense-graded HMA was designed using the Bailey method and developed with the hope of improved compactability for thinner asphalt layers. The SMA contained a 4.75-mm nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS) that allows for layers as thin as 0.75 in. On-site performance tests were conducted at 4-month intervals following construction; the tests include noise, friction, rutting, and texture profiling. An engineering benefit analysis was performed to evaluate the new mixes’ cost effectiveness. New HMAs are proposed, along with alternative cross-sections that improve pavement performance while controlling costs. KW - Aggregate mixtures KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Bituminous overlays KW - Field tests KW - Fine aggregates KW - Friction tests KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Illinois KW - Local materials KW - Mix design KW - Pavement performance KW - Rutting KW - Stone matrix asphalt UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45784 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247809 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478670 AU - Smyl, Danny AU - Kansas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Methods of Predicting Aggregate Voids PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 29p AB - Percent voids in combined aggregates vary significantly. Simplified methods of predicting aggregate voids were studied to determine the feasibility of a range of gradations using aggregates available in Kansas. The 0.45 Power Curve Void Prediction Method and the Coarseness Factor Method were tested using thirty-six combined aggregate gradations, most meeting Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) gradation standards. The 0.45 Power Curve Void Prediction Method yields more consistent predictions of percent voids in combined aggregate than the Coarseness Factor Void Prediction Method. The Coarseness Factor Method requires less calibration and physical testing than the 0.45 Power Curve Void Prediction Method. Neither the 0.45 Power Curve nor the Coarseness Factor Void Prediction Method are accurate for combined aggregate that deviates substantially – more than 15% on an individual sieve size – from the 0.45 maximum density line. Well-graded aggregate showed less estimation error than aggregate that was not well-graded using the Coarseness Factor Void Prediction Method. KW - Aggregate gradation KW - Aggregates by shape and surface texture KW - Kansas KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Methodology KW - Void ratios UR - http://idmweb.ksdot.org/PublicLib/publicDoc.asp?ID=003827015 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247471 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478669 AU - Zeng, Huanghui AU - Schrock, Steven D AU - Mulinazzi, Thomas E AU - University of Kansas, Lawrence AU - Kansas Department of Transportation AU - Kansas State University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Safety Effectiveness of Composite Shoulders, Wide Unpaved Shoulders, and Wide Paved Shoulders in Kansas PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 71p AB - Incremental increases in paved shoulder widths have been studied and are shown in the Highway Safety Manual. While each incremental increase in shoulder width is beneficial, there is evidence that suggests the relationship between safety improvements and incremental increases in shoulder width may not be linear. It is possible that the net safety gains for wider shoulder increments are not as high as incremental benefits of the initial increments of shoulder width. Thus, a highway agency may have opportunities for greater system-wide safety benefits from paving longer roadway segments with a narrower shoulder rather than paving shorter roadway segments with a wider shoulder. This approach is tempered by consideration of long term degradation in shoulder width and slope over the life of a facility due to normal pavement maintenance activities. Practitioners must balance long-term sustainability, cost, expected operations and safety benefits of proposed improvements. For new and reconstruction projects, the cost of additional shoulder width is minimal compared to retrofitting an existing facility. Determining the benefits of various shoulder improvement approaches fits within the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) “Practical Improvements” approach to maximize benefits relative to the construction and maintenance costs required. Among the 8,300 miles of rural two-lane highways in Kansas, approximately 25 percent are equipped with composite shoulders consisting of three feet of pavement, with the remainder aggregate or turf. Their safety effectiveness was studied using the Empirical Bayes (EB) approach and the cross-sectional approach. Three developed Safety Performance Functions (SPFs) were used to create Kansas-specific Crash Modification Factors (CMFs) for composite shoulders compared with segments with no or unpaved shoulders. It was found that upgrading narrow unpaved shoulders to composite shoulders can reduce shoulder related crashes by up to 61 percent and fatal and injury crashes by 31 percent. It was also found that wide paved shoulders can provide more safety benefit than composite shoulders, and wide unpaved shoulders can provide slightly less safety benefit than composite shoulders. Based on these results, 20-year projections were developed projecting the safety effectiveness that can be achieved through implementing these safety improvements. KW - Crash modification factors KW - Crashes KW - Empirical Bayes method KW - Highway safety KW - Improvements KW - Kansas KW - Kansas Department of Transportation KW - Paved shoulders KW - Road shoulders KW - Rural highways KW - Safety Performance Functions KW - Two lane highways KW - Width UR - http://idmweb.ksdot.org/PublicLib/publicDoc.asp?ID=003827019 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247472 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478668 AU - Blower, Daniel AU - Woodrooffe, John AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Heavy-Vehicle Crash Data Collection and Analysis to Characterize Rear and Side Underride and Front Override in Fatal Truck Crashes PY - 2013/03 SP - 112p AB - This study was conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) to collect and analyze crash data on rear underride in fatal truck crashes, 2008-2009. The underride data was collected as a supplement to UMTRI’s Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents survey, which in turn supplements the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System file. Data was collected on the rear geometry of the rear-most unit of all trucks involved in fatal crashes, 2008-2009. For all collisions in which the rear of the truck was struck, data was collected on the extent of underride, damage to the underride guard (if any), and whether the collision was offset. In addition, two other tasks were accomplished: impact speeds were estimated for fatal rear-end crashes by light vehicles where there was sufficient information, and the incidence of front override and side underride was estimated through a clinical review of all appropriate cases in the Large Truck Crash Causation Survey (LTCCS). Overall, accounting for the rear geometry of the vehicles and exemptions for certain cargo body types, it is estimated that about 38 percent of straight trucks in the crashes were required to have underride guards, and about 66 percent of tractor/trailers were required to have them. Rear underride was noted in about 75 percent of rear-end struck crashes where the striking vehicle was a light vehicle. The underride was to the windshield or beyond in 36 percent of light-vehicle impacts. Vehicles with lower front geometry tended to experience more underride than vehicles with a higher front geometry. Offset impact was not associated with greater damage to the underride guard. There were 934 fatalities in vehicles that struck the rear of a truck. Light vehicle occupants accounted for 724 of the fatalities, and some underride occurred in 70 percent of the fatalities. KW - Crash analysis KW - Crash data KW - Fatalities KW - Heavy vehicles KW - Impact speed KW - Large Truck Crash Causation Study KW - Light vehicles KW - Rear end crashes KW - Speed KW - Trucks KW - Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents KW - Underride guards KW - Underride override crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crashworthiness/Truck%20Underride/811725.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247473 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478576 AU - Yang, Jiann-Shiou AU - University of Minnesota, Duluth AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of an Innovative Prototype Lane Departure Warning System PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 51p AB - Development of various techniques such as lane departure warning (LDW) systems can improve traffic safety significantly. An LDW system should be able to detect when the driver is in danger of departing the road and then trigger an alarm to warn the driver early enough to take corrective action. This report presents the development of a new prototype LDW system. It is mainly an image-based approach to find the vehicle's lateral characteristics and then uses that information to establish an operation algorithm to determine whether a warning signal should be issued based on the status of the vehicle deviating from its heading lane. The system developed takes a mixed approach by integrating the Lucas-Kanade (L-K) optical flow and the Hough transform-based lane detection methods in its implementation. The L-K point tracking is used when the lane boundaries cannot be detected, while the lane detection technique is used when they become available. Even though both techniques are used in the system, only one method is activated at any given time because each technique has its own advantages and also disadvantages. The developed LDW system was road tested on Interstate-35, US-53, Rice Lake Road, Martin Road, and Jean Duluth Road. Overall, the system operates correctly as expected, with a false alarm occurring only roughly 1.18% of the operation time. This report presents the system implementation together with findings. Factors that could affect the system performance are also discussed. KW - Algorithms KW - Field tests KW - Highway safety KW - Hough transforms KW - Image processing KW - Lane lines KW - Lateral placement KW - Minnesota KW - Technological innovations KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2258 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247566 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01478368 AU - Arenas, Alfredo E AU - Filz, George M AU - Cousins, Thomas E AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Thermal Response of Integral Abutment Bridges With Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls PY - 2013/03//Final Report SP - 75p AB - The advantages of integral abutment bridges (IABs) include reduced maintenance costs and increased useful life spans. However, improved procedures are necessary to account for the impacts of cyclic thermal displacements on IAB components, including the foundation piling and the components of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls that are often used around IABs. As requested by the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), this research focused on IABs with foundation piling in the backfill of MSE walls that have a “Uback” configuration, which indicates that the MSE wall has three faces, one parallel to the abutment and two parallel to the bridge alignment. During this research, more than 65 three-dimensional numerical analyses were performed to investigate and quantify how different structural and geotechnical bridge components behave during thermal expansion and contraction of the bridge. In addition, a separate series of three-dimensional numerical models were developed to evaluate the usefulness of corrugated steel pipes in-filled with loose sand around the abutment piles. The results of this research quantify the influence of design parameter variations on the effects of thermal displacement on system components, and thus provide information necessary for IAB design. One of the findings is that corrugated steel pipes around abutment piles are not necessary. An estimate of the cost savings from eliminating these pipes is presented. One of the most important outputs of this research is an easy-to-use Excel spreadsheet, named IAB v3, that quantifies the impact of thermal displacement in the longitudinal direction, but also in the transverse direction when the abutment wall is at a skew angle to the bridge alignment. The spreadsheet accommodates seven different pile sizes, which can be oriented for weak or strong axis bending, with variable offset of the abutment from the MSE wall and for variable skew angles. Both steel and concrete girders are considered. The spreadsheet calculates the increments of displacements, forces, moments, and pressures on systems components due to thermal displacement of IABs. KW - Bridge members KW - Contraction (Thermodynamics) KW - Embankments and retaining walls KW - Jointless bridges KW - Mechanically stabilized earth KW - Pile foundations KW - Pipe KW - Thermal expansion KW - Thermal stresses UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/13-r7.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1246870 ER -