TY - RPRT AN - 01380433 AU - Abdel-Rahim, Ahmed AU - Krings, Axel AU - Dixon, Michael AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Integrating Clarus Data in Traffic Signal System Operation: A Survivable Real-time Weather-responsive System PY - 2011/07/11/Final Report SP - 59p AB - This report presents a prototype of a secure, dependable, real-time weather-responsive traffic signal system. The prototype executes two tasks: (1) accesses weather information that provides near real-time atmospheric and pavement surface condition observations and( 2) adapts signal timing in response to inclement weather. The proposed system architecture employs two revolutionary software design approaches: (1) Design for Survivability and (2) software performance measurement at the task level. Furthermore, the software design incorporates self-diagnostic techniques for fault detection and recovery to maximize the survivability and the security of the system. Minimal hardware is required for full implementation of the system as it operates and achieves its potential using current traffic controller and cabinet standards and technologies. As a result, it is compatible with future applications within the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA’s) connected-vehicle framework. The weather-responsive traffic signal system presented in this report serves as a major milestone in the development of secure and dependable real-time traffic control system applications. KW - Clarus KW - Design KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Real time control KW - Road weather information systems KW - Traffic signal control systems KW - Traffic signal timing UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44700/44748/FHWA-JPO-12-016_Clarus_final_rpt-final-03-2012-A.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1146864 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463261 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Problems. Topic S04-09. Model Mutual Aid Agreements for Airports AB - Many airport operators enter into emergency management mutual aid agreements with local partners to leverage airport emergency response capabilities. Commercial service airports host aircraft rescue and fire fighting facilities (ARFF) on-airport. Although the ARFF may be the primary responder to an airport emergency, there likely are outside resources that augment ARFF capabilities in case of an aircraft accident or incident, or a disaster effecting airport facilities. Conversely, airports respond to off-airport emergencies for many natural and man-made disasters. Many local emergency management mutual aid agreements are generalized in jurisdiction regulations for emergency response, but many are also written plans and agreements. The objective of this report is to assist airport operators and their local partners in creating and sustaining effective emergency management mutual aid partnerships by synthesizing the specifics of existing agreements that save mutual aid partners time, effort, and money in managing emergencies. The intended audience for this report is airport operations managers and personnel responsible for emergency response and local emergency responders that serve as emergency response partners with airports KW - Agreements KW - Air transportation crashes KW - Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting KW - Airport operations KW - Emergency management KW - Fire fighting KW - Incident management UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3270 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231487 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463260 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Problems. Topic S06-04. Adapting New Maintenance Hires to the Airport Environment AB - Airport managers routinely hire facilitities maintenance personnel who are unfamiliar with the airport operating environment and may not be familiar with the specific systems and equipment at the airport. However, many airports have operating similarities and many core systems in common, such as: (1) New hire familiarization to the airport campus and training on aviation safety and security; (2) The need for personnel to operate independently and safely on the Airport Operators Association (AOA); (3) AOA driver training and air traffic control tower communication protocol; and (4) Physical plant systems-perimeter security, airfield pavements and markings, airfield lighting, fire and life safety, utility plant, terminal systems, access roadways and parking. The objective of this report is to compile a list of core training elements needed for newly hired maintenance personnel to raise their knowledge and understanding of the airport campus, operating environment, and critical infrastructure systems. The intended audience for this report is airport managers at smaller airports who would benefit from having a consistent, comprehensive training syllabus for new maintenance hires. KW - Airport facilities KW - Airport operations KW - Aviation safety KW - Driver training KW - Equipment KW - Maintenance management KW - Training UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3294 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231486 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463258 TI - Legal Aspects of Airport Problems. Topic 04-02. Legal Issues Related to Developing SMS and SMRD Documents Which May be Available to the Public AB - Safety Management System (SMS) has been defined as a "systemic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organization structures, accountabilities, policies, and procedures" International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Safety Management Manual at 6.5.3 ICAO Doc. 9859-AN/474 (2d ed. 2009). SMS has four key elements: 1) Safety Policy which defines the methods and tools for achieving safety goals, including management accountability for such goals; 2) Safety Risk Management (SMR) which requires a proactive approach to identifying, categorizing both quantitatively and qualitatively risks, and establishing mitigation for identified risks; 3) Safety Assurance which includes a method for establishing processes to monitor an organization's performance in identifying risks and establishing preventive or corrective actions to maintain safety; and 4) Safety Promotion which involves the establishment of procedures and processes which change the safety culture and environment including the establishment of confidential reporting systems to encourage employee reporting and feedback as well as employee training. The central and distinguishing feature of SMS would require airports to adopt a proactive approach to safety assessment before there is an incident or accident. Under SMR, an airport would be required to document identified hazards, undertake risk analysis and assessment for such hazards and to develop mitigations. As a result of such SMR process, the airport would be required to identify both acceptable and unacceptable risk. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) indicates that an airport would take steps to reduce risks of hazards which presented as unacceptable. If a hazard is identified as low or has no associated risk, an airport may not have to proceed with mitigation. Under the NPRM, the airport would be required to retain documents for each SMR step (identification, assessment, proposed mitigation and acceptance of risk) for a period of time after undertaking risk analysis or implementing mitigation measures. The project would research the legal issues associated with SMS and SMR compliance. Under SMS, airports may increase their liability risk by having identified risks as well as mitigations for such risks prior to the occurrence of accidents and incidents, an analysis which may, post-incident, be determined to be inadequate. Additionally, by creating an SMR database, airports will create records, which could be used to question airport safety practices leading to significant monetary damages or criminal proceedings in the event of an incident or accident implicating those practices. The objective of the project will be to produce a legal survey which could be used by attorneys advising airports in the implementation of SMS and the development of risk management systems under SMR. A survey should be conducted to reveal the following: (1) case law and statutes, which might impact such advice including cases in which airports and other transportation entities have been held liable for failing to adequately undertake risk analysis under a pre-SMS environment; (2) the types of strategies, which airports might use to manage legal risks associated with implementation of SMS, including examination of implementation strategies undertaken in other industries. For example, an ACRP indicates that other industries and aviation segments have utilized safety system principles including the petroleum, nuclear, railroad, marine and chemical industries, as well as other segments of the aviation industry (ACRP Report 1: Safety Management System for Airports: Volume 1: Overview (2007); and (3) whether it would be worthwhile to implement certain regulatory changes to give the FAA and airports the authority to exempt from disclosure required SMS/SMR documentation and legislative changes to provide immunity to airports for compliance with FAA requirements. Also, the research should examine the extent to which discovery rules, and the rules of evidence, would permit discovery of the results of an SMS implementation plan and any studies that led to its adoption. Finally, the report should include recommendations identifying the elements that the proposer believes should and should not be included in an airport SMS and the proposed forms for such elements. KW - Airport operations KW - Aviation safety KW - Civil aviation KW - Compliance KW - Incident management KW - Risk management KW - Safety Management Systems UR - http://144.171.11.40/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2879 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231484 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01578137 TI - A Novel Approach to Increase Biomass Yield through Altering Prohibition Expression AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371711 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01578005 TI - Assessing and Predicting Switchgrass and High-Biomass Sorghum Yields and Economic Viability AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Economic factors KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Grasses KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371389 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577999 TI - Bioenergy Multimedia Resource Development on eXtension.org AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Resource development KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371381 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577935 TI - Commericialization of Identity Preserved Grain Sorghum with Optimized Endosperm Matrices for Enhanced Bioethanol Conversion and High Lysine DDG Feed and Food Value AB - No summary provided. KW - Acids KW - Biomass fuels KW - Energy conversion KW - Ethanol KW - Grasses KW - Optimization UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371261 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577864 TI - Developing Low-Input, High-Biomass, Perennial Cropping Systems to Support a Bioenergy Economy on Marginal Land at Higher Elevations AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Crops KW - Economic factors KW - Land use KW - Mountains UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371105 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577836 TI - Development and Dissemination of a Bioenergy Educational Curriculum for Children AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Children KW - Curricula KW - Education KW - Information dissemination KW - Renewable energy sources UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370904 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577834 TI - Development of a Novel Approach for Removing the Three Key Inhibitors, Acetic Acid, Furfural and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, from Lignocellulosic Hyrolysates AB - No summary provided. KW - Acetic acid KW - Cellulose KW - Inhibitors (Chemistry) KW - Lignin KW - Organic compounds UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370890 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577823 TI - Development of Nutrient-Embedded Biochar Pellets as a Slow-Release Fertilizer for Maximizing Bioenergy Crop Production AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Crops KW - Fertilizers KW - Maximization KW - Pellets KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370864 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577819 TI - Discovery of Novel Lignin-Degrading Genes in Bacteria Using Metagenomic and Proteomic Approach for Enhanced Saccharification of Plant Biomass AB - No summary provided. KW - Bacteria KW - Biomass KW - Genetics KW - Lignin KW - Plants UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370860 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577728 TI - Effect of Growth Media Chemical Composition on Algal Biomass Properties AB - No summary provided. KW - Algae KW - Biomass KW - Chemical composition KW - Cultivation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370772 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577141 TI - Evaluation of the Potential of Big Bluestem for Biofuel Production AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Evaluation KW - Grasses KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370390 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577138 TI - Feasibility and Environmental Impact of Switchgrass Grown for Biofuel on Marginal Quality Lands AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Environmental impacts KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Grasses UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370384 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576081 TI - Improving Switchgrass Germination through Breeding AB - No summary provided. KW - Cultivation KW - Grasses UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370154 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576036 TI - Life Cycle and Techno-Financial Analysis of Biomass Pretreatment for Thermochemical Process AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Financial analysis KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Thermochemistry UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1369878 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575930 TI - Predictive Relationships for Assessing Quality of Densified Biomass Using Fundamental Mechanical Properties of Granular Bio-Feedstock AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Densification KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Mechanical properties KW - Quality control UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368935 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575913 TI - Production and Life-Cycle Assessment of Switchgrass Across the Heterogeneous Landscape of the Northeast AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Grasses KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Northeastern United States KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368839 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575911 TI - Production of Lipids for Biofuels through Mixotrophic Growth of a Mixed Microalgae-Cyanobacteria Culture AB - No summary provided. KW - Algae KW - Bacteria KW - Biomass fuels KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368835 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575844 TI - Tapping into Lignin Potential For High-End Co-Products Using Bionanocatalysts with Enhanced Depolymerizing Activities AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Lignin KW - Polymerization UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368767 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575719 TI - Use of Alternative Water Sources for Bioenergy Crops Production in Arid Regions of the US AB - No summary provided. KW - Arid land KW - Biomass fuels KW - Crops KW - Irrigation KW - Production KW - Renewable energy sources KW - United States KW - Water UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368402 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575657 TI - Assessment of Production and Transportation Practices for Sweet Sorghum AB - The desired short term benchmarks/outcomes of this project are to: (1) Demonstrate the maximal amount of sugar that can be produced assessed through multiple crop production sequencing; (2) Select appropriate cultivars to utilize in this sequencing in the semi arid Southwest; (3) Minimize or avoid the addition of preservatives to the juice while assuring high ethanol productivity; (4) Complete mass (water and nutrients), and energy balances for growth and production of sweet sorghum in arid climates; (5) Update estimates of costs and returns of using sweet sorghum to produce ethanol; (6) Improve the efficiency of juice fermentation; and (7) Transfer technology to Pinal Energy by aiding in updating standard operating procedures for dual feedstock facilities. The long term outcomes are to: (1) Provide best cultivation practices to and discuss market potential of growing sweet sorghum with Tribal nations and regional farmers; (2) Evaluate scale up to full production size at a commercial ethanol plant; (3) Identify which phases of the production process have the greatest scope for cost reductions; and (4) Determine economic feasibility of additional production facilities that operate in a sustainable manner in the Southwestern United States (SW). KW - Biomass fuels KW - Cultivation KW - Ethanol KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Fermentation KW - Grasses KW - Markets KW - Production KW - Southwestern States KW - Sugar UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368340 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575543 TI - Lesquerella: A Low-water Use Crop as a Source of Biofuel Performance Enhancement for the Western United States AB - This grant will help overcome the final hurdles to bringing lesquerella into agricultural production, and the goal of diversifying biofuel feedstocks for the arid/semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States. This work will give growers the necessary weed management strategies necessary for large scale production, data needed for herbicide registrations by the chemical industry, and information on interactions of irrigation and fertilization for best growth under the conditions of the arid/semi-arid Southwest. Finally, by performing the second year’s work on growers’ fields, the research team will generate actual production data from which realistic economic and life cycle analyses can be made. KW - Agriculture KW - Arid land KW - Biomass fuels KW - Crops KW - Economic analysis KW - Fertilization (Horticulture) KW - Herbicides KW - Irrigation KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Plants KW - Production KW - Southwestern States KW - United States KW - Water consumption KW - Weed control UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368007 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575508 TI - Overcoming Crop Production Hurdles to Develop Russian Dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz, TKS) as a Renewable Domestic Source of Natural Rubber and Ethanol AB - The objectives of this research project are as follows: 1) Publish guidelines describing proper seed harvest, processing, storage, and planting methods to ensure dependable germination and stand establishment from direct seeding. (2) Publish guidelines describing how to adjust environment and crop management to optimize flowering timing and resultant seed yield. (3) Publish guidelines describing improved methods of weed control, soil moisture, agronomic management, and harvest timing to optimize root biomass, rubber, and inulin yield. (4) Document advances in germplasm under Oregon environmental conditions, including improvements from collaborator breeding efforts and selection of superior wild types. (5) Disseminate research results and crop production information to potential Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS) (commonly known as Russian Dandelion) growers through field day presentations, extension publications, and the media. KW - Crops KW - Ethanol KW - Natural rubber KW - Production methods KW - Renewable energy sources UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367893 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01494507 AU - Materer, Nicholas AU - Apblett, Allen AU - Ley, Tyler AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Passive, Wireless Corrosion Sensors for Transportation Infrastructure PY - 2011/07/01/Final Report SP - 44p AB - Many industrial segments including utilities, manufacturing, government and infrastructure have an urgent need for a means to detect corrosion before significant damage occurs. Transportation infrastructure, such as bridges and roads, rely on reinforced and prestressed concrete for structural reliability but corrosion of the reinforcing steel in structural concrete can significantly lower the structural capacity. This proposal aims to develop an inexpensive wireless corrosion sensor that does not require any external power supply. Such a sensor would be very useful tool in evaluating the structural health of the nation’s infrastructure and in turn make our highway travel safer. These sensors will be based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that are used to track consumer goods and are extremely low-cost. The ubiquity of RFID tags in the consumer market allows for the use of proven, off-the-shelf technology and translates into a lower per unit deployment cost. These sensors would be situated on the steel rebar either directly on the metal or over the epoxy coating. They could be fixed to the rebar in the field using a plastic ring that snaps onto the rebar or supplied pre-affixed to the rebar using an adhesive such as epoxy glue. Alternatively, they could be placed at different depths in the structure allowing the monitoring of the diffusion or seepage of corrosive salts into the concrete and provide early detection of potential structural problems. The location and degree of corrosion may be used to intelligently schedule maintenance to optimize resources or to modify the current uses of the structure to prolong the life. The development of such a sensor will allow the engineers to employ “best maintenance practices” that are estimated to save 46 percent of the annual corrosion cost of a black steel rebar bridge deck, or $2,000 per bridge per year. KW - Best practices KW - Corrosion KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Infrastructure KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Reinforced concrete KW - Reinforcing bars KW - Sensors KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-34-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1262827 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467918 TI - Prototype Development of the Open Mode Integrated Transit System AB - The open mode integrated transit system (OMITS) is proposed to use state of the art technologies in wireless communication, global positioning system (GPS), data exchange and management system to combine availability of public transit system, taxi system, a carpool system, and emergency service system to provide dynamic, efficient, economic, and reliable transportation service in metropolitan areas. A novel device, namely cPhone, will communicate between riders, drivers, and the database server so as to exchange realtime and accurate transit information while serving as a GPS to give routing direction for a driver. A routing and dispatching system will match a driver and riders timely to enable dynamic carpooling, trace and confirm the success or failure of a carpooling match, and provide a consistent algorithm for GPS and the database servers to define the best/shortest route for drivers. A well designed membership management system and user operation system will ensure the security, credibility, and operational reliability of the whole system. The advantages of the OMITS are clear when compared with static transit systems (such as traditional car-pools and scheduled buses and trains) because it allows for dynamic matching of riders with transit options that best suit their needs and incorporates routing information that is adaptable to existing traffic conditions. Furthermore, the OMITS provides benefits over even dynamic ride-share programs because it incorporates multiple modes of transportation thus allowing users to transfer between transit modes when advantageous. In total, the OMITS will integrate a dynamic car-pooling system with public transportation systems and private transportation systems to provide a robust, stable, reliable, and economical solution for the current overloaded and inefficient urban metropolitan transportation system. It will result in new understanding of the critical urban transportation system currently and unsustainably over congested. The success of this system will greatly increase ridership in public and private vehicles, significantly reduce the number of cars in traffic peak time, and thus help to alleviate traffic and parking problems in metropolitan areas. Broad impacts will be produced on gas saving, greenhouse gas emission and transit cost reduction. For demonstration, this proposed project would develop a small prototype system for about 100 residents in northern Bergen County, New Jersey, who are working in New York City. Once the concept of this system is proved, the technology will be immediately transferred to industry partners and transit agencies and be extended to the other parts of New York metropolitan area and other cities. KW - Advanced driver information systems KW - Carpools KW - Communication devices KW - Global Positioning System KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Transportation information UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/open-mode-integrated-transit-system UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236154 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467917 TI - Financing Rail Capital Projects: Historical Lessons; Contemporary Cases AB - This research analyzes historical and contemporary case material from France and the United States in order to specify methods to attract capital investment to intercity passenger rail projects in Region II. It builds upon the researchers' previous research comparing French and American transportation prior to World War II. (Cohen, 2011; 2009; bibliography attached) Post-war France provides evidence relevant to Region II for two reasons: first, French high speed railways (hsr) were constructed over the past 30 years to complement a well-developed network of air and highway transport, a modal situation similar to the one that currently exists in Region II; second, France recently became the first European country to implement a true public-private partnership (PPP) for rail, through the LISEA Consortium's successful bid to design, build, operate and maintain the South East Atlantic Line (LGVSEA) from Tours to Bordeaux. PPP is a proven business model that can be used to implement high capital cost rail projects within Region II. The researchers will compare France and the LGVSEA case to American attempts, dating from the 1980s, to implement high speed rail in states such as Florida, Texas and California. California's currently proposed line from San Francisco to Los Angeles will receive special attention because it is based on a PPP that includes value capture in its business model. For both California and France, interviews with relevant officials (e.g., the project managers: SYSTRA/California; RFF/France-LGVSEA; the regulators: California High Speed Rail Authority and SNCF/France; and the private developers and investors) will supplement analysis of reports and financial plans in providing relevant information. Having previously studied French and American transportation systems, the researchers possess the requisite language skills, knowledge and contacts to carry out this research. Most current research on financing high speed rail is deductive and present or future oriented, relating econometric variables, such as ridership, pricing and cost to projected revenue, in order to estimate the success of a project. The researchers' proposal, by way of contrast, contributes an inductive, historical approach to the literature. Questions the researchers ask include: 1) Why did France, having previously developed hsr lines based largely on public funding, decide to utilize a PPP for its newest line?; 2) What financial and governance factors were involved?; 3) Are those factors also present in America's hsr history?; and 4) Is California using a DBOM model similar to the one for the new French line? Specifying factors relevant to successful PPP's only occurs after examining the historical record. Unlike France and California, rail projects in Region II may develop incrementally, not jump directly to high speed. Nonetheless, French and U.S. high speed rail history remains relevant because the underlying financial factors are the same for both upgrading an existing corridor or constructing dedicated hsr tracks. In both instances, for example, public subsidies and incentives can be used to attract private investors by reducing their initial investment and/or increasing operating revenue. Thus, through analysis of rail financial history and specific cases, the author will provide policy-relevant, technology-transferable information on how to successfully finance projects in Region II. KW - California High-Speed Rail Project KW - Capital projects KW - Case studies KW - Financing KW - France KW - High speed rail KW - Intercity passenger rail KW - Intercity transportation KW - Public private partnerships KW - Railroads KW - United States UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/financing-rail-capital-projects UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236153 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467916 TI - Modern Low Cost Maintenance of Concrete Bridges Using Effective NDT Test Data AB - According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, as of December 2008, of the 600,905 bridges 72,868 (12.1%) were categorized as structurally deficient (SD) and 89,024 (14.8%) were categorized as functionally obsolete (FO). Despite a healthy economy during the period 1999- 2005, the numbers of SD and FO bridges were on the rise. It is very clear that bridge evaluation and maintenance policies are not working efficiently. The high numbers of SD and FO bridges should not be allowed to continue to rise. Given the current state of the US economy, smarter bridge management policies should be adopted, as we cannot afford the high cost of proper maintenance of our huge transportation civil infrastructure. Regardless of age and condition, current practice requires bi-annual inspection of highway bridges, which results in costly inspection caused by unnecessary frequent inspections of newer bridges and lack of frequent inspection of older bridges. There is a need for a more rational approach for setting bridge inspection frequency based on safety, condition, design, age of the structure, and engineering judgment. In addition, there should be a clearer differentiation between maintenance and repair. The cost of major repairs is much higher than timely preventive maintenance measures. There are many cases where minor maintenance activity is delayed until it becomes a structural deficiency, which resulted in high number of bridges categorized as structurally deficient. Practical experience coupled with non-destructive test (NDT) data produce good assessment of bridge condition. The question is how to utilize NDT data to develop a cost-effective maintenance policy for bridges. NDT data should not only be used for assessing current condition of bridges, but also to predict its deterioration rate and its future maintenance needs. NDT data of the likelihood of corrosion in a bridge component is a very good indication of its future deterioration rate in the following few years. If implemented, low cost maintenance measures would stop or slow the deterioration rate resulting in lower maintenance cost over the service life of the bridge. This paper will present smart use of NDT data to predict the near future service life of concrete bridge components, and its utilization for cost-effective maintenance policy, in a limited financial resources environment. The impact of this study will enhance the following: (1) development of a better rational for setting maintenance frequency based on condition, (2) development of low-cost maintenance measures for better control of deterioration rate, (3) understanding of financial consequences of delayed maintenance, and (4) reduction of the number of structurally deficient bridges. KW - Concrete bridges KW - Condition surveys KW - Highway bridges KW - Infrastructure KW - Inspection KW - Maintenance KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Preventive maintenance KW - Service life KW - Structural deterioration and defects UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/low-cost-maintenance-of-concrete-bridges UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236152 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467853 TI - A Simulation‐based Assessment Approach to Increase Safety among Senior Drivers AB - The primary goal of this study is to develop driving simulation strategies for the assessment of senior aged drivers, targeting those with known/suspected cognitive impairment. These simulation strategies will supplement, not replace, existing protocols for driver assessment. A driving simulator can be used to: define driving tasks that are likely to be affected by stages of dementia, and to capture vital driver performance metrics. Such a controlled and measurable environment can be used to implement scenarios that sufficiently challenge suspect drivers in a way that, due to safety concerns, could not be accomplished within an actual vehicle. Drivers will be evaluated in a driving simulator located at the University at Buffalo (UB), and subsequently evaluated conventionally: in-clinic (to measure cognitive state) and in-vehicle (to measure mechanical ability to operate a vehicle). In the simulator, drivers will face 3 historically problematic scenarios: 1) Traffic Sign Management, 2) Intersection Management, and 3) Left Turn Management. The road course will be driven twice: with and without evaluator navigation it is hypothesized that patients with dementia will exhibit a marked decrease in driver performance in the absence of evaluator navigation. In an effort to validate the proposed protocol, a small pilot study will be performed. Approximately 15 "well elderly" drivers and 15 drivers with dementia will be recruited and the samples compared subsequent to all evaluations. KW - Aged drivers KW - Cognitive impairment KW - Dementia KW - Driver performance KW - Driving simulators UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/simulation-based-assessment-approach UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236089 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465992 TI - Value Pricing and Traffic Reduction Incentives AB -

In the urban and suburban regions of the United States, most Americans would agree that highway congestion is an increasing problem. Many of the highways in these regions are outdated and functionally inefficient. As a result, they are crammed far over capacity during peak morning and evening hours, causing massive delays and very high user costs. Attempts are being made to control the traffic problem, but actions taken are often too little too late. Highway expansion projects by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and private highway authorities are costly and often take years if not decades to implement. By the time these projects are completed, the highway traffic has in many cases already grown beyond the capacity of the new highway, only reducing the problem and not eliminating it. Ramp metering projects have proven effective in many metropolitan areas, but as traffic continues to increase, queues at access ramps will grow uncontrollably and will increasingly obstruct local roads. The traffic problem cannot simply be reduced, it must be solved. A solution is possible. That solution is the joint implementation of value lanes and monetary traffic reduction incentives. Value lane implementation is a simple concept, already tried in the United States with promising results. Highways would reserve one lane separate from other traffic, restricted from other lanes with concrete medians or traffic delineators. The lane will be guaranteed to flow below maximum operating capacity, providing fast service during all hours. To access this lane, users must pay a fee via EZ-Pass or a comparable substitute. The problem often faced in value pricing experiments is an increase in congestion on the remaining "Slow Lanes". Monetary traffic reduction incentives will solve the problem. A large portion of the money generated by value lane users will be used to fund an off peak incentive program. Daily drivers of the slow lanes will be offered a monthly reward to ensure that their daily commute occurs before or after peak hours. If administrated properly, peak hour volume will decrease in the slow lanes to a manageable size, and highway efficiency will increase as user costs accumulated by lost time are reduced. The program may be monitored by EZ-Pass to ensure driver cooperation. The research will include the analysis of a set of hypothetical congested roadways at varying degrees of congestion, along with combinations of value pricing and incentive options to find optimum solutions. This proposal is innovative in that it combines additional toll revenues (Value Pricing) with Peak Traffic Reduction (Incentives). It meets the goals and objectives of the University Transportation research Center (UTRC) in that it is designed to be utilized in the planning and managing of state and regional highway systems. It is futuristic in that it uses incentives to change the time /travel patterns of a portion of the highway users, while greatly reducing congestion.

KW - Congestion management systems KW - Congestion pricing KW - Incentives KW - Off peak periods KW - Peak hour traffic KW - Ramp metering KW - Road pricing KW - Smart cards KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects.php?viewid=228 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234227 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465831 TI - No Boundaries Summertime Maintenance Practices AB - Through this pooled fund project, the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to work with other State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to establish a program in order to facilitate the implementation of promising innovations and technologies. This project will provide a forum for State DOTs to share their maintenance innovations with each other, support technology transfer activities and develop marketing and deployment plans for the implementation of selected innovations. Resources will be provided for implementing the innovations that includes travel, training and other technology transfer activities. It is anticipated that this consortium would become the national forum for state involvement in the technical exchange needed for collaboration and new initiatives, and be a forum for advancing the application and benefit of research technologies. State participation in this process will be through the pooled fund. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), industry and others will be invited to participate in the project discussions and activities. Workshops could be provided for the states participating in the pooled fund project. This project will help DOTs to save time and money by not investing in the same research that has already been performed by other State DOTs. Hence rather than having each DOT identify and implement research separately, DOTs can work collectively through this pooled fund project. The Missouri DOT will serve as the lead state for the execution of the pooled fund project described in this proposal. The Missouri DOT will handle all administrative duties associated with the project. KW - Information exchange KW - Maintenance practices KW - Technological innovations KW - Technology transfer KW - Training KW - Workshops UR - http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/468 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234066 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465250 TI - Development of a Low Cost Device to Increase Safety Belt Use AB - This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) phase II project will pursue the development and full testing of the shift-interlock device; a prototype accelerator pedal resistance device along with a learning curve software to increase safety belt use by commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. It is anticipated that data from the Phase II multi-vehicle study will demonstrate a noticeable increase in seatbelt usage among large commercial vehicle drivers. KW - Commercial drivers KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Equipment KW - Low cost KW - Seat belt use KW - Seat belts UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233483 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463338 TI - Operations Datamart Migration to DriveNet AB - An ongoing effort at the University of Washington (UW) Smart Transportation Applications and Research Lab (STARLab) has produced a prototype web based analytical framework called the Digital Roadway Interactive Visualization and Evaluation Network (DRIVE Net). DRIVE Net, as it came to be known, is a first step in attempting to tie together the multiple sources of transportation-related data that are quickly becoming available. The key aspect of the system is the ability to overlay sensor data on a Google-maps-based interface, allowing for immediate visual representation and analysis. Trends and correlations that would otherwise be concealed in tables become visually apparent when overlaid on a map. Additionally, the Google-maps-based spatial organization of data provides for an intuitive interface that is familiar to many users. DRIVE Net represents a new trend of data-driven decision-making support tool, which includes data from the Washington Department of Transportation's (WSDOT's) Northwest Region, the City of Bellevue, and several other entities. However, the functionalities of the current DRIVE Net are limited. The STAR Lab envisions incorporating WSDOT's needs with the further development of DRIVE Net, which will not only takes advantage of all WSDOT regions' data and the existing functions of CD Analyst, but also provides a platform for transportation data management, analysis, and decision making. KW - Automated highways KW - Data collection KW - Data management systems KW - Decision making KW - Digital communication systems KW - Google Maps KW - Smart transportation KW - Visualization KW - Washington (State) UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231564 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463307 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-04. Practices and Performance Measures for Local Public Agency Federally-Funded Highway Projects AB - In 2006, an estimated $6 to $8 billion in Federal-aid contracts was administered by local public agencies (LPAs) in at least 45 states, representing about 20 percent of the overall annual Federal-aid program. Since 2006, there has been significant growth nationally in dollars allocated to LPA projects, particularly in light of the American Recovery and Investment Act (ARRA). As of 2009, 13% of States' overall Federal-aid Highway Program goes to LPA, representing $7.38 billion; and 18% of States' overall Recovery Act (ARRA) program goes to LPA, representing $6.07 billion. This represents an increase of $5-7 billion dollars for LPA projects, demonstrating an even more critical need to study practices and performance measures for LPA federally funded transportation projects. The Department of Transportation (DOT) Local Programs Officers are primarily responsible for distributing and managing Federal-aid funds that could be made available for local agency use. However, because of multiple systematic inefficiencies, many federally-funded projects either are never offered to LPAs or those obligated to LPAs never come to fruition. For example, there is an outstanding balance of unspent Congressionally-earmarked funds, many of which are allocated to LPAs. Even in states with LPA certification programs underway, some DOTs and LPAs note that these do not necessarily reduce overall project delivery time, reduce the systematic inefficiencies or the administrative burden. The negative effects of these inefficiencies on the economic health of the Federal-aid program are significant, particularly in the current climate of shrinking staff and budgetary restrictions. This study will explore what performance measures, delivery practices, strategies, and tools are currently used in relation to federally-funded LPA highway project development and delivery. The final report should include summaries of useful practices by states and LPAs, which may be adapted for use by DOTs and LPAs to improve their LPA programs and projects. Information will be gathered through (1) a literature review, (2) a survey to all state DOT Local Aid Divisions, and (3) a survey to LPAs (including towns, cities, counties and MPOs) with exemplary programs, as identified by State DOT LPA Program Administrators. The survey to DOTs should "branch" to two different sets of questions, depending on whether or not the DOTs has a formal LPA certification programs in place. Contact information for the DOT Local Aid Divisions will be provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). KW - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 KW - Best practices KW - Earmarks KW - Federal funding KW - Financing KW - Local government agencies KW - Performance measurement KW - Project delivery KW - Project management KW - Transportation projects UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3214 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231533 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463306 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-08. DBE Small Business Program AB - The 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 26 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) encourages State Departments of Transportation (DOT) to maximize their DBE Program achievements through race-neutral measures. Recent revisions to the regulations now require that state DOTs include a small business element in their DBE program plan to facilitate participation on federally-assisted contracts for all small businesses, including DBEs. While this new requirement does not require state DOTs to create a "Small Business Program," many transportation agencies across the country have and are developing such programs as one way of complying with the new requirement. Other transportation agencies have responded to this change by developing procurement procedures that facilitate small business participation. These procedures include unbundling large contracts, creating small business set asides on smaller projects (i.e. only small businesses can bid on contracts under a certain dollar amount), and letting contracts with items that must be subcontracted. Additionally, State and local governments, as recipients of local and State transportation funding have policies to promote small business participation in their procurement and contracting processes. Generally the State and local government small business program is not sufficient or is too restrictive in policy to be accepted by USDOT. This study will review and synthesize all State DOT transportation-related small business programs. Since the types of small business programs are quite different among State DOTs, this study will focus on existing practices of small business programs regardless of funding source. The study is needed for the following reasons to: (1) provide a reference document for the state DOTs for their work on small business programs in transportation programs; (2) review all small business programs nationally and identify existing practices; (3) compile all the findings in one volume as a resource guide; and (4) act as a compendium of existing small business programs or practices to be considered by counterparts in different transportation agencies. KW - Contract administration KW - Disadvantaged business enterprises KW - Government funding KW - Procurement KW - Small business KW - State departments of transportation KW - United States Code UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3218 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231532 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463305 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-09. Use of Advanced Geospatial Data Tools, Technologies, and Information in DOT Projects AB - Use of the advanced geospatial data tools, technologies, and information by state agencies for transportation projects is increasing each year.&nbsp;Highway administrators, engineers, surveyors, and Department of Transportation (DOT) contractors have access to a variety of different geospatial data tools, technologies, and information.&nbsp;Today, significant variability exists in the current practice regarding the level of geospatial information provided with project results and the associated allocation of risk based on the procedures used. &nbsp;Some of these technologies do not have adopted standards or guidelines. For example, no well-defined standards exist for use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems and in many cases incorrect techniques are employed.&nbsp;There is also variability regarding the scope of and data submittal requirements for geospatial information, the program of geospatial-related quality control and assurance during construction, and the contract provisions related to design and construction positioning requirements. There are limitations to each of these tools and technologies so one size doesn't fit all.&nbsp;Many State DOT agencies have performed research studies and pilot projects to understand the potential of these tools and technologies, as well as their limitations and risks. Case studies have been developed by these DOT agencies to illustrate and address the issues cited above.&nbsp;Some of these agencies have established guidelines that describe which tools can be used to meet which DOT positioning requirement.&nbsp;Some examples include: control for automated machine control and guidance, use of LiDAR systems for the development of 3-D data models, how to effectively use satellite imagery, two-way data exchange formats between computer aided design (CAD) and geographic information systems (GIS), and tools for web-based data exchange and editing. This information, however, is fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated at this time.&nbsp;The information is transferred from person to person at National conferences and meetings. As a result, DOTs are not benefiting from these costly research studies and pilot projects, and are not able to give proper consideration to recommended practices that meet their positioning requirements and manage their associated risk. The purpose of this study is to document and summarize current state-of-the-practice related to advanced geospatial data tools, technologies, and information for highway projects, including procedures and proposed standards of practice that can be used to attain the data objectives when using these advanced geospatial technologies.&nbsp;The study should identify how and when these tools are used in combination to attain stated objectives.&nbsp;The study will also identify potential research needs such as development of effective tools for assessment and management of risk.&nbsp;This study will document practices and applications using advanced geospatial data tools, technologies, and information, and make the results available to the entire transportation community. The resulting report will help State DOTs develop effective procedures in support of planning, design, maintenance/operations functions. KW - Computer aided design KW - Data collection KW - Geographic information systems KW - Geospatial data KW - Information technology KW - Laser radar KW - Satellite imagery KW - Technological innovations UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3219 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231531 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463304 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-14. Fleet Funding, Management, and Charge Back Systems to Develop Optimum Fleet Efficiency AB - There are numerous and varied ways to fund fleets in the state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), ranging from general fund budget appropriations to charge back systems. All states are concerned with budgetary constraints of one type or another. Developing consistent fleet funding for planned fleet replacement can improve efficiency and accountability. Since DOT fleets are usually one of the largest fleets in a state, the savings derived on DOT fleet operations may have a significant impact on state budgets and the condition of the DOT fleet. The objective of this project will be to examine the various fleet funding and management approaches used by state DOTs, and to summarize the relative advantages and disadvantages of each. Information will be gathered through (1) a literature review and (2) a survey to state DOT Fleet Managers. The literature review will define different potential options for fleet procurement and sourcing. The survey will gather information about current practices being used by State DOTs. KW - Budgeting KW - Financial analysis KW - Fleet management KW - Optimization KW - State departments of transportation KW - Vehicle fleets KW - Vehicle operations UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3224 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231530 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463279 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-01. Use of Transportation Asset Management Principles in State Highway Agencies AB - The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently published Volume 2 of the Asset Management Guide - A Focus on Implementation. The new Guide builds on the principles of Transportation Asset Management (TAM) identified in Volume 1 and provides a step-by-step process that will enable agencies to align their investment decisions to their strategic goals. It will also help agencies develop the plans, processes, and tools to support the agency's performance management philosophy. The Guide stresses the importance of a Transportation Asset Management Plan, as well as the use of performance measurement, asset valuation, and risk assessment tools to support investment decisions. Throughout the Guide are examples of agencies that have adopted and used TAM principles to support their decision processes. However, many of the examples included in the Guide are from outside the United States, where these principles have been in use for many years. What is not well understood is the degree to which TAM principles are being used in state highway agencies (SHAs) within the United States and the advancements that have taken place since the publication of the U.S. Domestic Scan Report by the Federal Highway Administration in 2007. This synthesis will help document the state of practice and the extent to which agencies have shifted their organizational cultures and business processes to support performance-based decisions that consider long-term investment options based on quality data. KW - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials KW - Asset management KW - Decision making KW - Guidelines KW - Guiding principles KW - State highway departments UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3211 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231505 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463278 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-03. Practices for Unbound Aggregate Pavement Layers AB - Granular aggregate base layers are very important in pavement construction and performance. Properly designed and constructed bases have the potential to improve pavement performance and longevity, while also addressing today's issues concerning the costs of other pavement materials and the need to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the construction and reconstruction of pavements. A synthesis is needed concerning the full range of granular aggregate base and subbase issues for both flexible and rigid pavement systems. These issues include: (1) Materials characterization and quality of natural aggregate and common recycled materials that relate to performance; (2) Properties of unbound aggregate layers that are used in the design of pavements and how they are determined (need to first determine the method of design); (3) Influence of gradation on permeability; (4) Current practices and innovations in construction, compaction, and quality assurance (QA) procedures (such as compaction in thicker layers, use of intelligent compaction systems, and the use of tests other than just density in evaluating in-place modulus, stiffness and quality); (5) Performance of different base types in research pavement sections such as LTPP and MnRoad; (6) Potential to save energy and hauling costs by better utilizing local aggregates and recycled materials; (7) How states manage storage, transport and placement of materials to minimize degradation of material properties and performance: lessons learned; (8) How states address climatic, subgrade and drainage considerations in design of aggregate base layers. States have diverse specifications and construction practices for base layers; sharing this information among the states may lead to better design and construction practices. Research (e.g. from ICAR, the International Center for Aggregates Research) is now available that provides proposed improvements in the design models and in the compaction of granular aggregate lifts in thicker layers. Interest has also developed in the inverted base concept of a granular layer over a stiff layer at depth, with several tests sections having been built in Georgia, Louisiana, and Virginia. KW - Aggregates KW - Design practices KW - Flexible pavements KW - Granular bases KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement layers KW - Rigid pavements KW - Unbound aggregate base layers (Pavements) UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3213 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231504 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463277 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-06. Pollutant Load Reductions and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Compliance for Highways AB - The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) empowers the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require that states set water quality standards for all waterways. For waterways that do not meet these standards due to an excessive pollutant load, the states are required to determine the maximum amount of the pollutant that can be introduced to a waterway and still meet water quality standards. This level of pollutant loading is called the total maximum daily load or TMDL. For many years states have been developing water quality standards, listing impaired waters and developing TMDLs for those impaired waters; but now the EPA is requiring that the TMDL loads be met and impaired waters be restored. This requirement is coming to state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting process for municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) and stormwater runoff. Because TMDL implementation is so new for DOTs, strategies to meet them tend to rely on traditional stormwater control practices which involve constructing a facility that will provide on-site treatment of stormwater such as bioretention, sand filters, or retention ponds. The drawback to these types of controls is they are expensive to design and construct, they compete for right-of-way that is often needed for other purposes, and expensive to acquire. They require intensive maintenance to ensure continued pollutant removal efficiencies and may not be effective at removing targeted pollutants for a particular waterway. Also, revenue for DOT capital and operations activities is at a premium and many necessary programs are competing for fewer dollars. To determine effective and practical methods of meeting TMDL requirements for highways and to provide needed flexibility given land and budget constraints, this study will document current effective practices of stormwater treatment and pollutant load reduction strategies for highway applications. The study will provide a summary of information for effective practices as identified by the state DOTs, including: 1) descriptions of applicability to highways, 2) design standards, 3) site development criteria, 4) potential impacts to the environment or cultural resources, 5) types of pollutants treated, and effectiveness of treatment, 6) costs associated with implementation, and 7) maintenance requirements. Information will also be sought on techniques and strategies to reduce external inputs of pollutants into the DOTs stormwater system and barriers to such practices. There will be a discussion of what can be achieved by strategies designed to address the most common pollutants of concern (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, copper, bacteria, chloride, temperature, and sediments). Information will be gathered through literature review and in-depth interviews among selected state DOTs. The selected states will be those that have mature or advanced TMDL programs, taking into account geographic and pollutant diversity. There will be special interest in innovative and non-traditional methods. The consultant will propose at least 10 states to be interviewed in their work plan. KW - Highways KW - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System KW - Pollutants KW - Runoff KW - State departments of transportation KW - Total maximum daily loads KW - Water quality management UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3216 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231503 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463276 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-13. Forecasting Construction Staffing Requirements for Future Projects AB - Transportation agencies are facing dynamic local, state and national revenue streams. The expected fluctuation in available funding will impact both project development and delivery. Many transportation agencies will be faced with streamlining these operations and will create new business models to address current practices and innovations in construction management. Construction workforce (project administration, engineering, and inspection) loading challenges appear to be inevitable. These will involve the assignment/location of in-house staff as well as determining future staffing levels. Construction staffing is a chief component of project delivery cost, and a strategy to staff the construction function is essential in establishing future programs and to effectively determine total project costs. No standardized approach is available to adequately determine resource levels for construction staffing. The scope includes all types of highway projects for rural and urban conditions. KW - Construction management KW - In-house staff KW - Road construction KW - Staffing levels KW - Transportation departments KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3223 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231502 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463263 TI - Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems. Topic 43-15. Models for Effective Emergency Responses within the 'Golden Hour' in Rural Areas AB - Approximately 23% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, yet rural crashes account for 56% of highway fatalities. The average fatality rate for rural roads is more than twice the rate for urban roads--2.4 per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (VMT) for rural roads compared to 1.0 per 100 million VMT average fatality rate for urban roads. There are many factors contributing to these high figures, such as the challenge for emergency medical services (EMS) to be notified, locate, respond, stabilize, transport, and care for patients in definitive care facilities in a timely and effective manner. There is limited evidence-based research on practices in state, tribal, and local agencies that improve EMS systems and patient outcomes. However, there are many innovative practices in place today that can serve as models for other rural EMS practices to follow. For this study, EMS includes incident detection and notification, emergency dispatch (e.g., 911), first responders, ground and air ambulance services, other local EMS agencies, intermediate community and rural hospitals, and trauma centers. The study will focus on rural roads in rural regions. The objective of this study is to obtain information on effective rural emergency medical systems. The study will gather information on effective EMS practices and system deficiencies as reported by agencies. KW - Emergency medical services KW - Emergency response time KW - Fatalities KW - Incident management KW - Rural highways KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3225 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231489 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01580470 AU - Miller, Michael AU - Sound Transit AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Remote Infrared Audible Signage Pilot Program PY - 2011/07 SP - 52p AB - The Remote Infrared Audible Sign Model Accessibility Program (RIAS MAP) is a program funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to evaluate the effectiveness of remote infrared audible sign systems in enabling persons with visual and cognitive disabilities to travel independently. The subject for this report is the continuation of this evaluation through using a more comprehensive, multi-modal public transportation environment for measuring effectiveness. The wayfinding product evaluated is the RIAS technology with the registered trade name Talking Signs (Talking Signs, Inc.). There are two main goals for this project: 1) Measure the effectiveness of the Sound Transit RIAS system by using persons with visual or cognitive disabilities to test the installed system and provide feedback, as well as by observing the testers’ ability to use the system during structured testing, and 2) Measure cost implications for future expansion of the RIAS system for both Sound Transit and other regional public transit agencies. KW - Audible signs KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Cognitive impairment KW - Human factors KW - Remote Infrared Audible Signage Pilot Program KW - Testing KW - Visually impaired persons KW - Wayfinding UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55400/55498/FTA_Report_No._0012.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1373083 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01580338 AU - Bhajandas, Amar AU - Mallela, Jagannath AU - Applied Research Associates, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Vermont Demonstration Project: Route 2 – East Montpelier Bridge Reconstruction PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 59p AB - As part of a national initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration under the Highways for LIFE program, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) was awarded a $540,000 grant to demonstrate the use of proven, innovative technologies to build a high-quality bridge with state-of-the-art design and materials that will last longer than conventional construction. The structure is located on the National Highway System in rural East Montpelier, VT, on US Route 2 over the Winooski River, approximately 1 mile east of the intersection of US Route 2 and VT Route 14. The replacement structure is a single span integral abutment bridge with weathering steel girders, bare high performance concrete deck reinforced with solid stainless steel, topped with a curbless, pedestal mounted rail. With no joints that can fall into disrepair and leak, no curbs that retain salt-laden runoff and accelerate deck deterioration, no bearings that can corrode and freeze, and no beam paint system that can fail, the project accomplished its goal of designing and building a structure that is reduced to its most basic components, incorporates durable materials, is virtually maintenance free, and has lower life cycle costs than a conventional structure. With wider lanes and ample shoulder widths, the new bridge addresses safety concerns over numerous collisions and “near misses” at the site and easily will accommodate the truck traffic on this National Highway System highway. VTrans minimized construction congestion and time and worker exposure to traffic through construction of a two-way detour bridge adjacent to the site, which enabled the Agency to complete the project in one season instead of two. A comprehensive economic analysis including the anticipated long-term maintenance costs shows that the project saved $932,800 (or 47 percent compared to traditional methods). The project saved money and demonstrates that the HfL program concepts apply not only to large, complex bridge projects, but also to smaller, rural bridge projects. KW - Bridge construction KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Demonstration projects KW - Economic analysis KW - High performance concrete KW - Highways for LIFE KW - Jointless bridges KW - Montpelier (Vermont) KW - National Highway System KW - Stainless steel KW - Technological innovations KW - Weathering steel UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/summary/pdf_2/VT_Rt2_Final_July%202011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1373005 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493454 AU - Goodrum, Paul M AU - Uddin, Moin AU - Faulkenberg, Bradley J AU - University of Kentucky, Lexington AU - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Case Study Analysis of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Design/Build Pilot Projects PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 98p AB - The current economic climate has forced transportation agencies to evaluate opportunities to save money. One possible opportunity lies in Design/Build (DB) delivery. In 2006, with the approval of the Kentucky General Assembly, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet selected ten projects to be developed through the Design/Build method. DB delivery offers many attainable advantages, the most notable being expedited delivery. The research described herein presents a case study of these DB pilot projects in order to capture lessons learned on the use of the DB delivery method on future projects. In order to determine which projects are suitable for DB delivery, a scorecard was developed based upon factors observed over the course of the DB pilot projects. Another important aspect of the DB pilot projects was their cost, it was believed their costs were much higher than a comparable design/bid/build (DBB) projects. However, after a thorough cost analysis, it was determined that the DB projects cost the Cabinet only an estimated three percent more than comparable DBB projects. The DB pilot projects have had mixed results. Several recommendations are provided that will assist agencies with DB project selection and successful management of DB projects. KW - Case studies KW - Construction projects KW - Costs KW - Design build KW - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet KW - Pilot projects KW - Project delivery KW - Project management UR - http://www.ktc.uky.edu/files/2013/08/KTC_13_10_TA25_06_1F_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261369 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493373 AU - Gorton, Joe AU - Crew, Benjamin Keith AU - University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - An Analysis of OWI Arrests and Convictions in Iowa PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 86p AB - The primary goal of the project was to document the demographic profile of Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) offenders in Iowa. The study is based on both aggregate and case-level data. The case-level data produced a final sample of 118,675 OWI convictions that occurred from 2000 through 2009. The great majority of convicted offenders were white males. From 2000 through 2009 the percentage of convictions received by women increased by 34%. Defendants’ average age was 30 years old, and the age cohorts of 15 to 24, 25 to 34, and 34 to 45 were over represented among convicted offenders. Whites were under represented among OWI defendants. African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans were over represented. From 2000 through 2009, the percentage of aggravated misdemeanor felony OWI convictions received by Hispanics and African Americans increased significantly. The percentage of OWI convictions received by women and African Americans increased significantly after implementation of the .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) law. Convincing evidence of a direct relationship between enforcement trends and the alcohol related traffic fatalities (ARTFs) was not found. However, the ten year Iowa conviction trends did provide evidence of a conviction lag effect on Iowa’s ARTFs. The research findings established the basis for a phase two project that would assess the efficacy of OWI sentencing practices in Iowa. KW - Arrests KW - Blood alcohol levels KW - Demographics KW - Drunk driving KW - Fatalities KW - Iowa KW - Traffic conviction KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://publications.iowa.gov/14887/1/IA_DOT_UNI_Iowa_OWI_2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261366 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01477127 AU - McCarthy, Patrick AU - Georgia Transportation Institute University Transportation Center (GTI-UTC) AU - Georgia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Airport Costs and Production Technology: A Translog Cost Function Analysis with Implications for Economic Development Update PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 40p AB - Based upon 50 large and medium hub airports over a 13 year period, this research estimates one and two output translog models of airport short run operating costs. Output is passengers transported on non-stop segments and pounds of cargo shipped. The number of runways is a quasi-fixed factor of production. Statistical tests reject the null hypothesis that airport production technology is homothetic and homogeneous, exhibits constant returns to scale, or reflects a Cobb-Douglas production technology. From the analysis, airports operate under increasing return s to runways utilization and increasing ray economies of scale for the two output model. Airport operating costs were 2% higher after the September 1, 2001 terrorist attacks. The input demand for general airport operations is price elastic and Morishima substitution elasticities indicate that Personnel, Repair-Maintenance-Contractual services, and General Airport Operations are substitutes in production. Based upon a one output passenger cost function model, an exploratory analysis identifies a relationship be tween the average cost of airport operations and indicators economic development. All else constant, a decrease in an airport’s real average operating costs is associated with increasing metropolitan employment , the number of establishments, and real gross metropolitan and state products. KW - Airport capacity KW - Airport runways KW - Economic development KW - Economies of scale KW - Infrastructure KW - Operating costs KW - Translog models UR - http://www.utc.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/projects/reports/mccarthy_110718_airport_costs_and_production_technology_tl_finalreport_draft_v2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1246692 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01475288 AU - Bullock, Wesley O AU - Barnes, Robert W AU - Schindler, Anton K AU - Auburn University AU - Alabama Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Repair of Cracked Prestressed Concrete Girders, I-565, Huntsville, Alabama PY - 2011/07//Technical Report SP - 657p AB - Wide cracks were discovered in prestressed concrete bridge girders shortly after their construction in Huntsville, Alabama. Previous investigations of these continuous-for-live-load girders revealed that the cracking resulted from restrained thermal deformations and inadequate reinforcement details, and that the cracking compromised the strength of the girder end regions. A wet-layup fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) repair system was installed. To assess the efficacy of the FRP repair solution, load testing and finite-element analyses were conducted for pre- and post-repair conditions of two repaired spans. Post-repair testing included controlled truck loading as well as the monitoring of structural response to diurnal thermal conditions. Results indicate that the girders should be considered simply supported for conservative strength-limit-state design of the FRP repair system. FRP response to thermal conditions was accurately estimated using simplified analysis of restrained temperature gradient effects. A design procedure was developed for FRP repair of similar structures in accordance with AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and the recommendations of ACI 440.2R-08. The reported procedure was formulated to provide the girder end regions with adequate strength for the combined effects of shear and flexure, as well as to provide adequate performance under daily truck loads and temperature variations. KW - Axle loads KW - Bridges KW - Cracking KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Girders KW - Huntsville (Alabama) KW - Live loads KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Repairing KW - Temperature UR - http://www.eng.auburn.edu/files/centers/hrc/930-601-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1244626 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01475259 AU - Rakha, Hesham AU - Park, Sangjun AU - Guo, Feng AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Virginia Transportation Research Council AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Travel Time Reliability Modeling PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 55p AB - This report includes three papers as follows: 1. Guo F., Rakha H., and Park S. (2010), "A Multi-state Travel Time Reliability Model," Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, n 2188, pp. 46-54. 2. Park S., Rakha H., and Guo F. (2010), "Multistate Travel Time Reliability Model: Model Calibration Issues," Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, n 2188, pp. 74-84. 3. Park S., Rakha H., and Guo F. (2011), “Multi-state Travel Time Reliability Model: Impact of Incidents on Travel Time Reliability,” 14th International IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Washington D.C., October 5 - 7, 2011. KW - Calibration KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic incidents KW - Traffic models KW - Travel time KW - Travel time reliability UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2008-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1244170 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01474039 AU - Stevens, David K AU - Utah Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Annual UTRAC Workshop on Transportation Research Needs: 2011 Proceedings PY - 2011/07//Final Workshop Proceedings SP - 149p AB - An annual workshop (known as the UTRAC Workshop) was held on April 7, 2011 to discuss and prioritize the research needs of the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) in preparation for the 2012 fiscal year. Participants included UDOT managers and employees, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) staff, individuals from other government agencies, researchers from local universities, consultants, product suppliers, and other interested parties. Problem Statements, describing research needs of the Department, were submitted prior to the workshop and then evaluated, modified, and prioritized by working groups at the workshop. This document describes the UDOT research prioritization process, the UTRAC Workshop, and the resultant list of prioritized Problem Statements. The UTRAC Workshop included plenary sessions, with a keynote address by James Christian, Administrator of the FHWA Utah Division, regarding FHWA’s Every Day Counts Initiative; presentations on the UDOT Research program, past workshops, workshop instructions, and the project selection process; and presentation of the Trailblazer Award to Blaine Leonard of the UDOT Traffic Operations Center for his outstanding contributions to transportation research. Much of the workshop was devoted to the evaluation of Problem Statements by groups organized by subject area. The five subject area groups were: Construction & Materials, Maintenance, Traffic Management & Safety, Geotechnical, and Structures. Each group used a voting process to determine the most important research needs in their subject area, in ranked order. A total of 44 unique Problem Statements were considered. Of those statements, 13 have been listed for potential funding by the Research Division. The workshop was held at the Larry H. Miller Campus of the Salt Lake Community College. A total of 92 people participated. KW - Needs assessment KW - Research KW - Strategic planning KW - Utah Department of Transportation KW - Workshops UR - http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=52860 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243681 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01474017 AU - Anderson, Douglas AU - Eixenberger, David AU - LeHolm, Thomas AU - T Y Lin International AU - Utah Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - UDOT Research Division Annual Work Program: Fiscal Year 2012 PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 43p AB - This document outlines the FY 2012 Annual Work Program for the Utah Department of Transportation Research Division. The main objective of the program is to promote, conduct and implement research activities and initiatives, to aid UDOT in achieving its mission. The UDOT Research Division works to supply a valuable service to the UDOT divisions and regions, as well as other key customers in the transportation community. Innovation within the Department is highly desired, and the Research Division is the focal point for new and improved ways of doing business. The division works in collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration, other public agencies, academic institutions, and many private sector partners. This document describes the progress on all new, continuing, and completed research projects. It outlines the budget line items for the Research Division. KW - Budgeting KW - Cooperation KW - Financing KW - Innovation KW - Research KW - Research projects KW - Utah Department of Transportation UR - http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=43761 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243695 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472621 AU - Pantelides, Chris P AU - Weber, Erika D AU - University of Utah, Salt Lake City AU - Utah Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Bridge Deck Seal Treatment for ABC Bridge Decks Using Precast Panels PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 63p AB - The present research evaluates five different overlay systems for use in precast panels for bridge decks. In this research, field and laboratory tests are performed. The overlay systems are evaluated based on their pull-off strength due to cyclic loading and chloride intrusion. KW - Bond strength (Materials) KW - Bridge construction KW - Bridge decks KW - Corrosion protection KW - Overlays (Pavements) KW - Precast concrete KW - Reconstruction KW - Sealing compounds KW - State departments of transportation KW - Surveys UR - http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=43731 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243682 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472165 AU - Palle, Sudhir AU - Hopwood, Theodore AU - Meade, Bobby W AU - University of Kentucky, Lexington AU - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Improved Bridge Expansion Joints PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 46p AB - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has both open and closed bridge expansion joints and associated details that are problematic. Several state highway agencies (SHA) have joints that they believe are superior performers to other types and have prepared guidance documents for their use. A literature search indicated that several previous research studies, including national surveys, addressing SHA joint practices have been conducted over the past 10 years. For up-to-date information, a new set of surveys were developed and distributed to all the SHAs by email through the AASHTO Subcommittee on Maintenance - Bridge Technical Working Group chairman in June 2010. There were two sets of surveys: 1) design and construction, and 2) maintenance, that were submitted to two separate entities within each SHA. KW - Bridge design KW - Bridges KW - Construction KW - Expansion joints KW - Maintenance KW - Surveys UR - http://www.ktc.uky.edu/files/2012/12/KTC_11_17_SPR_405_10_1F-Improved-Bridge-EXpansion-Joints.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243478 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01469948 AU - Han, Jie AU - Acharya, Bhagaban AU - Thakur, Jitendra K AU - Parsons, Robert L AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Onsite Use of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Materials and Geocells to Reconstruct Pavements Damaged by Heavy Trucks PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 121p AB - Asphalt pavements deteriorate with traffic (especially heavy trucks) and time. Maintenance and overlaying may solve minor to medium pavement distress problems. When the condition of a pavement becomes badly deteriorated, reconstruction of the pavement may become an economic and feasible solution. Reconstruction of a pavement requires removal of pavement surfaces. On-site use of recycled asphalt pavement materials has obvious benefits from economic, to environmental, to sustainability points of view. One attractive option is to use recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) materials as base courses with a thin new overlay. However, RAP has its limitations; for example, it creeps under a sustained load due to the presence of asphalt binder. A preliminary study conducted by the principal investigators has shown that the use of geocell to confine RAP minimizes creep of RAP under a sustained load. However, the performance of geocell-reinforced RAP as a base course overlaid by an asphalt surface is unknown. This research will utilize the geotechnical test box available at the University of Kansas to simulate the reconstruction of damaged asphalt pavements by geocell-reinforced RAP bases overlaid by a thin asphalt layer and evaluate their performance under cyclic loading. The main objectives of this research are to confirm the concept of using RAPs with geocells to reconstruct damaged pavements by heavy trucks and examine the benefit of geocells to the pavement life as compared with unreinforced base courses. In this research, at least four test sections will be constructed in the geotechnical test box including control sections and geocell-reinforced sections. The properties of RAP including asphalt binder content and viscosity, aggregate properties, compaction curve, and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) will be evaluated in the laboratory. The subgrade will be prepared using an artificial soil by mixing Kansas River sand with Kaolin and compacted at an intermediate strength (i.e., 5% CBR). The pavement sections will be tested under cyclic loading up to 25-mm rut depth. KW - Aggregate tests KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Binder content KW - California bearing ratio KW - Compaction KW - Creep KW - Geocell KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements KW - Reconstruction KW - Recycled materials KW - Repeated loads KW - Viscosity UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46600/46678/Han_462_RAP_Geocells_COMBINED_FINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1225950 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465734 TI - Successful Practices in Railcar Maintenance AB - This project will identify rail transit agencies with effective, best-practice railcar maintenance processes based on agency data regarding on-time performance, safety record, and mean-time-between-failures data. The project will evaluate railcar maintenance plans and processes and document the practices, methods and procedures that lead to highly-effective railcar maintenance. It will also develop statistical models and analysis approaches that transit agencies can use to transition to more performance-based management approaches. It will summarize performance metrics and methodologies used to evaluate operations and maintenance plan alternatives. The research products will provide guidance, examples of tools, case studies, and training materials that demonstrate best practices. A final report will identify methods to improve rail maintenance practices and offer guidance on how to make existing practices more effective. KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - Maintenance practices KW - On time performance KW - Railroad cars KW - Railroad safety KW - Training UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233968 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465730 TI - Transit: Utility of Real-Time Transit Vehicle Data AB - This project will explore and assess the utility of real-time transit vehicle data and will examine the issues, challenges, and feasibility of its use. Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) is the integrated, dynamic management of freeway, arterial, transit, and parking systems within a corridor using intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies and innovative practices or strategies. This cooperative agreement will support the ability of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) to collect and transmit transit vehicle location and passenger loading data of its Red Line light rail transit trains (which operate in the US-75 corridor) to a transit management center and/or ICM system in real time. It will enable DART to monitor transit vehicle locations, speeds, and passenger loads in real time and make informed operational decisions regarding dynamic transit service adjustments in response to changing conditions in the US-75 corridor.The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is partnering with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) and multimodal teams from Dallas and San Diego to implement, test, and evaluate ICM. The results will be nationally-applicable in many large urban areas. The results from the demonstration will be documented in a final project report and used in an independent evaluation conducted by the Volpe Center. KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - Dallas Area Rapid Transit KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Real time information KW - Transit management systems KW - Transit vehicles UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233964 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01456869 AU - Bill, Andrea AU - Serrano, Francisco AU - Noyce, David AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - University of Wisconsin, Madison AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Wisconsin Large Truck Safety and Enforcement Study PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 108p AB - The Wisconsin Large Truck Safety and Enforcement Study (LTS&E) focused on a system-wide evaluation of large truck safety in the state of Wisconsin. This study analyzes crash data related to large trucks that are close to the following criteria: greater than or equal to 13 ft 6 in. in height, greater than or equal to 8 ft 6 in. in width, greater than 80,000 pounds and any truck at or longer than legal limits as allowed by Wisconsin Statutes chapter 348 for any and all legal length based on semi-tractor trailer combinations, that are operating with or without a permit in the state of Wisconsin and with or without exceptions as provided in either state statues or regulations. The crash data used during the development of this study is extracted from the WisTransPortal database of MV-4000 crash reports and additional MV-4000 data from the Wisconsin Truck and Bus data between 2004 and 2009. Part of this study includes the identification and analysis of the targeted large truck data in order to refine the amplitude of the project and to describe potential safety issues reflected by the historical crash data. Roadway characteristics and driver behavior seem to be the most significant variable in determining the severity of crash incidents. Certain features of roadway condition as well as driver factor might lead to an increase of certain type of crashes. Most harmful event was chosen over first harmful event as a potential predictor of crash severity, however, further analysis reveals that there is no striking difference in crash severity across different levels of most harmful event. Vehicle factors and highway factors were dropped from the model early in the analysis process as their composition does not seem to vary across different levels of crash severity. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crash data KW - Crash severity KW - Heavy duty vehicles KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucking safety KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_CFIRE0424.2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224991 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01455147 AU - Hulsey, J Leroy AU - Qiao, Pizhong AU - Fan, Wei AU - McLean, David AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Washington State University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Smart FRP Composite Sandwich Bridge Decks in Cold Regions PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 251p AB - What if every time a bridge on a lonely road got icy, it automatically notified the local department of transportation (DOT) to begin ice-control safety measures? What if a bridge could tell someone every time an overloaded truck hit the decking, or when the trusses under it began to weaken? This project, a partnership of Washington State University, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Kansas Structural Composites, Incorporated takes the first steps to develop, manufacture, test, and implement Smart Honeycomb Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (S-FRP) sandwich materials for transportation projects. This material integrates advanced composite materials with sensors and actuators. So far, researchers have tested an S-FRP sandwich deck panel, evaluated several S-FRP sandwich beams in cold temperatures, and developed effective structural-health monitoring strategies. Dynamic tests of the S-FRP sandwich deck panel with and without damage continue, and structural-health monitoring strategies for cold temperature exposures will be developed. A combined experimental, theoretical, and numerical approach will result in new techniques for structural-health monitoring and damage identification of thick sandwich deck panels. It is anticipated that, with wireless communication technologies, the developed structural-health monitoring strategies will be capable of remotely monitoring and assessing the structural integrity of sandwich bridge decks in cold regions. KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge design KW - Cold weather construction KW - Fiber composites KW - Frigid regions KW - Sandwich construction KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/07/Final_Report_107018.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46000/46001/P.Qaio-autc-107018-Final-Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46400/46467/Final_Report_107018.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1223446 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01447147 AU - Thomas, F Dennis AU - Pollatsek, Sandy AU - Pradhan, Anuj AU - Divekar, Gautam AU - Blomberg, Richard D AU - Reagan, Ian AU - Fisher, Donald AU - Dunlap and Associates, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Field and Simulator Evaluations of a PC-based Attention Maintenance Training Program PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 72p AB - This report presents the results of three research studies regarding driver distraction from the forward roadway due to secondary in-vehicle tasks. Study 1 included the development and evaluation of a PC-based training program named Forward Concentration and Attention Learning (FOCAL). The computer program was designed to teach novice drivers to manage their glances away from the roadway and to avoid extended glances over 2 seconds. Results of Study 1 demonstrated that the FOCAL program was effective for changing glance behaviors as measured by the PC-based Attention Maintenance Assessment Program, also developed as part of Study 1. Study 2 was a field study on active roadways that evaluated the impact of FOCAL on glance behaviors by comparing trained and untrained newly licensed young drivers. An advance eye tracking system was used to collect data on the glance behaviors of trained and untrained participants while driving on active roadways and completing a variety in-vehicle tasks. Results showed that drivers who received FOCAL training had significantly lower proportions of tasks with glances that exceeded various thresholds (i.e., 2 seconds, 2.5 seconds, 3 seconds), and, collapsing across tasks, trained drivers had a lower proportion of glances over those thresholds compared to the untrained group. In Study 3, essentially the same study protocol used in Study 2 was applied in a high-fidelity driving simulator. Study 3 results showed a similar pattern of results to Study 2 with the trained group having significantly lower proportions of glances above the various glance duration thresholds. The magnitude of the differences between training groups was, however, greater in the simulator than in the field. Together, the results from these three studies suggest that young drivers may benefit from training that addresses attention maintenance skills. A clear limitation of this project is that the evaluations of the training always occurred immediately after training, so the extent to which the individuals retain any skill is unknown. The research also indicates that computer-based and simulator-based assessments are likely valid for testing the attention maintenance skills of drivers. The findings support further development of FOCAL-like programs and further testing of FOCAL to determine if such training impacts the driving safety of younger drivers. KW - Attention KW - Computer aided instruction KW - Distraction KW - Driver education KW - Driver training KW - Driving simulators KW - Field studies KW - Glance behavior KW - Glance duration KW - Recently qualified drivers KW - Research KW - Teenage drivers UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811469.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45700/45726/811469.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1214524 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446056 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Parker River National Wildlife Refuge AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Transit Planning Study PY - 2011/07 SP - 99p AB - Approximately 250,000 visitors come to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) annually for a range of Refuge-based activities. The Refuge has a mission of protecting species and their habitat, and sensitive areas often dictate the type and location of visitor infrastructure. The Refuge experiences parking and road congestion, leading to Refuge closures, on a daily basis during peak visitation periods. Vehicles associated with refuge visitors negatively impact the Refuge’s natural resources, occupy the Refuge’s limited parking spaces, and may prevent other visitors from participating in wildlife observation and education activities during peak visitation periods. The Refuge is considering the acquisition of a transit vehicle that can address these challenges. The Refuge believes that a transit vehicle could significantly enhance its programmatic offerings and help its partners to decrease vehicle miles traveled (VMT) associated with their programs. Through connecting more visitors to interpretation and environmental education programs with the use of a transit vehicle, Refuge staff believes that they could better accommodate wildlife-oriented visitors during peak periods. A transit vehicle may also reduce congestion on refuge roads and parking lots. A key goal of this report is to explore whether a transit vehicle can address these challenges and meet the Refuge’s goals. KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Financial analysis KW - Parker River National Wildlife Refuge KW - Parking KW - Shuttle buses KW - Traffic congestion KW - Transit buses KW - Transportation planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/41000/41800/41851/DOT-VNTSC-FWS-11-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212588 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446034 AU - Fazio, Alfred E AU - Troup, A R AU - Hodgeson, Bridget AU - Kanarek, Jack AU - Federal Transit Administration AU - SYSTRA Consulting, Incorporated TI - Safe Transit in Shared Use PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 140p AB - During the last 30 years, due to the flexibility of light rail transit (LRT), new systems have been implemented, some of which include line segments that share tracks with freight operations regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). To operate on the general railroad system, these LRT systems have obtained waivers from FRA safety regulations by operating with temporal separation. The aim of this research study was to further develop concepts for temporal separation to enable shared use operations in additional locations with more frequent and more flexible operations of FRA-compliant and non-compliant services. Based on the operating concepts and technology that facilitate temporal separation on the New Jersey TRANSIT River LINE, this project prepared a design for expanding freight and passenger operations while maintaining separation of modes in a configuration that is very similar to designs that have already been accepted by FRA. KW - Freight trains KW - Light rail transit KW - New Jersey Transit KW - Railroad tracks KW - Railroads KW - Shared tracks KW - Shared use KW - Train separation UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/FTA_Report_No._0008.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212641 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01445009 AU - Turner, Shawn AU - Sadabadi, Kaveh Farokhi AU - Haghani, Ali AU - Hamedi, Masoud AU - Brydia, Robert AU - Santiago, Simon AU - Kussy, Ed AU - Battelle AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Private Sector Data for Performance Management – Final Report PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 36p AB - This report examines and analyzes technical and institutional issues associated with the use of private sector travel time and speed data for public sector performance management. The primary data needs for congestion performance measures are outlined, and core data elements and various metadata are introduced as a way to ensure consistency among private sector data providers. The report examines issues associated with “blended” traffic data and concludes that what is most important is the accuracy of the end product (i.e., average travel times and speeds), which can be evaluated with several different quality assurance methods. The report also describes a process to integrate private sector travel time data with public agency traffic volume data for a more comprehensive performance reporting system. A state-of-the-practice review summarizes the products and services of several private sector data providers, and the review also includes the experience of several public agency consumers of this data. Overall guidance is provided on quality assurance methods, ranging from office-based statistical analysis to actual field validation with reidentification methods. The report concludes by summarizing key legal issues related to data licensing, data rights, privacy, and concerns about Open Records requests. KW - Data validation KW - Legal factors KW - Metadata KW - Performance monitoring KW - Private enterprise KW - Quality assurance KW - Speed data KW - State of the practice KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic volume KW - Travel time UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop11029/fhwahop11029.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212593 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01383585 AU - Blower, Daniel AU - Matteson, Anne AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Evaluation of 2008 Rhode Island Crash Data Reported to the MCMIS Crash File PY - 2011/07//Special Report SP - 43p AB - This report is part of a series evaluating the data reported to the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash File undertaken by the Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The earlier studies showed that reporting to the MCMIS Crash File was incomplete. This report examines the factors that are associated with reporting rates for the State of Rhode Island. MCMIS Crash File records were matched to the Rhode Island crash file to determine the nature and extent of underreporting. It is estimated that Rhode Island reported 75.0% of reportable crash involvements in 2008. The most decisive factor identified in predicting reporting was whether the Truck/Bus Crash Report Supplemental form was completed. Over 95% of reportable cases with this form completed were reported, compared with no records where the officer did not fill out the form. Missing data rates are low for most variables. Corresponding data elements in the MCMIS and Rhode Island crash files were reasonably consistent, though specific problems were noted with hazmat variables and the truck and trailer configuration. KW - Bus crashes KW - Crash data KW - Crash records KW - Crash severity KW - Missing data KW - Motor Carrier Management Information System Crash File KW - Rhode Island KW - Traffic crashes KW - Truck crashes KW - Underreporting UR - http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89601/1/102793.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147895 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01381377 AU - United States. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center AU - Woodward Communications TI - Agent-based modeling and simulation workshop summary report PY - 2011/07 IS - FHWA-HRT-11-036 SP - 23p AB - The report summarizes a workshop held in May 2010 as part of an ongoing effort to examine agent-based modeling and simulation and its application in transportation research. Part one focuses on various presentations including "identification of breakthrough research for highway transportation" and "computer simulation for transportation studies - a brief history". Part two of the report summarizes the group breakout discussions. KW - Computer program KW - Computer programs KW - Mathematical models KW - Modelling KW - Policy and planning KW - Research KW - Research and development UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/11036/11036.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1149295 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380353 AU - Carnegie, Jon AU - Lubin, Andrea AU - Bilton, Peter AU - Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Quantifying Patron Needs at Intermodal Facilities PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 71p AB - New Jersey has a varied network of commuter rail, light rail, bus, paratransit, county and private shuttle services. These services meet a range of needs including commuter travel to major employment centers, local bus service for various trip purposes, and specialized services for people with special transportation needs. With such a rich network, there are many opportunities for making multi-link transfers between modes and services. In the mature NJ TRANSIT system, it is unlikely that significant additional capacity will be added in the near future. At the same time, increasing development and maturity of suburban centers will create the demand for more complex, multi-link trips. Research conducted in the United States and abroad has documented traveler needs at transit transfer facilities, as well as best practices in facility design, customer information, and technologies that support transit transfers. This research study builds on the existing body of research to determine in which features of the transit transfer experience are most important to New Jersey transit customers. Field work and site inspections at transit facilities throughout the state yielded a typology of transit transfer locations that can be used by decision-makers to categorize and plan transit transfer locations throughout the state. Data from the intercept survey found that customers overall were most satisfied with station/stop access and customer information and least satisfied with facility maintenance, amenities and service levels. At the same time customers valued service features most. In particular, conditions at local facilities showed significant room for improvement. Customers using these facilities reported lower than average levels of satisfaction with virtually all the features they cited as highly important. The findings from this study provide important insights and valuable data to help transportation decision makers understand better how to improve the experience of transit transfer customers in New Jersey and to potentially grow ridership by encouraging more patrons to make multi-link trips while using the transit system. KW - Customer satisfaction KW - Intermodal facilities KW - Needs assessment KW - New Jersey KW - Passengers KW - Ridership KW - Transfers KW - Typology UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42131/FHWA-NJ-2011-004.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147562 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380284 AU - Li, Yue AU - Bai, Yong AU - Schrock, Steven D AU - Mulinazzi, Thomas E AU - University of Kansas, Lawrence AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Modeling Truck Speed in the Upstream of One-lane Two-way Highway Work Zones: Implications on Reducing Truck-Related Crashes in Work Zones PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 83p AB - Truck-related crashes constitute a major safety concern for government agencies, the construction industry, and the traveling public. Due to the rising needs in highway maintenance and construction, the number of work zones is increasing throughout the United States, while at the same time freight movement using trucks is also increasing nationwide. Developing effective safety countermeasures to reduce the truck-related crashes is a major challenge in front of the government agencies and the construction industry. The main objectives of this research project are to discover truck-related crash characteristics and to model the truck speeds in the upstream of one-lane two-way rural highway work zones. Work zones on two-lane highway are particularly hazardous for trucks due to the disruption of regular traffic flow and restrictive geometry. The developed models can be utilized to discover possible associations between work zone design variables and truck speeds with the purpose of reducing truck-related crash risks. As a result, government agencies and the construction industry can apply the findings of this project to improve work zone design and mitigate the crash risks in work zones. KW - Crash characteristics KW - Rural highways KW - Speed KW - Truck crashes KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucking safety KW - Two lane highways KW - Work zone safety UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Bai_ModelingtruckspeedintheupstreamoftwolanehighwayworkzonesImplicationsonreducingtruckrelatedcrashesinwork.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147596 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01373116 AU - Reed, Matthew P AU - Ebert-Hamilton, Sheila M AU - Rupp, Jonathan D AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Effects of Obesity on Seat Belt Fit PY - 2011/07 SP - 31p AB - Obesity has been shown to increase the risk of some types of injury in crashes. One hypothesis is that obesity adversely effects belt fit by changing the routing of the belt relative to the underlying skeletal structures. To evaluate this hypothesis, belt fit was measured in a laboratory study of 54 men and women, 48 percent of whom were obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m² or greater. Test conditions included a wide range of upper and lower belt anchorage locations and ranges of seat height, seat cushion angle, and seat back angle spanning a large fraction of current vehicle front and rear seats. In some conditions, foot position was restricted to simulate the typical situation in the second row of a small sedan. Across individuals, an increase in BMI of 10-kg/m² was associated with a lap belt positioned 43 mm further forward and 21 mm higher relative to the anterior-superior iliac spines of the pelvis. Each 10-kg/m² increase in BMI was associated with an increase in lap belt webbing length of 130 mm. The worsening of lap belt fit with restricted foot position was slightly greater for obese participants. Obesity was associated with a more-inboard shoulder belt routing across a wide range of upper belt anchorage locations, and the shoulder belt webbing length between the D-ring and latch plate increased by an average of 60 mm with each 10-kg/m² increase in BMI. The results suggest that obesity effectively introduces slack in the seat belt system by routing the belt further away from the skeleton. Particularly in frontal crashes, but also in rollovers and other scenarios, this slack will result in increased excursions and an increased likelihood and severity of contacts with the interior. The higher routing of the lap belt with respect to the pelvis also increases the likelihood of submarining in frontal crashes. KW - Laboratory studies KW - Motor vehicles KW - Obesity KW - Seat belt fit KW - Seat belts UR - http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89867/1/102813.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1141255 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367799 AU - Brewer, John AU - Koopmann, Jonathan AU - Najm, Wassim G AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - System Capability Assessment of Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) PY - 2011/07 SP - 46p AB - This report describes the system capability assessment for the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) based on data collected from objective tests and a pilot test. The CICAS-V is a vehicle-to-infrastructure system that provides visual, audio, and haptic (brake pulse) warnings when a vehicle is in danger of violating a traffic signal or stop sign at an intersection. A series of objective tests were conducted at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Each test was defined by an initial geometry, a set of validity constraints [such as the sufficient Global Positioning System (GPS) accuracy], and a set of pass/fail criteria. The test series investigated the ability to appropriately warn or not warn at various speeds, in appropriately discerned lanes, under dynamic lane changes, under changing signal conditions, and in the presence of multiple equipped intersections. A pilot test was run with nearly 100 naïve drivers on a two-hour prescribed course in the Blacksburg, VA area. During the pilot test, drivers were appropriately warned when in danger of violating an obscured stop sign and when intentionally distracted. An algorithm was found to produce occasional nuisance warnings and remedied. An erroneous lane location in a geographical intersection description and a de-synchronized set of roadside equipment also produced some nuisance warnings and were also remedied. KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Global Positioning System KW - Testing KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811499.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136504 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367798 AU - Stearns, Mary AU - Vega, Lisandra-Garay AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Independent Evaluation of the Driver Acceptance of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) Pilot Test PY - 2011/07 SP - 36p AB - This report documents the results of the independent evaluation’s assessment of the driver acceptance of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System limited to Stop Sign and Traffic Signal Violations (CICAS-V) system as tested during a pilot test in 2008. The purpose of this pilot test was to use naïve participants in on-road and test-track environments to assess the readiness and maturity of the CICAS-V for a large-scale field operational test. Data were evaluated from 87 naive drivers who were placed into equipped vehicles to navigate a two-hour prescribed route through ten stop-controlled and three signal-controlled equipped intersections. To ensure the data were sufficient to understand drivers’ impressions of the warning, 18 drivers followed the on-road study with a test-track study. Overall, subjects were neutral to slightly satisfied with the CICAS-V. A similar trend was observed for their assessment of whether the system will increase their driving safety. The data suggest that subjects need to experience the system to be able to assess it fairly. This assessment of driver acceptance was limited by the scope of the pilot test as well as the expected low frequency of intersection violations. KW - Acceptance KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Data collection KW - Driver satisfaction KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Testing KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811497.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136508 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367795 AU - Sampath, Raman AU - Koopmann, Jonathan AU - Najm, Wassim G AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) - Database Structure PY - 2011/07 SP - 32p AB - This report documents the process required for data exchange between a conductor of a field operational test (FOT) and an independent evaluator based on the experience of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) FOT project. This report also describes lessons learned from the data exchange in this project and proposes improvements to the process going forward. The main implementation of these improvements will be to design and maintain a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). It is imperative that all future FOT conductors coordinate with the independent evaluator on the design of the RDBMS using software that will support storing, organizing, and analyzing data. The requirement should also streamline data collection, data exchange, and evaluation analyses to save resources for both the FOT conductor and the independent evaluator. KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Data collection KW - Database management systems KW - Electronic data interchange KW - Field tests KW - Relational databases UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811498.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136507 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01363956 AU - Ahmed, Anwaar AU - Volovski, Mathew AU - Van Boxel, Daniel AU - Labi, Samuel AU - Sinha, Kumares C AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Truck Travel Characteristics as an Indicator of System Condition and Performance PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 60p AB - The effect of trucks on the level of service is determined by considering passenger car equivalents (PCE) of trucks. The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) uses a single PCE value for all tucks combined. However, the composition of truck traffic varies from location to location; therefore a single PCE-value for all trucks may not correctly represent the impact of truck traffic at specific locations. Consequently, the Indiana Department of Transportation wanted to develop separate PCE values for single-unit and combination trucks to replace the single value provided in the HCM. Traditionally, equivalent delay and microscopic simulations have been used to estimate PCE values. In order to facilitate the development of site specific PCE values, an alternative PCE-estimation methodology was explored in the present study on the basis of lagging headways measured from field traffic data. The study used data from four locations on a single urban freeway and three different rural freeways in Indiana. Three-stage-least-squares (3SLS) regression techniques were used to generate models that predict lagging headways for passenger cars, single unit trucks, and combination trucks. The estimated PCE values for single-unit and combination truck for basic urban freeways (level terrain) were 1.35 and 1.60, respectively. For rural freeways, the estimated PCE values for single-unit and combination truck were 1.30 and 1.45, respectively. However, due to the lack of sufficient quality data for rural freeways, the estimated PCE values for rural freeways are not recommended for use. As expected, traffic variables such as vehicle flow rates and speed have significant impacts on vehicle headways. The use of separate PCE values can have significant influence on the LOS estimation. This study also explored regional variation of PCE values. The results of the likelihood ratio test indicated that it is appropriate to combine data from similar locations (freeway sections at different geographical locations) for the PCE analysis. KW - Freeways KW - Headways KW - Highway capacity KW - Highway Capacity Manual KW - Indiana KW - Least squares method KW - Level of service KW - Passenger car equivalence KW - Regression analysis KW - Rural areas KW - Single unit trucks KW - Tractor trailer combinations KW - Traffic characteristics KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucks KW - Urban areas UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314627 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1132731 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01363335 AU - Lee, Earl AU - Ngo, Dung AU - Delaware Center for Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Impact of Disruptions along the I‐95 Corridor on Congestion and Air Quality PY - 2011/07 SP - 60p AB - Interstate 95 is a major corridor for vehicles and freight for the eastern United States. Extensive planning and review is needed to keep this corridor running as efficiently as possible, minimizing the impacts of construction or disruptions. The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has established re-routing plans for portions of I-95 in Delaware. These plans provide guidance to system managers and law enforcement as to how to re-direct traffic in case sections of the interstate are closed. These plans are based on the knowledge and experience of the DelDOT Traffic Management Team. However, it is difficult to evaluate these plans since complete closures are thankfully rare events. There does exist a capability to evaluate these plans, without disrupting traffic, by using a simulation model. Using the DelDOT regional transportation planning model, which covers the entire DelMarVa Peninsula, a series of scenarios were developed and tested to evaluate the existing plans and suggest alternatives. Each scenario was compared to the un-disrupted condition and impact to drivers was measured by computing additional vehicle-miles travelled and vehicle-hours travelled and looking at the impact on the environment by the increased emissions. Recommendations and conclusions were developed as well as opportunities for future work. KW - Air quality KW - Environmental impacts KW - Interstate 95 KW - Regional transportation KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic diversion KW - Traffic simulation KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.ce.udel.edu/UTC/Lee_Ngo_Final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1131929 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361625 AU - Chambers, Matthew AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Making Sense of Passenger Vessel Data PY - 2011/07//Special Report SP - 4p AB - The absence of legal definitions to describe waterborne passenger vessels, such as cruise ships and ferries, may pose a challenge for researchers attempting to collect, sort, and analyze passenger data. A variety of definitions are used to describe waterborne passenger vessels and the port and terminal infrastructures that support them. Lacking common definitions, identical terminology may cause confusion, particularly when the data are linked to a Federal regulatory or statistical program. For instance, across-the-board definitions that would define a cruise ship by tonnage, passengers, accommodations, and route do not exist. This report characterizes identical or similar terminology that may have different meanings to different users or yield different results for researchers. Further, this report briefly describes the two leading types of passenger vessels and their unique capabilities. In addition, it presents distinct challenges faced by the supporting port and terminal infrastructure unique to each vessel type. KW - Analysis KW - Data collection KW - Data quality KW - Definitions KW - Passenger ships UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2011_07_11/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127348 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361552 AU - Cambridge Systematics, Inc. AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Integrating Road Safety into NEPA Analysis: A Primer for Safety and Environmental Professionals PY - 2011/07 SP - 86p AB - This primer presents an introduction to the topic of addressing safety as part of the environment analysis process, as directed by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It presents practitioners with basic concepts for including meaningful, quantitative analysis of project safety issues and for taking advantage of the latest tools, research, and techniques for improving road safety within a project scope. The primer highlights the opportunity and benefits of linking safety planning to the environmental analysis at every stage of the NEPA process. The primer contains the following sections: Considering Safety Prior to the NEPA process; NEPA Overview and Levels of Documentation; Public and Stakeholder Outreach; Purpose and Need Statements; Alternatives Analysis; Defining the Affected Environment; and Analysis of Environmental Impacts and Mitigation. Appendix A contains related resources, including links to on-line courses, tools, and research documents covering topics such as the basics of the NEPA process, road safety analysis, and safety countermeasure selection. Appendix B contains case studies illustrating best practices in incorporating safety into the NEPA process. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Case studies KW - Context sensitive design KW - Decision making KW - Environmental impact analysis KW - Environmental policy KW - Environmental risk assessment KW - Handbooks KW - Highway planning KW - Highway safety KW - National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 KW - Needs assessment KW - Programming (Planning) KW - Project management KW - Public participation KW - Safety factors UR - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/tsp/fhwasa1136/fhwasa1136.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127324 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361130 AU - Morgan, Richard AU - Mauger, Dave AU - Brosseau, Joseph AU - Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Vital Positive Train Control Research and Development - Final Report PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 77p AB - The Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), in cooperation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Railroad Research Foundation (RRF), and the Mission Systems and Sensors (MS2) Division of the Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMC), conducted research and development (R&D) activities for a safety-critical, communications-based train control (CBTC) system. The system R&D was performed under the Vital Positive Train Control (V-PTC) project, and the goal of the project was to field test a fully functional vital PTC system that could be used in revenue service operations. Jointly, TTCI and LMC accomplished activities related to active field testing of the V-PTC system using the track and related facilities at TTC. Test results show significant development success. KW - Field tests KW - Positive train control KW - Research and development KW - Technological innovations KW - Train operations UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/98 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126924 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361097 AU - Stam, Andrew AU - Richman, Nicholas AU - Pool, Charles AU - Rios, Craig AU - Anderson, Thomas AU - Frank, Karl AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Fatigue Life of Steel Base Plate to Pole Connections for Traffic Structures PY - 2011/07//Technical Report SP - 165p AB - This is a final report of an extensive experimental and analytical examination of the fatigue behavior of the welded end connection used on high-mast light structures and traffic signal masts. The weld details commonly used for these connections produce very poor fatigue performance. Their performance is a function of base plate stiffness, weld type and geometry, and number of anchor bolts. Older connection designs produced very poor fatigue performance far below the lowest American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) fatigue category. These connections can be improved by increasing the base or end plate thickness, improving weld details, and other geometric considerations. Due to the interaction of the overall connection geometry upon fatigue performance, the fatigue performance of the connection cannot be classified by simply the type of connection. The fatigue life can be improved to fatigue performance comparable to Category B but a similar connection with a thinner base plate can produce fatigue life of Category E. Recommended connections and their corresponding fatigue strength are given as well as recommended fabrication and welding specifications. KW - Base plates KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Fatigue strength KW - High mast lighting KW - Poles (Supports) KW - Stiffness KW - Traffic signal mast arms KW - Welding UR - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/9_1526_1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127040 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358665 AU - Bauer, Jocelyn K AU - Smith, Michael C AU - Pecheux, Kelley K AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - The Regional Concept for Transportation Operations: A Practitioner's Guide PY - 2011/07 SP - 60p AB - This practitioner’s guide is a collection of the observed successes and lessons learned from four metropolitan regions as they developed Regional Concepts for Transportation Operations (RCTOs), a management tool used by planners and operations practitioners to define a strategic direction for implementing effective regional transportation management and operations in a collaborative manner. This document provides information on how to develop and implement an RCTO effectively and efficiently by highlighting practices that have been used successfully to overcome challenges by the four implementing regions that forged ahead into this new territory. This guide offers lessons from these pioneering sites that can help other implementing regions to select the methods that are most effective in improving regional transportation system performance. The RCTO demonstrations sites include Portland, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; Southeast Michigan; and Hampton Roads, Virginia. KW - Cooperation KW - Guidelines KW - Hampton Roads (Virginia) KW - Lessons learned KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Portland (Oregon) KW - Regional planning KW - Southeast Michigan KW - Strategic planning KW - Transportation operations KW - Transportation system management KW - Tucson (Arizona) UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop11032/fhwahop11032.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1124286 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358663 AU - Rajagopal, Arudi AU - Infrastructure Management and Engineering, Incorporated AU - Ohio Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Investigate Feasibility of Using Ground Penetrating Radar in QC/QA of Rubblization Projects PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 60p AB - This study investigated if Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) can offer a suitable technology for mapping the physical condition of fractured slab rapidly, particularly under the steel reinforcement, without disturbing the fractured layer. A 4000 ft long composite pavement section was selected on I-75 in Butler/Warren County, Ohio. The asphalt concrete layer was milled and the jointed reinforced concrete pavement was exposed. A thorough GPR assessment of the pavement prior to rubblization was performed, allowing a “baseline” condition assessment. Three passes were made to collect data along two wheel paths and the center of the lane. Following this, the exposed concrete pavement was rubblized in accordance with the Ohio Department of Transportation's (ODOT‟s) rubblization specification using a resonant type pavement breaker and three multi head type pavement breakers. GPR tests were conducted on the rubblized layer at the same locations. Soon after completing GPR studies, several test pits were made using a backhoe. Physical measurements of the particle sizes were made through the depth of concrete pavement. This information, ground truth, was used to verify the information obtained from GPR signals. The data were analyzed to investigate any evidence leading to determination of fragments exceeding the size specification. Analysis of the data collected on the exposed concrete pavement, prior to rubblization, showed no significant peak in reflection of signals between the top and bottom of the slab. Analysis of the data on rubblized layer showed some peaks. However, the strength of the signals (reflections) was not strong enough to detect significant peaks. This analysis revealed the sensitivity of the data was not adequate enough to distinguish two layers within the concrete slab. In other words, the data did not indicate significant peak at the interface of rubblized and partially rubblized layers within the concrete slab. It became apparent that by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio, it may become possible to differentiate and distinguish the two internal layers. In summary, the study provided insight into additional data needed to establish GPR as a potential device in the future for evaluating the size fragments in Rubblization and Rolling (R/R) projects. Lessons learned lead to a conclusion that, further work is needed to establish GPR as a rational, non-destructive and quick procedure to estimate the particle sizes in a rubblization project. KW - Asphalt concrete KW - Comminution KW - Grain size (Geology) KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Lessons learned KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Quality assurance KW - Quality control KW - Reinforced concrete pavements KW - Signal to noise ratio UR - http://worldcat.org/oclc/781853132/viewonline UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1124282 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358016 AU - Wodalski, Michael J AU - Thompson, Benjamin P AU - Whited, Gary AU - Hanna, Awad S AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Applying Lean Techniques in the Delivery of Transportation Infrastructure Construction Projects PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 102p AB - It is well documented that construction productivity has been declining since the 1960’s. Additionally, studies have shown that only 40% of construction workers’ time is considered to be value-added work. Interest in the use of Lean techniques for the delivery of large complex capital projects is quickly growing throughout the country. Manufacturing and vertical construction have shown that a project using Lean techniques can be delivered in less time, at lower costs, and with improved quality. However, Lean techniques are not currently being used by State Transportation Agencies (STAs). The implementation of Lean techniques with a Lean Project Delivery (LPD) can be a way for future projects to achieve higher quality, faster completion, and more efficient delivery. To attain this goal, the transportation industry, as a whole, needs to work closely together using non-traditional approaches to achieve the necessary improvement. This study looks at the benefits of Lean techniques in the delivery of transportation projects, along with potential impediments to adoption. Case studies are provided which document the successful use of Lean techniques in the infrastructure industry. The transportation industry provides unique challenges in implementing Lean techniques due to public sector constraints. Special care is needed in identifying obstacles to implementation when going forward with Lean. Once promising techniques and barriers are properly identified, a successful management plan can be created to help STA’s begin their Lean journey. KW - Construction management KW - Lean construction KW - Productivity KW - Road construction UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-11_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122387 ER - TY - SER AN - 01358012 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Vehicle Safety Research Notes PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Crash Warning Interface Metrics, Phase 2 PY - 2011/07 SP - 3p AB - This Vehicle Safety Research Note is a summary of the technical research report: Crash Warning Interface Metrics Final Report (DOT HS 811 470). Advanced crash warning systems (ACWS) assess emerging hazard situations and provide crash warning information to the driver. In some cases the system may also initiate some vehicle control action. Examples of ACWS include forward collision warning (FCW) and lane departure warning (LDW). ACWS have the potential to improve driver performance and reduce the frequency and severity of common crash situations, but the success of any ACWS will depend in part on the quality of the driver-vehicle interface (DVI). The DVI refers to the displays and controls through which the driver and the vehicle interact. ACWS are increasingly common in passenger vehicles and the characteristics of these systems vary considerably among vehicle manufacturers. The objectives of the crash warning interface metrics (CWIM) project were to identify the effects of certain warning system features (e.g., warning modality) on driver behavior and comprehension, consider methods that may be applied for DVI evaluation in different vehicles, and identify areas in which there may be concerns related to DVI variation among vehicles. The CWIM effort included five experiments conducted in two different locations. KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Crash rates KW - Crash severity KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Forward collision warning KW - Highway safety KW - Ran off road crashes KW - Traffic crashes KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811471.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122497 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357998 AU - Welch, Austin AU - Fuhrman, Alex AU - Lord, Ty AU - Braven, Karen Den AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Low-Speed Two-Stroke Direct-Injection Snowmobile for Use in the Clean Snowmobile Challenge and National Parks: University of Idaho’s Direct-Injected Two-Stroke Snowmobile Using E-22 Fuel PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 29p AB - The University of Idaho’s entry into the 2011 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) was a direct-injection (DI) two-stroke powered snowmobile modified to use blended ethanol fuel. The exact composition was unknown prior to the competition. The modulated and battery-less direct-injection system used to decrease exhaust emissions and improve fuel economy maintained near stock power output of the engine. Noise from the engine compartment was reduced by custom placement of sound absorbing materials. A muffler was designed to reduce exhaust noise but proved to limit engine performance and was not used. To further reduce exhaust emissions a catalyst was incorporated into the stock muffler. Pre-competition testing had the snowmobile entering the 2011 SAE CSC competition weighing 535 lbs (243 kg) wet, achieving 21.00 mpg (8.93 km/L) running on blended ethanol fuel, with an EPA five mode emissions test score of 177, and a J-192 sound magnitude score of 80 dBA. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Direct injection system KW - Ethanol KW - Exhaust gases KW - Fuel consumption KW - Fuel mixtures KW - Noise control KW - Snowmobiles UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK763_N11-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122785 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357993 AU - He, B Brian AU - Maglinao, Randy AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Continuous-Flow Reactor System for Improved Catalytic Glycerol Conversion PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 17p AB - The authors' previous research showed improved ethanol yields from catalytic conversion of glycerol by applying the Raney nickel catalyst. The purpose of this project was to investigate increasing the process productivity using a continuous-flow mode. A continuous-flow reactor system was modified from the existing batch reactors and used. A fed-batch system composed of the same batch reactors was also designed and tested. Aqueous glycerol was fed continuously using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pump and the product was collected in a pressure vessel. Under the conditions of 220°C, 1:1 water-to-glycerol mass ratio and 30 mL/min feeding rate, liquid product was successfully collected. However, analysis of the liquid product showed small amounts of methanol and ethanol were produced despite the high glycerol conversion rate. A slight improved ethanol yield, approximately 3.5%mol, was observed using the fed-batch system. In summary, the continuous-flow reactor converted from the batch reactor vessels failed to produce alcohols with high yields as expected. Having a relatively large head space in the reactor may have caused the reaction to be less favorable for liquid products. Further investigation using a different design such as a tubular reactor is recommended on the applicability of a continuous-flow reactor system for this process. KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Ethanol KW - Glycerol KW - Thermochemical conversion UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK765_N11-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122783 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357944 AU - Forkenbrock, Garrick AU - Heitz, Mark AU - Hoover, Richard L AU - O'Harra, Bryan AU - Vasko, Scott AU - Smith, Larry AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - A Test Track Protocol for Assessing Forward Collision Warning Driver-Vehicle Interface Effectiveness PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 143p AB - The primary objective of the work described in this report was to develop a protocol suitable for evaluating forward collision warning (FCW) driver-vehicle interface (DVI) effectiveness. Specifically, this protocol was developed to examine how distracted drivers respond to FCW alerts in a crash imminent scenario. To validate the protocol, a diverse sample of 64 drivers was recruited from central Ohio for participation in a small-scale, test track based human factors study. Each participant was asked to follow a moving lead vehicle (MLV) within the confines of a controlled test course and, while attempting to maintain a constant headway, instructed to perform a series of four distraction tasks intended to briefly divert their attention away from a forward-viewing position. With the participant fully distracted during the final task, the MLV was abruptly steered out of the travel lane, revealing a stationary lead vehicle (SLV) in the participant’s immediate path (a realistic-looking full-size balloon car). At a nominal time-to-collision (TTC) of 2.1s from the stationary vehicle, one of eight FCW alerts was presented to the distracted participant. Each alert modality was intended to emulate one or more elements from those presently available in contemporary vehicles. The timing of the critical events contained within the protocol appears to be repeatable, appropriate, and effective. With respect to evaluation metrics, the data produced during this study indicate that reaction time and crash outcome provide good measures of FCW alert effectiveness, where reaction time is best defined as the onset of FCW to the instant the driver’s forward-facing view is reestablished. Using these criteria, the seat belt pretensioner-based FCW alerts used in this study elicited the most effective crash avoidance performance. That said, of the 32 trials performed with some form of seat belt pretensioner-based FCW alert, 53.1 percent of them still resulted in a crash. FCW modality had a significant effect on the participant reaction time from the onset of an FCW alert, and on the speed reductions resulting from the participants’ avoidance maneuvers (regardless of whether a collision ultimately occurred). Differences in participant response times from the instant their forward-facing view was reestablished to throttle release, brake application, and avoidance steer were not significant, nor were brake application and avoidance steer magnitudes. KW - Countermeasures KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Forward collision warning KW - Highway safety KW - Reaction time KW - Rear end crashes KW - Test tracks KW - Traffic crashes KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811501.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122395 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357657 AU - Khoo, I-Hung AU - Nguyen, Tang-Hung AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Study of the Noise Pollution at Container Terminals and the Surroundings PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Noise emissions from various transportation modes including seaports have become a major concern to environmental and governmental agencies in recent years due to the impact they have on the community. The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex is the nation’s largest ocean freight hub and its busiest container port complex. As the container sector has the highest growth potential, the levels of noise generated by activities at the container terminals may affect the port personnel as well as the residential neighbors. In this research effort, the noise distribution at the port of Long Beach was evaluated. The level of noise generated by the cargo handling and transport activities at the container terminals was determined using noise mapping. A noise model of the port and its surroundings was created, and validated with field measurements. The noise level in any area was assessed as to whether it exceeds relevant noise regulations or guidelines, and the key noise source in the area was identified. The noise and activity variations during the period of study were determined. The developed noise model will be a very valuable tool for the city and port authorities in making planning decisions as it allows the prediction of the noise impact of future development projects on the port and the surroundings. KW - Container terminals KW - Mathematical models KW - Noise KW - Noise control KW - Port authorities KW - Port of Long Beach KW - Port of Los Angeles KW - Port operations KW - Regulations UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/09-09_Khoo_METRANS_final_report_0_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117002 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357342 AU - Chang, George AU - Xu, Qinwu AU - Rutledge, Jennifer AU - Horan, Bob AU - Michael, Larry AU - White, David AU - Vennapusa, Pavana AU - Transtec Group, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Accelerated Implementation of Intelligent Compaction Technology for Embankment Subgrade Soils, Aggregate Base, and Asphalt Pavement Materials PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 276p AB - Intelligent compaction (IC) is an emerging technology, and for some applications it is mature enough for implementation in field compaction of pavement materials. The intent of this project is to realize the blueprint in the FHWA IC strategic plan. This study was under the Transportation Pooled Fund project, TPF-5(128), which includes 12 participating state departments of transportation: Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. IC is a compaction technology used for materials including soils, aggregates, and asphalt mixtures, by using vibratory rollers equipped with the real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS), roller-integrated measurement system (normally accelerometer-based), feedback controls, and onboard real-time display of all IC measurements. IC technology can be used to produce uniformly compacted pavement products that perform better and last longer. KW - Aggregates KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Compaction KW - Global Positioning System KW - Intelligent compaction KW - Paving KW - Soil compaction KW - Subgrade (Pavements) KW - Vibratory rollers UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/ic/pubs/hif12002.pdf UR - http://www.intelligentcompaction.com/downloads/Reports/FHWA-TPF_IC_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122846 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357206 AU - Kintsch, Julia AU - Cramer, Patricia C AU - Utah State University, Logan AU - ECO-resolutions, LLC AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Permeability of Existing Structures for Terrestrial Wildlife: A Passage Assessment System PY - 2011/07 SP - 188p AB - A Passage Assessment System (PAS) was developed to help the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) evaluate existing transportation infrastructure for its ability to facilitate terrestrial wildlife movement from one side of a roadway to the other. The outcomes of this research provide mechanisms to allow transportation agencies to identify both opportunities and barriers to wildlife passage along roads. The PAS presented in this report provides an assessment process that differentiates – for different types of wildlife – between structures that are currently functional, those that could be enhanced to become more functional, and those that are not functional for wildlife passage. In this manner, the system enables transportation agencies to prioritize these enhancement opportunities for the greatest cost efficiency and identify locations where improved permeability will require new infrastructure investments. This project involved three steps: 1) a review of the literature and refinement of classification systems for both wildlife and road structures; 2) field research of wildlife use of bridges and culverts across Washington; and 3) the development and refinement of an assessment system to evaluate the ability of bridges and culverts to move a range of wildlife species under or over roads. The Passage Assessment System supports timely inclusion of wildlife passage needs from the onset of highway corridor planning, project planning and design. It offers potential cost-savings and minimized project delays by identifying passage modifications that may be significantly less costly than new infrastructure. Where existing culverts and bridges can be shown to pass wildlife, it would help to reduce future construction costs for wildlife crossings in those areas and help to prioritize which areas are lacking in potential crossings and need additional mitigation. KW - Bridges KW - Culverts KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Passage assessment system (Wildlife crossings) KW - Washington (State) KW - Wildlife KW - Wildlife crossings UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/777.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120915 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357203 AU - Martin, June AU - Giusti, Cecilia AU - Dumbaugh, Eric AU - Cherrington, Linda AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Examining Challenges, Opportunities and Best Practices for Addressing Rural Mobility and Economic Development under SAFETEA-LU’s Coordinated Planning and Human Services Framework PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 76p AB - In response to changes in federal requirements for rural transit planning, the Texas State Legislature and the Texas Department of Transportation have recently developed coordinated transit and human services plans for the 24 planning regions in the state of Texas. This study evaluates both the processes that have been adopted throughout the state as well as the types of outcomes that have emerged. Having engaged in perhaps the most comprehensive approach to meeting the revised federal requirements in the United States, the Texas experience in developing coordinated transit and human service plans is particularly useful for identifying opportunities, barriers, and best practices for coordinated rural transit planning, and thus for filling a major gap in the available professional guidance. KW - Coordination KW - Economic development KW - Interagency relations KW - Mobility KW - Public transit KW - Rural areas KW - Rural transit KW - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users KW - Social service agencies KW - Texas KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Transportation planning UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Martin_08-17-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120906 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356723 AU - More, Shashikant Ramdas AU - Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Aircraft Noise Characteristics and Metrics PY - 2011/07//Dissertation SP - 400p AB - Day-Night Average A-weighted Sound Pressure Level (DNL) is used currently to define noise contours around airports and the 65 DNL contour is used as a criterion to determine qualification for noise insulation programs. There is concern that this metric with penalties for noise occurring at night does not adequately account for annoyance or broader noise impacts such as sleep disturbance. Much more sophisticated measures of perceived sound level (loudness) that adjust frequency weighting based on the characteristics of the sounds exist. Although loudness is considered to be the strongest noise attribute contributing to annoyance, there are other sound attributes, such as sharpness, tone, roughness and fluctuation strength that can also influence annoyance. In this research, several studies were conducted to examine the effects of noise characteristics on annoyance ratings of aircraft noise. A simulation program was developed to simulate aircraft noises so that individual characteristics could be varied while keeping others constant. Investigations on the influence of single characteristics such as spectral balance, roughness, fluctuation strength, and tone on annoyance ratings of aircraft noise have been conducted. Some evidence of an increase in annoyance with increases in roughness and tone was observed in these investigations. The influence of tone and roughness on annoyance ratings in the presence of loudness variations was also observed. Even when both loudness and tone varied, a strong sensitivity to tone persisted. Tone was the dominant sensation when both tone and roughness were varied and loudness was kept constant. The importance of tone and roughness increased when loudness did not vary very much. It was found that loudness, tone and roughness were, respectively, the first, second and third most influential characteristics. It was also seen that the use of loudness produces better predictions of average annoyance ratings. None of the metrics or models that are currently used for environmental noise annoyance incorporate measures of loudness, tone, and roughness together. In this research, a model based on the Psychoacoustic Annoyance developed by Zwicker, Fastl and others that combines the effects of loudness, tone and roughness to predict annoyance due to aircraft noise was developed. The developed model was found to be a better predictor of aircraft noise annoyance than any other metric or models that are currently used to evaluate aircraft noise. KW - Aircraft noise KW - Annoyance KW - Loudness KW - Mathematical models KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Simulation KW - Sleep disturbance KW - Sound level UR - http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/partner/reports/proj24/noisethesis.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122169 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356097 AU - Kang, Dong Hun AU - Ochoa, Cesar AU - Rajbhandari, Rajat AU - Garcia, Francisco AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Statistical Models to Forecast Crossing Times of Commercial Vehicles PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 90p AB - Border crossing time measurement systems for commercial vehicles are being implemented throughout the U.S.-Mexico border. These systems are based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. With funding from the Federal Highway Administration, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI)/Battelle team installed an RFID-based system at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) in El Paso, Texas, to measure and archive crossing times of commercial vehicles. The RFID system at BOTA is already operational, and current truck crossing time information is relayed and archived in a centralized repository. In addition, with funding from the Texas Department of Transportation, TTI deployed RFID systems on the Pharr-Reynosa Bridge. These systems measure the current crossing time and provide the information to users; however, there is no system in place to predict the crossing times of trucks. In fact, there are no systems in place at the U.S.-Mexico border to predict traffic conditions including crossing times of trucks. In this project, statistical models were developed to predict crossing times of trucks over a short range of time. The statistical prediction models use historic data and take into account empirical relationships between border-crossing-related parameters and truck crossing times. KW - Border regions KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crossing times KW - Freight traffic KW - International borders KW - Mathematical models KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Real time information KW - Traffic forecasting KW - Travel time KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucks KW - United States-Mexico Border UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Rajbhandari_10-09-60.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01355897 AU - TransAnalytics, LLC AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Medical Review Process and License Disposition of Drivers Referred by Law Enforcement and Other Sources in Virginia PY - 2011/07 SP - 55p AB - This report describes the medical review process and license outcomes for 100 drivers referred by law enforcement officers in Virginia. Additionally, it describes the license outcomes for 105 drivers referred by seven other sources, also in Virginia: the courts for people adjudicated as mentally incapacitated, general traffic court, customers who self-report medical conditions on license application and renewal forms, Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) customer service representatives, the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), family members, and physicians. The authors note that this information is gathered and disseminated as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) goal to keep older road users safely mobile through programs directed toward reducing traffic-related injuries and fatalities among older people. The mechanism to detect and intervene with functionally impaired drivers depends critically upon the success of outreach efforts to encourage referrals to the licensing authority. In addition, there must be medical review processes in place within a State’s Department of Motor Vehicles and/or through its Medical Advisory Board to conduct case reviews and reach determinations of medical fitness-to-drive that are valid, efficient, and perceived to be fair by the driving public. The report describes the data collection methods used in the study (100 medical review cases were drawn from the pool of 1,107 drivers referred by local law enforcement officers), data extraction, demographics of the study population, reasons for referral, and the referral processes and outcomes. Of the 47 drivers who complied with all DMV medical review requirements, 12 were subsequently licensed with full driving privileges and no periodic review. These drivers ranged in age from 17 to 85; four had visual disorders, 2 metabolic disorders, 5 cardiovascular disorders, and 1 “other neurological” disorder. Twenty-five drivers were also licensed with full privileges, but were required to undergo periodic review. They ranged in age from 31 to 89 years; five had vision disorders, 5 had psychiatric disorders, 1 a musculoskeletal disorder, 7 had metabolic disorders, 2 had cardiovascular disorders, 3 had “other neurological disorders,” and 2 had seizure disorders. Of the remaining study participants, 4 received restricted privileges and no periodic review; 6 received restricted privileges with periodic review; 21 received suspension for an unacceptable medical report; and 32 received suspension for failure to comply with medical review orders. The authors conclude that law enforcement is an effective source of referrals of medically at-risk drivers, as shown by the 88% of the law enforcement referrals that resulted in license actions. The second half of the report presents similar information on 105 drivers (a sample from the total of 2,966 drivers referred to the Virginia DMV Medical Review Unit by all non-law enforcement referral sources). Just over half of the sample of other-referred drivers (54 of 105, or 51%) had their licenses suspended for failure to submit medical or vision reports; another 14 drivers had their privileges suspended because information provided in the medical or vision reports indicated they were not fit to drive at the present time. Of the remaining 31 referrals, 23 resulted in licensing actions in the form of driving restrictions or periodic review requirements. Only 8 drivers out of the total sample of 105 (8%) were deemed fit to drive without restriction or continuing medical review. The authors conclude that these high numbers indicate that those who refer medically at-risk drivers to the VA DMV are providing a valuable public safety service. KW - Aged drivers KW - Automobile drivers KW - Diseases and medical conditions KW - Driver licensing KW - Driving tests KW - Fitness to drive KW - Medical examinations and tests KW - Medical personnel KW - Physical fitness KW - State motor vehicle departments KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Virginia KW - Vision disorders UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811484.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45700/45727/811484.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118700 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01355154 AU - Schaefer, Vernon R AU - Kevern, John T AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Foundation TI - An Integrated Study of Pervious Concrete Mixture Design for Wearing Course Applications PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 158p AB - This report presents the results of the largest and most comprehensive study to date on portland cement pervious concrete (PCPC). It is designed to be widely accessible and easily applied by designers, producers, contractors, and owners. The project was designed to begin with pervious concrete best practices and then to address the unanswered questions in a systematic fashion to allow a successful overlay project. Consequently, the first portion of the integrated project involved a combination of fundamental material property investigations, test method development, and addressing constructability issues before actual construction could take place. The second portion of the project involved actual construction and long-term testing before reporting successes, failures, and lessons learned. The results of the studies conducted show that a pervious concrete overlay can be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained. A pervious concrete overlay has several inherent advantages, including reduced splash and spray and reduced hydroplaning potential, as well as being a very quiet pavement. The good performance of this overlay in a particularly harsh freeze-thaw climate, Minnesota, shows pervious concrete is durable and can be successfully used in freeze-thaw climates with truck traffic and heavy snow plowing. KW - Admixtures KW - Concrete overlays KW - Constructability KW - Mix design KW - Paving KW - Pervious concrete KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Properties of materials KW - Test procedures KW - Wearing course (Pavements) UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/pervious_overlay_report_w_cvr.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42700/42714/FHWA-Pervious_Overlay_w_cvr2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119363 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01355085 AU - Zimbabwe, Sam AU - Anderson, Alia AU - Reconnecting America AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Planning for TOD at the Regional Scale: The Big Picture PY - 2011/07 SP - 28p AB - This best practices guidebook is one in an ongoing series explaining the theory and best practices of transit-oriented development. Regional TOD planning can help identify common goals and facilitate coordination among regional agencies, transit agencies, cities, counties, towns, community residents and other TOD stakeholderss. Coordination and collaboration will enhance the likelihood of successful TOD by allowing stakeholders to achieve multiple goals, including high transit ridership, improved connections between people and jobs, and flourishing transit-oriented neighborhoods. This guidebook focuses on regional planning for TOD, including the general framework and theory, the benefits, and 8 strategies for regional planning for TOD. The guidebook includes many case studies from around the country. KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - City planning KW - Handbooks KW - Land use planning KW - Regional planning KW - Strategic planning KW - Transit oriented development KW - Transportation planning UR - http://reconnectingamerica.org/assets/Uploads/RA204REGIONS.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118833 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354611 AU - Morales, Reinaldo AU - Ettema, Robert AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Insights from Depth-Averaged Numerical Simulation of Flow at Bridge Abutments in Compound Channels PY - 2011/07 SP - 123p AB - Two-dimensional, depth-averaged flow models are used to study the distribution of flow around spill-through abutments situated on floodplains in compound channels and rectangular channels (flow on very wide floodplains may be treated as rectangular channels). The study leads to useful insights regarding distributions of flow velocity, unit discharge, and boundary shear stress at spill-through abutments. It also presents insights from extensive assessment of uncertainty associated with the use of depth-averaged modeling of flow at abutments. Of substantial use for design determination of abutment scour at bridge waterways is estimation of the magnitude of peak values of flow velocity, boundary shear stress, and unit discharge in the region where scour develops. The study, by showing how abutment flow fields adjust in response to variations of abutment length, floodplain width, and main channel dimensions, yields important trends regarding the magnitude of amplification factors for depth-averaged velocity, unit discharge, bed shear stress, and distance to peak unit discharge. Early studies are shown to provide rather limited and inadequate amplification values associated only with a narrow range of abutment and channel geometries examined. The present study comprises a much broader range of abutment lengths, channel shapes, and floodplain dimensions than heretofore reported in the literature. The study’s insights, from its assessment of uncertainty associated with the use of depth-averaged modeling of flow at abutments, yield a relationship for estimating the optimum mesh size for use with depth-averaged models. The relationship is applicable to other subsequent studies using depth-averaged models of flow around abutments or similar hydraulic structures. Prior studies addressing the effect of mesh size on numerical error have not provided a recommendation for an average optimum mesh size. The study also gives focused recommendations for topics requiring further investigation. KW - Bridge abutments KW - Channel flow KW - Flood plains KW - Hydraulic structures KW - Numerical analysis KW - Simulation UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC11-237.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118639 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354604 AU - Woodward Communications AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation Workshop 2010 PY - 2011/07//Summary Report SP - 32p AB - The report summarizes a workshop held in May 2010 as part of an ongoing effort to examine Agent-­‐‑Based Modeling and Simulation and its application in transportation research. Part One focuses on the following presentations: Agent-­‐‑Based Simulation and Modeling: Identification of Breakthrough Research for Highway Transportation, Computer Simulation for Transportation Studies – A Brief History; Overview and Development of Agent-­‐‑Based Modeling and Simulation; Agent-­‐‑Based Modeling with Repast Simphony Including a Consumer Products Modeling Example; Using Pattern-­‐‑Oriented Modeling in Developing the Agent-­‐‑Based Model of Hawaii’s Longline Fishery; Predicting Pandemic Disease Spread in Urban Environments With Agent-­‐‑Based Simulation, Agent-­‐‑Based Modeling of Transportation Systems. Part Two of the report summarizes the group breakout discussions. KW - Agent-based modeling KW - Simulation KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation systems UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/11036/11036.pdf UR - http://www.woodwardcom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Agent-Basedfinal.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118822 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354595 AU - Dzotepe, George Abraham AU - Ksaibati, Khaled AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Effect of Environmental Factors on the Implementation of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) PY - 2011/07 SP - 191p AB - Current pavement design based on the AASHTO Design Guide uses an empirical approach from the results of the AASHO Road Test conducted in 1958. To address some of the limitations of the original design guide, AASHTO developed a new guide: Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). This guide combines the mechanistic and empirical methodology by making use of calculations of pavement responses such as stress, strains, and deformations using site specific inputs from climate, material, and traffic properties. With the new guide, various implementation challenges need to be overcome by agencies wanting to facilitate its use. In this respect, the MEPDG is currently undergoing several validation and calibration research studies, which are in the areas of materials, climate and traffic characteristics. It is anticipated that the findings from the various research studies will facilitate the implementation of the MEPDG nationwide. This study summarizes the challenges that are likely to impede implementation of the MEPDG within the Northwest Region and how these can be overcome. The study also investigates the effects of climate variables on the predicted pavement performance indicators and, in addition, evaluates the adequacy of using interpolated climate data on pavement performance in the state of Wyoming. KW - Climate KW - Deformation KW - Environment KW - Implementation KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Northwestern United States KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement performance KW - Paving materials KW - Strain (Mechanics) KW - Stresses KW - Traffic characteristics KW - Wyoming UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-225B.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42300/42311/MPC10-225B.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118650 ER - TY - SER AN - 01354593 JO - TechBrief PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Virmani, Paul AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Improved Corrosion-Resistant Steel for Highway Bridge Construction PY - 2011/07 SP - 4p AB - This document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration report, Improved Corrosion-Resistant Steel for Highway Bridge Construction (FHWA-HRT-11-062). Plate girder bridges are usually fabricated from painted carbon steels or unpainted weathering steels. Weathering steels, including the modern high-performance steels, offer the lowest life-cycle cost (LCC) over the design life of the bridge because, in most service environments, on­going maintenance due to steel deterioration is not necessary. However, where the bridge is subject to high time-of-wetness or high chloride exposures—coastal areas and areas that use large quantities of deicing salt—weathering steels are not effective because the protective patina does not develop and the steel has a high corrosion rate. In these conditions, structural stainless steel ASTM A1010 (UNS S41003) provides sufficient corrosion protection so that painting is not necess­ary and the bridge structure is main­tenance free over its design life. The initial cost of stainless steel is more than twice the cost of carbon or weathering steel. Reducing the cost of stainless steel would improve the LCC of bridges in severe corrosion service conditions. This study identifies steels with lower potential cost than ASTM A1010 that could be candidates for bridge construction while still providing low corrosion rates. KW - Bridge construction KW - Corrosion resistance KW - Costs KW - Highway bridges KW - Life cycle costing KW - Stainless steel KW - Structural steel KW - Weathering steel UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/bridge/11061/11061.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118148 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354590 AU - Scopatz, Robert A AU - DeLucia, Barbara Hilger AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - State Traffic Information Systems Improvements: Promising Practices PY - 2011/07//Technical Report SP - 100p AB - This report highlights the major State-level accomplishments since 2005 in improving data systems used in traffic safety decision making. A nationwide assessment of traffic records system improvements solicited information from all NHTSA regions and all States plus the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. States were asked to report data quality improvement efforts taking place during the years following passage of the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005. The project was designed to identify improvements in crash, roadway, driver, vehicle, citation/adjudication, and injury surveillance datasets—the six major components of State traffic records systems. Improvements were sought in the data quality attributes of timeliness, accuracy, completeness, consistency, integration, and accessibility. State projects with quantitative measures showing data quality improvement are highlighted. Additional projects with qualitative evidence of data quality improvement are also described. Several States are listed as pursuing promising practices and the most effective of these are recommended for promotion to the traffic safety and traffic records community. KW - Crash data KW - Crash records KW - Data quality KW - Driver records KW - Information systems KW - States KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811502.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118443 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354586 AU - Al-Nazer, Leith AU - Raslear, Thomas AU - Patrick, Carlo AU - Gertler, Judith AU - Choros, John AU - Gordon, Jeffrey AU - Marquis, Brian AU - QinetiQ North America, Technology Solutions Group AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Track Inspection Time Study PY - 2011/07 SP - 106p AB - Section 403 of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) requires the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study of the track inspection process. This report describes a study conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), on behalf of the Secretary, in response to the requirement in Section 403 of the RSIA. To successfully fulfill this congressional mandate, FRA believed it was necessary to obtain a "snapshot" of the current track inspection process. A survey of a random sample of actively working track inspectors, as well as interviews with labor union officials and various levels of railroad management, provided the necessary information. FRA also compiled data related to track defects identified by FRA track inspectors over a 4-year period (2006–2009). This data provides an indication of the most prevalent defects as well as those that industry track inspectors fail to identify. In addition to the collection of survey data, interview data, and FRA track defect data, an "ideal observer" model was constructed for visual track inspection. The ideal observer model provides a theoretical upper limit, based on previously compiled empirical data, on how well the best possible observer can perform. KW - Data collection KW - Defects KW - Inspection KW - Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad tracks UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/97 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118152 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354574 AU - Cooner, Scott A AU - Ranft, Stephen E AU - Rathod, Yatin K AU - Qi, Yi AU - Yu, Lei AU - Wang, Yubian AU - Chen, Sammy AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of Guidelines for Triple Left and Dual Right-Turn Lanes: Technical Report PY - 2011/07//Technical Report SP - 190p AB - Left- or right-turn lanes at intersections improve safety and operations by separating turning and through vehicles. At intersections with heavy turning demand, it may be necessary to provide multiple turn lanes. Triple left-turn (TLT) and dual right-turn (DRT) lanes are still considered as relatively new designs that many agencies are reluctant to use, so they are somewhat limited in Texas. Guidelines for TLT or DRT lanes are almost nonexistent, leaving traffic engineers to rely on judgment for their designs. Therefore, this research was needed to develop consistent guidance. The 0-6112 project achieved two primary project goals: (1) development of geometric and signal design guidelines for TLT and DRT lanes; and (2) evaluation of the safety and operational performance of TLT and DRT sites in Texas. Researchers conducted field studies at 5 TLT and 20 DRT, primarily in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston urban areas, in order to evaluate lane utilization patterns, saturation flow rates, conflicts, and other operational factors. The research team also analyzed safety performance by investigating the crash history of the 25 sites using three techniques: collision diagrams, field conflict study, and comparison study. The results revealed that TLT lanes do not experience any major safety issues and also concluded that, in general, a well-designed DRT lane does not cause significantly higher crash frequency or severity compared to single right-turn lanes. Based on the results of this research and the geometric and signal design guidelines, TxDOT and other agencies should be confident that well-designed TLT and DRT lanes can be implemented to address heavy turning demand at key intersections. The evaluation of these multiple turn lane sites in Texas revealed that they perform well from both operational and safety standpoints. TLT and DRT lanes are not appropriate for all situations, and their use should be supported by an operational analysis. Other techniques (grade separation, signal timing, etc.) might be better solutions for a particular site, especially when considering the effects of adjacent intersections, pedestrian/bicycle movements, and other key factors. Researchers developed a product, Keys to Successful Public Outreach, which is useful for implementing multiple turn lane projects. KW - Dual right turn lanes KW - Geometric design KW - Guidelines KW - Highway design KW - Highway operations KW - Highway safety KW - Highway traffic control KW - Intersections KW - Left turn lanes KW - Right turn lanes KW - Texas KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic signals KW - Triple left turn lanes UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6112-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118301 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354564 AU - Wiechert, Ethan P AU - Carraro, J Antonio H AU - Colorado State University, Fort Collins AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Beneficial Use of Off-Specification Fly Ashes to Increase the Shear Strength and Stiffness of Expansive Soil-Rubber (ESR) Mixtures PY - 2011/07 SP - 108p AB - The use of off-specification fly ashes to increase the shear strength and stiffness of an expansive soil-rubber (ESR) mixture is investigated systematically in this study. The off-specification fly ashes used include a high-sulfur content and a high-carbon content fly ash. A class C fly ash is used as a control to develop a basis for comparison. The ESR mixture consists of high-plasticity clay blended with 20% 6.7-mm granulated rubber. The fly ash content necessary to develop pozzolanic reactions is determined based on the concept of lime fixation point and kept constant for all ESR-fly ash mixtures. Specimens are prepared at a single relative compaction level and curing times of 7 and 14 days. Unconfined compression testing was performed to validate the fly ash content selected and assess the development of pozzolanic reactions. Undrained triaxial compression tests are performed to evaluate the effect of the fly ash type and curing time at mean effective stress levels of 50, 100 and 200 kPa. Stiffness is evaluated at large strains during undrained compression and at very small strains using bender elements. Results indicate shear strength and stiffness are improved by the addition of the fly ashes, with the off-specification fly ashes performing as well as or better than the standard class C fly ash. KW - Fly ash KW - Pozzolanic action KW - Rubber KW - Shear strength KW - Soil stabilization KW - Stiffness KW - Swelling soils KW - Triaxial compression UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC11-235.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44100/44180/MPC11-235.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118653 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354149 AU - Porter, J David AU - Kim, David S AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Implementation Plan and Cost Analysis for Oregon’s Online Crash Reporting System PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 176p AB - Federal, state and local transportation agencies, law enforcement, the legislature, consulting firms, safety advocates and the public use crash data to quantify emerging traffic safety issues and problems, determine priorities, support decision-making, and target resources where they will be most effective. In most states, the primary source of crash data is a report completed by police officers. Oregon is different in that it relies heavily on citizens to report crash data via the Oregon Traffic Accident and Insurance (OTAI) paper-based report. Citizens are required to submit the OTAI report to the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) within 72 hours after the accident occurs. The main objective of this project was to define the main features, functions, capabilities and system architectures that may be incorporated into an online citizen crash reporting system to complement (and eventually replace) the paper-based OTAI report. The implementation of an online citizen crash reporting system could translate into a number of potential benefits to DMV and the Crash Analysis and Reporting (CAR) Unit. These benefits may include the collection of more accurate, timely, uniform and complete traffic accident data. It is expected that the preliminary design work performed as part of this project will aid the DMV and the CAR Unit in the future development and implementation of an online citizen crash reporting system. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Crash data KW - Crash reports KW - Data collection KW - Implementation KW - Online method KW - Oregon KW - Public participation KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic safety UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42105/500_460_CrashReporting.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117444 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354143 AU - Cerato, Amy B AU - Miller, Gerald A AU - Snethen, Donald AU - Hussey, Nicholas AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Validation and Refinement of Chemical Stabilization Procedures for Pavement Subgrade Soils in Oklahoma - Volume I PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 232p AB - Additions of byproduct chemicals, such as fly ash or cement kiln dust, have been shown to increase the unconfined compression strength (UCS) of soils. To be considered effective, the soil must exhibit a strength increase of at least 50 psi. Many current design methods base chemical additive percentage recommendations on the results of Atterberg Limit tests which do not always properly characterize the soil stabilization response. For example, Atterberg limit tests may reveal the same AASHTO classification of soil at two different sites, but one site may require more than twice the additive percentage of a chemical to achieve the desired UCS increase. This study examined the relationship between soil physico-chemical parameters and unconfined compression strength in various fine-grained soils to determine if other soil parameters have significant effects on predicting the strength of a soil treated with a given additive and additive content. The results of this study suggest that the surface area and shrinkage properties of the soil, combined with the Atterberg limit results, present a better picture of a given soil and will allow for better predictions of the amount of chemical stabilizer needed to adequately stabilize the soil. KW - Fine grained soils KW - Oklahoma KW - Physicochemical properties KW - Soil stabilization KW - Soils KW - Subgrade (Pavements) KW - Unconfined compressive strength UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42400/42424/FY10_2207_Cerato_Vol1FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117047 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354140 AU - Sicotte, Richard AU - Glitman, Karen AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Is There a Link Between Highway Funding, Construction Costs and Employment? PY - 2011/07 SP - 20p AB - The challenges facing the U.S. highway system are immense. First, there has been a marked deterioration in the existing infrastructure due to delayed maintenance. Second, transportation demands are much greater than before and the cost of congestion has increased accordingly. Third, the economic crisis has led to large budget deficits, and despite the recent burst of stimulus-related budget increases, the prognosis for future funding is uncertain. Perhaps at no other time since the inception of the interstate system has there been such a keen interest to maximize the effectiveness of government highway spending. This study contributes to this interest by examining the relationship between government highway expenditures and construction costs. If, for example, an increase in government highway spending leads to an increase in construction costs, will this diminish the effectiveness of the spending in maintaining or improving infrastructure? Knowledge of the spending-cost relationship can assist policy makers with the design and implementation of capital and maintenance programs. In the current economic environment, an additional interest is in quantifying how effective highway spending is at creating employment. Estimates of that relationship are included herein. This research estimated the relationship between government spending on highways and construction costs using state-level panel data across the fifty states and the District of Columbia from 1980-2006. While controlling for local economic conditions and state and year fixed effects, it was found that a 1 % increase in highway expenditures is associated with at most a 0.10% increase in highway construction costs. The data indicate that the principal influences on construction costs are factors related to the general state of the economy. Examination of state-level data on individual construction inputs – excavation, asphalt, steel and concrete – provided even weaker evidence that highway expenditures affect construction costs. However, national-level data from 1972-2006 provide stronger indications that highway expenditures affect construction costs, particularly in markets for asphalt, steel and concrete. The difference in state-level and national-level results might be attributed to several factors: data quality, sample size or the existence of substantial spillovers. In regard to employment, this research estimated that a 1% increase in expenditures is associated with between a 0.12 and 0.18 % increase in construction industry employment. KW - Costs KW - Economic conditions KW - Economic impacts KW - Employment KW - Expenditures KW - Government funding KW - Highways KW - Road construction KW - States KW - United States UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-012.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1115920 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354138 AU - Ishak, Sherif AU - Shin, Hak-Chul AU - Sridhar, Bharath Kumar AU - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Louisiana Transportation Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Characterization and Development of Truck Load Spectra and Growth Factors for Current and Future Pavement Design Practices in Louisiana PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 250p AB - For pavement design practices, several factors must be considered to ensure good pavement performance over the anticipated life cycle. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the type of paving materials, traffic loading characteristics, prevailing environmental conditions, and others. Traditional pavement design practices have followed the standards set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) which require the use of an equivalent single axle load (ESAL), 18 kip single axle load, for design traffic input. The new mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) was developed to improve pavement design practices. The guide, however, requires the development of truck axle load spectra, which are expressed by the number of load applications of various axle configurations (single, dual, tridem, and quad) within a given weight classification range. This raises the need for more axle load data from new and existing traffic data sources. Such additional data requirements pose a challenge for many states including Louisiana. This research study was conducted for LADOTD to address traffic data needs and requirements for the adoption of the new pavement design guide. The study reviewed current practices of traffic data collection processes adopted by LADOTD as well as existing and newly proposed traffic data collection procedures followed by other states. The study developed a strategic plan for Louisiana to meet the MEPDG traffic data requirements. Two alternative plans were proposed for the addition of new permanent Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) stations on major truck routes as well as utilizing axle load data from the existing weight enforcement sites. Cost estimates were also provided for each plan. In addition, the study developed axle load spectra and vehicle class distributions using screened traffic data collected by portable WIM sites from 2004 to 2006. For current design practices, the study also utilized portable WIM data to update load equivalency factors (LEF) using the Vehicle Travel Information System (VTRIS) software. KW - Axle loads KW - Data collection KW - Electromagnetic spectrum KW - Equivalent single axle loads KW - Louisiana KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Needs assessment KW - Pavement design KW - Traffic data KW - Weigh in motion UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2011/fr_445.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116083 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354137 AU - Miao, Qing AU - Wang, Bruce X AU - Adams, Teresa M AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessing the Value of Delay to Truckers and Carriers PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 44p AB - This project evaluates the value of delay (VOD) to commercial vehicle operators due to highway congestion. The VOD for congestion is a fundamental parameter driving the private sectors’ response to public freight projects and policies such as corridor construction and tolling. Factors affecting the commercial VOD include direct operational cost, travel length, travel time variation, inventory holding, and warehouse management. To approach the VOD, two methods are adopted in this project. One is the stated preference (SP) survey. The other is carrier fleet operational simulation. Simulation shows a range of VOD from $94/hr to $121/hr for the case of a central depot and $80/hr to $84/hr for the case of two depots. An SP survey is conducted for truckers and carriers in two scenarios, which results in a VOD range from $25/hr to $65/hr. A comparison between the survey and the simulation results shows that drivers perceive a significantly lower VOD than the simulated VOD in freight operation. KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Stated preferences KW - Surveys KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic simulation KW - Truck drivers KW - Value of time UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-15_Final_Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42000/42088/Wang_09-00-45.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116372 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354134 AU - Abu-Farsakh, Murad Y AU - Yu, Xinbao AU - Gautreau, Gavin AU - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Louisiana Transportation Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Control of Embankment Settlement Field Verification on PCPT Prediction Methods PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 81p AB - Piezocone penetration tests (PCPT) have been widely used by geotechnical engineers for subsurface investigation and evaluation of different soil properties such as strength and deformation characteristics of the soil. This report focuses on the verification of the PCPT settlement prediction methods for estimating the magnitude and time-rate of consolidation settlement of embankments over fine-grained soils. The settlement prediction methods involve the interpretation of piezocone penetration soundings and dissipation tests to determine the consolidation parameters, which include constrained modulus (M), overconsolidation ratio (OCR), and the horizontal and vertical coefficients of consolidation (ch ,cv). This Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) research team selected two case study sites, Juban Road Interchange Bridge at I-12 and Bayou Courtableau Bridge, to verify the PCPT predicted magnitude and time-rate of settlement. The embankments at each site were instrumented with horizontal inclinometers and vertical extensometers to monitor/measure their settlement with time. Both conventional one-dimensional consolidation tests and PCPT tests were performed to determine the consolidation parameters needed to calculate the magnitude and time-rate of consolidation settlements. The predicted magnitude and time-rate of consolidation settlements estimated using the laboratory one-dimensional consolidation tests and the PCPT tests were compared with field measurements. The results of this study showed that the piezocone penetration and dissipation data can reasonably estimate the magnitude and rate of consolidation settlement within the same range of accuracy as of the laboratory calculation. Friendly, visual basic software (Louisiana Embankment Settlement Prediction Program from PCPT, LESPP-PCPT) was also developed to calculate the magnitude and time-rate of consolidation settlements for symmetrical and unsymmetrical embankments utilizing the PCPT and dissipation tests for use by geotechnical engineers. KW - Consolidation KW - Dissipation KW - Embankments KW - Field tests KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Ground settlement KW - Piezocone penetration tests UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2011/fr_476.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42185/fr_476.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116088 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354126 AU - Caldwell-Aden, Laura AU - Maryn Consulting, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Case Studies of Community-Based Self-Sufficient DWI Programs PY - 2011/07//Case Studies SP - 88p AB - This report is intended to provide guidance to communities in developing or adapting existing programs to function more self-sufficiently. The report features five case studies of community-based, self-sufficient DWI programs operating at the local level in various communities across the country. Two of the programs are enforcement-oriented, one focusing on traffic safety violations, the other on vehicle forfeiture; two programs focus on offender supervision, one operating within the court system, the other as a human services program; one program is a multijurisdictional community traffic safety coalition providing prevention and intervention programming. While it is intended to provide information on self-sufficiency strategies and program components, it does not evaluate the specific program strategies (use of enforcement, offender supervision, coalitions, etc.). Community-based, self-sufficient DWI programs are independently managed and operated at the local level using sustainable funding sources to cover at least 75 percent of program costs. Sustainable funding sources may include fees or fines dedicated to the DWI program, as well as an established funding stream dedicated exclusively to the DWI program. A self-sufficient DWI program must be funded through sustainable sources to function efficiently if nonsustainable funding sources cease. KW - Coalitions KW - Community action programs KW - Countermeasures KW - Drunk driving KW - Highway safety KW - Offenders KW - Prevention KW - Safety programs KW - Self reliance KW - Self support (Finance) KW - Traffic law enforcement UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811300.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117454 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354104 AU - Shuler, Scott AU - Colorado State University, Fort Collins AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Investigating Crack Sealant Performance and Causes of Bumps in New Hot Mix Asphalt Overlays over Crack Sealants PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 32p AB - This final report is intended to provide information regarding the performance of crack sealants supplied and installed by three manufacturers for experimental use in a three-year evaluation of in-service pavements on three Colorado highways. In addition, preliminary conclusions have been developed regarding the propensity of three of these sealants to contribute to bumps in new overlay hot mix asphalt. Results of performance evaluations made, to date, indicate that the crack sealants failed at a surprising rate after only one winter. However, subsequent performance surveys after an additional twenty-four months indicate a tendency for the sealants to heal. Routing the cracks prior to filling appears to provide the best performance when the filler is overbanded, and filling the cracks to within ¼ inch of the surface instead of flush with the surface or overbanding produced the poorest performance. Bumps accompanied by transverse cracking occurred over the crack sealants when a new hot mix overlay was placed after the crack sealants had been in service for two years in one of the test pavements. The bumps and transverse cracks were exacerbated by utilizing steel rollers with vibration on breakdown of the hot mix asphalt overlay. The number of passes of the vibrating steel rollers further exacerbated the presence of the bumps and cracks. The same rollers used in static mode reduced the effect, and pneumatic rollers used for breakdown eliminated the effect. The ambient temperature and temperature of the substrate pavement during construction appears to have had little effect, as the same bumps and cracking occurred during vibratory breakdown after a small rain shower moistened and cooled down the substrate pavement surface prior to the overlay hot mix asphalt placement. The use of vibratory steel rollers during breakdown compaction of hot mix asphalt overlays on asphalt pavements containing crack sealants appears to exacerbate the presence of bumps and transverse cracks in the new asphalt directly over and in front of the cracks. These bumps and cracking may be mitigated by the use of pneumatic rollers on breakdown. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Bituminous overlays KW - Bumps KW - Cracking KW - Defects KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Performance KW - Pneumatic equipment KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Road rollers KW - Sealing compounds KW - Vibratory compaction UR - http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/research/pdfs/2011/cracksealants2.pdf/view UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1115810 ER - TY - SER AN - 01354101 JO - LTPP TechBrief PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Wiser, Larry AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Statistical Analysis of Performance of Recycled Hot Mix Asphalt Overlays in Flexible Pavement Rehabilitation PY - 2011/07 SP - 4p AB - This document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration report, Impact of Design Features on Pavement Response and Performance in Rehabilitated Flexible and Rigid Pavements (FHWA-HRT-10-066). The growing need for materials to rehabilitate the highway infrastructure in the United States and for sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives have substantially increased the demand for recycling materials. The most common material recycling application in pavements is reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). RAP includes any removed or reprocessed pavement material that contains asphalt and aggregates. The largest source of RAP is milled material retrieved from existing pavements or from full-depth removal. RAP can be combined with virgin aggregates, new binder, and/or recycling agents to produce a recycled hot mix, which is the most frequent use of RAP. The incorporation of RAP in recycled hot mixes is not a new concept. A survey of 12 State transportation departments indicates that in 1996 33 percent of pavement removed was used as RAP in hot mix asphalt (HMA) production. This percentage is likely to have increased since the time of the survey with the effort of Federal and State transportation departments promoting RAP use and with advancements in pavement recycling technology. Several studies have evaluated properties and performance of mixes with RAP in the laboratory that have been documented in literature.(3) When designed properly, RAP mixes have demonstrated a quality comparable to virgin HMAs. However, despite all the information available and the success rate of RAP mix projects, the perception that recycled materials are of inferior quality still persists. The objective of this TechBrief is to provide a summary of statistical analysis results of data collected during the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program in which performance of recycled HMA was compared to virgin mix in flexible pavement overlays. KW - Bituminous overlays KW - Flexible pavements KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program KW - Pavement performance KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements KW - Recycled materials KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Statistical analysis UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/ltpp/11051/11051.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117467 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354098 AU - Lyon, Craig AU - Persaud, Bhagwant AU - Hahn, Jeremy AU - Persaud and Lyon, Incorporated AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Safety Performance Functions for Ramp Terminals at Diamond Interchanges PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 41p AB - This report documents two efforts to support CDOT in the area of Safety Performance Function (SPF) development. The first involved the data collection and development of SPFs for five categories of ramp terminals at diamond interchanges. For each category, data for the period 2000 to 2006 were collected at sites selected to ensure statewide geographical representation and coverage of the range of traffic volume and other variables in each category. The second effort involved estimating the overdispersion parameters for a number of existing SPFs already in use by CDOT for various roadway segment categories. These parameters are required for implementing the state-of-the-art empirical Bayes procedure for various safety management processes. The development of SPFs for the five categories of ramp terminals was successful. Separate SPFs were developed for total and for injury (fatal+injury) accidents. The calibration of overdispersion parameters for the existing roadway segment SPFs was also successful. The developed safety performance functions, as well as the estimated overdispersion parameters, can be used immediately by CDOT for applying state-of-the-art methodologies for road safety management activities. KW - Diamond interchanges KW - Highway safety KW - Neural networks KW - Performance KW - Ramp terminals KW - Ramps (Interchanges) KW - Safety management UR - http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/research/pdfs/2011/spf2.pdf/view UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1115881 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354096 AU - Greer, Pamela AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Model Impaired Driving Records Information Systems – Tying Together Data Systems to Manage Impaired Drivers PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 36p AB - In 2002, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a demonstration project named the Model Impaired Driving Records Information System (MIDRIS) to document how States could further improve and expand existing data systems. In addition to funding, NHTSA provided ongoing support and guidance on the components of MIDRIS, and recommended implementation steps. In 1997, NHTSA published Driving While Intoxicated Tracking Systems (DOT 808 520) to focus attention on impaired driving data and the benefits a comprehensive data tracking system could provide to States and localities working to prevent the problem. Since that time most States implemented some components of the system, but few connected the dots and linked critical data elements from three key stake holders – law enforcement, State driver’s licensing agencies, and the courts. Four States were selected for the demonstration, Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Each of the pilot States had made progress on a MIDRIS prior to their selection and used the NHTSA support to make enhancements and improvements. This report documents the experience of the four States and highlights the best practices achieved through NHTSA's support. The report also provides examples of how these States made system-wide improvements in areas that until recently seemed too costly or complicated to implement. KW - Courts KW - Crash records KW - Driver licensing KW - Driver records KW - Drunk driving KW - Impaired drivers KW - Information systems KW - Law enforcement KW - Model Impaired Driving Records Information System KW - States UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811489.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117465 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354084 AU - Cerato, Amy B AU - Miller, Gerald A AU - Elwood-Madden, Megan AU - Adams, Amanda AU - Varnier, Michaela Campbell AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Calcium-Based Stabilizer Induced Heave in Oklahoma Sulfate-Bearing Soils PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 114p AB - The addition of lime stabilizers can create problems in soils containing sulfates. In most cases, lime is mixed with expansive soils rendering them non-expansive; however, when a certain amount of sulfate is present naturally in expansive soils, the lime reacts with gypsum to create an expansive mineral ettringite and causes the soil to become more expansive. The goal of this study was to provide a more accurate sulfate determination method and determine the physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics of Oklahoma soils that may predict vulnerability to adverse reactions from calcium-based stabilizers and attempt to relate these characteristics to free swell. Through this project, it was found that the current method of testing soil sulfate, Oklahoma Highway Department’s (OHD) L-49, resulted in substantial sulfate solubility issues and did not in all cases accurately determine sulfate concentrations in soils. Several bench studies were performed to understand the solubility problems and modifications were proposed. KW - Calcium compounds KW - Ettringite KW - Gypsum KW - Oklahoma KW - Soil heave KW - Solubility KW - Stabilizers KW - Sulfates KW - Swelling soils UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42400/42426/FY10_2210_Cerato_FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117040 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354080 AU - Rupnow, Tyson D AU - Icenogle, Patrick AU - Louisiana Transportation Research Center AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Surface Resistivity Measurements as an Alternative to the Rapid Chloride Permeability Test for Quality Assurance and Acceptance PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 68p AB - Many entities currently use permeability specifications in portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements and structures. This project investigated the use of a surface resistivity device as an indication of concrete’s ability to resist chloride ion penetration for use in quality assurance (QA) and acceptance of concrete. ASTM C 1202 tests were conducted at various ages with the corresponding surface resistivity test and the results were compared. Samples tested included: field prepared samples, samples from the ongoing 09-4C: Evaluation of Ternary Cementitious Combinations project, and samples from the laboratory test matrix. The laboratory test matrix tested several mixtures common to Louisiana at a wide range of water to cementitious materials ratios to evaluate the range of the surface resistivity meter. The surface resistivity measurements correlate well with rapid chloride permeability measurements across a wide range of permeability values and sample testing ages. Suitable correlations were found to exist between both the 14-day and 28-day surface resistivity values and the 56-day rapid chloride permeability values. The standard deviation of the surface resistivity meter results are usually less than 3 k(omega)-cm compared to 300 to 500 Coulombs from the rapid chloride permeability test. The surface resistivity meter was also able to identify great differences in water to cementitious materials (w/cm) ratios for the same mixtures. The cost benefit analysis showed that implementation of the device will save the Department about $101,000 in personnel costs in the first year. It is estimated that contractors will save about $1.5 million in quality control costs. The cost benefit ratio for this project is estimated to be about 15. LADOTD TR Procedure, TR 233, has been developed and implementation of the surface resistivity device has begun. KW - Acceptance tests KW - Electrical resistivity KW - Measurement KW - Permeability KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Quality assurance KW - Rapid chloride penetration test KW - Surfaces UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2011/fr_479.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/40000/40800/40810/fr_479.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116080 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354077 AU - Jones, R K AU - Mid-America Research Institute, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Department of Justice TI - Evaluation of the DUI Court Program in Maricopa County, Arizona PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 44p AB - This is the final report of a project that evaluated the effectiveness of a DUI court program aimed at reducing felony DUI offenders’ subsequent alcohol-related traffic violations. The evaluation involved a descriptive and quantitative analysis of the program, and an impact evaluation of the program’s effect on the alcohol-related traffic law conviction recidivism of randomly assigned offenders to the DUI court program and the county’s standard probation program. The evaluation found that the DUI court concept as applied in Maricopa County was effective in reducing the recidivism of felony DUI offenders as measured by the time before a subsequent alcohol-related traffic conviction. The study also found that the DUI court program was more effective in reducing recidivism than the county’s standard probation program for the target group of offenders. KW - Court operations KW - Drunk driving KW - Effectiveness KW - Evaluation KW - Highway safety KW - Maricopa County (Arizona) KW - Offenders KW - Recidivism KW - Repeat offenders KW - Traffic courts KW - Traffic violations UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811302.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45700/45728/811302.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117455 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353751 AU - Bin-Shafique, Sazzad AU - Barrett, Michael AU - Sharif, Hatim AU - Charbeneau, Randall AU - Ali, Kausar AU - Hudson, Cody AU - University of Texas, San Antonio AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Mitigation Methods for Temporary Concrete Traffic Barrier Effects on Flood Water Flows PY - 2011/07//Technical Report SP - 190p AB - A combined experimental and analytical approach was put together to evaluate the hydraulic performance and stability of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) standard and modified temporary concrete traffic barriers (TCTBs) in extreme flood. Rating curves are developed for different TCTBs from the laboratory experiments and methods are developed to model TCTBs using Hydrologic Engineering Center-River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) during extreme flood condition. In addition, the effect of clogging of the openings of the TCTBs is also evaluated. A parametric study was conducted with important field parameters to evaluate the effect on stability of TCTBs against sliding and overturning during extreme flood. Based on the study of hydraulic performance, stability analysis, and parametric study, it can be seen that the modified single slope barrier is the most efficient TCTB from the perspective of hydraulic performance and the low speed concrete barrier is the most efficient TCTB from the perspective of stability. A guideline is prepared to use TCTBs in flood prone zones so that the use of TCTBs will not be detrimental in extreme flood. KW - Flood plains KW - Floods KW - Flow KW - Hydraulics KW - Laboratory tests KW - Stability analysis KW - Temporary barriers KW - Texas KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6094-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42300/42384/0-6094-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118803 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353552 AU - Liu, Cejun AU - Ye, Tony Jianqiang AU - National Center for Statistics and Analysis TI - Run-Off-Road Crashes: An On-Scene Perspective PY - 2011/07//NHTSA Technical Report SP - 36p AB - Run-off-road (ROR) crashes, which usually involve only a single vehicle, contribute to a large portion of fatalities and serious injuries to motor vehicle occupants. In this study, the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS) data collected at crash scenes between 2005 and 2007 is used to identify the ROR critical pre-crash event, assess the critical reason for the ROR critical event, and examine associated factors present in the pre-crash phase of the ROR crash. The effect of antilock brake system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC) on ROR crashes is also evaluated. The results show that over 95 percent of the critical reasons for single-vehicle ROR crashes were driver-related. The most frequently occurring category of critical reasons attributed to drivers was driver performance errors (27.7%) such as “overcompensation” and “poor directional control,” followed by driver decision errors (25.4%) such as “too fast for curve” and “too fast for conditions,” critical non-performance errors (22.5%) such as “sleeping” and “heart attack/other phys-ical impairment,” and recognition errors (19.8%) such as “internal distractions” and “external distractions.” With the presence of alcohol in the driver, as high as 46.9 percent of driver-related critical reasons for single-vehicle ROR crashes were driver performance errors. The logistic regression analysis shows that the most influential factors in the occurrence of single-vehicle ROR crashes were the factors “driver inattention,” “driver was fatigued,” and “driver was in a hurry.” In the NMVCCS crashes, for the vehicles equipped with both ABS and ESC, 7.5 percent ran off the road, while for the vehicles equipped with neither ABS nor ESC, 14.6 percent ran off the road. The odds of being involved in ROR crashes for the vehicles equipped with neither ABS nor ESC were 2.1 times greater than the odds for the vehicles equipped with both ABS and ESC. The combined effect of ABS and ESC systems on reducing the ROR crashes is significant, which is consistent with prior evaluation of the long-term effect of ABS and ESC based on the FARS and GES data. This study is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s first effort in evaluating the effectiveness of crash avoidance technologies with the NMVCCS data. KW - Antilock brake systems KW - Attention lapses KW - Crash causes KW - Driver errors KW - Drunk drivers KW - Electronic stability control KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Logistic regression analysis KW - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey KW - Pre-crash data KW - Ran off road crashes KW - Speeding UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811500.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118322 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353036 AU - ETC Institute AU - Missouri Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Report Card From Missourians - 2011 PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 163p AB - This survey populates data for seven customer satisfaction measures for the MoDOT Tracker; 4b, 4c, 5a, 12i, 13c, 16a and 17b. The survey also asks other evaluative and priority questions that measure the public’s support for various ways of raising and appropriating revenue for transportation. Using previous annual surveys as a baseline, the investigators collaborated with MoDOT to finalize the survey questions to be asked. A professional calling center was contracted to obtain a representative sample of each of the 10 MoDOT Districts, with a minimum of 350 respondents per District. Potential respondents were contacted through random digit dialing (RDD) from April 19th through May 2nd 17. A total of 3,524 interviews were completed for the study for a response rate of 43.2%. KW - Customer satisfaction KW - Decision making KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway maintenance KW - Highway operations KW - Highway traffic control KW - Missouri KW - Missouri Department of Transportation KW - Performance measurement KW - Surveys KW - Transportation planning UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/Rd08018/FinalMainReport_July11.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42103/FinalMainReport_July11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117524 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352445 AU - Lewis, Carol Abel AU - Hall, Kadijah AU - Texas Southern University AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Another Look at the Question of Density and Rail Transit PY - 2011/07 SP - 32p AB - Long community discussions about rail often include whether a city’s spatial distribution of housing, employment and other trip generators is conducive to supporting rail transit. A city’s decision to construct rail transit is based on an array of variables, some of which may indirectly relate to density. Other variables considered important are number of new riders, operating costs and construction costs. Although density is not a direct variable in the list of criteria, numerous studies show a positive correlation with ridership, confirming density as an explanation for the number of riders a system will attract. For that reason, opponents of new rail systems often raise lack of density as reason not to pursue rail. This research compares density in a few select cities with the accepted transit efficiency performance measure of operating cost per passenger mile to determine whether this statistic is better in more dense cities. KW - Measures of effectiveness KW - Performance measurement KW - Population density KW - Public transit KW - Rail transit KW - Ridership KW - Traffic distribution KW - Trip generation UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/473700-00052-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42270/473700-00052-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116934 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352443 AU - Jaipuria, Sunny AU - Zhang, Zhanmin AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Performance Goals on the Needs of Highway Infrastructure Maintenance PY - 2011/07 SP - 53p AB - Although it is widely accepted that establishing suitable performance goals is critical for system maintenance and preservation, a framework that considers the inter-relationship between conflicting objectives of minimum maintenance and rehabilitation costs, deferred maintenance costs, and vehicle operating costs to the users does not exist. This report proposes a methodological framework that is aimed at assisting highway agencies with the problem of objectively analyzing policy decisions in terms of the performance goals for their highway networks that would minimize the total transport costs to the society. In a case study of the proposed framework, the highway network managed by the Texas Department of Transportation was examined for different performance goals. The results from the case study indicate that setting lower performance goals lead to savings in the M&R needs, but at the same time, they also significantly increase the exogenous costs such as deferred maintenance costs and the vehicle operating costs. KW - Case studies KW - Decision making KW - Highway maintenance KW - Infrastructure KW - Operating costs KW - Performance measurement KW - Policy making KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Strategic planning KW - Texas Department of Transportation UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/169208-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42279/169208-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116820 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352438 AU - Boske, Leigh B AU - Cho, Hee Deok AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - International Air Cargo Operations and Gateways: Their Emerging Importance to the State of Texas PY - 2011/07 SP - 81p AB - Air cargo transport has become particularly important in today’s expanding global economy for the movement of high-value goods such as electronics, computer components, precision equipment, medical supplies, auto parts, and perishables. Air cargo operations allow fast, frequent, and predictable transit as an increasing number of companies out-source manufacturing to remote locations of the world. Decreasing product cycles for high-value, high-technology goods have made fast delivery to markets essential. In addition, local industries have become global traders, who can reach consumers worldwide. This report examines the potential of Texas-based airports, especially Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport and the Houston Airport System, to emerge as international gateways for global trade in general and trans-Pacific trade in particular. The period covered is 2001 to 2006. The report is composed of four chapters. The first chapter examines global, U.S., and Texas air cargo trends. The second chapter addresses air freight performance and activities at Texas airports. The third chapter discusses the relationship between air cargo/passenger operations and their impacts on local economic development. The final chapter discusses the policy implications for the State of Texas. KW - Air cargo KW - Air cargo terminals KW - Airports KW - Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport KW - East Asia KW - Economic development KW - Economic impacts KW - Houston Airport System KW - Hubs KW - International trade KW - Performance measurement KW - Policy analysis KW - Texas UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/167261-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42274/167261-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116819 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352432 AU - Boske, Leigh B AU - Anazia, Larry K AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - U.S. and Texas International Trade and Transportation PY - 2011/07 SP - 69p AB - This report, funded by the Southwest Region University Transportation Center, examines various aspects of international trade, transportation, and foreign practices implemented to facilitate and fund transport-related infrastructure. The report is composed of six chapters. The first chapter provides an overview of the U.S. international trade outlook. The second chapter describes the roles played by air cargo transport, ports and ocean carriers, railroads, and the motor carrier industry in U.S. international trade. The third and fourth chapters focus on Texas-specific international trade and modal gateways. The fifth chapter reviews various transport funding mechanisms, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications, and forms of public-private partnerships adopted in various foreign countries. The final chapter describes the expansion of the Panama Canal and its likely Texas impacts. KW - Air cargo KW - Best practices KW - Forecasting KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - International trade KW - International transportation KW - Ocean shipping KW - Ports KW - Public private partnerships KW - Railroad transportation KW - Texas KW - Trucking UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161121-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42271/161121-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116932 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351909 AU - Guarino, Jenny AU - Weidman, Pheny AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Public Perceptions on Transportation Characteristics of Livable Communities: The 2009 Omnibus Household Survey PY - 2011/07//Special Report SP - 5p AB - The Omnibus Household Survey (OHS) is a national survey on attitudes about transportation that is administered annually by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to a sample of approximately 1,000 households. The 2009 OHS included a series of questions to gauge public perceptions on transportation-related characteristics of livable communities. Survey participants were asked to rate how important several transportation options or features were to have in their community, such as highway access, transit service, and bike lanes. Responses to the 2009 OHS suggest that a majority of the public considered it important to have a wide range of transportation alternatives. The majority also strongly supported the provision of facilities that permit continued reliance on the personal automobile in the community in which they live. This is illustrated by the following key findings from the OHS: 1. 75 percent stated that reliable local bus, rail, or ferry transportation that could be reached without driving was important; 2. 70 percent found importance in bike lanes or paths to shopping, work, or school; 3. 94 percent said that major roads or highways that served their community were important; and 4. 89 percent felt that adequate parking in the downtown or central business district was important. KW - Access KW - Attitudes KW - Bicycle lanes KW - Highways KW - Households KW - Livable communities KW - Parking KW - Public opinion KW - Public transit KW - Surveys UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2011_07_12/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1112966 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351896 AU - Ellis, David AU - Glover, Brianne AU - Norboge, Nicolas AU - Zhi, Yuan AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of the Texas Revenue Estimator and Needs Determination System (T.R.E.N.D.S.) Model: FY 2010 Activities PY - 2011/07//Technical Report SP - 26p AB - The T.R.E.N.D.S. model provides transportation planners, policy makers, and the public a tool to forecast revenues and expenses for the Texas Department of Transportation for the period 2010 through 2035 based on a user-defined level of transportation investment. The user, through interactive windows, can control a number of variables related to assumptions regarding statewide transportation needs, population growth rates, fuel efficiency, federal reimbursement rates, inflation rates, taxes, fees, and other elements. The output is a set of tables and graphs showing a forecast of revenues, expenditures, and fund balances for each year of the analysis period based on the user-defined assumptions. During FY 2010, a new module providing local option revenue projections was added. The analysis area for this module is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). KW - Expenditures KW - Forecasting KW - Fuel consumption KW - Fuel taxes KW - Investments KW - Needs assessment KW - Revenues KW - Texas KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6395-TI-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114403 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351895 AU - George, Linda AU - Figliozzi, Miguel AU - Monsere, Chris AU - Kendrick, Christine AU - Bigazzi, Alex AU - Moore, Adam AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Transportation Microenvironments Through Assessment of Cyclists' Exposure to Traffic-Related Particulate Matter PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 52p AB - This report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to more standard suburban developments. The authors compare survey results from residents of matched pairs of neighborhoods in seventeen U.S. cities and towns, with each pair comprised of one NTD and one typical suburban neighborhood of similar size, age, and socio-demographic composition. The study addresses salient themes in the transportation, planning and health literatures: a national study, surveying populations of diverse incomes, collecting resident information on preferences for and attitudes towards neighborhood qualities, and addressing transportation and health outcomes for diverse community designs. KW - Attitudes KW - Cyclists KW - Evaluation KW - Health KW - Lifestyle KW - Neotraditional neighborhoods KW - Particulates KW - Quality of life KW - Suburbs KW - Travel behavior KW - Urban design UR - http://otrec.us/main/document.php?doc_id=1999 UR - http://otrec.us/project/345 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114446 ER - TY - SER AN - 01351870 JO - Traffic Safety Facts - Research Note PB - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Cosgrove, Linda AU - Chaudhary, Neil AU - Reagan, Ian AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Four High-Visibility Enforcement Demonstration Waves in Connecticut and New York Reduce Hand-Held Phone Use PY - 2011/07 SP - 12p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated distracted driving demonstration programs in two communities to test whether a high-visibility enforcement (HVE) model could reduce two specific instances of distracted driving—talking or texting using a hand-held cell phone. The HVE model combines dedicated law enforcement during a specified period, paid and earned media that emphasizes an enforcement-based message, and evaluation before and after. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated distracted driving demonstration programs in two communities to test whether a high-visibility enforcement (HVE) model could reduce two specific instances of distracted driving—talking or texting using a hand-held cell phone. The HVE model combines dedicated law enforcement during a specified period, paid and earned media that emphasizes an enforcement-based message, and evaluation before and after. The demonstration projects were aimed to test whether HVE would be effective in modifying driver behavior to not use hand-held phones to talk or text, whether law enforcement would be able to observe violations, and whether an HVE campaign would increase drivers’ perceived risk of receiving a citation for violating the law. This report summarizes results from four HVE waves over the course of one year targeting distracted driving in Hartford, Connecticut, and Syracuse, New York. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Distraction KW - Handheld devices KW - Hartford (Connecticut) KW - Mass media KW - Public information programs KW - Safety campaigns KW - Syracuse (New York) KW - Text messaging KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811845.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45700/45729/811845.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114256 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01350108 AU - Dons, Joeri AU - Mariens, Jan AU - O'Callaghan, Gregory D AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Use of Third‐party Aircraft Performance Tools in the Development of the Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 77p AB - This report documents work done to enhance terminal area aircraft performance modeling in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT). A commercially available aircraft performance software tool was used to develop data in a form usable by the AEDT. These data were compared to actual aircraft performance data measured by flight data recorder systems. The terminal area fuel consumption data were shown to average about 2% different from the measured fuel consumption for departures and about 5% different for arrivals. KW - Airport terminals KW - Arrivals and departures KW - Aviation KW - Aviation Environmental Design Tool KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fuel consumption UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39700/39745/DOT-VNTSC-FAA-11-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113094 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526259 AU - Noland, Robert B AU - Hanson, Christopher S AU - Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Lifecycle Carbon Footprint Analysis of Transportation Capital Projects PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 309p AB - This report documents the development of GASCAP, the Greenhouse Gas Analysis System for Transportation Capital Projects. The report provides extensive detail on the assumptions underlying the emissions factors for materials, construction equipment, and preliminary work on a life-cycle maintenance module. Appendices include a review of methods for incorporating the effects of induced travel demand into a sketch planning tool, plus additional documentation for various elements of GASCAP. A user guide is also included as are a selection of case studies that were conducted to provide initial tests of the software. Further research directions to extend the usability of GASCAP are also included. KW - Case studies KW - Construction projects KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Pollutants KW - Software KW - Travel demand KW - User guides (Software) UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307325 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446012 AU - Hector-Hsu, Jessica AU - Ritter, Gary T AU - Sloan, Suzanne AU - Waldon, Laura AU - Thornton, Philip AU - Blythe, Katherine AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - SafeTrip-21: Federal ITS Field Tests to Transform the Traveler Experience PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 28p AB - SafeTrip-21 popularized transportation technology by making traffic and transit data available to the public via websites, smartphone apps, and other electronic media. Federal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) field tests were carried out between November 2008 and November 2010 in partnership with state government, private companies, and universities. The results showed that public ITS research can provide a conceptual foundation for real-world and commercial products. KW - Field tests KW - Highway safety KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Real time information KW - SafeTrip-21 KW - Smartphones KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic data KW - Websites (Information retrieval) KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/40000/40300/40353/FHWA-JPO-11-114.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212587 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01431188 AU - Elefteriadou, Lily AU - Martin, Barbara AU - Simmerman, Tom AU - Hale, David AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Using Microsimulation to Evaluate the Effects of Advanced Vehicle Technologies on Congestion PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 87p AB - Advanced driver assistance technologies are continuously being developed to enhance traffic safety. Evaluations of such technologies typically focus on safety and there has been limited research on the impacts of such technologies on traffic operations. Given the difficulty in observing such impacts in the real world, traffic simulation is used in this project to replicate such technologies under various demand and market penetration scenarios. The project focuses on Advanced Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Change Assist (LCA). These two systems were replicated in a microsimulator (CORSIM) and their impacts were reported separately and in combination along a test network. It was concluded that the ACC can significantly increase speeds for congested conditions, even at the lowest market penetration scenario tested (20% ACC in the traffic stream). However, when ACC is present, bottlenecks can be created at locations where a significant number of drivers are likely to turn their ACC off. When only the LCA was present the number of lane change maneuvers increased, the throughput (VMT) increased, and travel time was not significantly affected. When both LCA and ACC were present, conditions improved significantly, and similarly to when ACC was available by itself. KW - Autonomous intelligent cruise control KW - Bottlenecks KW - CORSIM (Traffic simulation model) KW - Driver support systems KW - Highway operations KW - Lane changing KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic simulation KW - Traffic speed KW - Travel time KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/elefteriadou_2009-006.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45645/elefteriadou_2009-006.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1188888 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01370000 AU - Heitzman, Michael AU - Timm, David AU - Tackle, Eugene S AU - Herzmann, Daryl E AU - Traux, Dennis D AU - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State AU - Mississippi Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Developing MEPDG Climate Data Input Files for Mississippi PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 42p AB - Prior to this effort, Mississippi's Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) climate files were limited to 12 weather stations in only 10 countries, and only seven weather stations had over 8 years (100 months) of data. Hence, building MEPDG climate input datasets improves modeling accuracy and geographic coverage. The new historic climate files created by this project use hourly data from 23 Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) and Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) and daily data from over 100 Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) sources combined to generate a more accurate 40-year historic climate input data file for the 82 counties in Mississippi. This represents over 30 times more climate input data for MEPDG analyses in the state. The study then built viral (future) climate files by applying global and regional climate models to the 40-year historic data. These virtual files were limited to nine climate zones across Mississippi due to the nature of long-range climate prediction. The temperature and precipitation data were adjusted in the virtual files, and the 82 historic and nine virtual climate data files were checked for logical errors and using the MEPDG program as part of the development process. The sensitivity analysis examined how the improved climate data input files (MEPDG, Historic, and Virtual) on three common types of pavements (jointed PCC, thick hot mix asphalt (HMA), and thin HMA) used in Mississippi. The analysis showed that repeating the limited data in the MEPDG climate input files to predict pavement distress over a typical 20 to 40 year analysis period resulted in significantly higher predicted distress in some cases. The sensitivity study determined that the resources used to built the improved climate files were an appropriate effort with a measurable long-term benefit. KW - Climate KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Mississippi KW - Pavement performance KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Precipitation (Meteorology) KW - Sensitivity analysis KW - Temperature UR - http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/research/Reports/Interim%20and%20Final%20Reports/State%20Study%20No.%20232%20Developing%20MEPDG%20Climate%20Data%20Input%20Files%20for%20Mississippi.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138898 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01369984 AU - Uddin, Waheed AU - University of Mississippi, University AU - Mississippi Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Performance Evaluation of Roundabouts for Traffic Delay and Crash Reductions in Oxford, MS PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 107p AB - Due to increased traffic volume, congestion, and capacity limitations, two roundabouts have been constructed on South Lamar Boulevard ramp intersections with MS Highway 6 in Oxford, MS. Roundabouts replaced the existing signalized intersection on the north and stop controlled intersections on the south side of the South Lamar Boulevard and MS Highway 6 Interchange. The overall objective of this study was to assess the performance of the roundabouts in Oxford with respect to traffic flow, capacity, and safety improvements, and to determine the public perception of roundabouts by means of an opinion survey. Detailed post-roundabout traffic movement volume and crash data were collected and compared with the pre-roundabout data to assess the in-service performance of the roundabouts. Traffic flow microsimulation and capacity analysis methods were used to evaluate performance of the roundabouts. The results of the Oxford roundabout study showed significant improvement in traffic flow, crash reduction, and reduction in vehicle emissions. It was found that the conversion of the intersections to roundabouts improved traffic flow by reducing average delay by 24%, idling time by 77%, and fuel wastage by 56%. Overall vehicle emissions from idling were reduced significantly including 56% in CO2, 80% in VOC, and 77% in CO, NOx, and PM10. This conversion of stop-controlled intersections to roundabouts increased the average speed by 67% and improved level of service of both roundabouts. The roundabout conversion increased the mean speed on the South Lamar interchange by 67% and improved level of service for both intersections. The roundabout junctions improved safety performance through a 37.5% reduction in crashes and a 60% reduction in the number of crashes resulting in injury. The reduction in overall crashes in the study area reduced comprehensive cost by 54.4%. Total user cost saving from reductions in travel time, fuel wastage, and crash cost combined is $806,018 annually. These benefits paid off the total cost of construction of the two roundabouts within two years. The resulting B/C ratio is 6.2 over a period from 2009 to 2016. Additionally, significant societal benefits are expected from reductions in vehicle emissions. Also, an anonymous public opinion survey overwhelmingly demonstrated favorable results and provides support to consider more roundabout junctions in place of stop-controlled intersections. The study results indicate that roundabouts are performing well as intended. Some constructive comments suggested by the public, such as flashing lights on signs, can be implemented by the Mississippi DOT to enhance traffic flow and safety. KW - Case studies KW - Crash data KW - Crashes KW - Exhaust gases KW - Highway capacity KW - Highway safety KW - Microsimulation KW - Oxford (Mississippi) KW - Performance measurement KW - Public opinion KW - Roundabouts KW - Surveys KW - Traffic flow UR - http://mdot.ms.gov/documents/research/Reports/Interim%20and%20Final%20Reports/State%20Study%20No.%20213%20Performance%20Evaluation%20of%20Roundabouts%20for%20Traffic%20Delay%20and%20Crash%20Reductions%20in%20Oxford.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44400/44475/State_Study_No._213_Performance_Evaluation_of_Roundabouts_for_Traffic_Delay_and_Crash_Reductions_in_Oxford.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138465 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362683 AU - Yohanan, David AU - Truelson, Shawn AU - Duensing, Jeremy AU - Chenevert, Doug AU - Willard, Frank AU - Forgang, Marc AU - Telvent, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrating Clarus Data with the 511 New York Traveler Information System PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 42p AB - This document is the final report that describes the process and results of integrating Clarus and other weather alert data into the 511 New York Traveler Information System. This project involves the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of an intelligent transportation system that collects real-time Clarus Road Weather Information System data and other pertinent weather alert data from various sources on the Long Island Expressway (I-495) and I-87 in New York State and integrates the information for display to the end-user through a modified 511 New York (511NY) traveler information website. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of collecting, integrating, and disseminating various types of current and forecast location-specific weather alert data for use by traffic managers and motorists to help make better travel decisions, reduce congestion, and improve safety. KW - 511 (National Travel Information Number) KW - Advanced traveler information systems KW - Clarus KW - Data collection KW - Information dissemination KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - New York (State) KW - Real time information KW - Road weather information systems KW - Weather forecasting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43100/43159/FHWA_Clarus_Integration_Final_Rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127488 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359716 AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Kitchener, Fred AU - Blake, Kevin AU - Battelle AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Developments in Weather Responsive Traffic Management Strategies PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 254p AB - This report provides a comprehensive overview of weather-responsive traffic management practices. It focuses on what weather responsive traffic management (WRTM) strategies exist, where they have been used, the benefits realized, what improvements are needed, and how to implement and evaluate them as part of transportation operations. The report also contains concepts of operations and high-level requirements that an agency can use to design and develop advanced WRTM strategies. Guidance was also developed to assist in evaluating the benefits and performance of several WRTM strategies. KW - Design KW - Highway operations KW - Highway traffic control KW - Road weather information systems KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - Traffic control centers UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42900/42965/wrtm_final_report_06302011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125686 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357450 AU - Peterson, Karl R AU - Sutter, Lawrence L AU - Michigan Technological University, Houghton AU - Michigan Technological University AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Hydrated Cement Paste Quality and Entrained Air-Void System on the Durability of Concrete PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - v.p. AB - This study is designed to examine whether traditional limits used to describe the air-void system still apply to concrete prepared with new admixtures and materials. For this research, the concrete mixtures prepared were characterized with traditional and emerging equipment and tests used to measure hydrated cement paste properties. All concrete mixtures were prepared using materials that meet current MDOT specifications. Modern cements and the use of supplementary cementitious materials lead to a hardened cement paste that can potentially have a higher tensile strength and lower permeability. The classic limitation of an airvoid system spacing factor less than or equal to 0.2 mm is still a safe value to ensure F-T durability, but evidence exists that concrete mixtures with a spacing factor greater than 0.2 mm can also be F-T durable. The durability of concretes produced with a reduced cementitious material content (CMC), in terms of the laboratory ASTM C666 testing conducted in this study, is superior to traditional 564 lbs/yd3 CMC concrete. There is general agreement between methods of measuring the total air content of a concrete mixture, although the AVA generally does not perform well for this task. Test results for water content by AASHTO T 318 compared well with the mixture designs when the measured water content is corrected for aggregate absorption. Test results for w/cm by the Cementometer™ were not as promising, but may be improved with further attention to the calibration process. Semi-adiabatic calorimetry proved to be useful tool for identifying delayed-set mixtures. KW - Admixtures KW - Air void analyzers KW - Air voids KW - Cement paste KW - Fly ash KW - Freeze thaw durability KW - Slag cement UR - http://michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9622_11045_24249-262753--,00.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120966 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351430 AU - Hitchcock, Wilbur A AU - Toutanji, Houssam AU - Richardson, James AU - Salama, Talat AU - Callahan, Dale AU - Jackson, Joshua AU - Zhao, Hua AU - University of Alabama, Birmingham AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Expanding Portable B-WIM Technology PY - 2011/06/28 SP - 56p AB - Advances in weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology over the past 15 years have led to successful field application of a commercial grade portable Bridge WIM system (B-WIM) in Europe. Under a previous UTCA Research Project No. 07212, the University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA) tested the state-of-the-art commercially available B-WIM technology on two interstate highway bridges. The equipment tested was developed by CESTEL, a Slovenian technology company, and is commercially referred to as the SiWIM system. Some technical difficulties occurred during the Project 07212 field tests; however, the SiWIM system was successfully installed, calibrated, and placed into a data gathering mode at both sites. The objective of the research described in this report was to develop a practical recommendation for installation of SiWIM technology at potentially multiple locations in the State of Alabama for the primary purpose of traffic enforcement. The researchers worked with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to select a bridge for instrumentation that has the potential for an excellent accuracy classification rating. The bridge selected is located on US Highway 78 East in Graysville, Alabama. The bridge structure consists of three 42-ft simply supported reinforced concrete T-beam spans with two traffic lanes in one direction. In addition, an ALDOT-operated Bending Plate Weigh-In-Motion System (BP-WIM) is located approximately four miles to the west also on US Highway 78. After installing the SiWiM system on the bridge, calibration and three in-service simulated enforcement test exercises were conducted. Over one hundred trucks were weighed by the SiWIM system and compared to their static weights. Many of the trucks were also weighed by the BP-WIM system. The accuracy classification established for the SiWIM system during the calibration and subsequent in-service tests varied between ±20% and ±44% of the static weight with a confidence level of 85%. This level of accuracy is not precise enough to be used with confidence to screen trucks for weight enforcement. The additional BP-WIM data collected during this program indicated that the SiWIM system may be as accurate as the nearby BP-WIM system tested. Lessons learned from the work reported here have been of benefit. In March, 2011, ALDOT personnel installed, calibrated, and operated a newer model of the SiWIM system on a shorter span bridge, achieving B(10), C(15), AND B(10) accuracy classification in random truck weighing for gross vehicle weight, group axles, and single axles, respectively. KW - Accuracy KW - Alabama KW - Calibration KW - Field tests KW - Gross vehicle weight KW - Highway bridges KW - Portable equipment KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Weigh in motion UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=08204 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116052 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380474 AU - Yelchuru, Balaji AU - Adams, Victoria AU - Hurley, Eric AU - Bonifera, Vincent AU - Booz Allen Hamilton AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - AERIS: State of-the-Practice Scan of Environmental Models PY - 2011/06/24/Final Report SP - 75p AB - This report has been developed under the Track 1 effort of Phase 1 of the Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis (AERIS) program and presents the findings of the state-of-the-practice scan of environmental models to estimate environmental impacts (emissions, fuel consumption, etc.) due to changes in traveler behavior and trip choices in response to implementation of intelligent transportation system (ITS) strategies. Several environmental models were examined to determine the sensitivity and validity of these models in estimating emissions impacts of ITS strategies. The report includes a detailed assessment of the suitability of Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES), Comprehensive Modal Emission Model (CMEM) and EMission FACtor (EMFAC) emissions models in evaluating emissions impacts of ITS strategies. KW - Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis KW - Comprehensive Modal Emissions Model KW - Environmental impacts KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Motor vehicle emission factor models KW - Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) KW - Pollutants UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45602/FHWA-JPO-11-135_AERIS_State_of_Practice_Scan_of_Environmental_Models_FINAL_508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147980 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345240 AU - McNeil, Sue AU - Mizusawa, Daisuke AU - Rahimian, Sekine AU - Bittner, Jason AU - University of Delaware, Newark AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Regional University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessing and Interpreting the Benefits Derived from Implementing and Using Asset Management Systems PY - 2011/06/23/Final Report SP - 104p AB - Interest in asset management has grown over the last two decades but agencies continue to be concerned about the cost to develop and implement asset management processes. While originally introduced as a tool for policy analysis, the Highway Economic Requirement System - State Version (HERS-ST) is free software that delivers several asset management functions. This report uses a generic methodology to document a strategy to assess the benefits to be gained using tools such as HERS-ST. The impact of decisions made using HERS-ST (referred to as “with HERS-ST”) are compared with decisions made using a naive worst first strategy (referred to as “without HERS-ST”) using common performance measures, net present value and benefit cost ratios. The methodology is applied to three different data sets. The data from New Mexico are used to explore strategies for communicating the results using charts, graphs and tables. Data from Kentucky and Delaware are used to develop more in-depth case studies. All three data sets demonstrate that significant benefits can be realized using HERS-ST. A Step-by-Step Guide for implementing the methodology and a training module are also developed. KW - Asset management KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Benefits KW - Case studies KW - Computer program documentation KW - Data files KW - Decision making KW - Delaware KW - HERS-ST (Computer model) KW - Kentucky KW - Net present value KW - New Mexico KW - Performance measurement KW - Software KW - Training UR - http://www.wistrans.org/mrutc/files/Training_110222.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107437 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465779 TI - Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency AB - This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishes an agreement between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through which FHWA will provide funds to EPA to acquire the services of senior workers through the auspices of the Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) program. KW - Aged KW - Employment KW - Memorandums of understanding KW - Personnel KW - Technical assistance KW - Workers UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234013 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576043 TI - Service Life Enhancement and Reduction in Carbon Footprint of Highway Structures AB - Mitigation of alkali-silica reaction (ASR) gels and rebar corrosion in concrete by the use of fiber reinforcement. Replacement of cement with fly ash with associated greenhouse gas reduction. Use of recycled concrete to replace virgin aggregate in concrete mixes. KW - Admixtures KW - Alkali silica reactions KW - Corrosion KW - Fiber reinforced concrete KW - Fly ash KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Recycled materials KW - Service life UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/projectsdb/projectdetails.cfm?projectid=FHWA-PROJ-11-0176 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1369992 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463542 TI - Recommended AASHTO LRFD Tunnel Design and Construction Specifications AB - The AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Section 12--Buried Structures and Tunnel Liners provides little information on the design and construction of highway tunnels. Although the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) adopted the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Technical Manual for Design and Construction of Road Tunnels--Civil Elements, design and construction specifications for tunnels are needed considering existing manuals and specifications, especially those developed FHWA and the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA). The objective of this research is to develop stand-alone recommended design and construction specifications for highway tunnel systems. In developing these specifications, consideration shall be given to safety and operations, maintenance, and inspection of tunnel systems. The research will produce design and construction specifications with commentary in the format of the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. KW - AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications KW - Design KW - Guidelines KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Specifications KW - Tunnel lining KW - Tunneling KW - Tunnels KW - Underground construction KW - Underground structures UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2967 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231768 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465780 TI - Low Impact Development (LID) for Linear Transportation Projects AB - Low Impact Development (LID) is a developing storm water management strategy in which you try to mimic the predeveloped hydrologic functions of an area. In doing so, LID includes features that reduce the volume and rate of storm water runoff. In reducing the amount of runoff, the hydrologic function of streams may be preserved and in some cases restored to their natural condition. The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) is currently being developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and it is designed to use stochastic methods to simulate various conditions and this model can be used to estimate the potential for LID Best Management Practices (BMPs) and conventional BMPs to affect the quality, quantity, and timing of runoff. If information and statistics that quantify the effectiveness of various BMPs are available for use with SELDM decision makers will be able to address potential needs/effectiveness of these BMPs for highway-runoff discharges using a simple point-and-click interface. This research will provide quantitative measures that can be used by State departments of transportation (DOTs) to evaluated and implement best practices for utilizing LID in a transportation corridor. KW - Best practices KW - Drainage KW - Hydrologic models KW - Low impact development KW - Runoff KW - Stochastic model UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234014 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463902 TI - Self-Consolidating Concrete for Cast-in-place Concrete Bridges and Tunnels AB - Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is a specially proportioned cement concrete that enables the fresh concrete to flow easily into the forms and around the steel reinforcement without segregation. Use of this type of concrete has gained widespread application in precast, prestressed bridge elements. The benefits are increased rate of production and safety, reduced labor needs, and lower noise levels at manufacturing plants. The recently completed and reported NCHRP Project 18-12, "Self-Consolidating Concrete for Precast, Prestressed Concrete Bridge Elements," has provided a very good and sound understanding of the SCC mix designs, testing, and workability, and the properties of fresh and hardened SCC. Although NCHRP Project 18-12 focused on the applications of SCC to precast, prestressed bridge elements, most of the findings are also applicable to cast-in-place concrete (CIP) (ready mixed concrete). Additional effort may be devoted to, but not limited to: (1) QC/QA of CIP SCC production, (2) quality control of the delivered concrete, (3) handling and Transportation requirements, (4) form pressures for taller walls and columns (5) preparation of construction joints, (6) control of heat of hydration, (7) surface finishing and curing requirements, (8) control of cracking, (9) guidelines for developing an SCC mix for bridge decks with cross slope of up to 2% or more, (10) guidelines for SCC placement to optimize the flowability of SCC in the horizontal and vertical directions, (11) guidelines for pumpability of SCC with respect to time and distance, (12) illustration of the benefits of CIP SCC by documenting field experiences of CIP SCC projects in the United States and abroad, (13) recommendations for structural parameters (creep, shrinkage, modulus of elasticity) for use of SCC in post-tensioned CIP concrete superstructures, and (14) recommendations for changes in the AASHTO Bridge Design and Construction Specifications for CIP SCC. Research is needed to address the factors that significantly influence the design, constructability, and performance of cast-in-place concrete bridges and tunnels using SCC, and to develop guidelines for the use of SCC in cast-in-place concrete applications, including recommended changes to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design and Construction Specifications. These guidelines will provide highway agencies with the information necessary for considering SCC to expedite construction and yield economic and other benefits. In the past 10 years, research in the United States has been focusing on the use of SCC in precast, prestressed applications. The precast/prestress producers have successfully taken advantage of the research findings and economic benefits. The precast/prestress producers have implemented SCC into everyday production to improve consolidation around reinforcement without vibration, enhance surface finish, accelerate placement, produce less wear and tear on equipment, reduce or eliminate vibration, and reduce patching and rework. The use of SCC in the United States ready-mixed market is still in its infancy. The highway agencies and the industry are waiting for guidelines in design and construction specifications to take advantage of the applications of SCC in cast-in-place bridges. Research is needed to improve the understanding of the physical and mechanical properties and the economic benefits of SCC in ready-mixed cast-in-place applications. The main objectives of this research are to (1) develop guidelines for the use of self-consolidating concrete in ready-mixed cast-in-place concrete in highway bridges and related structures, and (2) recommend relevant changes to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design and Construction Specifications. KW - Bridge members KW - Cast in place concrete KW - Cast in place structures KW - Concrete bridges KW - Mix design KW - National Cooperative Highway Research Program KW - Precast concrete KW - Prestressed concrete bridges KW - Quality assurance KW - Quality control KW - Self compacting concrete KW - Tunnels UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232130 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362819 AU - Hill, Christopher J AU - Garrett, J Kyle AU - Mixon/Hill Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) TI - AASHTO Connected Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Analysis PY - 2011/06/17/Final Report SP - 104p AB - This report describes a deployment scenario for Connected Vehicle infrastructure by state and local transportation agencies, together with a series of strategies and actions to be performed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to support application development and deployment. KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - Deployment KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43500/43514/FHWA-JPO-11-090_AASHTO_CV_Deploy_Analysis_final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1131369 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01526968 AU - Southworth, Frank AU - Peterson, Bruce E AU - Hwang, Ho-Ling AU - Chin, Shih-Miao AU - Davidson, Diane AU - Oak Ridge National Laboratory AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - The Freight Analysis Framework Version 3 (FAF3): A Description of the FAF3 Regional Database and How It Is Constructed PY - 2011/06/16 SP - 96p AB - The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) integrates data from a variety of sources to create a comprehensive national picture of freight movements among states and major metropolitan areas, by all modes of transportation. It provides a national picture of current freight flows to, from, and within the United States, assigns selected flows to the transportation network, and projects such freight flow patterns into the future. FAF3 is the third database of its kind, FAF1 provided estimates for truck, rail, and water tonnage for calendar year 1998, and FAF2 provided a more complete picture based on the Commodity Flow Survey for calendar year 2002. Since the first FAF effort a number of changes in both data products and in the sources of the data used to produce them have taken place. The FAF3 data products include both a regional database and network database with highway flow assignment. This document provides a detailed explanation of how the regional FAF3 data products were constructed from diverse data sources, using a variety of data modeling tools. KW - Commodity flow KW - Data collection KW - Databases KW - Freight Analysis Framework KW - Freight transportation KW - Multimodal transportation KW - United States UR - http://faf.ornl.gov/faf3/Data/FAF3ODDoc611.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1310673 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463334 TI - A Remote Sensing and GIS-enabled Asset Management System (RS-GAMS) Phase 2 AB - The objective of this project is to validate a remote-sensing and geographic information system (GIS) enabled Asset Management System (RS-GAMS) integrating emerging 3D line laser imaging, signal/image processing, and global positioning system (GPS)/GIS technologies to bring the new capabilities to roadway asset inventory, condition assessment, and management with a special focus on network-level pavement surface/pavement marking condition assessment, and efficient inventory of cross slopes, roadway curvatures, and pavement width. Project development steps are to (1) refine and calibrate the integrated sensing system, (2) test and validate the sensing system using the real-world data, and (3) quantify the research benefits. The validated technologies and system targets asphalt and concrete highways, parking lots, and civilian and military airfield taxiways and runways. The United States Department of Transportation, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Transportation, North Carolina Department of Transportation, South Carolina Department of Transportation, and Chatham County - Savannah Metropolitan Commission have participated in this project by providing direct and in-kind support. KW - Airport runways KW - Asset management KW - Condition surveys KW - Florida KW - Geographic information systems KW - Georgia KW - Global Positioning System KW - North Carolina KW - Parking lots KW - Pavement performance KW - Remote sensing KW - South Carolina UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231560 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380506 AU - Haas, Robert AU - Bedsole, Elisabeth AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Results of the Clarus Demonstrations: Evaluation of Enhanced Road Weather Forecasting Enabled by Clarus PY - 2011/06/14/Final Report SP - 87p AB - This document is the final report of an evaluation of Clarus-enabled enhanced road weather forecasting used in the Clarus Demonstrations. This report examines the use of Clarus data to enhance four types of weather models and forecasts: (1) The Local Analysis and Predictions System (LAPS), used to estimate initial conditions for atmospheric weather forecast models. (2) The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) atmospheric weather forecast models. (3) The Model of the Environment and Temperature of Roads (METRo) road weather forecast model. (4) The Pavement Precipitation Accumulation Estimation System (PPAES) tool for enhancing radar-based precipitation estimates. The results demonstrate the benefit of the Clarus System to enhance weather and road weather forecast and estimation systems. While the Clarus data did not appreciably improve the atmospheric forecasts, it did improve the estimates for the initialization data that fed those forecasts. The Clarus data did result in improved road temperature forecasts, particularly during the first 24 hours of the forecast. And, when used with the PPAES model, the Clarus data helped improve on estimates of the locations where precipitation was present, particularly in the winter months and at locations further removed from NexRad weather radar stations. KW - Clarus KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - NEXRAD KW - Road weather information systems KW - Weather conditions KW - Weather forecasting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45600/Evaluation_of_the_Clarus_Regional_Demonstrations_Eval_of_Enhanced_Forecasting_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147991 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01587398 AU - ICF International AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Assessing Criticality in Transportation Adaptation Planning PY - 2011/06/13 SP - 11p AB - Federal, state, and local transportation planners are considering the range of impacts that climate variability and climate changes may have on assets. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) put forth a draft conceptual model to assist transportation agencies in systematically assessing the vulnerability of transportation assets. FHWA is sponsoring pilots in 5 locations to test and refine the model. The draft model reflects considerable input from modal experts and is informed by literature reviews of climate-related risk and vulnerability analyses. However, the conceptual model is intended to be a starting point for the FHWA Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability Assessment pilots and other interested parties to begin a dialogue about the climate change vulnerability of the transportation sector. The first step in the conceptual model focuses on narrowing the universe of transportation assets to facilitate a more in-depth assessment of climate change effects (e.g., changes in temperature, precipitation, sea level rise) on a smaller subset of assets. “Criticality” in the sense of the FHWA conceptual model is not intended to reflect climate change risk; rather criticality in this context is a filter for screening the universe of assets in a particular geographic area so that the resulting list can be evaluated for exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity (the three components of vulnerability). Due to resource constraints, the multitude of climate effects with the potential to impact transportation systems, and temporal complications related to asset design life, it is recommended that agencies limit the asset list at the outset in order to ensure adequate consideration of the assets that are deemed “critical” in subsequent steps. Appropriate methods for screening transportation assets are wide-ranging and reflect the specific circumstances of the study area, the organization leading the analysis, and a host of other issues. While there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach, this memorandum provides options and considerations for developing an appropriate criticality assessment strategy. The FHWA pilots, currently in various stages of implementation, have grappled with some of the key issues surrounding criticality. Some of these same issues have been explored in the Department of Transportation (DOT)-funded Gulf Coast Study, Phase 2 of which is being carried out in Mobile, AL. The remainder of this memorandum discusses the common challenges associated with assessing criticality; options for defining criticality and identifying scope; and applying criteria and ranking assets. KW - Adaptation planning (Climate change) KW - Assets KW - Climate change KW - Conceptual models KW - Criticality KW - Pilot studies KW - Risk assessment KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/climate_change/adaptation/publications_and_tools/assessing_criticality/cta092111.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1395306 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361079 AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstrations, Evaluation of Use Case #4: Multi-State Control Strategy Tool PY - 2011/06/10/Final Report SP - 66p AB - This report provides the results of an independent evaluation of the Clarus Use Case #4 Multi-State Control Strategy Tool (MSCST). This tool, developed for the Road Weather Management Program of the Federal Highway Administration by a private contractor under a separate contract, allows state DOTs to proactively manage traffic and coordinate their responses to developing significant weather events. The tool allows users to monitor weather conditions, receive alerts when weather conditions deteriorate beyond established thresholds, and communicate response decisions to other state and local agencies that may be impacted either by the weather conditions or the traffic management strategy. The tool was demonstrated in two states (Iowa and Illinois) as part of the Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstration Program. The evaluation consisted of deploying the tool for three months in each of these agencies and collecting statistics on how agencies used the tool to improve and coordinate responses during significant weather events, specifically potential frost conditions, precipitation on cold pavement events, slick road events, and blowing snow events. The study found that while agencies felt the concept of the MSCST was valid, the current tool needs significant expansion of its current utilities and sophistication before widespread acceptance and deployment can be expected. KW - Clarus KW - Highway traffic control KW - Illinois KW - Iowa KW - Road condition forecasting KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - Traveler information and communication systems KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43200/43200/FHWA-JPO-11-119_Eval_Report_UC_4_FINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126424 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353558 AU - Paaswell, Robert E AU - Eickemeyer, Penny AU - City College of New York of the City University of New York AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - NYSDOT Consideration of Potential Intermodal Sites for Long Island PY - 2011/06/09 SP - 60p AB - This study was prepared in response to the Governor's directive to conduct an extensive analysis of the feasibility of a truck/rail facility on Long Island. It was designed to answer three questions: Is an intermodal truck/rail transfer facility needed to respond to the current and anticipated volume of goods movement in Nassau and Suffolk County? Where should such a facility be located? What are the economic, social, and environmental effects of such a facility and can any adverse effects be mitigated? The research showed that there is a demand for increased freight delivery on Long Island as a result of population and employment gains and such increased delivery could reduce the number of trucks currently required to deliver freight to area businesses and industrial parks. Increased rail-freight deliveries would, in all likelihood, reduce the costs of these local freight deliveries. Industry experts consulted for this study agree that there is a likely market for delivery of freight by rail to Nassau and Suffolk Counties, but that the demand for bulk freight yards may be more immediate than is the demand for container yards and that the demand for containerized rail freight would be significantly increased if a cross-harbor tunnel were built. Experts generally agree that a significant demand for containerized freight will also depend upon the availability of conveniently accessible warehouse facilities. The study team identified potential sites for the facility and assessed the “pros” and “cons” of each and reviewed the previous work on the Long Island Truck Rail Intermodal (LITRIM) project. Some recommendations for future action included: The Pilgrim FEIS site evaluation should rigorously address a number of significant environmental, legal, public health, and environmental justice issues that were identified in the Study Team’s interviews with project stakeholders such as mitigating the potential adverse impacts of light and noise on the patients of Pilgrim State Hospital, some of whom live as close as 350 feet from the proposed site; the impact of the transfer facility site on the adjacent Edgewood State Preserve; and the site’s location within the Oak Brush Plains Special Groundwater Protection Area. The Study Team distinguished between the two major types of truck-rail transfer facilities, bulk and containerized, and found that: while there might be some short-term advantages to combining bulk and container operations, as rail-freight markets develop in the near-term, there is neither any compelling long-term need to combine these operations nor any significant near-term demand for container operations. There is a need for multiple yards on Long Island both for bulk traffic and (with the development of a doublestack cross-harbor rail-freight tunnel) for containers and there is an immediate demand for at least one major bulk transfer yard on Long Island. In addition, if a double-stack rail-freight tunnel is built across New York harbor, at least two major container (or bulk-and-container) yards will be required. KW - Bulk cargo KW - Container traffic KW - Demand KW - Economic impacts KW - Environmental impacts KW - Freight transportation KW - Intermodal yards KW - Long Island (New York) KW - New York State Department of Transportation KW - Social impacts UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/189/LI-Report-Final1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42526/LI-Report-Final1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118321 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554285 AU - San Diego Association of Governments AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - I-15 Integrated Corridor Management System Project Management Plan PY - 2011/06/06/Final Report SP - 81p AB - The Project Management Plan (PMP) assists the San Diego Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Team by defining a procedural framework for management and control of the I-15 Integrated Corridor Management Demonstration Project, and development and deployment of the ICM System. The PMP serves as a reference for information regarding project structure and procedures throughout the project life cycle. The PMP is a living document and will be updated at least twice in each year of the project. KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Project management KW - San Diego (California) KW - Transportation corridors UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54300/54342/I-15_San_Diego_ICMS_PMP__FHWA-JPO-11-057_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342206 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577998 TI - Biological Hydrogen and Succinic Acid Production AB - No summary provided. KW - Acids KW - Biomass fuels KW - Hydrogen KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371379 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575841 TI - Toward Development of Disease Resistant Varieties of Switchgrass AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Cultivation KW - Grasses UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368764 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575549 TI - Field Evaluation of Transgenic Switchgrass with Low-Lignin Content for Biomass Composition, Sugar Conversion Yield, and Disease Resistance AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Energy conversion KW - Grasses KW - Lignin KW - Sugar UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368087 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575538 TI - Modeling the Impact of the Emerging Bioeconomy on Transportation Network Flows with Simulation and Bayesian Inference AB - No summary provided. KW - Bayes' theorem KW - Biomass fuels KW - Economic impacts KW - Networks KW - Simulation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367960 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01466748 TI - Signal Timing Based on Traffic AB - Current practice on signal timing and coordination is to develop and operate a limited number of timing plans throughout the year and time of day. For example, it is common that coordination plans are developed only for and based on weekday a.m., midday, p.m., off-peak and weekend peak periods. Timing plans are developed in a way that would fit the specific traffic pattern and speed profile during these periods. During the remaining time periods, signals are either operate with a fully-actuated mode or a coordination plan selected based on an engineer's judgment. While the majority of the motorists can benefit from signal coordination during the specific time periods that the coordination plans are developed for, others may experience unsatisfactory travel when no coordination plan is running or the timing plan does not fit the specific traffic pattern. Under inclement weather conditions such as snow, travel speeds would be significantly lower, thus the expected progression would not be achieved. One of the reasons for operating with such limited number of coordination plans is due to resource constraints on signal timing developments. The other reason is perhaps due to limitations of the signal control hardware which only handles a certain number of timing plans. Furthermore, it is unknown whether there will actually be any benefit or whether the benefit will outweigh the cost if additional timing plans are developed and implemented. This proposed research will specifically address these signal timing related issues. Another issue related to signal timing practice is methodologies for determining yellow change and all-red clearance intervals. Current guidelines were developed primarily based on through movements. Left-turn movements have very different characteristics so the current guidelines need to be evaluated for its applicability to left-turn movements. KW - Speed profiles KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic patterns KW - Traffic signal timing KW - Traffic simulation KW - Traffic volume KW - Weather conditions UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234983 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463394 TI - Smart Rocks and Wireless Communication System for Real-Time Monitoring and Mitigation of Bridge Scour AB - The current practice in bridge maintenance is to visually inspect bridge foundation scour by divers every other year. This practice is both uneconomical when a bridge is in good condition and risky missing occurrence of bridge scour in between two inspections. It has at least one additional major shortcoming: visual inspections are qualitative and subjective. Foundation scour has also been monitored with instruments but only in normal operations of bridges. During floods, neither visual inspection by divers nor existing instrumentation provide useful foundation scour data in real time, which is critical for a timely warning, response, and prevention of scour-induced collapsing of bridges in a time window of hours or days during a flood event. The long-term goal of the proposed study is to develop a pragmatic but highly innovative, real-time bridge scour management system with remote sensing and communication technologies for integrated monitoring and mitigation of foundation scour. The short-term objectives of this study are (1) to integrate several alternative commercial measurement and communication technologies into a scour monitoring system with passive and active sensors embedded in 'smart rocks', (2) evaluate the comparative effectiveness of these communication technologies in laboratory and field conditions and improve them for better performances and/or reduced costs in bridge applications, and (3) analyze the movement of smart rocks during testing for determination of scour depth. Smart rocks function as spatially-distributed field agents that can be deployed around a bridge foundation to register both temporal and spatial information on scour process and transmit critical data in real time for an engineering evaluation of scour depth and area. Scour vulnerability of multiple bridges affected by a flood event can then be reported anytime to engineer-in-charge and first responders through a cellular network as needed. The key challenges to develop a real-time scour monitoring system lie in three aspects: (1) accurate sensing of scour process with spatially-distributed smart rocks, (2) wireless transmission of mission-critical data from underwater to a remote station (e.g. engineer office or mobile vehicle parked near a bridge), and (3) real-time engineering evaluation and prediction of bridge scour using temporal and spatial information derived from smart rocks and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The monitoring system can be integrated with intervening techniques to potential foundation erosion, leading to a cost-effective scour management technology. For example, rocks are traditionally used to protect a bridge from scouring effects, but now, with embedded electronics, become part of a wireless, early-warning network that can monitor the process of bridge scour in real time. The deliverables of this study include a prototype scour monitoring system (hardware), a scour depth evaluation model with measured data, a real-time bridge scour management methodology, and a strategic plan for commercialization of the developed and validated technologies. The results and outcomes will dramatically change the state-of-the-art and state-of-practice of both sensing and mitigation technologies, and potentially revolutionize current bridge management systems. This approach will change engineers' perception of structural monitoring from unfavorable to receptive by collecting only mission-critical data and relating data to the ratings of existing bridges based on foundation susceptibility to scour. In the U.S., over 1,500 bridges have collapsed, making scour the number one cause of catastrophic bridge failure. The smart rock technology is a cost-effective solution to address bridge scour issues. In addition, the smart rock technology is directly transferable to other infrastructure installations such as water mains and wastewater collection systems. For example, smart rocks are equally applicable to river banks, dams and levees for their erosion monitoring and mitigation as well as slope stability both during flood events and in normal operations. KW - Bridge foundations KW - Bridge inspection KW - Bridge maintenance KW - Collapse KW - Failure KW - Floods KW - Geographic information systems KW - Inspection KW - Monitoring KW - Real time information KW - Scour KW - Wireless communication systems UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231620 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449569 AU - Kachroo, Pushkin AU - Shlayan, Neveen AU - University of Nevada, Las Vegas AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis, Modeling and Design for Traffic Incident Management Systems PY - 2011/06/01/Final Report SP - 237p AB - The aim of incident management systems is to minimize the total delay experienced by travelers and also to keep the whole operation safe. In order to achieve these two goals, the system should make optimal choices and use optimal designs. For the design of optimal solutions, appropriate mathematical models are needed for various tasks, and then mathematical techniques need to be developed. The mathematical models, their analyses and the creation of optimal solutions can help to create a framework for a decision support system for overall incident management. The major aim of this project is to develop mathematical models, perform analyses, develop simulations, and then apply those to assist a decision support system for incident management in the Las Vegas area. In order to implement the system, this project helps gain an understanding on current local practices in incident management; evaluates alternate designs for incident management; and designs a system that focuses on the details of field implementations and operations locally. KW - Decision support systems KW - Highway traffic control KW - Incident management KW - Las Vegas (Nevada) KW - Mathematical models KW - Traffic incidents UR - http://nutc.unlv.edu/ProjectsInfo/IM/IM.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1215744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356093 AU - Wen, Haifang AU - Bhusal, Sushanta AU - Washington State University, Pullman AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluate Recycled Concrete as Hot Mix Asphalt Aggregate PY - 2011/06/01/Final Technical Report SP - 50p AB - Each year around 200 million tons of demolition waste is produced from aging US infrastructures out of which 100 million tons are Portland cement concrete debris. The lack of landfill areas, environmental regulations and costs have hindered safe disposal of this waste. This led to seeking alternate ways of recycling this demolition waste. Recycling the concrete waste not only reduces the waste disposal problem, but also reduces the amount of quarrying of virgin aggregate. This study evaluated the effects of recycled concrete aggregates on mix design and performance of HMA. It was found that the use of recycled concrete aggregates to replace virgin aggregates increased the asphalt content needed in the mix, due to the high absorption of recycled concrete aggregate. In addition, with the increase of content of recycled concrete aggregate, the resistance to fatigue, rutting, thermal cracking and moisture damage is reduced. Therefore, cautions should be made to use recycled concrete aggregate in HMA, even though the volumetric requirements are met. The Superpave volumetrics-based mix design is not sufficient to capture the performance of mixes and should be supplemented with performance-based tests. The concept of “effective” asphalt content during a mix design might not be accurate. The absorbed asphalt may play a role in the performance of HMA. Further studies are needed to test more sources of recycled concrete aggregates in HMA and to verify the shortcomings of volumetrics-based mix design. KW - Asphalt content KW - Concrete aggregates KW - Dynamic modulus of elasticity KW - Flow number KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Indirect tensile test KW - Mix design KW - Moisture sensitivity KW - Performance tests KW - Recycled concrete KW - Recycled materials KW - Superpave UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119770 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351758 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Systems Engineering Forum TI - Assessment of LightSquared Terrestrial Broadband System Effects on GPS Receivers and GPS-dependent Applications PY - 2011/06/01 SP - 192p AB - U.S. Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Policy states that a “fundamental goal of this policy is to ensure that the United States maintains space-based positioning, navigation, and timing services, augmentation, back-up, and service denial capabilities that: (1) provide uninterrupted availability of positioning, navigation, and timing services; (2) meet growing national, homeland, economic security, and civil requirements, and scientific and commercial demands; (3) remain the pre-eminent military space-based positioning, navigation, and timing services; (4) continue to provide civil services that exceed or are competitive with foreign civil space-based positioning, navigation, and timing services.” Global Positioning System (GPS) modernization includes new signals and capabilities required to be compatible with the use of existing GPS receivers designed in compliance with specifications and standards in existence at the time of the receiver design. Compatibility with federal augmentation system (Wide Area Augmentation System [WAAS], Local Area Augmentation System [LAAS], Nationwide Differential GPS [NDGPS], and Maritime DGPS [MDGPS]) receivers in accordance with the specifications of these systems is also required. Further, in 2004, the U.S. signed an agreement with the European Union establishing cooperation between GPS and the European Galileo system. The Agreement specifically states “The Parties shall work together to promote adequate frequency allocations for satellite-based navigation and timing signals, to ensure radio frequency compatibility in spectrum use between each other’s signals, to make all practicable efforts to protect each other’s signals from interference by the radio frequency emissions of other systems, and to promote harmonized use of spectrum on a global basis, notably at the ITU.” In 2007, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) submitted a letter to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in lieu of an agreement, which “reaffirms the United States Government’s commitment to provide the GPS Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for aviation throughout the world. Further, the United States commits to provide the Wide-Area Augmentation System (WAAS) service within its prescribed service volume.” The letter goes on to state that “The U.S. Government plans to take all necessary measures for the foreseeable future to maintain the integrity, reliability and availability of the GPS SPS and WAAS service and expects to provide at least six years’ notice prior to any termination of such operations or elimination of such services.” On 9 Feb 2011, the Executive Steering Group (ESG), via the National Coordination Office (NCO) of the National Executive Committee (EXCOM) for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), directed the National Space-Based PNT Systems Engineering Forum (NPEF) to conduct an assessment of the effects of LightSquared’s planned deployment of terrestrial broadband systems to GPS receivers and GPS-dependent systems and networks. This Report is a summary of the work conducted on this Task and includes specific Recommendations as requested by the EXCOM. Department of Defense (DoD) findings for the Task are captured separately given their security classification. KW - Global Positioning System KW - National security KW - Positioning KW - Radio frequency KW - Satellite navigation systems KW - Traffic signal timing KW - Wide Area Augmentation System KW - Wireless LANs UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39900/39993/July_6__2011__NTIA_FCCletter_LightSquared_GPS_07062011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114719 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543889 AU - Goetz, Andrew R AU - Jonas, Andrew E G AU - Bhattacharjee, Sutapa AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Regional Collaboration in Transport Infrastructure Provision: The Case of Denver’s FasTracks Rail Transit Program PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 102p AB - Cities across the United States are grappling with a looming transportation crisis as a result of ever-increasing passenger and freight transport demands and overburdened networks of aging infrastructure. All levels of government, but particularly state and local governments, need to develop innovative financing mechanisms and strong collaborations among stakeholders to maintain and enhance transportation infrastructure. This project examines how regional collaboration was achieved in the case of Denver‘s FasTracks rail transit program, a 122-mile extension of light and commuter rail in six corridors throughout the Denver metropolitan area to be completed over the next ten or so years. An impressive coalition of local governments, state and federal government, metropolitan economic development organizations, the business community, advocacy groups, and the general public was forged to provide financial support for the $6.7 billion project, now underway. The project also assesses conditions for the long-term sustainability of regional collaboration behind the FasTracks program, including whether it could serve as a model for other metropolitan areas confronted by the same issues. The report is organized into 6 sections including the Introduction. Section 2 examines the national context and discusses the emergence of new approaches to regional collaboration across the United States to deal with issues such as regional economic development and transportation infrastructure provision. These new 'bottom up‘ approaches can be contrasted with earlier 'top down‘ federal initiatives around metropolitan planning and political integration. Section 3 documents the history of metropolitan and regional planning in Denver, noting the failure of those regional special purpose districts and planning organizations set up in the 1960s and 1970s to build regional consensus on issues like economic development and transport infrastructure. Section 4 outlines the history of rail transit in Denver and provides some background to the development of the FasTracks program. Section 5 discusses the development of a new approach to regional collaboration in Denver since 1990, focusing on economic development and transportation infrastructure. Section 6 offers an evaluation of why and how regional collaboration in Denver has worked and what its future prospects are in relation to the recent financial problems facing the FasTracks program. KW - Case studies KW - Cooperation KW - Denver Metropolitan Area KW - Economic development KW - FasTracks (Denver, Colorado) KW - Financing KW - Infrastructure KW - Light rail transit KW - Public private partnerships KW - Rail transit KW - Railroad commuter service KW - Regional planning UR - http://www.ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2008_07_Goetz%20and%20Jonas_Regional%20Collaboration%20in%20Transport%20Infrastructure%20Provision.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331603 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01537433 AU - Elmore, Cecilia AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety/NUTC program AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Women In Science & Engineering and Minority Engineering Scholarships: Year 5 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 9p AB - Support will make scholarships available to minority and women students interested in engineering and science and will increase significantly the number of minority and female students that the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) can recruit to its science and engineering programs. Recipients of scholarships will also be exposed to career opportunities in transportation. Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) scholarships are awarded to support female Missouri S&T students studying science and engineering. Missouri S&T’s WISE program provides a campus focal point for increasing the number of women in science, engineering, math, and technology fields through outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts from middle school age through undergraduate levels. WISE provides support programs such as mentoring, advising, professional/technical workshops, and social activities, with the goal of providing a rich academic and social experience for young women at Missouri S&T. Minority Engineering and Science Program (MEP) scholarships provide critical financial support for under-represented students majoring in engineering and science programs at Missouri S&T. MEP scholarship students receive professional and academic support through the close-knit MEP network of friends, mentors, and Missouri S&T staff. MEP has a rich 30 year tradition of sponsoring events, activities and organizations that ensure its students are prepared for personal and professional success. KW - Education and training KW - Engineering KW - Females KW - Financial aid KW - Minorities KW - Missouri University of Science and Technology KW - Outreach KW - Scholarships KW - Transportation careers UR - http://transportation.mst.edu/media/research/transportation/documents/ETT258_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1322156 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530300 AU - Gordon, Peter AU - Pan, Qisheng AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - Texas Southern University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Towards Peak-Load Pricing in Metropolitan Areas: Modeling Network Activity PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 40p AB - This research extends the Southern California Planning Model (SCPM) for use in determining the time-of-day, trip distribution, and network traffic effects of various pricing schemes for the five-county greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The model estimates improvements in levels of services throughout the highway network for various toll charges. It examines how drivers trade off route-choice with time-of-day choice against the option of traveling less. The approach also estimates the implied revenues by local jurisdiction as well as possible land use effects in terms of altered development pressures throughout the region. The effects for two different tolling scenarios are compared and policy implications are discussed. KW - Econometric models KW - Level of service KW - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Periods of the day KW - Road pricing KW - Route choice KW - Southern California Planning Model KW - Variable tolls UR - http://www.metrans.org/research/10-03-towards-peak-load-pricing-metropolitan-areas-modeling-network-activity UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306580 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529423 AU - Robison, Tyler W AU - Tanner, Jennifer E AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Wyoming Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Bridge Deck Evaluation using Non-destructive Test Methods PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 210p AB - The state of Wyoming has 13.1 million sq. ft of road bridges (FHWA 2009), and evaluations have become an important part of the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s (WYDOT) management of bridge repairs. Nondestructive testing (NDE) methods developed in the past 20 years may provide an efficient, standardized, and accurate method for evaluating bridge deck conditions. This report presents the results of an exploratory study performed on three bridge decks in Wyoming: the First Street Bridge in Casper, the Douglas I-25 Bridge, and the Remount Bridge on I-80. The goal is to develop a practical solution that WYDOT can implement. In particular, the solution should capitalize on safety, efficiency and accuracy. The author evaluated each bridge using standard WYDOT practices for chain dragging and half-cell potentials, along with newer technologies of impact echo, thermal imaging, and ground penetrating radar (GPR), which provides a comprehensive assessment of the NDE evaluation techniques. Cores removed from the bridges were compared to the results from the evaluation methods. Damage locations indicated by impact echo, thermal imaging, and GPR generally correlated well and factors are presented in this report. This research suggests that a combination of impact echo with GPR testing provides the most accurate predictions of delamination, debonding, and active corrosion on bridge decks. KW - Bridge decks KW - Evaluation KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Impact echo tests KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Thermal imagery KW - Wyoming UR - http://www.dot.state.wy.us/files/live/sites/wydot/files/shared/Planning/Research/BridgeDeckEvaluation..pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1311883 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01493286 AU - Sun, Carlos AU - Edara, Praveen AU - Hou, Yi AU - Robertson, Andrew AU - University of Missouri, Columbia AU - Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Cost-Benefit Analysis of Sequential Warning Lights in Nighttime Work Zone Tapers PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 41p AB - Improving safety at nighttime work zones is important because of the extra visibility concerns. The deployment of sequential lights is an innovative method for improving driver recognition of lane closures and work zone tapers. Sequential lights are wireless warning lights that flash in a sequence to clearly delineate the taper at work zones. The effectiveness of sequential lights was investigated using controlled field studies. Traffic parameters were collected at the same field site with and without the deployment of sequential lights. Three surrogate performance measures were used to determine the impact of sequential lights on safety. These measures were the speeds of approaching vehicles, the number of late taper merges and the locations where vehicles merged into open lane from the closed lane. In addition, an economic analysis was conducted to monetize the benefits and costs of deploying sequential lights at nighttime work zones. The results of this study indicates that sequential warning lights had a net positive effect in reducing the speeds of approaching vehicles, enhancing driver compliance, and preventing passenger cars, trucks and vehicles at rural work zones from late taper merges. Statistically significant decreases of 2.21 mph mean speed and 1 mph 85% speed resulted with sequential lights. The shift in the cumulative speed distributions to the left (i.e. speed decrease) was also found to be statistically significant using the Mann-Whitney and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. But a statistically significant increase of 0.91 mph in the speed standard deviation also resulted with sequential lights. With sequential lights, the percentage of vehicles that merged earlier increased from 53.49% to 65.36%. A benefit-cost ratio of around 5 or 10 resulted from this analysis of Missouri nighttime work zones and historical crash data. The two different benefit-cost ratios reflect two different ways of computing labor costs. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Merging traffic KW - Missouri KW - Night visibility KW - Performance measurement KW - Speed control KW - Tapers (Work zone traffic control) KW - Warning devices KW - Work zone safety UR - http://publications.iowa.gov/14960/1/IA_DOT_SWZDI_TPF5-081_WZ_SeqLights_June2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1262149 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01488558 AU - Nesamani, JK S AU - Saphores, Jean-Daniel AU - McNally, Michael G AU - Jayakrishnan, R AU - University of California, Irvine AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Influence of Emission Specific Characteristics on Vehicle Operation: a Micro-Simulation Analysis PY - 2011/06 SP - 35p AB - This paper predicts the fraction of time vehicles spend in different operating conditions from readily observable emission specific characteristics (ESC), which include geometric design, roadway environment, traffic characteristics, and driver behavior. We rely on a calibrated microsimulation model to generate second-by-second vehicle trajectory data and use structural equation modeling to understand the influence of observed link ESC on vehicle operation. Our results reveal that 67 percent of link speed variance is explained by emission specific characteristics. At the aggregate level, geometric design elements exert a greater influence on link speed than traffic characteristics, the roadside environment, and driving style. Moreover, the speed limit has the strongest influence on vehicle operation, followed by facility type and driving style. This promising approach can be used to predict vehicle operation for models like MOVES, which was recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency. KW - Exhaust gases KW - Links (Networks) KW - Microsimulation KW - Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) KW - Structural equation modeling KW - Traffic speed KW - Vehicle operations KW - Vehicle trajectories UR - http://www.its.uci.edu/its/publications/papers/ITS/UCI-ITS-WP-11-5.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5bv7mdk/1/UCI-ITS-WP-11-5.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248496 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485747 AU - Chen, Anning AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reliable GPS Integer Ambiguity Resolution PY - 2011/06 SP - 102p AB - To operate, guide and control vehicles in low visibility conditions, it is critical that the states of the vehicle are accurately estimated, which includes the three dimensional position, velocity, and attitude. This can be accomplished by GPS (Global Positioning System) aided encoder or GPS aided inertial approaches. The overall positioning accuracy of either approach will be determined by the GPS performance. Real-time centimeter accuracy GPS positioning can be achieved using carrier phase measurements. This requires fast and reliable on-the-fly integer ambiguity resolution. In this dissertation, we focus on resolving GPS ambiguity problem, including both integer ambiguity estimation and integer ambiguity validation. For integer ambiguity estimation, a brief overview of previous work on integer ambiguity resolution is first presented. Then, an improved integer ambiguity resolution method is proposed. Subsequently, simulations and real-world data are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. We also present integer ambiguity algorithms with auxiliary measurements and algorithms with multiple epoch measurements, both of which are useful in GPS-challenged areas. For integer ambiguity validation, a brief overview is first presented, and then analytic discussion viand test results on several popular validations methods are studied. Finally we discuss GPS modernization and its effect on integer estimation and validation. KW - Accuracy KW - Algorithms KW - Ambiguity resolution KW - Global Positioning System KW - Integer programming UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2011-03.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5qf8xmn/1/UCTC-DISS-2011-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249653 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485376 AU - Gu, Yu AU - Martinelli, David AU - Napolitano, Marcello AU - Seanor, Brad AU - West Virginia University, Morgantown AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - West Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Remote Sensing Aerial Systems in Existing Transportation Practices, Phase II PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 31p AB - A low-cost aerial platform represents a flexible tool for acquiring high-resolution images for ground areas of interest. The geo-referencing of objects within these images could benefit civil engineers in a variety of research areas including, but not limited to, work zone management, traffic congestion, safety, and environmental impact studies. During the Phase II effort, a Remotely Controlled (R/C) aircraft based remote sensing platform was developed and flight tested at West Virginia University (WVU). Main components of the remote-sensing payload system include a high-resolution digital still camera, a 50 Hz global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a low-cost Inertial Navigation System (INS), a down-looking laser range finder, a custom-designed flight data recorder, and a wireless video transmission system. An extensive time-calibration and analysis effort for major measurement instruments was performed to assure that flight data were properly time-aligned. Additionally, an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) based 15-state GPS/INS sensor fusion algorithm was developed to estimate the aircraft attitude angles in flight. Based on the added range and orientation information for the camera, the geo-referencing software developed in Phase I effort was enhanced. The performance of the software was evaluated using a set of flight data and the known location of a fixed reference point on the ground. The flight data analysis shows an approximately 7.2 meter mean position estimation error was achieved with estimates from a single aerial image, after a set of lens distortion and the camera orientation corrections. Furthermore, a 0.5 meter position estimation error was achieved with the averaging of 15 individual estimates. KW - Aerial photography KW - Algorithms KW - Data collection KW - Drone aircraft KW - Remote control KW - Remote sensing KW - Software UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/WVU-2009-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254036 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483682 AU - Sifrit, Kathy J AU - Stutts, Jane AU - Martell, Carol AU - Staplin, Loren AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Intersection Crashes Among Drivers in Their 60s, 70s, and 80s PY - 2011/06 SP - 5p AB - Analyses of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and National Automotive Sampling System (NASS)/General Estimates System (GES) data from 2002-2006 revealed specific performance errors and combinations of driver, vehicle, and roadway/environmental characteristics associated with older drivers' crashes at intersections. For subsets of the two-vehicle crash data within each national database, crash involvement ratios based on comparisons of at-fault to not-at-fault drivers within groups of drivers age <20 to 80+, segregated in 10-year cohorts, provide exposure-adjusted estimates of the magnitude of particular risk factors. While FARS and GES data show elevated crash risk for older drivers, the effect was more pronounced in the FARS data. This exaggeration likely reflects increased frailty with increasing age; young and middle-aged drivers may have survived crashes that were fatal to the oldest drivers. While the data are consistent with the literature in that more complex driving tasks pose the most risk for older drivers, these data also provide information about the scale of the increased risk. KW - Aged drivers KW - Crash risk KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - General Estimates System KW - Intersections KW - National Accident Sampling System KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811495.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251773 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479903 AU - Steer Davies Gleave AU - Department of Transportation TI - HSIPR Best Practices: Public Benefits Assessment PY - 2011/06 SP - 49p AB - The public benefits of a transportation project are outcomes that accrue to the general public, including improvements involving mobility, economics, and social, cultural or environmental aspects. Assessment of a rail project’s benefits depends heavily on its ridership and revenue forecasts and the implications they have regarding project impacts on travelers and the general population. Other main elements of project appraisal are operating, maintenance and capital costs estimates. This report provides information on the range of data and methods used in high speed or intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) benefits assessment at different stages of study, and flags particular areas or subjects that will generally require in depth examination by subject area experts. The intent is to provide information and guidance that will assist generalist reviewers to understand and evaluate benefits assessment studies. Project assessment does not consider transportation impacts in absolute terms; rather it considers a build (project) situation and a specified no-build situation, with the project benefits and costs defined from a comparison of the two. Forecasts of ridership and other impacts must be prepared for both the no-build and build situations in order for the project benefits and costs to be computed. KW - Assessments KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Best practices KW - Costs KW - Economic benefits KW - High speed rail KW - Nonuser benefits KW - Social benefits KW - Travel time UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/foia-electronic-reading-room UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/OIG-HSR-Best-Practice-Public-Benefits-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247547 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479901 AU - Steer Davies Gleave AU - Department of Transportation TI - HSIPR Best Practices: Operating Costs Toolkit PY - 2011/06 SP - 103p AB - The operating costs toolkit will assist those reviewing submissions from potential operators and promoters of new high speed or intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) services. It comprises operating costs checklists, reviewers' quality check questions, and best practices guidance. The best practices guidance is a series of checklists showing the level of detail reviewers should expect in the proposal and forecasts for the preliminary, intermediate and final stages of the project development. The toolkit will assist reviewers in quickly and consistently identifying strengths and weaknesses of operating cost estimates. KW - Best practices KW - Checklists KW - Cost estimating KW - Forecasting KW - High speed rail KW - Operating costs KW - Programming (Planning) KW - Revenues KW - Ridership KW - Social benefits KW - U.S. Federal Railroad Administration UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/foia-electronic-reading-room UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/OIG-HSR-Best-Practice-Operating-Cost-Toolkit.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247550 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01479899 AU - Steer Davies Gleave AU - Department of Transportation TI - HSIPR Best Practices: Operating Costs Estimation PY - 2011/06 SP - 167p AB - Accurately estimating high speed rail operating costs is critical to successful system implementation. Operating costs include railroad costs and train service costs. Railroad costs involve operation and maintenance, and general and administrative. Train service costs involve the train crews, stations, train maintenance and energy. Several stages are involved in the estimating process, with estimates developing increasing detail; such estimates must be consistent with factors underlying ridership estimates. Case studies are presented to illustrate best practices in cost estimating for operations, rolling stock, stations and administration. Best practices are detailed for preliminary, intermediate, final and closeout stages, along with descriptions of common shortcuts leading to poor quality estimates. KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - Cost estimating KW - High speed rail KW - Maintenance of way KW - Operating costs KW - Railroad stations KW - Rolling stock KW - Train crews UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/foia-electronic-reading-room UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/OIG-HSR-Best-Practice-Operating-Cost-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247551 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01475246 AU - Hadzor, Thomas J AU - Barnes, Robert W AU - Ziehl, Paul H AU - Xu, Jiangong AU - Schindler, Anton K AU - Auburn University AU - Alabama Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of Acoustic Emission Evaluation Method for Repaired Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 175p AB - Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring has proven to be a useful nondestructive testing tool in ordinary reinforced concrete beams. Over the past decade, however, the technique has also been used to test other concrete structures. It has been seen that acoustic emission monitoring can be used on in-service bridges to obtain knowledge regarding the structural integrity of individual components of the structure. In this report, acoustic emission testing was used to examine the structural integrity of four prestressed girders in an elevated portion of the I-565 highway in Huntsville, Alabama. The testing was performed to assess the evaluation criteria used for in-situ testing. The evaluation methods that were implemented were the NDIS-2421 evaluation criterion, the Signal Strength Moment (SSM) Ratio evaluation, and the Peak Cumulative Signal Strength (CSS) Ratio analysis. It was concluded that although the testing procedure provided results efficiently, the evaluation criteria should be adjusted for the testing of in-service prestressed concrete bridge girders. KW - Acoustic emission tests KW - Bridges KW - Girders KW - Huntsville (Alabama) KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://www.eng.auburn.edu/files/centers/hrc/930-601-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1244625 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472633 AU - Anderson, Douglas AU - Eixenberger, David AU - LeHolm, Thomas AU - T Y Lin International AU - Utah Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Streamlined Research Project Selection and Reporting PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 66p AB - This document outlines methods for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Research Division to be used to develop smaller research projects and initiatives in a more streamlined and efficient manner. These types of initiatives include literature summaries, policy research, state-of-the-practice summaries, scanning tours, pooled-fund projects, and certain types of research projects. The process includes criteria to determine if streamlined or fast-track methods should be applied to a project. Various streamline project methods are outlined in this document. Also included are general criteria for use in determining which type of deliverable is appropriate based on the scope, cost of the initiative, the champion requesting the work, the urgency of the project, and how the deliverables align with UDOT’s goals. Report templates are attached for each project type to aid authors in providing the needed information to the end users. KW - Guidelines KW - Research management KW - Research projects KW - Research reports KW - Utah Department of Transportation UR - http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=44623 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243677 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472605 AU - Anderson, Douglas AU - Eixenberger, David AU - LeHolm, Thomas AU - T Y Lin International AU - Utah Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Resource Matching for Research PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 47p AB - Acquiring resources to conduct research initiatives is a crucial aspect of promoting the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Research Division. This report outlines processes to leverage research funding with resources from other divisions, regions, and projects. This includes hard match funding in the form of dollars, and soft match funding in the form of labor, materials, new products, software, and other project needs. These processes include a flow chart to aid in the selection of potential funding sources and a Project Work Plan Template to assist in establishing an efficient way to manage the various resources during the project. Also included are documents to obtain commitments from all stakeholders to ensure that the funding, labor or other assets promised for the project will be delivered. KW - Financing KW - Matching funds KW - Project management KW - Research management KW - Research projects KW - Resource allocation KW - Utah Department of Transportation UR - http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=44624 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243680 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465733 TI - Transit Asset Inventory Vertical Integration Research AB - This research considers how urban rail transit agencies can leverage data in their maintenance management systems to build asset inventories for higher-level analysis to optimize investments in capital assets. This project will define what data are needed for an asset inventory (e.g., asset type and quantity, age, remaining useful life, and replacement or renewal costs) and recommend standardized common language and definition for describing transit assets. It will explore how data in maintenance management systems can be used to build asset inventories for higher-level analysis, such as capital asset management, and how maintenance and life-cycle data can be used to infer condition of assets for purposes of informing reinvestment strategies. This project will investigate the potential to integrate existing maintenance management systems with higher-level asset management inventories in conjunction with an urban transit rail system. The project team will work closely with St. Louis Metro's management and personnel to gain a more informed perspective on how data are used in the maintenance activity of the agency's assets. Products will include a data flow chart, requirements for tools to support the capital budgeting and asset replacement process, and a final report. KW - Asset management KW - Budgeting KW - Capital KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Maintenance management KW - Remaining useful life UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233967 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465732 TI - Best Practices in Managing Annuity and Health Insurance Obligations to Retired Transit Employees AB - This project will review the transit industry's best practices and policies for managing and financing post-retirement obligations to employees and develop a Best Principles Guidebook that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will disseminate to transit agency managers and policy makers to help improve their retirement program management and financing capacity. FTA's primary concern in this research is to help transit agencies take stock of and manage post-employment programs that have generated legacy costs. As in other sectors of the economy, legacy costs threaten to reduce transit agencies' ability to finance current services. This research will develop inherently hard-to-implement, but realistic and necessary, best principles by which to change transit industry norms in post-retirement programs. The contractor will produce white papers for discussion and a final report in the form of a Best Principles Guidebook. KW - Best practices KW - Employee benefits KW - Financing KW - Health insurance KW - Policy KW - Retirement UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233966 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01455837 AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service AU - Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. TI - National Key Deer Refuge Transportation Study: Short and Long Range Improvement Plan PY - 2011/06 SP - 40p AB - The Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex is a chain of four National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in Monroe County, Florida. This plan focuses on the National Key Deer Refuge (NKDR). The NKDR encompasses a series of islands within the Lower Keys that include No Name Key, Big Pine Key, Little Torch Key, Ramrod Key, Summerland Key, Cudjoe Key, and Sugarloaf Key. It is the primary habitat for numerous federally endangered or threatened species including the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit, the Silver Rice Rat, and the widely recognized Key Deer. The Refuge’s approved acquisition boundary encompasses over 84,000 acres of lands and waters with nearly 9,200 acres of land owned or managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The purpose of this report is to evaluate the environmental impacts of the preliminary candidate alternatives. The Preliminary Candidate Alternatives Report (March 2011) proposed five preliminary candidate alternatives and 14 additional recommendations at the National Key Deer Refuge. This report describes the five preliminary candidate alternatives plus the additional recommendations in more detail. KW - Deer KW - Environmental impacts KW - Florida Keys KW - Improvements KW - Long range planning KW - National Key Deer Refuge KW - Refuge areas KW - Short range planning UR - http://www.efl.fhwa.dot.gov/files/programs/KeyDeer-Short-and-Long-Range-Improvement-Plan-final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1222892 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01451213 AU - United States Federal Highway Administration TI - SR 520 bridge replacement and HOV project : environmental impact statement PY - 2011/06//Volumes held: Draft, Draft Appendix, Supplement to the draft, Supplement to the draftsum, Final KW - Environmental impact statements UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1219757 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01450072 AU - Hossain, Zahid AU - Zaman, Musharraf AU - Doiron, Curtis AU - Cross, Steven AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma State University AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of Flexible Pavement Database for Local Calibration of MEPDG - Volume 1 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 545p AB - The new mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG), based on the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) study 1-37A, replaces the widely used but more empirical 1993 AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures. The MEPDG adopted a mechanistic-empirical pavement analysis and design procedure by using material properties, traffic and climate data for local conditions as input. Among material properties, resilient modulus (Mr) of underlying soil and aggregate layers is one of the important parameters for the analysis and design of flexible pavements. Also, dynamic modulus (E*) of the asphalt mixes and rheological properties of asphalt binders are needed to predict pavement distresses for its design life. To this end, Mr data of 712 samples from five unbound subgrade soils, 139 samples from four stabilized subgrade soils, and 105 samples from two aggregates in Oklahoma were evaluated to develop stress-based models. Among selected models for unbound subgrade soils, the universal model outperformed other stress-based models. For stabilized soils and aggregates, the octahedral model, recommended by the MEPDG, performed better than the other models. Also, reasonably good correlations were established to predict Mr values of these materials by using routine material properties (i.e., gradation, index properties). Furthermore, MEPDG input parameters of three performance grade (PG) binders, collected from three different refineries in Oklahoma, were determined as per Superpave(R) test methods. It was observed that the rheological properties (i.e., viscosity, dynamic shear modulus (G*)) of the same PG grade binders varied significantly based on their sources. The present study is expected to provide ODOT with useful data and correlations that can be used to calibrate the MEPDG for local materials and conditions. KW - Bituminous binders KW - Calibration KW - Flexible pavements KW - Granular bases KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Modulus of resilience KW - Soils KW - Subgrade materials UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46900/46954/Development_of_flexible_pavement_database_for_local_calibration_of_MEPDG_vol._I.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1217382 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449701 AU - Bham, Ghulam H AU - Khazraee, S Hadi AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Missouri Work Zone Capacity: Results of Field Data Analysis PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 61p AB - This report presents the results of work zone field data analyzed on interstate highways in Missouri to determine the mean breakdown and queue-discharge flow rates as measures of capacity. Several days of traffic data collected at a work zone near Pacific, Missouri with a speed limit of 50 mph were analyzed in both the eastbound and westbound directions. As a result, a total of eleven breakdown events were identified using average speed profiles. The traffic flows prior to and after the onset of congestion were studied. Breakdown flow rates ranged between 1194 to 1404 vehicles per hour per lane (vphpl), with an average of 1295 vphpl, and a mean queue discharge rate of 1072 vphpl was determined. Mean queue discharge, as used by the Highway Capacity Manual 2000 (HCM), in terms of passenger car per hour per lane (pcphpl) was found to be 1199, well below the HCM’s average capacity of 1600 pcphpl . This reduced capacity found at the site is attributable mainly to narrower lane width and higher percentage of heavy vehicles, around 25%, in the traffic stream. The difference found between mean breakdown flow (1295 vphpl) and queue-discharge flow (1072 vphpl) has been observed widely, and is due to reduced traffic flow once traffic breaks down and queues start to form. The Missouri Department of Transportation currently uses a spreadsheet for work zone planning applications that assumes the same values of breakdown and mean queue discharge flow rates. This study proposes that breakdown flow rates should be used to forecast the onset of congestion, whereas mean queue discharge flow rates should be used to estimate delays under congested conditions. Hence, it is recommended that the spreadsheet be refined accordingly. KW - Field studies KW - Highway capacity KW - Missouri KW - Queue discharge rate KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow breakdown KW - Traffic flow rate KW - Traffic queuing KW - Traffic volume KW - Work zones UR - http://publications.iowa.gov/14959/1/IA_DOT_SWZDI_TPR5-081_MO_WZcapacity_2011.pdf UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/smartwz/documents/project_reports/MO_WZcapacity_finalreport_June2011.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45700/45736/Bham_118_FINAL_COMBINED.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1217364 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01447865 AU - Dawood, Haitham AU - ElGawady, Mohamed AU - Cofer, William AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seismic Behavior and Design of Segmental Precast Post-Tensioned Concrete Piers PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 142p AB - Segmental precast column construction is an economic environmental friendly solution to accelerate bridge construction in the United States. Also, concrete-filled fiber reinforced polymer tubes (CFFT) represents a potential economic solution for durability issues in the bridge industry. Combining the segmental precast and CFFT will result in a rapid durable construction system. The proposed research will build on recent work by the principal investigator (PI), where he experimentally investigated the seismic behavior of tens single-column and two-column bents constructed using precast post-tensioned CFFT. The columns were constructed by stacking precast CFFT segments one on top of the other and then post-tensioned using unbonded tendons. Two specimens had external energy dissipation devices and another two specimens had neoprene in the joints between the CFFT segments. The neoprene significantly reduced the seismic displacement demand. The columns re-centered upon the conclusion of the test resulting in minimal residual displacement, which represents, in the case of a real strong earthquake, a huge advantage since the post-earthquake repair measures will be minimal. 3-D finite element models were developed by the PI to predict the performance of the single-column under monotonic lateral loads. The main objective of this proposal is to improve and expand the capabilities of these finite element models to produce design recommendations. In particular, the models will be expanded to include dynamic loading, two-column bents, and the neoprene in the joints. Including dynamic loading in the model is essential to quantify the energy dissipation due to rocking of the columns segments. The output of this research will be recommendations on the optimum construction characteristics of the system including the segment height/column diameter ratio, neoprene thickness and hardness, external energy dissipater requirements, and post-tensioning force level. The proposed research will develop a durable environmental friendly rapid construction bridge system, which has low life-cycle costs, construction waste, noise, traffic disruption, and initial construction cost. In addition, the developed system will has high work zone safety, efficient use of construction material, a short construction time, and improved constructability. The proposed construction system will not have a leakage of wet concrete into waterways leading to pollution of water and harm migrating fish. Finally, when the proposed construction system is fully developed and implemented in construction, it will reduce the expense of bridge replacement, repair, and continuous operation interruption after earthquakes. KW - Bridge construction KW - Bridge design KW - Bridge piers KW - Dislocation (Geology) KW - Earthquakes KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Finite element method KW - Precast concrete KW - Segmental columns KW - Three-dimensional models UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46200/46256/TNW2011-17_Seismic_Behavior_and_Design_of_Segmental_Precast_Post-Tensioned.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1213873 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01394337 AU - Rutherford, G Scott AU - Wang, Yinhai AU - Watkins, Kari AU - Malinovskiy, Yegor AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Perceived and Actual Wait Time Measurement at Transit Stops Using Bluetooth PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 27p AB - In order to attract more choice riders, transit service must not only have a high level of service in terms of frequency and travel time but also must be reliable. One inexpensive way to combat the perception of unreliability from the user perspective is real-time transit information. The OneBusAway transit traveler information system provides real-time next bus countdown information for riders of King County Metro via website, telephone, text-messaging, and smart phone applications. Although previous studies have looked at traveler response to real-time information, few have addressed real-time information via devices other than public display signs. Riders using real-time information do not perceive their wait time to be longer than their measured wait time. A model to predict the perceived wait time of bus riders was developed, with significant variables that include the measured wait time, an indicator variable for real-time information, an indicator variable for PM peak period, the bus frequency in buses per hour, and a self-reported typical aggravation level. Unfortunately, the actual wait time data is particularly hard to collect, often requiring extensive manual work. Increasing popularity of mobile devices and the inter-device communication protocols that they rely on have become attractive data sources for vehicle traffic analysis purposes, showing great potential. However, the use of this data source for transit purposes remains relatively unexplored. For the second study in this report, an exploratory study into automated passenger wait time data collection is conducted and evaluated. Overall, low-resolution wait time data can be obtained using Bluetooth sensors, revealing basic trends such as average wait times and, more interestingly, the potential impact of real-time information availability via mobile devices. KW - Bluetooth technology KW - Bus transit KW - King County Metro Transit KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Mobile telephones KW - Passenger information systems KW - Perception KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Transit riders KW - Waiting time UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1154137 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01383570 AU - Green, Paul E AU - Matteson, Anne AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Evaluation of 2009 Virginia Crash Data Reported to the MCMIS Crash File PY - 2011/06//Special Report SP - 47p AB - This report is part of a series evaluating the data reported to the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash File undertaken by the Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Earlier studies have shown that reporting to the MCMIS Crash File was generally incomplete. This report examines the factors that are associated with reporting rates for the State of Virginia. MCMIS Crash File records were matched to the Virginia Crash file to determine the nature and extent of underreporting. Overall, it appears that Virginia is reporting 75.2 percent of crash involvements that should be reported to the MCMIS Crash file. Because police officers are instructed to code tractors with trailers as single unit trucks with three axles, reporting rates by truck configuration were not calculated, but the reporting rate for all trucks is 76.1 percent, and the reporting rate for buses is 67.4 percent. The reporting rate for fatal crashes is 84.1 percent, 77.3 percent for injured/transported crashes, and 73.0 percent for towed/disabled crashes. The Virginia Police Crash Report form has a Commercial Motor Vehicle Section and it appears that the data recorded in this section plays a major role in determining what information gets uploaded to the MCMIS Crash file. Missing data rates are low for most variables. Corresponding data elements in the MCMIS and Virginia Crash files were reasonably consistent for several variables examined. KW - Bus crashes KW - Crash data KW - Crash records KW - Crash severity KW - Missing data KW - Motor Carrier Management Information System Crash File KW - Traffic crashes KW - Truck crashes KW - Underreporting KW - Virginia UR - http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89600/1/102792.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147899 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01383561 AU - Moudon, Anne Vernez AU - Stewart, Orion AU - Lin, Lin AU - Washington State Transportation Center AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - So Many Choices, So Many Ways to Choose: How Five State Departments of Transportation Select Safe Routes to School Programs for Funding PY - 2011/06//Research Report SP - 104p AB - Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs support children safely walking and biking to and from school. Each state Department of Transportation (DOT) awards federal grant money to proposal applications made by local SRTS programs. Because demand for federal SRTS funding far exceeds most states’ budgets for their program, state DOTs must carefully select the SRTS proposals that receive an award. By definition, most local program proposals that meet the federal guidelines to receive SRTS grant money will include elements that contribute to pedestrian safety. As a result, state DOTs that wish to leverage their SRTS funds are faced with the difficult task of choosing those proposals with the greatest potential to successfully increase the safety and number of children walking or biking to school. This report compares how five state DOTs – Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin – select the most promising SRTS proposals for funding. It reviews how the five states approach the selection process by considering grant types, SRTS plans, eligibility requirements, program distribution policies, proposal review processes, and established selection criteria. The selection processes and criteria used are reviewed to highlight examples of best practices that consider (1) the four common barriers to walking and biking to school (distance, income, parent values and parent concerns), (2) the “five E’s” commonly used to classify SRTS program elements (engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation), and (3) the five conceptualized stages of an SRTS program (existing conditions, planning, proposal, implementation, and assessment of outcomes). The results of this review are insights into how the five state DOTs define an effective SRTS program and how they prioritize awards for the many good SRTS program proposals they receive. Examples of effective selection practices are identified as a basis for making specific recommendations on what constitutes a promising proposal selection process that awards programs with the highest potential to increase the safety and number of children walking or biking to school. An appendix contains documentation on the original SRTS proposal selection protocols used by the five contributing state DOTs. KW - Best practices KW - Eligibility determination KW - Government funding KW - Policy KW - Safe Routes to School (Program) KW - School children KW - Selection criteria KW - State departments of transportation UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/743.2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147957 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380510 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Minnesota Department of Transportation AU - Metropolitan Council of Twin Cities TI - Twin Cities Metro Freight Initiative: Report on Peer Best Practices PY - 2011/06 SP - 52p AB - This document responds to stated interest by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) and the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities to identify and compile peer best practices and lessons learned on several topics of interest, including the following: (1) History of freight – how and why the peer transportation agency developed its focus on freight; (2) Freight planning practices – including incorporating freight into long-range plans or regional, land use, economic development, or other types of plans; (3) Freight programming processes and approaches – including prioritizing or ranking freight projects for programming documents such as the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP); (4) Private sector engagement – how the peer transportation agency engaged the private sector through a freight task force, freight advisory committee, or other mechanism; the membership of the group, its relationship to other peer agency committees/groups, and typical issues addressed. Each of the summaries included in this document addresses key findings on the above topics and highlights their implications for the Twin Cities Metro Freight Strategy. As two different sets of freight peers were identified (freight planning and freight programming), the summaries for freight planning peers generally do not focus on or include information about freight programming and vice versa. KW - Best practices KW - Economic development KW - Expert/peer reviews KW - Freight transportation KW - Planning KW - Programming (Planning) KW - Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minnesota) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44700/44770/Twin_Cities_Metro_Freight_Initiative_Report_on_Peer_Best_Practices_June_2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147324 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01375860 AU - McCormack, Sarah M AU - Walton, Jennifer R AU - Agent, Kenneth R AU - University of Kentucky, Lexington AU - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Pilot Project: Emergency Traffic Control for Responders PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 69p AB - Traffic control is an essential component of incident response in order to move road users safely and expeditiously past or around a traffic incident, and to reduce the likelihood of secondary crashes. Emergency responders, with the exception of law enforcement, are provided limited or no training in traffic control, but by the nature of their job often have to perform such duties. There is a need to provide basic knowledge and equipment to on-scene responders in order to reduce traffic delays, secondary crashes, and injuries to those involved in response activities. This report summarizes the results of a pilot project where local fire departments were provided with emergency traffic control equipment and training. The objective was to determine if the equipment would be sufficiently utilized and to summarize the benefits of the use of the equipment by responders. KW - Emergency management KW - Emergency medical technicians KW - Emergency response time KW - Highway traffic control KW - Secondary crashes KW - Traffic control devices KW - Training UR - http://www.ktc.uky.edu/files/2012/06/KTC_11_05_SPR_398_10_1F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1143022 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01374498 AU - Perkins, Robert A AU - McHattie, Robert L AU - Bennett, F Lawrence AU - University of Alaska, Fairbanks AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Serving Future Transportation Needs: Succession Planning for a State Department of Transportation Organization, Its People & Mission PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 115p AB - This project examines the employment of people who accomplish the work of the Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (AKDOT&PF) – those who serve the future transportation needs of Alaska. The study focuses primarily on professional personnel within AKDOT&PF, but includes consideration of vital support personnel as well. The research is about getting and retaining a sufficient number of good people. The magnitude of “sufficient” changes with time. Therefore, the work considers plausible future events that may cause large changes in staffing requirements. The project report provides implementation recommendations that include the strategies, goals and tasks that AKDOT&PF can use to formulate an action plan to accomplish its mission in the future. The report targets a reading audience that includes AKDOT&PF Chief level managers and regional administrators, and Department of Administration personnel interested in successful long term development of AKDOT&PF’s human assets. KW - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities KW - Education and training KW - Hiring policies KW - Human resources management KW - Personnel KW - Personnel management KW - Personnel retention KW - Professional personnel KW - Recruiting KW - Selection and appointment KW - Strategic planning UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2012/05/309038.Perkins.-Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1142169 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01368686 AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Station Area Planning for High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail PY - 2011/06 SP - 16p AB - This station area planning document is a reference tool for State transportation departments and local and regional jurisdictions working in partnership with transportation agencies implementing high-speed and intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) projects. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) encourages dialogue with Federal, State, regional, and local partners on ways to better integrate passenger transport and land use. FRA has included topics, concepts, and ideas to assist local jurisdictions and others accomplish successful station area planning and achieve an optimal integration of the station in its context — to ensure ridership growth and capture livability, sustainability, and economic benefi ts. Rail stations will differ depending on their location — downtown, airport transfer, suburban, and small town. While every station area is unique and should refl ect local context, culture and climate, some common principles apply to the creation of forms and public spaces regardless of location. This document offers three such principles along with recommended strategies for the creation of places that invite people to stay and enjoy, and that enhance the economy and sustainability of the region. KW - Context sensitive design KW - Economic benefits KW - High speed rail KW - Intercity passenger rail KW - Land use planning KW - Passenger terminals KW - Railroad stations KW - Strategic planning KW - Sustainable development UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/Details/L03759 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1137255 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367797 AU - Wierwille, Walter W AU - Schaudt, William A AU - Blanco, Myra AU - Alden, Andrew S AU - Hanowski, Richard J AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Enhanced Camera/Video Imaging Systems (E-C/VISs) for Heavy Vehicles: Final Report PY - 2011/06//Draft Final Report SP - 166p AB - Tests were performed to determine the feasibility of developing an Enhanced Camera/Video Imaging System (Enhanced C/VIS or E-C/VIS) to provide heavy-vehicle drivers with better situation awareness to the sides and rear of their vehicles. It is well known that large blind spots currently exist in these areas and that sideswipe crashes can occur as a result. An additional goal was to extend the operating envelope of conventional video to nighttime and to inclement weather. A three-channel system was envisioned in which there would be a camera at each (front) fender of the tractor looking backward along the sides of the rig. The third channel would be aimed rearward from the back of the trailer. The current document describes the project results. Indoor tests involved selection of components having the best capabilities, while early outdoor tests used the selected components in a single-channel side mounted system. Subjects evaluated rain and dark conditions. Results were satisfactory. Once developed, the three-channel system was tested and found to work well in the nighttime and inclement weather environments. Street lighting was also included in the testing. KW - Blind areas (Trucks) KW - Heavy vehicles KW - Night KW - Rearview cameras KW - Side object detection systems KW - Vehicle safety KW - Video cameras KW - Weather conditions UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811483.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136509 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367796 AU - Fitch, Gregory M AU - Blanco, Myra AU - Camden, Matthew C AU - Olson, Rebecca L AU - McClafferty, Julie AU - Morgan, Justin F AU - Wharton, Amy E AU - Howard, Henry E AU - Trimble, Tammy AU - Hanowski, Richard J AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Field Demonstration of Heavy Vehicle Camera/Video Imaging Systems: Final Report PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 574p AB - To help drivers monitor the road and to reduce blind spots, Camera/Video Imaging Systems (C/VISs) display video from cameras mounted on the truck’s exterior to drivers using displays inside the truck cabin. This report investigated drivers’ performance with C/VISs in a real-world trucking operation. Twelve commercial drivers’ performance with and without a C/VIS was continuously recorded while they each drove for four months. Half of the drivers used a commercially available C/VIS that had a side-view camera on each fender. The other drivers used an advanced C/VIS (A-C/VIS) that had side-view cameras, a rear-view camera, and night-vision capabilities. The results show that when a C/VIS was provided: 1) drivers’ involvement in safety-critical events (SCEs) did not change, 2) the probability that drivers looked forward did not change, 3) drivers were more likely to use the C/VIS at night and when making right lane changes, and 4) drivers indicated that the C/VISs helped them become aware of surrounding objects and merge into traffic. In terms of disbenefits, some drivers indicated that glare from the commercially available C/VIS monitors, as positioned to specifications, could be uncomfortable at night. The A-C/VIS’s advanced features were highly rated by drivers. The rear-view camera was also used more than the left or right fender cameras. KW - Blind areas (Trucks) KW - Field tests KW - Heavy vehicles KW - Lane changing KW - Merging traffic KW - Night KW - Rearview cameras KW - Side object detection systems KW - Vehicle safety KW - Video cameras UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811475.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136515 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01366347 AU - Burger, Charlotte AU - Clark, Michael AU - Cotton, Benjamin AU - Filosa, Gina AU - Jackson, David W AU - Linthicum, Alex AU - Machek, Elizabeth AU - Mejias, Luis AU - Regan, Terrance AU - Sloan, Suzanne M AU - Sylvester, Kathleen AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - FTA Transit Intelligent Transportation System Architecture Consistency Review – 2010 Update PY - 2011/06//Draft Final Report SP - 503p AB - This report provides an assessment on the level of compliance among the FTA grantees with the National ITS Architecture Policy, specifically examining three items: 1. The use and maintenance of Regional ITS Architectures by transit agencies to plan, predict, and guide their ITS deployments within their regions; 2. The use of the systems engineering process; and 3. The use and implementation of USDOT-supported ITS Standards. Review of the ITS Architecture covers what transit technologies have been deployed; a history of regional or statewide ITS architectures; application of ITS standards; systems engineering processes; obstacles, challenges, and benefits to regional transit ITS involvement and ITS architecture. Recommendations are presented to expand the inclusion of transit agencies in regional ITS architecture development and application, ITS deployments, and the overall regional planning process, including the appropriate FTA role and education and training needs of the transit community. KW - Compliance KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Policy KW - Standards KW - System architecture UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/2010TransitITSArchRvw_-_08.29.2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1134413 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362858 AU - Miller, Ann B AU - Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - “Backsights”: Essays In Virginia Transportation History: Volume I: Reprints PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 496p AB - This is the first of two volumes of a project to compile, convert to electronic format, and index the “Backsights” series of essays on Virginia transportation history. Between 1972 and 2007, these essays, by various authors, periodically appeared in various publications of the Virginia Department of Transportation, originally in the Bulletin and subsequently in the newsletter of the Virginia Transportation Technology Transfer Center. The essays will be presented in two volumes: Volume I, the current volume, includes all the articles in the initial series (1972-1985); Volume II will include all the articles in the second series (2000 to 2007). These articles cover a wide range of subject matter, from topics specific to Virginia transportation through the years to articles that place Virginia transportation in a national and international context. The topics are as diverse as short biographies of pioneering road and bridge builders; major early highways in Virginia; the role of women in 18th and 19th century transportation; early road and bridge specifications and building practices; the growth of railroads; the evolution of public transportation in Virginia; the varying experiences of travelers throughout Virginia’s history; the rise of the automobile age; the history of taverns in Virginia; and transportation-related historic preservation and cultural resource issues. Although the majority of these articles are long out of print, copies have been regularly requested and utilized by historical and cultural resource researchers, as well as by members of the general public. The requests for specific articles, as well as for information on early roads, turnpikes, canals, etc., have demonstrated the need for this compilation. These volumes will provide direct electronic access to all of the “Backsights” essays from the inception of the series in 1972 through 2007, along with a comprehensive index for each volume. These essays are utilized by VDOT environmental and cultural resource personnel, as well as by transportation historians, academic and professional historical and cultural resource researchers, and interested members of the public. KW - Cultural resources KW - Historic preservation KW - History KW - Virginia UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/11-r18.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1128220 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361070 AU - Peddibhotla, Sree Sravya Sruthi AU - Murphy, Mike AU - Zhang, Zhanmin AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Validation and Implementation of the Structural Condition Index (SCI) for Network-level Pavement Evaluation PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 119p AB - The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses the Pavement Management Information Systems (PMIS) to store and analyze pavement data, and to summarize information needed to support pavement-related decisions. The information on overall condition of the pavement is stored in PMIS, measured with various scores based on visual distress and ride quality surveys. However, a direct measure of the pavement structural condition is currently not in use. A network-level index that can distinguish pavements that require Preventive Maintenance (PM) from those that require Rehabilitation (Rhb) is required, as it is not cost-effective to apply PM treatments to pavements that are structurally inadequate. The need for an index to improve the pavement treatment selection process, especially under financial constraints, has motivated this research. The objective of this research is to validate the pavement Structural Condition Index (SCI) developed under a previous Research Project, 0-4322, and to develop guidelines for implementing the SCI at the network level. KW - Driver rehabilitation KW - Pavement data KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement Management Information System KW - Preventive maintenance KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Ride quality KW - Structural condition index UR - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/5_4322_01_1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127037 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361028 AU - Thompson, David B AU - Morse, Audra N AU - Acker, Jenna AU - Texas Tech University, Lubbock AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Analysis of the Occurrence and Statistics of Hazardous Materials Spill Incidents along Texas Highways and Suggestions for Mitigation of Transport-related Spills to Receiving Waters PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 156p AB - The purpose of this report is to present results from research on the occurrence and distribution of hazardous materials spill incidents along Texas highways during the period of record from 2002–2006. In addition to the analysis of recorded incident data, a literature review and interpretation of methods for mitigating hazardous materials spills was conducted and the results are presented. Finally, a set of proposed design guidelines for implementing hazardous materials traps in three settings is presented. The first setting occurs where no requirement for detention or water-quality treatment is required, the second where detention is required but not water-quality treatment, and the third occurs where both detention and water-quality treatment are required. KW - Crash data KW - Design KW - Detention basins KW - Hazardous materials KW - Literature reviews KW - Spills (Pollution) KW - Texas KW - Water quality UR - http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/hostedPDFs/techmrt_0-5200-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127032 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361015 AU - Garber, S AU - Rasmussen, R AU - Cackler, T AU - Taylor, P AU - Harrington, D AU - Fick, G AU - Snyder, M AU - Van Dam, T AU - Lobo, C AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of a Technology Deployment Plan for the Use of Recycled Concrete Aggregate in Concrete Paving Mixtures PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 48p AB - The Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) effort that acknowledges the need for sustainable practices. According to the FHWA Administrator, the initiative is “designed to identify and deploy innovation aimed at shortening project delivery, enhancing the safety of our roadways, and protecting the environment”. The use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) in new concrete paving mixtures is an example of innovation that aligns well the goals of the EDC initiative. RCA used in new concrete paving mixtures can expedite construction schedules, reduce waste and associated hauling cost, conserve resources of virgin aggregates, and potentially reduce project costs. The Technology Deployment Plan presented herein is aimed at addressing the barriers that limit the use of RCA in new concrete paving mixtures. The Plan recognizes barriers grouped into three primary categories: compliance, quality, and production. In order to overcome these barriers, the Plan includes the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) and four programs: Outreach and Communication, Training, Technical Support, and Demonstration Projects. Through coordinated efforts by the TWG, the tasks developed and carried out under each program will mark forward progress towards achieving a future where RCA is used as a commonly accepted alternative to virgin aggregates for new concrete paving mixtures. KW - Admixtures KW - Aggregates KW - Concrete KW - Concrete aggregates KW - Every Day Counts KW - Recycled concrete aggregate KW - Recycled materials KW - Road construction KW - Technological innovations UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/RCA%20Draft%20Report_final-ssc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126932 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360608 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - NHTSA’s Biomechanics Research Plan, 2011-2015 PY - 2011/06 SP - 34p AB - The Human Injury Research and Applied Biomechanics Divisions of the Office of Vehicle Safety Research conduct research to advance the scientific knowledge in biomechanics to enhance motor vehicle occupant safety through regulatory and non-regulatory efforts, and support NHTSA’s mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes. These divisions disseminate scientific information and conduct cooperative and collaborative research with other organizations around the world to develop tools that will help mitigate injury and death in motor vehicle crashes. This document describes a multi-year research plan that includes rationale, projects descriptions, deliverables, and schedule. KW - Biophysics KW - Crash injury research KW - Fatalities KW - Human factors engineering KW - Injuries KW - Occupant protection devices KW - Occupant vehicle interface KW - Regulations KW - Research management KW - Research projects KW - Safety engineering KW - Traffic crashes KW - U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration KW - Vehicle design KW - Vehicle occupants KW - Vehicle safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Biomechanics%20&%20Trauma/811474rev.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126706 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359686 AU - Harik, Issam E AU - Choo, Ching Chiaw AU - Peiris, Abheetha AU - Eaton, Dan AU - University of Kentucky, Lexington AU - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Implementation of Remote Sensing Technology on the I-64 Bridge Over US 60 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 23p AB - Remote sensing devices have been implemented on the I-64 Bridges over US60 in Franklin County, KY. One of the girders in the westbound bridge has been previously repaired due to unexpected fatigue cracking. The exterior girder in the eastbound bridge has shown signs of impacts due to the traversing trucks on US60. Sensing and recording devices such as strain and temperature gauges, infrared sensors, ultrasonic height detectors, and an accelerometer have been installed. Specifically, eleven strain gauges are used on the repaired girder, impacted girders, and girders adjacent to them. Two sets of infrared sensors, ultrasonic detectors, and video cameras are placed to capture the impacting truck(s). Overall structural responses will be studied through data collected from the strain and temperature gauges, and accelerometer. Data are stored on-site, but the investigator has the flexibility of transmitting or viewing the data, live or stored, via an internet connection. KW - Accelerometers KW - Bridges KW - Detection and identification technologies KW - Franklin County (Kentucky) KW - Girders KW - Infrared detectors KW - Monitoring KW - Remote sensing KW - Sensors KW - Strain gages KW - Ultrasonic detectors KW - Video cameras UR - http://www.ktc.uky.edu/files/2012/06/KTC_11_01_SPR_260-03-1F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125590 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359678 AU - Rister, Brad W AU - Graves, R Clark AU - University of Kentucky, Lexington AU - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Pavement Evaluation of the Concrete Tie-Bars and Dowel Baskets on the Springfield Bypass, KY 55 Washington County, Kentucky PY - 2011/06 SP - 11p AB - A 1500 Mhz ground coupled, ground penetrating radar antenna was used to identify both the horizontal alignment and the vertical displacement of the concrete tie-bars and the transverse joint dowel bar assembles on a portland-cement-concrete-pavement (PCC{) on KY55 in Washington County, KY. Approximately six lanes miles of PCCP was evaluated using the 1500 Mhz, ground coupled antenna. Results indicate that only four transverse dowel baskets out of an approximate total of 2,112 were within three inches of the pavement surface. Three transverse dowel baskets were misaligned greater than four inches from the location of the sawed joint. These areas represent 0.33 percent of the total transverse joints on the project. The ground penetrating radar results also indicated there were no areas along the longitudinal joint where the tie-bars were either too close to the pavement surface or missing. KW - Concrete pavements KW - Dowels (Fasteners) KW - Evaluation KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Tie bars KW - Washington County (Kentucky) UR - http://www.ktc.uky.edu/files/2012/06/KTC_11_02_KH_70_11_1F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125589 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359020 AU - Moore, Katharine AU - Polidori, Andrea AU - Sioutas, Constantinos AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Toxicological Assessment of Particulate Emissions from the Exhaust of Old and New Model Heavy- and Light-Duty Vehicles PY - 2011/06//Final Project Report SP - 55p AB - Diesel particulate matter (PM) is a known carcinogen, and particulate exhaust emissions from both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles are toxic. Particulate matter emissions from three light-duty vehicles in five different configurations were tested in a dynamometer facility. The diesel particle filter-equipped Accord and the gasoline vehicle had the lowest overall PM emission rates and the diesel and biodiesel vehicles produced the most potent exhaust in terms of oxidative activity. Correlations were explored between the chemical composition of the PM and the assay results. While there may be some confounding effects, elevated organic species emissions and select metals (associated with lube oil) were found to be correlated with the oxidative potential of the PM. These data, in combination with knowledge of the physical exhaust emission properties, emission control level and driving cycle provide insight into the expected toxicological impacts of changes in the vehicle fleet and planned emission control strategies and will be useful in the evaluation of the effect of fleet turn-over on the air quality impacts in the Los Angeles basin. KW - Air quality KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Exhaust gases KW - Health hazards KW - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area KW - Particulates KW - Toxicology UR - http://www.metrans.org/research/09-07-toxicological-assessment-particulate-emissions-exhaust-old UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42539/09-07_Moore_METRANS_final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117003 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358660 AU - Rajagopal, Arudi AU - Infrastructure Management and Engineering, Incorporated AU - Ohio Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Effectiveness of Crack Sealing on Pavement Serviceability and Life PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 81p AB - This report presents the details of a study to evaluate effectiveness of Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT's) prevailing crack sealing program. Evaluation was performed through field monitoring a large number of crack sealed and control sections. Field monitoring included collection of performance data over the five year period after crack sealing. The data collected were used to address the following specific issues: Do existing crack sealing practices within ODOT enhance pavement performance? What is the optimum timing of the treatment? Does crack sealing extend pavement life? Is crack sealing a cost effective treatment? The analysis revealed that crack sealed pavements, in general, performed better than the control sections on a 5-year cycle. Regardless of pavement type, aggregate type used in the surface layer, and the prior pavement condition, crack sealing always results in performance gain. Maximum performance gain can be achieved by treating pavements with Pavement Condition Rating (PCR) ranging from 66 to 80. The performance prediction models indicate crack sealing treatment can extend the service life of pavements by up to 3.6 years. The cost analysis using a common metric such as the Net Present Value illustrates that crack sealing, as a maintenance strategy, is economically viable for pavements in the prior PCR range of 66 to 70. From a practical point of view, it is hereby recommended that ODOT develops a policy to allow crack sealing as a strategy for pavement preventive maintenance for all pavements in the prior PCR range of 66 to 80. KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Data collection KW - Net present value KW - Pavement condition rating KW - Pavement cracking KW - Pavement performance KW - Preventive maintenance KW - Sealing (Technology) KW - Service life KW - Serviceability UR - http://worldcat.org/oclc/781944998/viewonline UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1124281 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358026 AU - Van Auken, R M AU - Zellner, J W AU - Chiang, D P AU - Kelly, J AU - Silberling, J Y AU - Dai, R AU - Broen, P C AU - Kirsch, A M AU - Sugimoto, Y AU - Dynamic Research, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program – Final Report of the Honda-DRI Team Volume V: Appendices L through Q PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 262p AB - The Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACAT) program initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had two major objectives. These are to develop a standardized Safety Impact Methodology (SIM) tool to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced technologies in mitigating specific types of vehicle crash avoidance crashes; and to develop and demonstrate objective tests that are used in the SIM to verify the safety impact of a real system. Honda and Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI) had been developing and applying such a SIM for several years and DRI with Honda's support entered into a Cooperative Agreement with NHTSA to extend the existing SIM, which provides an estimate of full systems safety benefits at the US level. Objective tests that produce quantifiable, repeatable and reproducible results were developed to ensure that a crash avoidance countermeasure meets system performance specifications, and that the results are directly linked to the safety needs and sample of technology-relevant crashes being addressed. The objective tests, which are based on dynamic reconstructions of a sub-sample of technology-relevant real crashes, include Track tests with an expert driver using automatically guided soft targets (GSTs) of an automobile and of a pedestrian; and Driving Simulator tests with a jury of 12 typical drivers, in order to evaluate driver-vehicle system response and to measure the driver's and vehicle's response characteristics to system warnings and interventions. Results from the objective tests were used to parameterize, calibrate and validate the SIM tool, which was then used to estimate US-level benefits. The delivered SIM tool includes modules for automated reconstruction of conflict and crash scenarios from available databases; definition and sampling of Technology Relevant Crash Types; dynamic simulations involving a human-vehicle-device-environmental model; and an overall safety effects estimator. An example application of the extended SIM tool and developed objective tests involved evaluation of Honda’s prototype Advanced Collision Mitigation Brake System (A-CMBS). KW - Automatic braking KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway safety KW - Safety Impact Methodology KW - Technological innovations KW - Tests KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454E-pt1.pdf UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454E-pt2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122514 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358023 AU - Van Auken, R M AU - Zellner, J W AU - Chiang, D P AU - Kelly, J AU - Silberling, J Y AU - Dai, R AU - Broen, P C AU - Kirsch, A M AU - Sugimoto, Y AU - Dynamic Research, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program – Final Report of the Honda-DRI Team Volume III: Appendix K PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 264p AB - The Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACAT) program initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had two major objectives. These are to develop a standardized Safety Impact Methodology (SIM) tool to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced technologies in mitigating specific types of vehicle crash avoidance crashes; and to develop and demonstrate objective tests that are used in the SIM to verify the safety impact of a real system. Honda and Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI) had been developing and applying such a SIM for several years and DRI with Honda's support entered into a Cooperative Agreement with NHTSA to extend the existing SIM, which provides an estimate of full systems safety benefits at the US level. Objective tests that produce quantifiable, repeatable and reproducible results were developed to ensure that a crash avoidance countermeasure meets system performance specifications, and that the results are directly linked to the safety needs and sample of technology-relevant crashes being addressed. The objective tests, which are based on dynamic reconstructions of a sub-sample of technology-relevant real crashes, include Track tests with an expert driver using automatically guided soft targets (GSTs) of an automobile and of a pedestrian; and Driving Simulator tests with a jury of 12 typical drivers, in order to evaluate driver-vehicle system response and to measure the driver's and vehicle's response characteristics to system warnings and interventions. Results from the objective tests were used to parameterize, calibrate and validate the SIM tool, which was then used to estimate US-level benefits. The delivered SIM tool includes modules for automated reconstruction of conflict and crash scenarios from available databases; definition and sampling of Technology Relevant Crash Types; dynamic simulations involving a human-vehicle-device-environmental model; and an overall safety effects estimator. An example application of the extended SIM tool and developed objective tests involved evaluation of Honda’s prototype Advanced Collision Mitigation Brake System (A-CMBS). KW - Automatic braking KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway safety KW - Safety Impact Methodology KW - Technological innovations KW - Tests KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454C.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122512 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358022 AU - Van Auken, R M AU - Zellner, J W AU - Chiang, D P AU - Kelly, J AU - Silberling, J Y AU - Dai, R AU - Broen, P C AU - Kirsch, A M AU - Sugimoto, Y AU - Dynamic Research, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program – Final Report of the Honda-DRI Team Volume II: Appendix A through J PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 340p AB - The Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACAT) program initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had two major objectives. These are to develop a standardized Safety Impact Methodology (SIM) tool to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced technologies in mitigating specific types of vehicle crash avoidance crashes; and to develop and demonstrate objective tests that are used in the SIM to verify the safety impact of a real system. Honda and Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI) had been developing and applying such a SIM for several years and DRI with Honda's support entered into a Cooperative Agreement with NHTSA to extend the existing SIM, which provides an estimate of full systems safety benefits at the US level. Objective tests that produce quantifiable, repeatable and reproducible results were developed to ensure that a crash avoidance countermeasure meets system performance specifications, and that the results are directly linked to the safety needs and sample of technology-relevant crashes being addressed. The objective tests, which are based on dynamic reconstructions of a sub-sample of technology-relevant real crashes, include Track tests with an expert driver using automatically guided soft targets (GSTs) of an automobile and of a pedestrian; and Driving Simulator tests with a jury of 12 typical drivers, in order to evaluate driver-vehicle system response and to measure the driver's and vehicle's response characteristics to system warnings and interventions. Results from the objective tests were used to parameterize, calibrate and validate the SIM tool, which was then used to estimate US-level benefits. The delivered SIM tool includes modules for automated reconstruction of conflict and crash scenarios from available databases; definition and sampling of Technology Relevant Crash Types; dynamic simulations involving a human-vehicle-device-environmental model; and an overall safety effects estimator. An example application of the extended SIM tool and developed objective tests involved evaluation of Honda’s prototype Advanced Collision Mitigation Brake System (A-CMBS). KW - Automatic braking KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway safety KW - Safety Impact Methodology KW - Technological innovations KW - Tests KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454b.rev.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122510 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357990 AU - Van Auken, R M AU - Zellner, J W AU - Chiang, D P AU - Kelly, J AU - Silberling, J Y AU - Dai, R AU - Broen, P C AU - Kirsch, A M AU - Sugimoto, Y AU - Dynamic Research, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program – Final Report of the Honda-DRI Team Volume IV: SIM Users Manual PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 160p AB - The Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACAT) program initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had two major objectives. These are to develop a standardized Safety Impact Methodology (SIM) tool to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced technologies in mitigating specific types of vehicle crash avoidance crashes; and to develop and demonstrate objective tests that are used in the SIM to verify the safety impact of a real system. Honda and Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI) had been developing and applying such a SIM for several years and DRI with Honda's support entered into a Cooperative Agreement with NHTSA to extend the existing SIM, which provides an estimate of full systems safety benefits at the US level. Objective tests that produce quantifiable, repeatable and reproducible results were developed to ensure that a crash avoidance countermeasure meets system performance specifications, and that the results are directly linked to the safety needs and sample of technology-relevant crashes being addressed. The objective tests, which are based on dynamic reconstructions of a sub-sample of technology-relevant real crashes, include Track tests with an expert driver using automatically guided soft targets (GSTs) of an automobile and of a pedestrian; and Driving Simulator tests with a jury of 12 typical drivers, in order to evaluate driver-vehicle system response and to measure the driver's and vehicle's response characteristics to system warnings and interventions. Results from the objective tests were used to parameterize, calibrate and validate the SIM tool, which was then used to estimate US-level benefits. The delivered SIM tool includes modules for automated reconstruction of conflict and crash scenarios from available databases; definition and sampling of Technology Relevant Crash Types; dynamic simulations involving a human-vehicle-device-environmental model; and an overall safety effects estimator. An example application of the extended SIM tool and developed objective tests involved evaluation of Honda’s prototype Advanced Collision Mitigation Brake System (A-CMBS). KW - Automatic braking KW - Computer program documentation KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway safety KW - Safety Impact Methodology KW - Technological innovations KW - Tests KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454D.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122513 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357989 AU - Sayer, J AU - LeBlanc, D AU - Bogard, S AU - Funkhouser, D AU - Bao, S AU - Buonarosa, M L AU - Blankespoor, A AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Field Operational Test Final Program Report PY - 2011/06 SP - 40p AB - This document presents results from the light-vehicle and heavy-truck field operational tests performed as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effect of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driver behavior and driver acceptance. Both platforms included three integrated crash-warning subsystems: forward crash; lateral drift; and lane-change/merge crash warnings. The light-vehicle platform also included curve-speed warning. The integrated systems were introduced into two vehicle fleets: 16 light vehicles and 10 Class 8 tractors. The light vehicles were operated by 108 volunteer drivers for 6 weeks, and the heavy trucks were driven by 18 commercial-truck drivers for a 10-month period. Each vehicle was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through post-drive surveys and debriefings. Key findings indicate that use of the integrated crash warning system resulted in improvements in lane-keeping, fewer lane departures, and increased turn-signal use. Both the passenger car and commercial drivers accepted the integrated crash warning system and benefited from improved awareness of vehicles around them. No negative behavioral-adaptation effects of using the integrated system were observed in either driver group. KW - Acceptance KW - Behavior KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Demonstration projects KW - Drivers KW - Highway curves KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Lane changing KW - Lateral drift KW - Rear end crashes KW - Speed KW - Traffic safety KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811482.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45603/FHWA-JPO-11-150_IVBSS_Final_Program_Report_FINAL_508.PDF.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122650 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357979 AU - Van Auken, R M AU - Zellner, J W AU - Chiang, D P AU - Kelly, J AU - Silberling, J Y AU - Dai, R AU - Broen, P C AU - Kirsch, A M AU - Sugimoto, Y AU - Dynamic Research, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program – Final Report of the Honda-DRI Team Volume VIII: Appendices S through AC PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 197p AB - The Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACAT) program initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had two major objectives. These are to develop a standardized Safety Impact Methodology (SIM) tool to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced technologies in mitigating specific types of vehicle crash avoidance crashes; and to develop and demonstrate objective tests that are used in the SIM to verify the safety impact of a real system. Honda and Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI) had been developing and applying such a SIM for several years and DRI with Honda's support entered into a Cooperative Agreement with NHTSA to extend the existing SIM, which provides an estimate of full systems safety benefits at the US level. Objective tests that produce quantifiable, repeatable and reproducible results were developed to ensure that a crash avoidance countermeasure meets system performance specifications, and that the results are directly linked to the safety needs and sample of technology-relevant crashes being addressed. The objective tests, which are based on dynamic reconstructions of a sub-sample of technology-relevant real crashes, include Track tests with an expert driver using automatically guided soft targets (GSTs) of an automobile and of a pedestrian; and Driving Simulator tests with a jury of 12 typical drivers, in order to evaluate driver-vehicle system response and to measure the driver's and vehicle's response characteristics to system warnings and interventions. Results from the objective tests were used to parameterize, calibrate and validate the SIM tool, which was then used to estimate US-level benefits. The delivered SIM tool includes modules for automated reconstruction of conflict and crash scenarios from available databases; definition and sampling of Technology Relevant Crash Types; dynamic simulations involving a human-vehicle-device-environmental model; and an overall safety effects estimator. An example application of the extended SIM tool and developed objective tests involved evaluation of Honda’s prototype Advanced Collision Mitigation Brake System (A-CMBS). KW - Automatic braking KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway safety KW - Safety Impact Methodology KW - Technological innovations KW - Tests KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454H.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122648 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357974 AU - Van Auken, R M AU - Zellner, J W AU - Chiang, D P AU - Kelly, J AU - Silberling, J Y AU - Dai, R AU - Broen, P C AU - Kirsch, A M AU - Sugimoto, Y AU - Dynamic Research, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program – Final Report of the Honda-DRI Team Volume I: Executive Summary and Technical Report PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 285p AB - The Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACAT) program initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had two major objectives. These are to develop a standardized Safety Impact Methodology (SIM) tool to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced technologies in mitigating specific types of vehicle crash avoidance crashes; and to develop and demonstrate objective tests that are used in the SIM to verify the safety impact of a real system. Honda and Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI) had been developing and applying such a SIM for several years and DRI with Honda's support entered into a Cooperative Agreement with NHTSA to extend the existing SIM, which provides an estimate of full systems safety benefits at the US level. Objective tests that produce quantifiable, repeatable and reproducible results were developed to ensure that a crash avoidance countermeasure meets system performance specifications, and that the results are directly linked to the safety needs and sample of technology-relevant crashes being addressed. The objective tests, which are based on dynamic reconstructions of a sub-sample of technology-relevant real crashes, include Track tests with an expert driver using automatically guided soft targets (GSTs) of an automobile and of a pedestrian; and Driving Simulator tests with a jury of 12 typical drivers, in order to evaluate driver-vehicle system response and to measure the driver's and vehicle's response characteristics to system warnings and interventions. Results from the objective tests were used to parameterize, calibrate and validate the SIM tool, which was then used to estimate US-level benefits. The delivered SIM tool includes modules for automated reconstruction of conflict and crash scenarios from available databases; definition and sampling of Technology Relevant Crash Types; dynamic simulations involving a human-vehicle-device-environmental model; and an overall safety effects estimator. An example application of the extended SIM tool and developed objective tests involved evaluation of Honda’s prototype Advanced Collision Mitigation Brake System (A-CMBS). KW - Automatic braking KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway safety KW - Safety Impact Methodology KW - Technological innovations KW - Tests KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454A.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122508 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357965 AU - Van Auken, R M AU - Zellner, J W AU - Chiang, D P AU - Kelly, J AU - Silberling, J Y AU - Dai, R AU - Broen, P C AU - Kirsch, A M AU - Sugimoto, Y AU - Dynamic Research, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program – Final Report of the Honda-DRI Team Volume VI: Appendix R (Part 1 of 2) PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 330p AB - The Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACAT) program initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had two major objectives. These are to develop a standardized Safety Impact Methodology (SIM) tool to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced technologies in mitigating specific types of vehicle crash avoidance crashes; and to develop and demonstrate objective tests that are used in the SIM to verify the safety impact of a real system. Honda and Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI) had been developing and applying such a SIM for several years and DRI with Honda's support entered into a Cooperative Agreement with NHTSA to extend the existing SIM, which provides an estimate of full systems safety benefits at the US level. Objective tests that produce quantifiable, repeatable and reproducible results were developed to ensure that a crash avoidance countermeasure meets system performance specifications, and that the results are directly linked to the safety needs and sample of technology-relevant crashes being addressed. The objective tests, which are based on dynamic reconstructions of a sub-sample of technology-relevant real crashes, include Track tests with an expert driver using automatically guided soft targets (GSTs) of an automobile and of a pedestrian; and Driving Simulator tests with a jury of 12 typical drivers, in order to evaluate driver-vehicle system response and to measure the driver's and vehicle's response characteristics to system warnings and interventions. Results from the objective tests were used to parameterize, calibrate and validate the SIM tool, which was then used to estimate US-level benefits. The delivered SIM tool includes modules for automated reconstruction of conflict and crash scenarios from available databases; definition and sampling of Technology Relevant Crash Types; dynamic simulations involving a human-vehicle-device-environmental model; and an overall safety effects estimator. An example application of the extended SIM tool and developed objective tests involved evaluation of Honda’s prototype Advanced Collision Mitigation Brake System (A-CMBS). KW - Automatic braking KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway safety KW - Safety Impact Methodology KW - Technological innovations KW - Tests KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122646 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357955 AU - Van Auken, R M AU - Zellner, J W AU - Chiang, D P AU - Kelly, J AU - Silberling, J Y AU - Dai, R AU - Broen, P C AU - Kirsch, A M AU - Sugimoto, Y AU - Dynamic Research, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies Program – Final Report of the Honda-DRI Team Volume VII: Appendix R (Part 2 of 2) PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 630p AB - The Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies (ACAT) program initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had two major objectives. These are to develop a standardized Safety Impact Methodology (SIM) tool to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced technologies in mitigating specific types of vehicle crash avoidance crashes; and to develop and demonstrate objective tests that are used in the SIM to verify the safety impact of a real system. Honda and Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI) had been developing and applying such a SIM for several years and DRI with Honda's support entered into a Cooperative Agreement with NHTSA to extend the existing SIM, which provides an estimate of full systems safety benefits at the US level. Objective tests that produce quantifiable, repeatable and reproducible results were developed to ensure that a crash avoidance countermeasure meets system performance specifications, and that the results are directly linked to the safety needs and sample of technology-relevant crashes being addressed. The objective tests, which are based on dynamic reconstructions of a sub-sample of technology-relevant real crashes, include Track tests with an expert driver using automatically guided soft targets (GSTs) of an automobile and of a pedestrian; and Driving Simulator tests with a jury of 12 typical drivers, in order to evaluate driver-vehicle system response and to measure the driver's and vehicle's response characteristics to system warnings and interventions. Results from the objective tests were used to parameterize, calibrate and validate the SIM tool, which was then used to estimate US-level benefits. The delivered SIM tool includes modules for automated reconstruction of conflict and crash scenarios from available databases; definition and sampling of Technology Relevant Crash Types; dynamic simulations involving a human-vehicle-device-environmental model; and an overall safety effects estimator. An example application of the extended SIM tool and developed objective tests involved evaluation of Honda’s prototype Advanced Collision Mitigation Brake System (A-CMBS). KW - Automatic braking KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Highway safety KW - Safety Impact Methodology KW - Technological innovations KW - Tests KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811454G.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122647 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357196 AU - Keenan, Carol AU - Quinn, Kate AU - Feast, Laura AU - Symoun, Jennifer AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Statewide Freight Plan Template PY - 2011/06 SP - 36p AB - This report provides a template that State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) can use to develop a Statewide Freight Plan. Elements of this Statewide Freight Plan can be used by States individually or in its entirety to develop their freight plan. Examples from New Jersey, Minnesota, and Southern California are provided to show how agencies have used a format similar to the one showcased here to advance their freight programs. KW - Freight transportation KW - State departments of transportation KW - States KW - Transportation planning UR - http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo21292/sfp_template.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120914 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357189 AU - Sivinski, Robert AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Crash Prevention Effectiveness of Light-Vehicle Electronic Stability Control: An Update of the 2007 NHTSA Evaluation PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 29p AB - Statistical analyses based on FARS and NASS CDS data from 1997 to 2009 found that a vehicle equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) had a smaller likelihood of being involved in a crash than a similar vehicle without ESC. This analysis estimates the magnitude of that reduction for different types of crashes and for different types of vehicles. Overall, ESC was associated with a 5-percent decrease in the likelihood that a passenger car would be involved in any police-reported crash and a 23-percent reduction in the probability that a passenger car would be involved in a fatal crash. For light trucks and vans (LTVs), the reductions are 7 percent and 20 percent respectively. Each of these reductions is statistically significant except the 5 percent overall effect for passenger cars. Fatal first-event rollovers are reduced by 56 percent in passenger cars and by 74 percent in LTVs. Fatal impacts with fixed objects are reduced by 47 percent in passenger cars and 45 percent in LTVs. These reductions are statistically significant. KW - Countermeasures KW - Electronic control KW - Fatalities KW - Highway safety KW - Light trucks KW - Light vehicles KW - Rollover crashes KW - Stability (Mechanics) KW - Statistical analysis KW - Traffic crashes KW - Vans UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811486.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120913 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356797 AU - Amekudzi, Adjo AU - Meyer, Michael AU - Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta AU - Georgia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Best Practices in Selecting Performance Measures and Standards for Effective Asset Management PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 216p AB - This report assesses and provides guidance on best practices in performance measurement, management and standards setting for effective Transportation Asset Management (TAM). The study is conducted through a literature review, a survey of the 50 state departments of transportation, an internal assessment of Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT's) TAM capabilities and performance measurement and management procedures, and a review of risk applications in TAM with a case study demonstrating the impacts of uncertainty on project prioritization. The study isolates three generations of agencies as far as performance management is concerned. The study recommends conducting a review of GDOT’s performance measurement and management process and procedures using current standards; benchmarking against similar and more mature state agencies; developing metrics for evaluating progress toward strategic goals; linking performance metrics with resource allocation decisions; developing analytical and data capabilities for evaluating tradeoffs in resource allocation decision making; refining measures for use in broad agency functions; refining performance communication tools; addressing uncertainties in performance metrics and management in TAM; and upgrading existing performance procedures and capabilities to meet state audit requirements. KW - Asset management KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - Decision making KW - Georgia Department of Transportation KW - Literature reviews KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Performance measurement KW - Resource allocation KW - Risk analysis KW - State departments of transportation KW - Surveys KW - Uncertainty UR - http://www.utc.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/projects/reports/amekudzi_0903_asset_mgt_best_practices_in_selecting_performance_measures_and.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122454 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356714 AU - Hill, Daniel R AU - Jennings, Aaron A AU - Case Western Reserve University AU - Ohio Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Bioasphalt from Urban Yard Waste Carbonization: A Student Study PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 61p AB - This project explored the feasibility of producing useful quantities of bitumen from yard waste carbonization. This was evaluated in bench scale reactors designed to yield data on the char, organic byproduct, and aqueous byproduct yields of a wide variety of yard waste components. Variables such as plant type, species, and moisture content were examined. Results indicated that the overall product yield would be approximately 40% biochar and 60% byproduct consisting of roughly 29% aqueous and 31% organic fractions. Of these fractions, approximately 57% were recovered by off gas condensation. Results also indicated that, although preprocessing would probably be required, variations in plant type and moisture content would not have a significant impact on yield. The results demonstrated that bitumen could be generated from yard waste, and that it is likely that the volume would be sufficient to support the manufacture of asphalt. However, the properties of the resulting product are unknown. Additional research would be required to determine how to best use this material, and to quantify the properties of "green" asphalt made from yard waste derived bitumen. KW - Bitumen KW - Carbonization KW - Manufacturing KW - Moisture content KW - Plants KW - Yard waste UR - http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/5/OHI/2011/11/18/H1321632859237/viewer/file1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122130 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356094 AU - Wen, Haifang AU - Wu, Mengqi AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of High Percentage Recycled Asphalt Pavement as Base Materials PY - 2011/06//Final Technical Report SP - 142p AB - This proposed research would evaluate the structural and drainage performance of RAP in regards to long‐term flexible and rigid pavement structural performance which are the primary concerns for WSDOT. This study will evaluate high percentage RAP as base materials. The percentage of RAP to be evaluated will range from 20% to 100%, at an increment of 20%. The engineering performance of high percentage RAP will be evaluated, in terms of modulus, rutting potential, drainage, and stripping by which WSDOT is concerned. In addition, the field performance of pavements with high percentage RAP will be assessed. Another critical issue of RAP is the field quality acceptance criteria, especially the implication of asphalt to the nuclear densometer readings. The study will study and develop an appropriate specification for quality control by WSDOT, including, but not limited to, laboratory/field compaction methods to determine maximum density, acceptance criteria, and the method to determine field density. Using RAP as base course materials will contribute to sustainability by saving cost and energy and reducing greenhouse gas emission. The study will quantify the impact of using RAP on cost, energy, and greenhouse gas emission and compare to that of crushed aggregate. A life cycle analysis of RAP will be conducted. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Compaction KW - Density KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Pavement performance KW - Permeability coefficient KW - Recycled asphalt pavements KW - Recycled materials UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119771 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01355165 AU - Miller, Ann B AU - Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - “Backsights”: Essays In Virginia Transportation History: Volume Two: Reprints of Series Two (2000-2007) PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 81p AB - This is the second of two volumes of a project to compile, convert to electronic format, and index the “Backsights” series of essays on Virginia transportation history. Between 1972 and 2007, these essays, by various authors, periodically appeared in various publications of the Virginia Department of Transportation, originally in the Bulletin and subsequently in the newsletter of the Virginia Transportation Technology Transfer Center. The essays are presented in two volumes: Volume I, the previous volume, includes all the articles in the initial series (1972-1985); Volume II, the current volume, includes all the articles in the second series (2000 to 2007). These articles cover a wide range of subject matter, from topics specific to Virginia transportation through the years to articles that place Virginia transportation in a national and international context. The topics are as diverse as short biographies of pioneering road and bridge builders; major early highways in Virginia; the role of women in 18th and 19th century transportation; early road and bridge specifications and building practices; the growth of railroads; the evolution of public transportation in Virginia; the varying experiences of travelers throughout Virginia’s history; the rise of the automobile age; the history of taverns in Virginia; and transportation-related historic preservation and cultural resource issues. Although the majority of these articles are long out of print, copies have been regularly requested and utilized by historical and cultural resource researchers, as well as by members of the general public. The requests for specific articles, as well as for information on early roads, turnpikes, canals, etc., have demonstrated the need for this compilation. These volumes will provide direct electronic access to all of the “Backsights” essays from the inception of the series in 1972 through 2007, along with a comprehensive index for each volume. These essays are utilized by VDOT environmental and cultural resource personnel, as well as by transportation historians, academic and professional historical and cultural resource researchers, and interested members of the public. KW - Cultural resources KW - History KW - Virginia UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/11-r19.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56100/56151/VA-11-R19.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119671 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01355141 AU - Lefler, Nancy AU - Fiedler, Rebecca AU - McGee, Hugh AU - Pollack, Robert AU - Miller, Jeff AU - Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Market Analysis of Collecting Fundamental Roadway Data Elements to Support the Highway Safety Improvement Program PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 42p AB - Quality data are the foundation for making important decisions regarding the design, operation, and safety of roadways. Using roadway and traffic data together with crash data can help agencies to make decisions that are fiscally responsible and to improve the safety of the roadways for all users. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety has established a fundamental set of roadway and traffic data elements that States should be collecting to support the activities conducted under their Highway Safety Improvement Programs (FDE/HSIP). The objective of this effort was to conduct a market analysis of the potential cost to States in developing a statewide location referencing system and collecting the FDE/HSIP in all public roadways. This effort also investigated potential methodologies that could be applied to estimate the benefits in terms of safety of collecting this additional roadway information. This report provides the results of this effort and provides suggestions for future research. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Cost estimating KW - Crash locations KW - Economic analysis KW - Highway safety KW - Highway Safety Improvement Program KW - Intersections KW - Ramps (Interchanges) KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic safety UR - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tools/data_tools/fhwasa1140/fhwasa1140.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118973 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01355140 AU - Lefler, Nancy AU - Fiedler, Rebecca AU - McGee, Hugh AU - Pollack, Robert AU - Miller, Jeff AU - Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Background Report: Guidance for Roadway Safety Data to Support the Highway Safety Improvement Program PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Quality data are the foundation for making important decisions regarding the design, operation, and safety of roadways. The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) provides information on how safety data should be used. However, there are no details on specific data elements that State agencies should be collecting, maintaining, and using to support their HSIP and Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSPs). In 2011, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety released a guidance memorandum on the fundamental roadway and traffic data elements that States should be collecting and incorporating into their safety analyses to support their HSIP (known as the FDE/HSIP) and on what roadways they should be collected. The purpose of this report is to provide background information on why and how the guidance was developed, estimates of the costs of data collection, safety analysis tools and methods, and performance measures that should be implemented to achieve quality safety data. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Highway safety KW - Highway Safety Improvement Program KW - Intersections KW - Ramps (Interchanges) KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic safety UR - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tools/data_tools/fhwasa1139/fhwasa1139.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118974 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354649 AU - Begley, Richard AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - Federal Railroad Administration AU - CSX Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Track Infrastructure Assessment Tools PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 7p AB - The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Office of Research and Development sponsored a project to further the development of a mobile track surveying system that utilizes Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS technology for comparing track alignments over time; and, develop its capabilities to integrate with additional instruments used during routine track inspections. A light weight, modular steel frame was designed and fabricated with the capability of mounting contact and non-contact instruments for measuring gage, cross level, etc. and combined with a hardware and software system developed to allow these data streams to be synchronized with the hi-rail mounted GPS data stream. The system was designed to: “plug and play” different instruments; display the data on a lap top computer in real time; and, download data on demand. Several dozen surveys were conducted both on and off the tracks to refine the data collection and processing steps utilizing an evolving GPS Virtual Reference System (VRS) along the border of Ohio and West Virginia for GPS augmentation purposes. The surveys were conducted on track segments ranging from 5 to 116 miles over a two year time period; and, a suite of software tools were customized as needed for track alignment modeling, in addition to facilitating quick comparisons between multiple surveys. Results demonstrate the repeatability of GPS measurements augmented via a VRS at typical hi-rail speeds and their potential for evaluating track positional behavior over time. Integration of the multiple instrument data streams was successful after procedures were developed to permit the output of the GPS data stream to non-brand equipment. This enabled positional accuracies of 2 cm for gage and cross level measurements to be recorded at speeds up to 35 mph. KW - Data collection KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Global Positioning System KW - Inspection cars KW - Kinematics KW - Railroad tracks KW - Railroad traffic KW - Railroad transportation KW - Real time information UR - http://www.njrati.org/wp-content/plugins/research_projects/reports/TRP%2009-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118176 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354642 AU - Yoo, Sang Hong AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - Appalachian Regional Commission AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enhanced Appalachian Development Highway System GIS Portal Phase II PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 11p AB - Rahall Transportation Institute (RTI) has been working on Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) GIS Project to facilitate numerous tasks and needs for State DOTs and FHWA Division offices since 2002. With continuous efforts to improve the ADHS GIS system, RTI and ARC ADHS Program management team identified new tasks and works which were not in the previous project implementation and have been added to the project as a result of emerging needs by the ARC. Other tasks/works were being recommended to add to the phase II project to enhance the system towards better and effective ways to provide information to ARC users and public. As the next stage of the Cost to Complete Estimate effort is approached, the project will ensure new and improved functions to the system that will improve efficiency and quality for producing the next ADHS Cost to Complete Estimate products as well as to provide new utility functions towards immediate application to ADHS routine operations. KW - Appalachian Development Highway System KW - Cost estimating KW - Data management KW - Dynamic segmentation KW - Geographic information systems KW - Linear referencing systems UR - http://www.njrati.org/wp-content/plugins/research_projects/reports/209194.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117684 ER - TY - SER AN - 01354600 JO - LTPP TechBrief PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Wiser, Larry AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Results of Long-Term Pavement Performance SPS-3 Analysis: Preventive Maintenance of Flexible Pavements PY - 2011/06 SP - 4p AB - This document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration report, Impact of Design Features on Pavement Response and Performance in Rehabilitated Flexible and Rigid Pavements (FHWA-HRT-10-066). Rehabilitation and pavement preservation represent the majority of pavement construction activity in the United States. Preventive maintenance includes treatments that are applied to pavements primarily to delay development of and mitigate existing distresses. These treatments focus on improving pavement functional performance and prolonging pavement life, not on improving the structural capacity. Selecting the appropriate maintenance technique and treatment application timing form the basis of a preventive maintenance practice. In addition to a nontreated control section, the Specific Pavement Study (SPS)-3 experiment included the following four maintenance treatment alternatives: Thin hot mix asphalt overlay (typically 1 inch (25.4 mm) or less). Slurry seal. Crack seal. Chip seal. Additionally, each site was categorized according to the following five design factors: Moisture (wet or dry climate). Temperature (freeze or no-freeze zone). Subgrade type (fine grained or coarse grained). Traffic loading (low or high). Existing pavement condition (good, fair, or poor). This experimental design resulted in 48 different experimental combinations of factors. In total, 33 States and Canadian Provinces participated in the experiment, and 81 sites were constructed and monitored for the assessment. KW - Chip seals KW - Crack seals KW - Flexible pavements KW - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement performance KW - Preventive maintenance KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Slurry seals KW - Specific Pavement Studies (LTPP) KW - SPS-3 UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/ltpp/11049/11049.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118105 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354563 AU - Sharp, Stephen R AU - Lundy, Larry J AU - Nair, Harikrishnan AU - Moen, Cristopher D AU - Johnson, Josiah B AU - Sarver, Brian E AU - Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Acceptance Procedures for New and Quality Control Procedures for Existing Types of Corrosion-Resistant Reinforcing Steel PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 80p AB - As the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) continues to move forward with implementing the use of corrosion-resistant reinforcing (CRR) bars, it is important for VDOT to have a means of characterizing the candidate bars as well as ensuring that the quality of approved CRR bars is preserved. This is vital to ensure the bars respond physically in a manner that is consistent with VDOT’s expectations. The purpose of this study was to provide VDOT’s Materials Division with a method/specification for evaluating CRR bars. The study determined that visual assessment cannot be relied on to determine bar type. Further, steel fabricator markings cannot be relied on to identify the type of steel. However, when questions arise regarding the identification of bars, magnetic sorting provides a quick and easy method for differentiating between magnetic and nonmagnetic alloys. If more quantitative results are required, X-ray fluorescence provides a practical and much-needed method for positively identifying bars. Physically, the bars differ among producers. Relative rib area should be monitored as it also varies among producers. Further, alloying changes not only the corrosion resistance but also other important properties. The results of uniaxial tensile tests showed that the stress-strain behavior, elongation, and reduction in cross-section upon fracture could vary significantly for different CRR alloys. Therefore, mechanical testing, in addition to corrosion testing, of CRR is necessary to identify the most cost-effective bars with acceptable properties. Finally, the study determined that quality control measures need to be established to ensure VDOT receives the corrosion protection it needs. Further, care should be taken when relying upon international standards for acceptance criteria. The report recommends that VDOT’s Materials Division implement the set of test methods provided in the appendices of this report as Virginia Test Methods for CRR acceptance criteria. To simplify the implementation of CRR in Virginia and elsewhere, VDOT’s Materials Division should work with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to develop a single specification for the testing and acceptance of CRR. VDOT’s Materials Division should also investigate retrofitting the uniaxial tensile test equipment with a non-contact extensometer to guarantee that stress vs. strain measurements of CRR can be made and ensure the yield strength is determined. KW - Acceptance tests KW - Corrosion resistance KW - Corrosion tests KW - Deformation curve KW - Quality control KW - Reinforcing bars KW - Virginia UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/11-r21.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56100/56152/VA-11-R21.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118366 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354555 AU - Gibbons, Ronald B AU - Williams, Brian M AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - The Refinement of Drivers’ Visibility Needs During Wet Night Conditions: Wet Visibility Project Phase III PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 66p AB - The purpose of this project was to develop a specification for the minimum retroreflectivity of pavement markings in wet nighttime conditions. In order to establish this specification, the performance of four retroreflective pavement marking materials in wet-night conditions was evaluated. The performance of the pavement markings was evaluated by driver participants under simulated rain conditions using a similar protocol to studies that have already been performed at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The performance of the markings was verified based on the participants’ ability to detect the end points of the markings in both rainy and clear conditions. The conclusions from this investigation indicate the following: 1. The materials developed over recent years show an improved performance over those tested previously. These materials provide adequate performance through improved technology and performance. 2. The log-linear relationship found previously is functional for the data provided. Two models were developed. The model with no intercept provides a more constrictive boundary at low levels of retroreflectivity. 3. A retroreflectivity value above 250 mcd/m2/lx provides limited return in terms of detection distance. 4. A specification limit of 150 mcd/m2/lx will provide adequate visibility for 55 mph in dry conditions and 40 mph in wet conditions using standard dry retroreflectivity measurements, and 1 in/hr measurements for the wet conditions. This value should be the minimum maintained over the life of the marking. 5. The retroreflectivity specification for a white and a yellow material should be equal. 6. The rumble stripe showed a significant recovery time improvement over the other tested materials. This study recommends a minimum retroreflectivity of 150 mcd/m2/lx for white and yellow pavement markings in both dry and wet nighttime conditions. This level provides the Virginia Department of Transportation with the basis for establishing a performance-based specification for pavement markings. KW - Drivers KW - Highway safety KW - Night visibility KW - Rain KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road marking materials KW - Wet weather UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/11-r20.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118818 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354493 AU - Haas, Peter J AU - Estrada, Katherine AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Revisiting Factors Associated with the Success of Ballot Initiatives with a Substantial Rail Transit Component PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 134p AB - Localities are increasingly looking to raise their own funding for transportation projects by means of local, voter-approved tax increases. An analysis of transportation tax elections in 11 urban areas found 17 community-level factors with potential impact on the success of ballot measures to fund projects with substantial rail components. Community consensus among business, elected officials and environmental communities, and the accompanying financial support, is essential. Passing an initiative without well-funded, effective use of multimedia, and experienced campaign consultants, is difficult. Less important factors include presenting a multimodal package, the perception of project benefits being distributed throughout the voting district, the experience gained in recent transit elections, and the credibility of the transit agency. An exploration of “rebound” elections – those instances in which a failed measure is quickly followed by a successful one – and the factors that seem linked to achieving success in such instances, is included. Case studies are provided for elections in Maricopa County, Arizona; Sound Transit District, Washington; Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), Virginia; Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles County, California; Kansas City, Missouri; St. Louis County, Missouri; and Santa Clara County, California. KW - Case studies KW - Finance KW - Light rail transit KW - Line extensions (Rail transit) KW - Local taxation KW - Public information programs KW - Public participation KW - Public transit KW - Sales tax KW - Taxes KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Urban transportation policy UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2911-Ballot-Initiatives-Rail-Transit.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118156 ER - TY - SER AN - 01354156 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Medina, Juan AU - Benekohal, Rahim AU - Hajbabaie, Ali AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Sensys Wireless Detection System: Year-After Evaluation and Off-Center Sensors PY - 2011/06//Research Report IS - 11-083 SP - 24p AB - This is the third and final report of the evaluation of the Sensys wireless vehicle detection system at a signalized intersection and a railroad grade crossing. It presents the system performance after one year of its initial installation, and when additional off-center sensors were installed at the stop bar zones of the signalized intersection. Results from the signalized intersection showed no significant changes one year after the system was in use, except for a decrease in the frequency of false calls due to vehicles in adjacent lanes (from a range of 5.6%-7.6%, to a range of 0.8%-2.4%). At the stop bar zones, multiple calls generated by a single vehicle remained similar (between 7% and 10.2%), and no missed, stuck-on, or dropped calls were found. Also, the detection performance at the advance zones did not change. Missed vehicles ranged between 0.6% and 6.1%, most of which were traveling between lanes, and false calls were lower than 2%. At the railroad grade crossing, the performance of the Sensys system after one year did not show significant changes. Stuck-on calls due to trains were rare and occurred at a rate of about one occurrence for every 150 trains. False calls in the left-turn lane due to vehicles in the opposite direction remained high (more than 30%, caused by trucks and smaller vehicles), and missed calls were lower than 1%. The installation of sensors off-center relative to the loop detectors at the stop bar zones of the signalized intersection (close to the leading edge of the loops), resulted in lower number of multiple calls from a single vehicle (from 7%-10.2% down to 2%-3.3%). However, it did not improve on the frequency of false calls due to vehicles in the adjacent lanes. KW - Detectors KW - Loop detectors KW - Magnetometer detectors KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Sensors KW - Signalized intersections KW - Wireless communication systems UR - https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/45834/FHWA-ICT-11-083.pdf?sequence=2 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116770 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354151 AU - King, Mary C AU - Corbett, John G AU - Chiappetta, John AU - Escribano, Lorraine AU - Salinas, Anabel Lopez AU - Sprague, W Webb AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Assessment of the Socio-Economic Impacts of SB 1080 on Immigrant Groups PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 118p AB - In July 2008, the State of Oregon implemented SB 1080, legislation that required all applicants for an Oregon Driver License or ID card to present proof of legal presence in the United States. In 2007, some 140,000 unauthorized immigrants were estimated to be living in Oregon, more than two-thirds of whom were estimated to be members of the labor force. Approximately 97% of Oregon’s unauthorized immigrants are thought to be Latino, nearly all of Mexican origin. This report includes a discussion of the social science findings on the situation of undocumented workers in the U.S and what is known about the uses of different forms of identification for Mexican nationals. It presents a statistical portrait of the Mexican-born population of Oregon, demonstrating their concentration in particular occupations, particularly agriculture, building and grounds maintenance, food preparation and construction. Given the magnitude of the ongoing recession, no economic impact of SB 1080 is yet discernible. In a full employment context, such as existed during 2007, and after all outstanding licenses held by undocumented immigrants have expired, SB 1080 might reduce state GDP by $160 million, or 0.1%, while raising wages by 0.16%. Economic impacts would be concentrated on those industries that particularly employ undocumented workers, notably agriculture and food service. Interviews with nearly 400 Spanish-speaking Oregon residents, conducted in the Summer of 2009, indicate distress and uncertainty in the Latino community, fear of deportation arising from a traffic stop, a significant number of people driving without a license and adjustments within households that reduce access to employment, education, medical and social services, church attendance and recreation. The full range and magnitudes of impacts cannot be known with certainty until SB 1080 is fully implemented in 2016, and the economy has recovered – and may be mitigated by immigration reform at the Federal level. KW - Driver licenses KW - Identification (Human beings) KW - Immigrants KW - Legal factors KW - Legislation KW - Oregon KW - Socioeconomic factors KW - Undocumented workers UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/41000/41800/41891/SB1080.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116357 ER - TY - SER AN - 01354148 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Al-Qadi, Imad AU - Kern, Jeff AU - Meister, Jim AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Study on Warm-Mix Asphalt PY - 2011/06//Research Report IS - 11-085 SP - 78p AB - The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) had an immediate need to evaluate the performance characteristics of new asphalt mixtures. The new mixtures included warm mix asphalt (WMA), stone-matrix asphalt (SMA) with recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), and asphalt mixtures containing alternate friction aggregates (diabase, quartzite, and granite). The object of this project was to compare these new mixes and to provide IDOT with guidance on the applicability of the mix designs when implementing these mixtures in the future. KW - Aggregates KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Friction materials KW - Mix design KW - Recycled materials KW - Stone matrix asphalt KW - Warm mix paving mixtures UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45839 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116771 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354135 AU - Muench, Stephen T AU - Weiland, Craig AU - Hatfield, Joshua AU - Wallace, Logan K AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Open-Graded Wearing Courses in the Pacific Northwest PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 134p AB - The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been placing ¾-inch nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS) open-graded wearing courses (OGWCs) in structural layers of two inches or more for about 30 years. Despite this, OGWC performance in the Pacific Northwest is not well understood. This study determines the use and performance of ODOT OGWCs with special attention given to ¾-inch open-graded HMA (previously referred to as “F-Mix”) and recommends guidelines for the future use of OGWCs. The best estimated service life of ODOT ¾-inch open-graded HMA ranges from 14 years (< 5,000 ADT) down to 7 years (> 100,000 ADT), which is less than comparable dense-graded mixes. The primary mode of distress is raveling and studded tire wear. Reduced service life, along with uncertain and unquantified safety benefits and a possible greater risk of early failure lead to a recommendation to discontinue use of ¾-inch open-graded HMA in Oregon as a standard surface mix. OGWCs used elsewhere in the U.S. are not likely suited for ODOT use due to their susceptibility to studded tire wear and are not recommended for adoption. If ¾-inch open-graded HMA does continue in use, recommendations are: (1) quantify its benefits, (2) restrict its use to low traffic (< 30,000 ADT), (3) recalibrate PMS expected life to be more in line with observed historical life, and (4) require the use of a windrow pick-up machine or end-dump transfer machine when paving OGWC. KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Open graded aggregates KW - Oregon KW - Pacific Northwest KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement performance KW - Service life KW - Wearing course (Pavements) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/41000/41800/41890/SPR680.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116367 ER - TY - SER AN - 01354131 JO - LTPP TechBrief PB - Federal Highway Administration AU - Wiser, Larry AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Performance Comparison of Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies PY - 2011/06 SP - 4p AB - This TechBrief presents a general comparison of performance for rehabilitation strategies for flexible and rigid pavement. The impact of overlay thickness, preparation prior to overlay, and mix type on performance was statistically evaluated using data from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Specific Pavement Study (SPS)-5 and SPS-6 experiments. The document is a technical summary of the Federal Highway Administration report, Impact of Design Features on Pavement Response and Performance in Rehabilitated Flexible and Rigid Pavements (FHWA-HRT-10-066). KW - Flexible pavements KW - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program KW - Overlays (Pavements) KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement performance KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Rigid pavements KW - Specific Pavement Studies (LTPP) KW - Strategic planning UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/ltpp/11050/11050.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117469 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354130 AU - Gibbons, Ronald B AU - Williams, Brian M AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - The Refinement of Drivers’ Needs During Wet Night Conditions: Wet Visibility Project Phase III PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 66p AB - The purpose of this project was to develop a specification for the minimum retroreflectivity of pavement markings in wet nighttime conditions. In order to establish this specification, the performance of four retroreflective pavement marking materials in wet-night conditions was evaluated. The performance of the pavement markings was evaluated by driver participants under simulated rain conditions using a similar protocol to studies that have already been performed at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The performance of the markings was verified based on the participants’ ability to detect the end points of the markings in both rainy and clear conditions. The conclusions from this investigation indicate the following: • The materials developed over recent years show an improved performance over those tested previously. These materials provide adequate performance through improved technology and performance. • The log-linear relationship found previously is functional for the data provided. Two models were developed. The model with no intercept provides a more constrictive boundary at low levels of retroreflectivity. • A retroreflectivity value above 250 mcd/m2/lx provides limited return in terms of detection distance. • A specification limit of 150 mcd/m2/lx will provide adequate visibility for 55 mph in dry conditions and 40 mph in wet conditions using standard dry retroreflectivity measurements, and 1 in/hr measurements for the wet conditions. This value should be the minimum maintained over the life of the marking. • The retroreflectivity specification for a white and a yellow material should be equal. • The rumble stripe showed a significant recovery time improvement over the other tested materials. This study recommends a minimum retroreflectivity of 150 mcd/m2/lx for white and yellow pavement markings in both dry and wet nighttime conditions. This level provides the Virginia Department of Transportation with the basis for establishing a performance-based specification for pavement markings. KW - Drivers KW - Needs assessment KW - Night visibility KW - Rain KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road markings KW - Wet weather UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/11-r20.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116696 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354120 AU - Monsere, Christopher M AU - Johnson, Todd AU - Dixon, Karen AU - Zheng, Jianfei AU - Van Schalkwyk, Ida AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Assessment of Statewide Intersection Safety Performance PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 144p AB - This report summarizes the results of an analysis of the safety performance of Oregon’s intersections. Following a pilot study, a database of 500 intersections randomly sampled from around the state of Oregon in both urban and rural environments was assembled. These intersections were categorized into eight types based on number of legs (3 and 4), land use (urban or rural) and traffic control (signalized or minor stop-control). These categories were chosen to align with the intersection types in AASHTO’s recently released Highway Safety Manual (HSM). Geometric and traffic control elements were supplemented by compiling crash data and volumes on the major and minor approaches. The safety performance was analyzed by three primary methods. First, crash rates were calculated and analyzed for each of the intersection groups. Crash rates determined for Oregon intersections were generally well below rates found published for other states. Since it is unlikely that such a significant difference exists in the safety performance between states, its more likely explanation is the different reporting thresholds and Oregon’s reliance on self-reporting. Second, crash patterns were tabulated for a number of crash and driver involved variables. These patterns, not before generated, will be very useful to improve identification of high crash intersection locations and improve diagnosis of these locations. Third, safety performance functions (SPFs) were created for intersections where sufficient data exist. For the purposes of this research SPFs were estimated for the rural 3-leg stop controlled and urban 4-leg signalized intersections. The SPFs developed in this modeling exercise were compared to the HSM base models calibrated to Oregon. The rural 3-leg stop models compare favorably. Within the volume range of the data used to generate the SPFs, the models compare well. The urban signalized intersection SPFs did not compare as well to the HSM base models. Further research is needed to investigate whether Oregon-specific SPFs have advantages over calibrated HSM models. The results of this analysis can be used to improve the diagnosis and identification of unusual safety performance at intersections in Oregon. The average rates are useful for peer comparisons and in calculation of critical rates. The crash patterns can be directly applied in diagnostic efforts to detect unusual patterns at intersections. The SPF modeling effort is the groundwork for further explorations and model development for Oregon facilities. KW - Crash analysis KW - Crash characteristics KW - Four leg intersections KW - Highway safety KW - Highway Safety Manual KW - Highway traffic control KW - Intersections KW - Oregon KW - Performance KW - Rural areas KW - Safety performance functions KW - Three leg intersections KW - Traffic crashes KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42106/SPR667_IntersectionSafety.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117389 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354113 AU - Cho, Yong AU - Kabassi, Koudous AU - Pyeon, Jae-Ho AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Effectiveness Study on Temporary Pavement Marking Removals Methods PY - 2011/06 SP - 61p AB - This study was conducted to identify effective temporary marking removal methods and procedures on concrete and asphalt pavements. Pavement markings provide guidance to road travelers and can lead to accidents when not properly removed. Current state guidelines on removal do not provide clear and objective methods of measurement. After testing the most common removal methods, this research concluded that removing markings by chemical was not only cost and results-oriented effective compared to other methods, but it was also safe to the environment and road users. Finally, a baseline of measurements was developed by the research team for this project, along with the feasibility of using digital image processing to objectively determine whether or not a removal method could be deemed effective. KW - Chemicals KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Paint removal KW - Pavements KW - Road markings KW - Safety KW - Temporary UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45685/Cho_M305_Pavement_Markings_FINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116991 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354112 AU - Cho, Yong AU - Kabassi, Koudous AU - Zhuang, Ziqing AU - Im, Heejung AU - Wang, Chao AU - Bode, Thaddaeus AU - Kim, Yong-Rak AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Non-nuclear Method for Density Measurements PY - 2011/06 SP - 86p AB - Quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) are necessary to ensure fulfillment and compliance to specifications, guidelines, manuals, and programs which outline methods and requirements during construction. Density, an important part of quality control, can be used to evaluate the quality of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and soil compaction. This study investigated new technologies used for QC and QA by comparing the Pavement Quality Indicator (PQI) model 301 with a nuclear gauge and core sample measurements for HMA. For soil QC and QA, non-nuclear technologies—the Electrical Density Gauge (EDG), the Moisture Density Indicator (MDI), and the Light Weight Deflectometer (LWD)—were also investigated against a nuclear gauge and traditional non-nuclear methods of measurement. Overall, the nuclear gauge shows higher accuracy and higher correlation with cores than the non-nuclear gauges tested in this study. A thorough investigation of calibration methods was also performed, both in the lab and on the field, to improve the accuracy of the PQI‘s results. Data analyses showed that the accuracies of the non-nuclear soil gauges are somewhat lower than that of the nuclear gauge. With an improved methodology to create soil models for the EDG and standardized ways to develop the LWD‘s target values, the EDG and LWD could have a similar or better accuracy than the nuclear gauge. With the EDG and the Soil Density Gauge (SDG), both recently ASTM approved, non-nuclear soil technology is the future. Furthermore, the non-nuclear gauges could be a better alternative to a nuclear gauge when the following benefits are considered: (1) economic savings; (2) faster data measurement (PQI); (3) elimination of intense federal regulations and safety concerns; (4) elimination of licensing and intense training. KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Measuring instruments KW - Nonnuclear density gages KW - Nuclear density gages KW - Quality assurance KW - Quality control KW - Soils UR - http://ascpro0.ascweb.org/archives/cd/2011/paper/CPRT338002011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116920 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354093 AU - Tischmak, Dale AU - Marcato, William AU - Felsburg, Holt and Ullevig, Incorporated AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Investigation of Best Options for Using Scrap Tires in Highway Noise Barriers PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 104p AB - In Colorado, approximately 60 million scrap tires have been stockpiled and approximately 4.5 million scrap tires are generated annually. While CDOT does not generate these scrap tires, CDOT does have goals and policies to promote sustainability/recycling and receives requests for more traffic noise barriers than can be funded. CDOT identified an opportunity to combine these two topics by investigating new ways to incorporate scrap tires into highway noise barriers. This research project reviewed potential noise barrier materials made from scrap tires, selected a material for field testing, designed and built a test barrier at the designated site using the material, and monitored barrier performance for one year. The material selected was a railroad tie replacement made from scrap tire treads. Although not originally developed as a noise barrier material, the railroad ties were found to be effective. The ties provided a substantial noise reduction, consumed a number of scrap tires, had substantial internal strength that is a plus as a building material, and were easily assembled in a post-and-panel barrier design. The barrier performed well over its first year. The material and the wall design are recommended for consideration by CDOT on other projects. Some challenges were identified through the project: the ties were not a low-cost alternative for reasons stated in the body of the report; the finish stain method may need adjusting for a better long-term appearance; rust will appear on the steel components; and a few minor construction/finish improvements were identified. CDOT’s Research Branch will continue monitoring noise wall performance and attempt to conduct a life-cycle cost analysis for the tire ties material/design and other similar types of noise barriers in the future. KW - Noise barriers KW - Noise control KW - Railroad ties KW - Recycled materials KW - Scrap KW - Tires KW - Traffic noise UR - http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/research/pdfs/2011/scraptirewalls.pdf/view UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1115811 ER - TY - SER AN - 01354091 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Hajbabaie, Ali AU - Benekohal, Rahim F AU - Medina, Juan AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Performance of Solar Powered Flashing Beacons at Severe Temperature Conditions PY - 2011/06//Research Report IS - 11-084 SP - 46p AB - This report contains the results of 34 tests for JSF and 26 tests for Carmanah solar-powered flashing beacons operating in mild cold temperature (-6.6 degrees C), severe cold temperature (-20 degrees C), and hot temperature (+70 degrees C) conditions. In addition, it contains two tests for JSF modules and two for Carmanah operating under “real world” conditions. In mild temperature condition, red and yellow modules of JSF flashed in MUTCD pattern for at least 11 and 8.5 days, respectively. The red and yellow modules of Carmanah flashed in MUTCD pattern for at least 11 and 8 days, respectively. Reducing the temperature to -20 degrees C resulted in a significant decrease in the duration of flashing in MUTCD pattern for JSF modules; however, that duration did not decrease for Carmanah. Red and yellow modules of JSF flashed in MUTCD pattern for at least 18 and 24 hours in severe cold temperature condition. For Carmanah, red and yellow modules lasted in MUTCD flashing pattern for at least 14 and 11.5 days, respectively. In hot temperature condition, red and yellow modules of JSF flashed in MUTCD pattern for at least 6.5 and 5.5 days, respectively. Red and yellow modules of Carmanah lasted in MUTCD flashing pattern for at least 8.5 and 7 days, respectively. The “real world” condition test indicated that in certain conditions (e.g. solar panels covered with snow), the solar panels may not be able to generate enough power for the LEDs to keep them flashing in MUTCD pattern. In this condition, the flashing pattern changes to a power saver mode. The red modules of JSF and Carmanah were visible when the distance was at least 1500 ft in a sunny and very bright day. The yellow modules of JSF and Carmanah were visible up to a distance of about 1000 ft in the same day. If solar panels are accidentally disconnected when the modules are outdoors and batteries are fully charged, the JSF and Carmanah modules were visible at a distance of 700 ft, in a cloudy but bright day. KW - Electric batteries KW - Flashing beacons KW - Highway traffic control KW - Luminous intensity KW - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices KW - Patterns KW - Solar power generation KW - Temperature KW - Time duration KW - Traffic control devices KW - Visibility distance UR - https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/45890/FHWA-ICT-10-069.pdf?sequence=2 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116765 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354090 AU - Hossain, Akram AU - Cofer, William AU - Yonge, David AU - Washington State University, Pullman AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Impact of Drilled Shaft Synthetic Slurries on Groundwater Quality PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 92p AB - The overall objective of this project is to evaluate the effect of the aforementioned synthetic slurries on groundwater quality. The objective of Phase I (this report), however, was to conduct a comprehensive literature survey to gather data to evaluate the effect of the WSDOT approved synthetic slurries on groundwater quality. Since chemical and bioassay information exists for only two products and the analyses were performed in 1991 and 1998, it is the authors' recommendation that the slurries currently being used by WSDOT contractors be tested again for priority pollutants and toxicity. New testing would result in a consistent data set as all samples would undergo the same, most recent EPA protocol. Analysis should be performed on samples that are representative of field conditions (at the working concentration and containing any additives). The results would be used to assist in evaluation of potential groundwater contamination as well as slurry disposal issues. KW - Drilled shafts KW - Groundwater KW - Slurry KW - Synthetics KW - Washington (State) KW - Water quality UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/773.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116697 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354089 AU - Thiemens, Mark H AU - Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Use of Isotopic Measurement and Analysis Approach to Uniquely Relate Aircraft Emissions to Changes in Ambient Air Quality PY - 2011/06//PARTNER Project 33 Final Report SP - 25p AB - Airports around the nation are considering expansion plans in order to meet increasing demand for aviation transport. There are increasing concerns, as well, about how and to what extent air pollutant emissions from airports contribute to local and regional air quality degradation and hence to negative impacts on human health and welfare. However, it is difficult to quantify the amount, transport, and secondary conversion processes of aircraft emissions, which usually comprise the bulk of airport-attributable emissions. This is due to four reasons: 1. Difficulty of determining the actual amounts of emissions from aircraft and characterizing the chemical speciation. 2. Difficulty of determining, at the particle level, the secondary chemical transformations that occur. 3. Difficulty in detection of the species and identification of the aircraft contribution in a region where air quality degradation is a consequence of emissions from multiple sources, both natural and anthropogenic. For the project described in this report, the technique of stable isotopic measurements was utilized in an attempt to develop and assess the impact of aircraft emissions in a region. The theme was, “Are the aircraft emissions recognizable at the isotopic level in a region and are they separable from other sulfates?” To explore this theme, the project team performed three measurement campaigns at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to sample aerosol sulfate and characterize the isotopic composition of oxygen atoms in the sulfate particles. It was hoped that aerosol sulfate from jet engines would be shown to have a distinct isotopic character in comparison to sulfate from other sources such as diesel engines, aiding attribution of degraded air quality to jet aircraft sources. The premise that the oxygen isotopic composition of aerosol sulfate could be used to define jet contributions to a region was ultimately not conclusively supported by the study presented in this report. It appears that at low humidity an isotopic anomaly is preferentially created, as observed in the first Aviation Alternative Fuels Experiment (AAFEX), thus identifying a jet aircraft engine. At the humidity of LAX however, the presence of excess water on the aerosol surfaces dilutes the anomaly. Hence, for assessment of the potential of the technique to be broadly applied, it is likely that only low-humidity areas would be capable of providing the signature, based upon the experiments conducted to-date. Furthermore, unexpectedly low sulfate concentrations were observed in the study, suggesting that jet engine exhaust SO2 oxidation occurs further away from LAX and optimal sampling sites in future studies would need to be done at further distances. However, it is unlikely that increased distance between the source sulfur and the sampling monitors at LAX will show much isotopic anomaly in high humidity conditions (60+ %). Conceptually, the potential remains for isotopic analysis to quantitatively address the contributions from aircraft jet engines to degraded air quality near airports. If future research is performed on this technique, an airport in a dry environment must be selected as an initial candidate so that the methods initially explored in this report can be retried. Monitors may need to be located further away from the airport environment so that engine SO2 has more opportunity to become sulfate. KW - Air quality KW - Aircraft exhaust gases KW - Isotopes KW - Measurement KW - Sulfates UR - http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/partner/reports/proj33/proj33-final-rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114714 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353942 AU - Najm, Husam AU - Casale, Anthony AU - Shibeshi, Tigist AU - Scott, Nicole AU - Doukakis, Johanna AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Infrared Scan of Concrete Admixtures and Structural Steel Paints PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 50p AB - This study evaluates correlation coefficients for concrete admixtures and structural steel paints by performing infrared (IR) scans using ASTM C494-05a specifications. The intent of this study is to perform a sufficient number of IR scans from different batches of the same sample as supplied by the manufacturer. These scans are then analyzed and average correlation coefficients for each sample are obtained. Each admixture and steel paint will have its own correlation coefficient as determined by the corresponding scans. The correlation coefficients will be used to quantitatively evaluate and interpret the IR scans of job samples. A total of 23 commonly used concrete admixtures by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) were tested. They include air-entraining agents, water-reducing agents, retarders, accelerating agents, and combinations of these agents as well as corrosion inhibitors. In addition, a total of 28 structural steel paints used by NJDOT were tested. They include primary coats, secondary coats, thin films, and resins. For concrete admixtures, the established correlation coefficients were the average values of a total of 12 scans from three different batches. For steel paints, the established correlation coefficients were the average values of a total of 6 scans from three different batches. Few field samples of concrete admixtures were tested and their scans were compared with the established correlations. The study also includes an investigation of the effect of KBr types on correlations coefficients as well the effect of drying time of air- entraining admixtures on its correlation values. The results of this study include methodology, test procedures, scan data, and correlation coefficients for quantitative assessment of the most commonly used concrete admixtures and structural steel paints on the qualified producer/supplier QPL NJDOT list. KW - Admixtures KW - Air entrainment KW - Corrosion resistance KW - Drying KW - Infrared detectors KW - New Jersey KW - Paint KW - Spreading rate (Painting) KW - Structural steel KW - Water reducing agents UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42132/FHWA-NJ-2011-007.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118146 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353927 AU - Almy, Isaac AU - Ballard, Lance AU - Brimley, Bradford AU - Huff, William AU - Larson, Gregory AU - Schwenn, Brandon AU - Tovar, Jennifer AU - Ward, Brian AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Compendium of Student Papers: 2010 Undergraduate Transportation Scholars Program PY - 2011/06 SP - 254p AB - This report is a compilation of research papers written by students participating in the 2010 Undergraduate Transportation Scholars Program. The 10-week summer program, now in its 20th 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 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, respectively: 1) estimating carriers/truckers value of time due to congestion; 2) evaluating retroreflectivity measurement techniques for profiled and rumble stripe pavement markings; 3) analyzing retroreflectivity and color degradation in sign sheeting; 4) evaluating the effectiveness of light emitting diodes (LED) enhanced stop paddles for school crossing guard use; 5) incorporating freight value into the Urban Mobility Report; 6) evaluating ASTM Standard Test Method E2177, retroreflectivity of pavement markings in a condition of wetness; 7) calibrating pavement performance prediction models; and 8) evaluating the effects of concrete curing compounds on hydration. KW - Concrete KW - Concrete curing KW - Freight and passenger services KW - Hydration KW - Pavement management systems KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road markings KW - School crossings KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic signs KW - Truck traffic KW - Value of time KW - Visibility UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42282/476660-00003-3.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118638 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353894 AU - Rodier, Caroline AU - Spiller, Margot AU - Abraham, John E AU - Hunt, John Douglas AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Potential Economic Consequences of Local Nonconformity to Regional Land Use and Transportation Plans Using a Spatial Economic Model PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 56p AB - To achieve the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets that are required by California’s global warming legislation (AB32), the state of California has determined that recent growth trends in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) must be curtailed. In recognition of this, Senate Bill 375 (SB375) requires regional governments to develop land use and transportation plans or Sustainable Community Strategies (SCSs) that will achieve regional GHG targets largely though reduced VMT. Although the bill requires such a plan, it does not require local governments to adopt general plans that conform to this plan. In California, it is local, not regional, governments that have authority over land development decisions. Instead, SB375 relies on democratic participatory processes and relatively modest financial and regulatory incentives for SCS implementation. As a result, it is quite possible that some local governments within a region may decide not to conform to their SCS. In this study, a spatial economic model (PECAS) is applied in the Sacramento region (California, U.S.) to understand what the economic and equity consequences might be to jurisdictions that do and do not implement SCS land use plans in a region. An understanding of these consequences provides insight into jurisdictions’ motivations for compliance and thus, strategies for more effective implementation of SB375. KW - Conformity KW - Economic factors KW - Emissions reduction KW - Global warming KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Land use planning KW - Sacramento (California) KW - Strategic planning KW - Sustainable development KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42000/42087/2902-Local-Nonconformity-Land-Use-Transportation-Plans-Economic-Consequences.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118150 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353861 AU - Saadeh, Shadi AU - Eljairi, Omer AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Quality Control Test Procedure for Characterizing Fracture Properties of Asphalt Mixtures PY - 2011/06 SP - 32p AB - The main objective of this study is to investigate the use of the semi-circular bend (SCB) test as a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) measure for field construction. In particular, the objectives include the following: (1) compare the fracture properties of asphalt concrete (AC) mixtures using the SCB test to those of the fatigue beam test (FBT); and (2) evaluate the impact of moisture damage on the fracture and fatigue properties as determined by SCB and FBT. Two binder types, PG64-10 and PG58-22, were used in this study. The job mix formulas for each mix type considered were identical except for the binder type. The asphalt binder met California specifications. Granite was the predominate aggregate used in the AC mixture types considered. There was one day of production for the SCB and FBT mixtures. Viscosity and dynamic shear rheometer, aging, and bending beam rheometer measurements were used to determine the rheological properties of both binder types. The AC mixture fracture properties were determined using the SCB and FBT tests. Both mixtures were compacted to a target air void of (5 ± 1%) in beams and core specimens. Cores for SCB testing and beams for FBT were sawed from the same slab that was fabricated to ensure consistency among specimens. This will reduce the variability of the results due to changes in the specimens. The specimens were tested in both dry and wet conditions to evaluate the impact of moisture-induced damage on the measured properties. KW - Air voids KW - Asphalt concrete KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Bending beam tests KW - Failure KW - Fracture properties KW - Mix design KW - Moisture damage KW - Quality assurance KW - Quality control KW - Rheological properties KW - Semi-circular bending test KW - Test procedures UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42535/METRANS_Project_10-24_Development_of_a_quality_control_test_procedure.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118646 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353859 AU - Farzaneh, Mohamadreza AU - Memisoglu, Gokhan AU - Kianfar, Kiavash AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimized Deployment of Emission Reduction Technologies for Large Fleets PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 66p AB - This research study produced an optimization framework for determining the most efficient emission reduction strategies among vehicles and equipment in a large fleet. The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) fleet data were utilized to identify the key factors as well as refine and demonstrate the developed framework. TxDOT owns and operates more than 11,000 vehicles, of which approximately 3,200 units are non-road diesel equipment. TxDOT is considering serious actions to reduce emissions from its fleet, especially in designated non-attainment (NA) and near non-attainment (NNA) areas. This project includes a comprehensive literature review, identifies the key parameters affecting the deployment of resources to reduce emissions, and develops a framework for producing an optimal emission reduction strategies deployment plan for a typical large fleet. The capabilities of the proposed framework are demonstrated through a set of five case study scenarios. These scenarios cover a range of location preferences, budget limits, and analysis scales. TxDOT’s fleet data were utilized in this effort. The mathematical formulation and optimization modeling is implemented using ILOG CPLEX and Visual C++ platforms. KW - Air quality KW - Air quality management KW - Emissions reduction KW - Exhaust gases KW - Fleet management KW - Pollutants KW - Texas KW - Vehicle operations UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42280/476660-00022-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118815 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353756 AU - Cherry, Christopher AU - Bordley, Lawson AU - Kelfer, Jonathan AU - Bryant, Catherine AU - Ji, Shuguang AU - Alexander, Daniel AU - University of Tennessee, Knoxville AU - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Wireless Roadside Inspection Phase II Evaluation Final Report PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 370p AB - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Program is demonstrating the feasibility and value of electronically assessing truck and coach driver and vehicle safety at least 25 times more often than is possible using only roadside physical inspections. The WRI program is evaluating the potential benefits to both the motor carrier industry and to government. Potential benefits include reduction in accidents, fatalities and injuries on our highways and keeping safe and legal drivers and vehicles moving on the highways. WRI pilot tests were conducted to prototype, test, and demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of electronically collecting safety data messages from in-service commercial vehicles and performing wireless roadside inspections using three different communication systems, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS), and Universal Identification. This report documents the evaluation of the WRI Program Phase II pilot testing evaluated by the University of Tennessee, under contract from the National Transportation Research Center, Inc. and funded by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) of the USDOT. KW - Benefits KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Inspection KW - Mobile radio KW - Motor carriers KW - Roadside KW - Wireless communication systems KW - Wireless roadside inspections UR - http://www.ntrci.org/Uploads/Files/ResearchReports/U11-Wireless%20Roadside%20Inspection%20Evaluation%20Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42145/U11-Wireless_Roadside_Inspection_Evaluation_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118478 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353754 AU - Kang, Min-Wook AU - Jha, Manoj K AU - Shariat, Shaghayegh AU - Schonfeld, Paul M AU - Wang, Zun (Grace) AU - Morgan State University AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - National Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Alternative Alignments Development and Evaluation for the US 220 Project in Maryland PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 118p AB - This project aimed to find the preferred alternative alignments for the Maryland section of existing US 220, using the highway alignment optimization (HAO) model. The model was used to explore alternative alignments within a 4,000 foot-wide buffer of the US 220 from I-68 near Lavale, Maryland to the West Virginia State line near McCoole, Maryland. It analyzed various alternative alignments within the project limit at a planning level of detail, evaluated them based on important decision criteria, and eventually found the best alternative alignments. Geographical and environmental issues as well as roadway geometric specification were also considered in finding cost-effective alternatives of the US 220. Five major agency costs (i.e., lengthdependent, right-of-way, earthwork, bridge, and maintenance costs) were considered as the decision criterion for optimizing alignments. The project was divided into eight sections based on environmental and geographical issues. Among those eight sections, some were classified as the locations where widening of the existing US 220 was preferred (named Case 1 sections) and the others were classified as the locations where development of new bypasses was recommended (Case 2 sections). KW - Alignment KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Decision making KW - Environmental impacts KW - Geography KW - Geometric design KW - Highway design KW - Maryland KW - Mathematical models KW - Optimization KW - United States Highway 220 UR - http://www.morgan.edu//Documents/ACADEMICS/CENTERS/NTC/Alternative_Kang_1011.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42234/Alternative_Kang_1011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118610 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353620 AU - Mullins, Gray AU - Winters, Danny AU - University of South Florida, Tampa AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Infrared Thermal Integrity Testing Quality Assurance Test Method to Detect Drilled Shaft Defects PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 176p AB - Thermal integrity profiling uses the measured temperature generated in curing concrete to assess the quality of cast in place concrete foundations (i.e. drilled shafts or ACIP piles) which can include effective shaft size (diameter and length), anomaly detection inside and outside reinforcement cage, cage alignment, and proper hydration of the concrete. The ability to detect concrete volumes outside the reinforcing cage is perhaps its strongest feature. For this study, no anomalies within the reinforcing cage were encountered but various forms of external section changes were identified as well as several cases of off-center cages. Cage alignments generally varied with depth. Notably, only two cases of reduced concrete cover were detected; bulges were most common. KW - Bridge foundations KW - Construction KW - Defects KW - Drilled shafts KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Infrared thermocouples KW - Quality assurance KW - Structural integrity KW - Thermal integrity profiling UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Research/Reports/700/770.1.htm UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/770.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118406 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352442 AU - Harrison, Robert AU - Blaze, James R AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Potential for Improving Rail International Intermodal Services in Texas and the Southwest Region of the United States PY - 2011/06 SP - 77p AB - The report covers a period of great significance for railroading in the U.S as it contains a number of milestones now shaping the future performance of the industry. The specific subject is improving intermodal service so that it can support state and regional highway planning, now facing severe financial cut-backs as revenue sources become fully committed to bond servicing, user taxes, loose purchasing power and fuel consumption begins to fall. Intermodal traffic grew strongly in the period 1995 – 2007 and UP and BNSF trans-continental routes were improved largely on the back of intermodal demand. Alliances with larger trucking companies strengthened and transportation officials began to ask whether rail could take some of the predicted freight off key highway corridors. This report addresses elements of this question, more especially as it relates to intermodal traffic in Texas and the Southwest. The report comprises the following sections. Chapter 2 considers the changes in rail freight since the Staggers Act, Chapter 3 evaluates Class 1 intermodal service, and Chapter 4 identifies the major trade corridors serving Texas and the Southern region of the U.S. Chapter 5 describes rail bottlenecks on the state rail system that might impact future intermodal growth, and Chapter 6 concludes by examining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to rail intermodal service in Texas and the Southern region over the next decade. KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Freight service KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Intermodal services KW - Intermodal transportation KW - International trade KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Railroad transportation KW - Southwestern States KW - Texas KW - Trade routes UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/473700-00076-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42276/473700-00076-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117044 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352439 AU - Farzaneh, Mohamadreza AU - Memisoglu, Gokhan AU - Kianfar, Kiavash AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimized Deployment of Emissions Reduction Technologies for Large Fleet PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 66p AB - This research study produced an optimization framework for determining the most efficient emission reduction strategies among vehicles and equipment in a large fleet. The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) fleet data were utilized to identify the key factors as well as refine and demonstrate the developed framework. TxDOT owns and operates more than 11,000 vehicles, of which approximately 3,200 units are non-road diesel equipment. TxDOT is considering serious actions to reduce emissions from its fleet, especially in designated non-attainment (NA) and near non-attainment (NNA) areas. This project includes a comprehensive literature review, identifies the key parameters affecting the deployment of resources to reduce emissions, and develops a framework for producing an optimal emission reduction strategies deployment plan for a typical large fleet. The capabilities of the proposed framework are demonstrated through a set of five case study scenarios. These scenarios cover a range of location preferences, budget limits, and analysis scales. TxDOT’s fleet data were utilized in this effort. The mathematical formulation and optimization modeling is implemented using ILOG CPLEX and Visual C++ platforms. KW - Air quality management KW - Carbon dioxide KW - Carbon monoxide KW - Case studies KW - Emissions reduction KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Nonattainment areas KW - Optimization KW - Pollutants KW - Resource allocation KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Vehicle fleets UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00022-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117043 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352436 AU - Almy, Isaac AU - Ballard, Lance D AU - Brimley, Bradford AU - Huff, William AU - Larson, Gregory AU - Schwenn, Brandon AU - Tovar, Jennifer AU - Ward, Brian AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Compendium of Student Papers: 2010 Undergraduate Transportation Engineering Fellows Program PY - 2011/06 SP - 254p AB - This report is a compilation of research papers written by students participating in the 2010 Undergraduate Transportation Scholars Program. The 10-week summer program, now in its 20th 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 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, respectively: 1) estimating carriers/truckers value of time due to congestion; 2) evaluating retroreflectivity measurement techniques for profiled and rumble stripe pavement markings; 3) analyzing retroreflectivity and color degradation in sign sheeting; 4) evaluating the effectiveness of LED enhanced stop paddles for school crossing guard use; 5) incorporating freight value into the Urban Mobility Report; 6) evaluating ASTM Standard Test Method E2177, retroreflectivity of pavement markings in a condition of wetness; 7) calibrating pavement performance prediction models; and 8) evaluating the effects of concrete curing compounds on hydration. KW - Concrete KW - Forecasting KW - Freight transportation KW - Hydration KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Pavement management systems KW - Pavement performance KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road markings KW - Schools KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic signs KW - Trucking KW - Value of time KW - Visibility UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/compendiums/476660-00003-3.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117046 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352433 AU - Anderson, Garrett AU - Harrison, Robert AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hybrid Distribution Trucks: Costs and Benefits PY - 2011/06 SP - 119p AB - The respective populations of the United States and Texas are expected to significantly increase over to the next several decades, primarily in urban and metropolitan areas. Economists have also predicted that oil prices will rise in real terms during the same period. Air quality is getting worse in a number of metropolitan areas, triggering non-attainment penalties and spurring an interest in cleaner transportation. Incentives and new policies must be adopted to increase the efficiency of the transportation system and thus move freight with a reduced impact on society and the environment. Hybrids can potentially help solve this issue through their increased fuel economy and reduced emissions. This project evaluated a package delivery truck, beverage delivery truck, and a refuse truck. The research determined that the additional cost (with current prices) of the hybrid refuse truck was justified, but not for the other two trucks. The social cost of emissions was also estimated to help justify hybrids’ implementation. With this information, the rate of hybrid truck adoption was estimated for various policy scenarios. The results indicated that a correctly designed incentive program can greatly increase the rate of hybrid adoption and could be justified by the additional social benefits of emissions reduction. KW - Air quality KW - Benefits KW - Costs KW - Delivery vehicles KW - Demand KW - Freight transportation KW - Fuel consumption KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Incentives KW - Physical distribution KW - Pollutants KW - Texas UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00080-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42272/476660-00080-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116811 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351979 AU - Gordon, Peter AU - Pan, Qisheng AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - Texas Southern University AU - University of Southern California/California State Long Beach AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Towards Peak Pricing in Metropolitan Areas: Modeling Network and Activity Impacts PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 40p AB - This research extends the Southern California Planning Model (SCPM) so that it can be used to determine the time-of-day, trip distribution, and network traffic effects of various pricing schemes for the greater Los Angeles (five-county) metropolitan area. The model estimates improvements in levels of services throughout the highway network for various toll charges. It examines how drivers trade off route-choice with time-of-day choice against the option of traveling less. It also estimates the implied revenues by local jurisdiction as well as possible land use effects in terms of altered development pressures throughout the region. The effects for two different tolling scenarios are compared and policy implications are discussed. KW - Algorithms KW - Congestion pricing KW - Land use models KW - Level of service KW - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Road pricing KW - Traffic models KW - Travel time KW - Urban areas KW - Variable tolls UR - http://www.metrans.org/research/10-03-towards-peak-load-pricing-metropolitan-areas-modeling-network-activity UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42545/10-03_Gordon_final2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114544 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351970 AU - James, Kenneth AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluating the Feasibility of Electrified Rail at the Port of LA/LB PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 40p AB - Electrifying rail at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may address truck traffic congestion and air pollution from drayage and rail. The electrification process was analyzed in light of costs, utility, and safety. The length of rail to be electrified to reduce diesel pollution is discussed and the material cost of rail retrofit, locomotive modification, and power distribution is reviewed. Operational issues such as disruption during construction are considered. Operational decisions by Class I rails regarding the move to diesel power will determine the number of locomotives required; the length (weight) of shuttle trains will determine power distribution costs. Operational and safety requirements favor overhead caternary over at-grade third rail for retrofit electrification. KW - Catenaries (Railroads) KW - Costs KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Economic analysis KW - Locomotives KW - Port of Long Beach KW - Port of Los Angeles KW - Railroad electrification KW - Railroad facility operations KW - Retrofitting KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/AR07-13_James_final_0_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114539 ER - TY - SER AN - 01351922 JO - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series PB - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - El-Rayes, Khaled AU - Liu, Liang AU - Abdallah, Moatassem AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Illinois Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - "Green-Friendly" Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Interstate Rest Areas PY - 2011/06 IS - 11-082 SP - 212p AB - This report presents the findings of a research project to study and develop a list of “green friendly” Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Illinois interstate rest areas. The objectives of this project are to (1) develop energy and cost baseline data for the 53 rest area buildings in Illinois by gathering utility use statements and other pertinent data for a one-year period for each building and utilize the data to compute the carbon footprint of each building; (2) perform on-site assessment of existing conditions in three selected rest areas; (3) conduct a comprehensive literature review on green design and sustainable construction, available energy saving alternatives, LEED certification requirements, and decision-making and optimization techniques that can be used for optimizing upgrade decision of rest area buildings; (4) investigate potential energy saving alternatives for the selected rest areas and study their cost savings and environmental impact; (5) conduct Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) for the suggested green friendly measures and generate a report detailing their overall costs and payback periods; (6) investigate the requirements and possibilities for the rest areas to achieve LEED certification under the LEED rating system for existing buildings; (7) develop a Decision Support Tool (DST) to identify optimal upgrade decisions for rest area buildings; and (8) develop recommendations for upgrading the three selected rest areas. To achieve these objectives, the research team carried out six major tasks: (1) developed energy cost baseline data and carbon footprint for each Illinois rest area; (2) performed onsite assessment for three selected rest areas; (3) conducted comprehensive literature review; (4) identified potential green-friendly best management practices; (5) developed a Decision Support Tool (DST) for optimizing LEED upgrade decisions of rest area buildings; and (6) developed recommendations for upgrading the three selected rest areas. KW - Best practices KW - Decision support systems KW - Green technology KW - Interstate highways KW - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) KW - Management KW - Roadside rest areas KW - Sustainable development UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45833 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/40000/40500/40583/FHWA-ICT-11-082.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114441 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351901 AU - Gharaibeh, Nasir G AU - Freeman, Tom AU - Wimsatt, Andrew AU - Zou, Yajie AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation and Development of Pavement Scores, Performance Models and Needs Estimates: Phase I Activities PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 148p AB - This report documents the results of two completed Phase I tasks for the project titled, “Evaluation and Development of Pavement Scores, Performance Models and Needs Estimates.” These tasks involved a literature review and a review of the current Texas Pavement Management Information System (PMIS) score process. The objective of the project is to develop improvements to PMIS to meet the needs of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The project is split into three phases. Phase I involves a review of the current PMIS and recommendations for modifying and improving analytical processes in the system. Phase II involves developing pavement performance models for the system. Finally, Phase III involves developing improved decision trees for the system’s needs estimate process. The first project task involved developing a synthesis on how states define and measure pavement scores; that synthesis was published in February 2009. The other Phase I tasks for this project are currently ongoing; the results of all remaining tasks will be documented in the final report for this project. KW - Information systems KW - Needs assessment KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement management systems KW - Scores KW - Texas KW - Texas Department of Transportation UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6386-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114401 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351883 AU - Hallmark, Shauna AU - Mudgal, Abhisek AU - Stout, Tom AU - Wang, Bo AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Behavior Study of Merge Practices for Drivers at Work Zone Closures PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 64p AB - The purpose of this project was to determine which driver behaviors result in the greatest reduction of capacity with work zone lane closures. Traffic and safety experts believe that driver behaviors, such as forcing late mergers, tailgating, queue jumping in the closed lane or on the shoulder, and other aggressive behaviors have the greatest impact on maximum flow rates. Other behaviors that create excessive headways or slow speeds can also reduce maximum flow in the taper. The objectives of this project were to identify and document driver behaviors that are the most detrimental to work zone traffic flow and safety. Data were collected at freeway work zones for six days to identify behaviors that affected work zone safety and operations, which included forced and late merges, lane straddling, and queue jumping. Queue jumping occurs when a driver already in the open lane decides to jockey for a better position by moving to the closing lane and passes one or more vehicles before merging back to the open lane. A total of 30 vehicles queue jumped during the study period. However, vehicles only improved their position in most cases by one vehicle. The queue jumping also resulted in four forced merges, eight late merges, and four late forced merges, indicating that queue jumping has an impact on operations. In addition, queue jumping appeared to evoke aggressive behavior by other drivers, which was manifested by lane straddling and, in some cases, vehicles physically trying to block queue jumpers. Lane straddling occurs when drivers move to straddle the lane line separating the open and closing lanes with their vehicles. Drivers who lane straddle attempt to prevent vehicles behind them from late merging or moving ahead of them in the queue. The lane straddling incidents observed in this study often involved several vehicles. Of the 51 incidents that were noted, lane straddling resulted in one forced merge, two late merges, and 14 forced late merges. The main operation impact is that lane straddling creates forced merges that may not have otherwise occurred. In addition, in several cases, drivers who engaged in lane straddling in this study ended up slowing down the entire queue behind them, as they attempted to prevent a driver behind them from using the space they left when they moved over to lane straddle. This study identified behaviors that compromise safety in work zones. Forced merges, which are discussed as operational problems, are also safety problems, because a driver behind a forced merge has to slow or, in some cases, take some evasive action to avoid colliding with the merging vehicle. Queue jumping also compromises safety, because it creates forced merges and often resulted, in this study, in aggressive actions by other drivers. Lane straddling can also compromise safety by creating forced merges that may not have otherwise occurred. Lane straddling also resulted in several other safety-compromising behaviors: drivers using the shoulder to pass lane-straddling vehicles, drivers attempting to merge into the space previously occupied by the lane-straddling vehicle and resulting in the lane-straddling driver attempting to physically block the merging vehicle, and, in one case, drivers racing abreast until reaching the arrow board, where a forced merge occurred. KW - Behavior KW - Highway traffic control KW - Lane closure KW - Lane distribution KW - Merging area KW - Merging traffic KW - Reckless drivers KW - Traffic flow KW - Work zone safety UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/work_zone_merge_behaviors_w_cvr1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114261 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351881 AU - Overman, John AU - Ellis, Patricia AU - Frawley, William AU - Taylor, Ryan AU - Geiselbrecht, Tina AU - Goodin, Ginger AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Rural Planning Organizations - Their Role in Transportation Planning and Project Development in Texas PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 156p AB - While a formal planning and programming process is established for urbanized areas through Metropolitan Planning Organizations, no similar requirement has been established for rural areas. Currently, under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, states are required to consult with non-metropolitan local officials in transportation planning and programming. The consultation process between state Departments of Transportation (DOT) and non-metropolitan local officials is not prescribed in the planning rules, and consultation practices vary widely among each state’s DOT. Historically, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has worked in cooperation with each individual rural county to plan and program projects. This has often resulted in a county-by-county project list that the TxDOT districts must try to fashion into a regional strategy or plan. A need exists to examine the concept of rural planning organizations and research their use in Texas to determine if a formal rural planning organization may offer a means to improve transportation planning and programming. The objective of this research is to identify and examine rural planning organizations, their structure and operation, and their role in transportation planning and programming. The project will include a review of current processes used by TxDOT and other agencies to plan and program transportation projects in rural areas. KW - Organizations KW - Programming (Planning) KW - Rural areas KW - Texas KW - Transportation planning UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6483-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/40000/40500/40592/0-6483-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114407 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351873 AU - Lowell, Dana AU - Kilburn, Ben AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Comparison of Available Portable Combustible Gas and Hydrogen Sensors PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 30p AB - This report documents a comparison of currently commercially available portable equipment that can be used to sense/detect the presence of hydrogen and/or combustible gases in the air. Available devices, identified via a literature search, were compared and ranked based on a common set of ranking criteria and an objective rating system for each criterion. The devices were rated against each criterion based on data contained in manufacturer literature. This document is intended as a reference for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in evaluating available equipment that might be used by agency inspectors to search for fuel leaks from commercial vehicles powered by hydrogen, in the context of safety inspections carried out in accordance with the North American Standard Inspection Procedures. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Detectors KW - Hydrogen KW - Hydrogen fuels KW - Inspection equipment KW - Leakage KW - Portable equipment KW - Sensors UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51300/51318/Hydrogen-Sensors.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114247 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351431 AU - Edrington, Suzie AU - Brooks, Jonathan AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impacts of Funding and Allocation Changes on Rural Transit in Texas PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 107p AB - Funding for Rural Transit Districts (RTDs) in Texas has gone through notable change since 2003. First, the Federal Transit Administration increased funding for non-urbanized (rural) areas under the provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). At the same time, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) implemented a revised “needs and performance” based method for allocating both federal and state funds among RTDs effective fiscal year 2005. The revised method for allocating funds resulted in some RTDs receiving less federal and state funds, while others received more funds. The 2010 Census will introduce another change in funding due to changes in RTD population and land area, the two “needs” factors in the revised method for allocating funds. New and expanding urbanized areas will have an impact on adjacent RTDs. The population in rural areas near the border or surrounding metropolitan areas will increase faster relative to other parts of Texas. One of the objectives of this research was to document the impact of the change in allocation of federal and state funds on service levels and ridership. A second objective was to assess whether the relative changes in federal and state funding have affected the ability of RTDs to provide local share match for federal funds. This information will help in understanding how changes in federal and state funding have affected transit in rural Texas and will contribute to a discussion by stakeholders of possible revisions to the TxDOT funding formula based on the outcomes of Census 2010. KW - 2010 Census KW - Federal aid KW - Financing KW - Fund allocation KW - Level of service KW - Ridership KW - Rural areas KW - Rural transit KW - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users KW - State aid KW - Texas UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Edrington_10-19-46.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116053 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01350102 AU - Goodwill, Jay AU - Sapper, Deborah AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Florida Bus Maintenance Staffing Practices PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 39p AB - This research report focuses on the staffing practices of the bus maintenance departments of Florida transit agencies. The availability of an adequate transit bus fleet is a key element for a transit agency's ability to provide high quality, reliable, and safe bus transit service. Critical resources needed to keep a transit bus fleet available for revenue service include a functional maintenance department structure, proper staffing plans, and an adequate level of maintenance staffs. The objective of this project was to help Florida's transit agencies identify the optimal organizational structures and staffing plans and adequate staffing levels for their bus fleet maintenance programs and to identify associated critical factors. Florida transit agency bus maintenance units' organizational structures and staffing practices are detailed. KW - Fleet management KW - Florida KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Organizational structure KW - Transit buses KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Vehicle maintenance UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BDK85_977-19_rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113113 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349709 AU - Mohan, Mayank AU - Hu, Mengzhao Margaret AU - Moore, James E AU - Gordon, Peter AU - Richardson, Harry W AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improved Modeling of Network Transportation Flows, Including Land Use-Transportation Interactions: A Research Collaboration between USC (METRANS) and Caltrans District 7 (Office of Advance Planning) PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Caltrans District 7 generates Transportation Concept Reports (TCR) which are planning reports for each of the highways in the district. Caltrans used a system of modeling and reporting practices built around its travel demand and network model. With changing resource availability and the need to better collaborate with other regional agencies, Caltrans decided to use the models available at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). SCAG’s models were very different and there was an urgent need at Caltrans to rethink modeling and reporting. There also was an immediate to update the TCRs. METRANS audited Caltrans' modeling practices, provided an analysis of possible improvement avenues, and developed an automated tool to help them meet the urgent requirement of updating the TCRs. KW - California Department of Transportation KW - Highway planning KW - Land use models KW - Land use planning KW - Planning methods KW - Reports KW - Southern California Association of Governments KW - Travel demand UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42550/METRANS_Project_03-23_Improved_modeling_of_network_traffic_flows.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111802 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349707 AU - Redfearn, Christian L AU - Giuliano, Genevieve AU - Agarwal, Ajay AU - He, Sylvia Y AU - Hu, Lingqian AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Network Accessibility and the Evolution of Urban Employment PY - 2011/06 SP - 41p AB - This research examines the impact of accessibility on the growth of employment centers in the Los Angeles Region between 1980 and 2000. There is extensive empirical documentation of polycentricity – the presence of multiple concentrations of employment – in large metropolitan areas. However, there is limited understanding of the determinants of growth of employment centers. It has long been held that transportation investments influence urban structure, particularly freeways and airports. Using data on 48 employment centers, we test the effects of various measures of accessibility on center employment growth: network accessibility and two measures of labor force accessibility.After controlling for center size, density, industry mix, and location within the region, only labor force accessibility is significantly related to center growth. KW - Accessibility KW - Airports KW - Economic growth KW - Employment KW - Highways KW - Labor force KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Urban development KW - Urban growth UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42552/METRANS_Final_Report_06-16_Network_Access_And_Employment_Centers.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111801 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349703 AU - Adams, Joy K AU - Scoggin, Mary AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Tribal Corridor Management Planning: Model, Case Study, and Guide for Caltrans District 1 PY - 2011/06 SP - 140p AB - In Northern California, tribal governments and personnel of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 1, have applied innovative context-sensitive solutions to meet a variety of transportation challenges along state highways that traverse tribal lands. This report describes and discusses the efforts under way and offers suggestions for continuing and extending these initiatives through the development of Tribal Corridor Management Plans (TCMPs). While Caltrans District 1 staff and tribal governments share common goals for highway operations, progress has been somewhat hampered by geographic and administrative challenges. Early and frequent communication and collaboration could overcome these obstacles. Non-standard design elements could be incorporated into highway improvements to enhance local sense of place among both residents and travelers. This report should prove instructive for any efforts to enhance sense of place within transportation byways, particularly in Native communities. KW - Aesthetics KW - California Department of Transportation KW - Case studies KW - Context sensitive design KW - Indian reservations KW - Planning methods KW - Rural highways KW - Transportation corridors KW - Tribal government UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/40000/40500/40589/2604-Tribal_Corridor_Management_Planning.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111800 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349697 AU - Silver, Steven AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - User Evaluations of Intermodal Travel to Work: Exploratory Studies PY - 2011/06 SP - 56p AB - Empirical studies of the use of intermodal travel have predominantly been in cases where travel is across cities or regions. The principal objective of this exploratory study is to identify candidate factors that users relate to the public transit options when work travel is within a local corridor. Two focus groups were conducted in each of two travel corridors in Northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area. Results identify four factors that are reported to be major considerations in user evaluation of intermodal travel to work. The importance of these factors is indicated by their independent identification in each group and the amount of discussion of the factors. The cost of uncertainty in waiting time between connections and the imputed lack of coordination between modes in service offerings were among the predominant factors in the discussions of all groups. KW - Focus groups KW - Intermodal transfer KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Mode choice KW - Public transit KW - San Francisco Bay Area KW - Waiting time KW - Work trips UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1025-Intermodal_travel_exploratory_studies.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39100/39138/1025-Intermodal_travel_exploratory_studies.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111798 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349681 AU - Nixon, Hilary AU - Saphores, Jean-Daniel AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Understanding Household Preferences For Alternative-Fuel Vehicle Technologies PY - 2011/06 SP - 130p AB - This report explores consumer preferences among four different alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs): hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) vehicles, and electric vehicles (EVs). Although researchers have been interested in understanding consumer preferences for AFVs for more than three decades, it is important to update our estimates of the trade-offs people are willing to make between cost, environmental performance, vehicle range, and refueling convenience. A nationwide, Internet-based survey assessed consumer preferences for AFVs. In general, gasoline-fueled vehicles are still preferred over AFVs, however there is a strong interest in AFVs. No AFV type is overwhelmingly preferred, although HEVs seem to have an edge. Trade-offs are assessed; to leave a person’s utility unchanged, a $1,000 increase in AFV cost needs to be compensated by: 1) a $300 savings in driving cost over 12,000 miles; 2) a 17.5 mile increase in vehicle range; or 3) a 7.8-minute decrease in total refueling time. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Consumer preferences KW - Costs KW - Electric vehicles KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fuel cell vehicles KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Logits KW - Natural gas vehicles KW - Surveys UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2809-Alternative-Fuel-Vehicle-Technologies.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111799 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01346525 AU - Sillars, David N AU - Moradkhani, Hamid AU - Tymvios, Nicholas AU - Smith, Trevor AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Factors for Improved Fish Passage Waterway Construction PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 126p AB - Streambeds are important fish passageways in Oregon; they provide for the necessary habitats and spawning cycles of a healthy fish population. Oregon state law requires that hydraulic structures located in water properly provide fish passage. Increasingly stringent state and federal regulations apply to these fish passageways, and designers must become more cognizant of conditions over a range of flows to accommodate fish movement and avoid expensive structural failure of these passageways. Fish passage structures are built when roads cross streambeds and may include culverts, or bridges. When these structures are built, the streambeds are re-created using a technique called “roughened channels”. Roughened channels are man-made stream channels utilized for re-creating the hydraulics necessary for adequate stream passage, and this may include new constructions or retrofits of older, inadequate structures. Mixtures of materials are used to construct the bed of roughened channels, ranging from fines such as sand, silt and gravel to coarse elements like cobbles and boulders. Fines are a critical element in limiting permeability of the constructed bed thus keeping stream flow at the surface of the roughened channel during low flow periods. This report discusses work of a research project designed to discover factors that are key to successful long-term implementation of fish passageways, especially focused on the construction process. Areas of inquiry postulated in this study are that failures experienced in actual installations may be due to inadequate range and/or mix of soil and rock material gradation; unexpected water velocity, especially during high flows; inadequate mixing of rock and soil materials during construction; and inadequate compaction of rock and soil materials during construction. This report suggests that several factors may be especially important considerations in fish passage success. These factors are the relationship of downstream slope to structure slope, well-graded fine soil materials in the channel fill (improved by choice of fill source), and frequent site visits. Improving fish passages for cost-efficient fish movement is a priority for government agencies such as Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC). KW - Bridges KW - Channels (Waterways) KW - Construction KW - Culverts KW - Design KW - Fish passage KW - Fishes KW - Habitat (Ecology) KW - Oregon KW - Roughness KW - Streambeds UR - http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/ResearchReports/SPR_654_Waterway.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108678 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01346516 AU - Shi, Xianming AU - Fay, Laura AU - Fortune, Keith AU - Smithlin, Robert AU - Johnson, Matthew AU - Peterson, Marijean M AU - Creighton, Andrew AU - Yang, Zhengxian AU - Cross, Doug AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Investigating Longevity of Corrosion Inhibitors and Performance of Deicer Products under Storage or after Pavement Application PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 206p AB - This study evaluated the longevity of corrosion inhibitors and the performance of inhibited deicer products under storage or after pavement application. No significant degradation of corrosion inhibitor or loss of chlorides was seen during the months of field storage. The fate and transport of the inhibitors differed from those of the chlorides, in which dilution by precipitation and likely wicking of the deicer into the pavement and the top snow layer contributed to the loss of inhibitor and chlorides. The accelerated UV-degradation lab study found little degradation of GLT and FreezGard inhibitors but significant degradation of CCB inhibitor. While these inhibitors demonstrated their effectiveness in corrosion inhibition, they showed no side benefits in deicer performance. No significant difference in anti-icing performance was observed between the three liquid deicers during the two storm events. All three liquid deicers worked effectively for anti-icing applications under the investigated conditions. It is unnecessary to implement any mixing for the liquid deicer tanks, other than immediately prior to the use of the liquid deicers to ensure uniform composition and minimize stratification. Without dilution by precipitation (the black ice event), the percent of chloride recovered from the pavement by day 4 was approximately 30%, 20%, and 50% for NaCl+GLT, CCB, and FreezGard respectively. Up to 80% of the CCB inhibitor was recovered from the pavement 4 days after the deicer application. While such residuals could be washed away by precipitation, their presence on the pavement could potentially be measured and considered when re-applying chemicals for snow and ice control. This project revealed that the relative corrosivity of deicer solutions on the field pavement differed from that in the lab. KW - Anti-icing KW - Corrosion resistant materials KW - Degradation (Materials) KW - Deicing chemicals KW - Field studies KW - Laboratory tests KW - Materials storage KW - Snow and ice control KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/documents/reports/4W1978_Final_Report.pdf UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/759.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108732 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01346513 AU - Dixon, Karen K AU - Avelar, Raul Eduardo AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Safety Evaluation of Curve Warning Speed Signs PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 151p AB - This report presents a review of a research effort to evaluate the safety implications of advisory speeds at horizontal curve locations on Oregon rural two-lane highways. The primary goals of this research effort were to characterize driving operations at rural two-lane highway curve locations where advisory speed signs were present, and to determine to what extent these signs play a role in enhancing safety. Placement of advisory speed signs at horizontal curve locations in the State of Oregon is a practice aided by unique and specific state-level policies and, as such, may vary from nationally accepted procedures. Speed data were collected at 16 sites and compliance with advisory speed signs determined. An evaluation of site crash data and how advisory speed relates to historic crash information is included along with a statistical model that identifies critical variables that are associated with the posted speed and how they ultimately relate to the expected crash frequency. The research team developed a statistically based advisory speed model that assesses predicted crash outcomes based on a combination of geometric design, operations, and signage. The resulting advisory speed models were then contrasted to the expected advisory speeds based on the Oregon Policy as well as the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) thresholds. They determined that the safety-based model actually predicted advisory speeds that are not as conservative as those recommended using the ball-bank thresholds in the 2009 MUTCD or those identified using the thresholds Oregon has been using. Just prior to publication of this report, the Oregon Traffic Control Devices Committee (OTCDC) decided to adopt the 2009 MUTCD without making an exception to advisory speed posting guidelines. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has begun to transition to the 2009 MUTCD advisory speed posting criteria. Actual adoption of the 2009 MUTCD is expected to occur in August 2011. KW - Advisory speeds KW - Compliance KW - Crash data KW - Highway curves KW - Highway safety KW - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices KW - Oregon KW - Rural highways KW - Speed limits KW - Speed signs KW - Two lane highways KW - Warning signs UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39100/39107/SPR685.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39400/39406/WarningSpeedSignsSPR685.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108671 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345768 AU - Santos, A AU - McGuckin, N AU - Nakamoto, H Y AU - Gray, D AU - Liss, S AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Summary of Travel Trends: 2009 National Household Travel Survey PY - 2011/06//Trends in travel behavior SP - 83p AB - The 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) provides data to characterize daily personal travel patterns across the country. The survey includes demographic data on households, vehicles, people, and detailed information on daily travel by all modes of transportation. NHTS survey data is collected from a sample of households and expanded to provide national estimates of trips and miles of travel by travel mode, trip purpose, and other household attributes. When combined with historical data from the 1969, 1977, 1983,1990, and 1995 NPTS and the 2001 NHTS, the 2009 NHTS serves as a rich source of detailed travel data over time for users. This document highlights travel trends and commuting patterns in eight key areas - summary of travel and demographics, household travel, person travel, private vehicle travel, vehicle availability and usage, commute travel patterns, temporal distribution, and special populations. KW - Age KW - Commuting KW - Demographics KW - Gender KW - Highway travel KW - Mode choice KW - National Household Travel Survey KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel patterns KW - Travel surveys KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Trip purpose UR - http://nhts.ornl.gov/2009/pub/stt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107370 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345763 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 - Analysis of Contracting for Fixed Route Bus Service PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 81p AB - This study examines the potential for and issues surrounding private sector participation in providing public transportation in Florida. A comprehensive review of past studies and reports on the topic of contracting for service provides a valuable historical overview of data and trends as well as best practices employed by agencies to evaluate contracting fixed route bus service. The potential benefits of purchasing service as well as reasons to contract are discussed to provide transit managers with a thorough understanding of all aspects of contracting. An annual comparison of directly operated and purchased fixed route service from 1998 through 2009 identifies trends that have occurred in privatization over at least the past ten years in the U.S. and Florida. A detailed comparison of operating costs for three service metrics in 2008 versus 1998 illustrates how cost effectiveness can vary by size of agency, area of the country, and by type of service - directly operated and purchased. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Bus transit KW - Contracting KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Evaluation KW - Fixed routes KW - Florida KW - Privatization KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/77923.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42300/42315/77923.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106666 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344996 AU - Hobbs, Alan AU - Avers, Katrina Bedell AU - Hiles, John J AU - San Jose State University AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Fatigue Risk Management in Aviation Maintenance: Current Best Practices and Potential Future Countermeasures PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 42p AB - The unregulated hours and frequent night work characteristic of maintenance can produce significant levels of employee fatigue, with a resultant risk of maintenance error. Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) are widely used to manage fatigue among flight crew and drivers of commercial vehicles, but comprehensive approaches to fatigue risk management are still uncommon within maintenance organizations. In the wider transport industry, the objective of most FRMS has been to reduce fatigue to an acceptable level. Two additional objectives can be identified for FRMS in the maintenance environment: reducing or capturing fatigue-related errors, and minimizing the harm caused by fatigue-related errors. A range of countermeasures can help to achieve these three objectives in aviation maintenance. Some of these countermeasures are currently being applied within the industry, while others may become feasible in the future. The data available on best practices for fatigue risk management in aviation maintenance are continually evolving. This should be considered an interim report. KW - Alertness KW - Aviation maintenance KW - Aviation safety KW - Best practices KW - Countermeasures KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Hours of labor KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Risk management UR - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2010s/media/201110.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38900/38981/201110.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105589 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344711 AU - Yao, Yuan AU - Kodumuri, Pradeep AU - Lee, Seung-Kyoung AU - SES Group and Associates AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Performance Evaluation of One-Coat Systems for New Steel Bridges PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 104p AB - In an effort to address cost issues associated with shop application of conventional three-coat systems, the Federal Highway Administration completed a study to investigate the performance of eight one-coat systems and two control coatings for corrosion protection of highway bridges. Based on prior performance, a three-coat system and a two-coat system were selected as the control coating systems. The performance of all coating systems was evaluated under accelerated laboratory and outdoor exposure conditions. Accelerated testing was performed in the laboratory for 6,840 h. Natural weathering exposure was performed in the outdoor environment for 18 months and at a marine exposure site for 24 months. A calcium sulfonate alkyd coating system was found to perform equally in comparison with the three-coat system; however, curing was a major concern. Regression analysis was used to identify correlations between color, gloss, adhesion strength, and coating defects for one-coat systems. KW - Accelerated tests KW - Adhesive strength KW - Calcium sulfonate alkyds KW - Corrosion protection KW - Defects KW - Marine environment KW - Outdoor exposure KW - Performance tests KW - Protective coatings KW - Regression analysis KW - Steel bridges UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/bridge/11046/11046.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46000/46076/Performance_evaluation_of_one_coat_systems.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107282 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344047 AU - Bligh, Roger P AU - Arrington, Dusty R AU - Sheikh, Nauman M AU - Silvestri, Chiara AU - Menges, Wanda L AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of a MASH TL-3 Median Barrier Gate PY - 2011/06//Technical/Test Report SP - 170p AB - Median barriers are commonly used to separate opposing lanes of traffic on divided highways and to separate managed lanes from general purpose lanes. Concrete median barriers (CMBs) are often preferred on urban freeways with narrow medians due to their minimal deflection and low maintenance. However, long, continuous runs of CMBs limit access of emergency and maintenance vehicles to the other side of a roadway or a managed lane. Implementation of crashworthy median barrier gates at these locations can maintain the desired level of median protection for motorists while offering improved cross-median access for emergency and/or maintenance vehicles. A new median barrier gate was developed and crash tested under this project. The gate spans a 30-ft opening in a concrete median barrier and consists of two vertically stacked 12-inch × 12-inch × ¼-inch steel tubes connected to steel end brackets with 2¼-inch diameter steel pins. The gate is economical to fabricate and install. It can be manually operated by a single person and is designed to accommodate reversible traffic flow on both sides of the median and be operable in both directions on each end. The median barrier gate satisfies MASH Test Level 3 (TL-3) impact performance criteria and is considered suitable for implementation on Texas highways where cross-median access is desired. KW - AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware KW - Access KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Cross median access KW - Emergency vehicles KW - Gates KW - Impact tests KW - Maintenance equipment KW - Maintenance vehicles KW - Median barriers KW - Texas UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/9-1002-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106390 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344043 AU - Harris, Pat AU - Harvey, Omar AU - Sebesta, Stephen AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Rapid Field Detection of Sulfate and Organic Content in Soils: Technical Report PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 94p AB - In recent years, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has experienced problems chemically stabilizing moderate to high plasticity clay soils with calcium-based additives. Many of the problems are the result of soluble sulfate minerals in the soil reacting with the lime or cement added for stabilization. The occurrence of these deposits is unpredictable and often restricted to small areas. To address this problem, the researchers set about identifying a technique that provides a map showing the sulfate content of the soil over a large area to a depth of 3 to 4 ft. Two technologies were identified that provide an indirect measurement of sulfate salts (an electromagnetic device – EM-38, and a soil conductivity device – VERIS 3150). The authors tested these devices on three different TxDOT projects in different parts of the state that have been known for high sulfate contents. They collected soil samples at 1 ft intervals to a depth of 4 ft where the data varied. They measured the Plasticity Index, moisture content, sulfate content, and organic content in each sample. They then ran multivariate statistical analyses to correlate the conductivity data collected with the VERIS 3150 to laboratory-measured soil properties. The authors observed that soil conductivity is related to the soil texture/clay content, moisture content, and dissolved salts (i.e., sulfate and other salt minerals). They noted that for all of the projects tested, a soil conductivity over 100 mS/m may contain problematic sulfate levels, but it may also be due to high plasticity clay soils and/or high moisture contents with other dissolved salts. What is noteworthy about this research is it provides a tool to intelligently decide where to collect soil samples to analyze for problematic sulfate levels versus the current method of collecting soil samples in a grid pattern of a specified interval that may be too large and not detect problematic sulfate levels until the road explodes. KW - Clay soils KW - Electrical conductivity KW - Electromagnetic devices KW - Field tests KW - Geological surveying KW - Measuring instruments KW - Moisture content KW - Organic content KW - Plasticity index KW - Soil stabilization KW - Soil tests KW - Sulfates UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6362-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39100/39141/0-6362-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106391 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343904 AU - Pesti, Geza AU - Obeng-Boampong, Kwaku AU - Songchitruksa, Praprut AU - Theiss, LuAnn AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Treatments to Reduce the Frequency of Freeway Exit Sign Hits PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 108p AB - Exit gore signs present a significant maintenance challenge for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). There is concern regarding the safety of personnel working in gore areas to replace these signs, and the resources necessary for continual maintenance. The objective of this project was to identify and evaluate alternative methods that may reduce the number of sign hits. Researchers visited several sites with safety problems related to frequent sign hits, determined factors that contribute to sign crashes, and recommended potential treatments. They also evaluated the impact of eliminating exit gore signs at locations where appropriate advance warning with overhead exit signs are provided. Field studies were conducted at two freeway exits in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was found that the lack of exit gore signs at the two freeway exits did not have any negative consequences in terms of vehicle speeds, deceleration behavior, and erratic maneuvers. KW - Corpus Christi (Texas) KW - Countermeasures KW - Crashes KW - Field studies KW - Freeways KW - Gore area KW - Off ramps KW - Traffic sign removal KW - Traffic signs UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6120-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106318 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343900 AU - Liao, Chen-Fu AU - Rakauskas, Michael AU - Rayankula, Avanish AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signals (MAPS) for Blind Pedestrians at Signalized Intersections PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 135p AB - People with vision impairment have different perception and spatial cognition as compared to the sighted people. Blind pedestrians primarily rely on auditory, olfactory, or tactile feedback to determine spatial location and find their way. They generally have difficulty crossing intersections due to lack of traffic information at intersections. Among the intersection crossing sub-tasks, locating crosswalk, determining when to cross and maintaining alignment to crosswalk while crossing are the most difficult tasks for the blind and visually impaired. To understand how the blind pedestrians make safe crossing decisions, ten blind and low-vision individuals were interviewed. The purpose of these interviews was to understand the types of information they use while making safe intersection crossings and identify new information types that could assist them. A Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signals (MAPS) prototype was developed to support decision making at signalized intersections. The MAPS integrates sensors on a Smartphone, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technologies, and traffic signal controllers were developed to provide intersection geometry information and Signal Phasing and Timing (SPaT) to pedestrians who are blind at signalized intersections. A single-tap command on the Smartphone screen allows users to request for intersection geometry information, such as street name, direction and number of lanes at a corner of an intersection. A double-tap input while pointing toward desired direction of crossing will confirm the crossing direction, request for pedestrian phase, and the Smartphone application will then wirelessly request for signal timing and phasing information from traffic signal controller. KW - Accessible pedestrian signals KW - Blind persons KW - Bluetooth technology KW - Crosswalks KW - Decision support systems KW - IEEE 802.11 (Standard) KW - Pedestrians KW - Signalized intersections KW - Smartphones KW - Traffic signal controllers KW - Visually impaired persons UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1552 UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2040 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106313 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343609 AU - Tumeo, Mark A AU - Pavlick, Joe AU - Cleveland State University AU - Ohio Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Study of Bankfull Culvert Design Effectiveness PY - 2011/06 SP - 117p AB - As part of the certification under the Clean Water Act 404 Nationwide Permit, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) mandated that the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) install bankfull culverts in all new culvert installations subject to the permit. In addition, by embedding the culvert, the bottom of the culvert is to take on the characteristics of the natural streambed and promote the passage of fish and other aquatic organisms. The OEPA’s requirement to install bankfull culverts has resulted in increased design and construction costs. The objectives of the study were to examine the parameters which control the benefits of bankfull culverts when installed, including how the benefits alleged are affected by culvert diameter, slope and length, and the size of the stream in which the culvert is placed. Ultimately, the research was designed to determine if bankfull culverts, as currently installed, provide the benefit of allowing movement of aquatic biota better than traditional culverts, if there is any impact on flood attenuation, and if the bankfull culverts installed in Ohio have caused quantitative environmental changes or cumulative impacts [as measured by the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI)]. The physical survey of the culverts revealed that of the 61 culverts identified by ODOT as being designed as embedded bankfull culverts (EBCs), there are only 12 that are actually embedded. ODOT should develop and implement a system of inspecting and verifying that culverts specified to be embedded bankfull culverts are actually installed as such. An important finding is that many of the culverts with greater than 1% slope had no sediment present inside of the culvert. The results of the survey indicate that, at the 90% confidence interval, sediments are being washed through culverts with a slope 1% or greater. Therefore it is recommended that EBCs should not be installed at slopes greater than 1%. Of the 12 embedded culverts, only two were found to be effectively allowing for the continuity of sedimentation patterns through the reach of a culvert. Because of the low numbers, the results found are not statistically significant. To better understand the functionality of culverts and the trends presented, more research is needed. ODOT should consider funding additional research in this area to confirm preliminary trends and provide more guidance in the design of embedded bankfull culverts. KW - Anchoring KW - Condition surveys KW - Culverts KW - Design KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fish passage KW - Ohio KW - Sedimentation KW - Streambeds UR - http://worldcat.org/oclc/739996658/viewonline UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105747 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343591 AU - Belarbi, Abdeldjelil AU - Bae, Sang-Wook AU - Ayoub, Ashraf AU - Kuchma, Daniel AU - Mirmiran, Amir AU - Okeil, Ayman AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Design for FRP Systems for Strengthening Concrete Girders in Shear PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 127p AB - Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) systems have been used on a project-specific basis for the last two decades. They are now becoming a widely accepted method of strengthening concrete structures. The acceptance and utilization of these new strengthening techniques depend on the availability of clear design guidelines, installation procedures and construction specifications. Standard specifications exist for all commonly used traditional materials in civil engineering structures. At this time, design specifications for FRP use are still under development. The results of several experimental investigations have shown that FRP systems can be effective for increasing ductility and strength to structural members such as columns and girders. As most of the research focused on strengthening of axial members of flexural members, there are less experimental and analytical data on the use of FRP systems for shear strengthening of girders. Shear strengthening with FRP is still under investigation and the results obtained thus far are scarce and sometimes controversial. Even in traditional reinforced concrete members without FRP, the shear design is a complex challenge and uses more empirical methods as compared to axial and flexural design methods. Adding FRP to the equation, with its specific design issues, would bring another level of complication in the design. These FRP-related shear design issues and lack of comprehensive analytical and experimental models are the main motivation for this research project. Thus, a thorough understanding of the shear design problem along with the development of an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design method for FRP shear strengthening of concrete girders is needed. As such, the objective of this project is to develop design methods, specifications, and examples for design of FRP systems for strengthening concrete girders in shear. The proposed specifications will be in Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) format and will be suitable for recommendation to the AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures for adoption. KW - Bridge design KW - Design methods KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Girders KW - Guidelines KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Shear capacity KW - Shear design KW - Specifications KW - Strengthening (Maintenance) UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R197_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105566 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343580 AU - Elmore, Cecilia AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Women In Science & Engineering and Minority Engineering Scholarships: Year 5 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 9p AB - Support will make scholarships available to minority and women students interested in engineering and science and will increase significantly the number of minority and female students that the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) can recruit to its science and engineering programs. Recipients of scholarships will also be exposed to career opportunities in transportation. Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) scholarships are awarded to support female Missouri S&T students studying science and engineering. Missouri S&T’s WISE program provides a campus focal point for increasing the number of women in science, engineering, math, and technology fields through outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts from middle school age through undergraduate levels. WISE provides support programs such as mentoring, advising, professional/technical workshops, and social activities, with the goal of providing a rich academic and social experience for young women at Missouri S&T. Minority Engineering and Science Program ( MEP) scholarships provide critical financial support for under-represented students majoring in engineering and science programs at Missouri S&T. MEP scholarship students receive professional and academic support through the close-knit MEP network of friends, mentors, and Missouri S&T staff. MEP has a rich 30 year tradition of sponsoring events, activities and organizations that ensure its students are prepared for personal and professional success. KW - College students KW - Engineering KW - Females KW - Minorities KW - Missouri University of Science and Technology KW - Recruiting KW - Scholarships KW - Science KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/ETT258_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105564 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343318 AU - Anderson, Michael D AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - Lou, Yingyan AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seminar and TRB Conference Attendance: Year 7 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 11p AB - Students from the three campuses of the University of Alabama System are engaged in a variety of transportation related research activities. This project provided a forum for transportation students to present their research results to faculty and students from the University of Alabama System as well as transportation professionals in a professional setting. The students selected to make presentations by faculty representatives from the three campuses were rewarded with travel money to cover the cost of attending the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. KW - College students KW - Research KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=09307 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105167 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343316 AU - Anderson, Michael D AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - Lou, Yingyan AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seminar and TRB Conference Attendance: Year 8 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 12p AB - Students from the three campuses of the University of Alabama System are engaged in a variety of transportation related research activities. This project provided a forum for transportation students to present their research results to faculty and students from the University of Alabama System as well as transportation professionals in a professional setting. The students selected to make presentations by faculty representatives from the three campuses were rewarded with travel money to cover the cost of attending the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. KW - College students KW - Research KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=10308 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105168 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343277 AU - Brewer, Marcus A AU - Venglar, Steven P AU - Ding, Liang AU - Fitzpatrick, Kay AU - Park, Byung-Jung AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Operations and Safety of Super 2 Corridors with Higher Volumes PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 208p AB - As traffic volumes increase, in both urban and rural areas, the demand on the highway network also increases. Specifically, as rural traffic volumes rise in Texas, the pressure on the state’s network of two-lane highways rises accordingly. Previous research in Texas demonstrated that periodic passing lanes can improve operations on two-lane highways with average daily traffic (ADT) lower than 5000; these “Super 2” highways can provide many of the benefits of a four-lane alignment at a lower cost. This project expands on that research to develop design guidelines for passing lanes on two-lane highways with higher volumes, investigating the effects of volume, terrain, and heavy vehicles on traffic flow and safety. This report discusses findings from field observations and crash analysis of existing Super 2 highway corridors in Texas and computer modeling of traffic conditions on a simulated Super 2 corridor. Results indicate that passing lanes provide added benefit at higher traffic volumes, reducing crashes, delay, and percent time spent following. Empirical Bayes analysis of crash data reveals a 35 percent reduction in expected nonintersection injury crashes. Simulation results indicate that most passing activity takes place within the first mile of the passing lane, so providing additional passing lanes can offer greater benefit than providing longer passing lanes. Whether adding new passing lanes or adding length to existing lanes, the incremental benefit diminishes as additional length is provided and the highway more closely resembles a four-lane alignment. The simulation study also showed that the effects of ADT on operations were more substantial than the effects of terrain or truck percentage for the study corridor. KW - Average daily traffic KW - Computer models KW - Crash analysis KW - Empirical Bayes method KW - Field studies KW - Guidelines KW - Highway design KW - Highway operations KW - Highway safety KW - Passing lanes KW - Texas KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic safety KW - Traffic volume KW - Two lane highways UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6135-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105045 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01574342 TI - Develop Traffic Capacity Models for Mini-Roundabouts from Simulation AB - No capacity models for mini-roundabouts exist, other than from ARCADI, a United Kingdom (UK) model whose equations are unpublished. Based on VISSIM and using typical sizes of small size roundabouts, layouts and models will be developed to simulate at least two typical designs. The models will include effects of large vehicles and assumptions about driving behaviors. The objective is to simulate numerous traffic scenarios representative of all possible traffic volume conditions and estimate maximum throughput at one of the approaches. The maximum throughput data will be fitted in an exponential function as a function of circulating or conflicting volume, and percent of large vehicles. KW - Highway capacity KW - Highway design KW - Roundabouts KW - Through traffic KW - Traffic simulation KW - Traffic volume KW - United Kingdom KW - VISSIM (Computer model) UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367009 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01535703 AU - Sun, Dengfeng AU - Post, Joseph AU - Delaurentis, Daniel AU - Cao, Yi AU - Kotegawa, Tatsuya AU - Purdue University AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Evaluation of Continuous Descent Approach in Normal Air Traffic Conditions PY - 2011/05/31/Final Report SP - 24p AB - This project investigates the impact of Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) about the inbound traffic in the terminal airspace. The impact includes fuel consumption and total flight time savings. This project differs from other CDA projects in that it evaluates the CDA under normal air traffic conditions where congested traffic is taken into account. Flying a CDA trajectory increases the risk of potential collision as the pilot may have less control on the aircraft under near idel thrust settings. Evaluation of fuel consumption and flight time only makes sense when the inbound traffic employing CDA is conflict-free. Safety can be guaranteed by employing conflict detection resolutions (CDR). Although tactic manuevers, such as heading change, horizontal speed change, and vertical speed change, are able to solve the most immediate collision, they potentially interrupt the near idel thrust settings. Consequently, the CDA trajectory is aborted. In this project, a strategic solution is developed which sequences the arriving aircraft under minimum separation constraints as well as miles-in-trail constraints. In addition to inter-aircraft separation, this project also takes into account the mutual interference between streams flowing into airports of a metroplex. The fuel consumption and delay for deconfliction are counted when the fuel and flight time savings are evaluated. The proposed CDR is applied to the major airports and metroplex airports in the United States. Fuel statistic and flight time are obtained from the Future ATM Concept Evaluation Tool (FACET). By comparing the conflict-free CDA to the conflict-free Step-down approach, the benefits of CDA as well as the associated trade-off are quantified. KW - Air traffic KW - Aircraft separation KW - Approach KW - Approach control KW - Aviation safety KW - Descent KW - Flight time KW - Fuel consumption KW - United States UR - http://partner.mit.edu/sites/partner.mit.edu/files/report/file/project40finalreport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1317111 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446022 AU - Rasmussen, Ben AU - Lopez-Bernal, Gabriel AU - Machek, Elizabeth AU - Rainville, Lydia AU - Minnice, Paul AU - Ray, Rosalie AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Colonial National Historical Park 2010 Visitor/Motorist Survey PY - 2011/05/31/Final Report SP - 66p AB - This report presents findings and recommendations from a 2010 survey of visitors not using a seasonal shuttle bus at Colonial National Historical Park (NHS). The survey asked visitors for basic demographic information, level of awareness of the shuttle, information sources used, and for their willingness to ride the shuttle in the future. The survey of non-riders at Colonial NHS found that a number of visitors are interested in using alternative transportation, but lacked sufficient information on the service. It also suggests that, so long as visitors have the option to freely use personal vehicles, others will continue to do so, due to their planned itineraries and personal preferences. Major recommendations include specific strategies for improving awareness, as informed by the survey findings. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Awareness KW - Colonial National Historical Park (Virginia) KW - Consumer preferences KW - National parks KW - Recommendations KW - Shuttle buses KW - Surveys KW - Utilization UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42161/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-11-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212590 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360939 AU - Drobot, Sheldon AU - Chapman, Michael AU - Lambi, Brice AU - Wiener, Gerry AU - Anderson, Amanda AU - University Corporation for Atmospheric Research AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - The Vehicle Data Translator V3.0 System Description PY - 2011/05/30/Final Report SP - 46p AB - With funding and support from the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) and direction from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Road Weather Management Program, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is developing a Vehicle Data Translator (VDT) software system that incorporates vehicle-based measurements of the road and surrounding atmosphere with other weather data sources. This document describes version 3.0 of the VDT, including data ingest, data quality check, derivation of road and weather statistics, and the open-source philosophy. KW - Data collection KW - Data quality KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Road weather information systems KW - Software KW - Vehicle Data Translator KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43200/43279/FHWA-JPO-11-127_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126440 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354136 AU - Ahmed, Samir A AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Transit Safety Management and Performance Measurement, Volume 1: Guidebook PY - 2011/05/30 SP - 143p AB - This guidebook was prepared with the objective of providing resource information for transit agencies and the FTA regarding the development and implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) and Safety Performance Measurement Systems (SPMS). SMS offer the most promising means of preventing public transportation accidents by integrating safety into all aspects of a transit system's activities, from planning to design to construction to operations to maintenance. Safety management is based on the fact that there will always be hazards and risks in public transportation. Therefore, systematic and proactive management is needed to identify and control these risks before they lead to mishaps. Transitioning to safety management will require a cultural transformation on the part of both the transit industry and FTA. Performance measurement is a key component of safety management. Measurement brings clarity to vague concepts, helps transit agencies identify gaps in safety performance, and forces management and governing boards to take action to improve performance. KW - Performance measurement KW - Public transit KW - Risk management KW - Safety management KW - Transit safety UR - http://transit-safety.fta.dot.gov/publications/safety/Transit_SMPM_Guidebook/PDF/Transit_SMPM_Guidebook.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114712 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465784 TI - International Stormwater Best Management Practices Database for Fiscal Year 2011-2012 AB - This purchase order to the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) will provide support to expand the database to add approximately 40 stormwater reports to the International Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) Database for fiscal year 2011-2012. WERF will get the following deliverables from the contractor, which will include the successful completion of entering available and newly anticipated datasets along with the day-to-day operation and maintenance associated with keeping the database operations, addressing technical issues and database/website debugging. Along with general management necessary to analyze the data, the following deliverable will be completed for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA. A technical publication compendium with executive summary that summarizes the data sets available in the BMP database, and information and conclusion that can be used from the existing data sets. The project team will disseminate findings regarding BMP performance and lessons learned from analysis of the database. The information from this project is being used to improve BMP performance studies as well as selection and design. KW - Best practices KW - Data analysis KW - Databases KW - Drainage KW - Information dissemination KW - Runoff UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234018 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351691 AU - MANILA Consulting Group, Incorporated AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Evidence Report: 2010 Update: Diabetes and Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Safety PY - 2011/05/27/Evidence Report SP - 182p AB - This report is an update to a systematic evidence review titled ―Diabetes and Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Safety (Expedited Review)‖ dated September 8, 2006. This update evaluated the same questions and used the same eligibility criteria, with the exception of slightly revised criteria for Key Question 2 (details of the modified criteria are outlined below). The updated literature search was conducted through November 4, 2010. The primary focus of the updated report (like that of the original report) is on the risks to driver safety from the acute risks associated with diabetes mellitus (e.g., hypoglycemia). This report does not address driver safety issues related to chronic complications of diabetes (e.g., diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, and/or cardiovascular conditions resulting from the long-term complications of diabetes). KW - Crash causes KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Diabetes KW - Fatalities KW - Highway safety KW - Injuries KW - Traffic crashes KW - Truck crashes UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39400/39416/2010_Diabetes_Update_Final_May_27_2011.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44400/44451/2010_Diabetes_Update_Final_May_27_2011.docx UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114750 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361033 AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstrations, Evaluation of Use Case #3: Non-Winter Maintenance Decision Support System PY - 2011/05/26/Evaluation Report SP - 58p AB - This evaluation report documents benefits, challenges and the lessons learned from the demonstration of a new tool that offers state departments of transportation (DOTs) the ability to expand decision support beyond snow and ice control to incorporate Clarus data to assist maintenance, operations, and construction-related scheduling decisions. The tool has been developed by Mixon Hill, Incorporated and was demonstrated in selected northern tier states as part of the Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstration Program under the auspices of the Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). KW - Clarus KW - Decision support systems KW - Maintenance practices KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - State departments of transportation KW - Weather forecasting KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43100/43179/FHWA-JPO-11-118_Eval_Report_UC-3_FINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126422 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354635 AU - Findley, Daniel J AU - Cunningham, Christopher M AU - Schroeder, Bastian J AU - Vaughan, Christopher L AU - Fowler, Tyler J AU - North Carolina State University, Raleigh AU - North Carolina Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Performance of Weathered Steel Guardrail in NC PY - 2011/05/23/Final Report SP - 63p AB - Weathered steel beam guardrail is a popular alternative to galvanized steel guardrail as an aesthetic solution that blends in with the surrounding natural environment. A research study from New Hampshire found that weathered steel guardrail deteriorated quicker than galvanized steel guardrail leaving erratic motorists without a safe roadside barrier. Weather conditions and de-icing chemicals play an obvious role in the deterioration of guardrail. These weather conditions vary across geographical regions, raising the question whether the New Hampshire findings are applicable to North Carolina locations. Nonetheless, the New Hampshire study is being recommended by the Federal Highway Administration for adoption across the country. Some North Carolina weathered steel guardrail installations from the 1980s and 1990s have provided a significant length of service, leading many to believe the findings from New Hampshire might not apply to other states with less severe weather conditions. Eliminating a potential guardrail treatment based on a non-comparable study location is not good engineering practice. Since weathered steel is more aesthetically pleasing and a preferable alternative in many natural environments, this study measures the rate of deterioration under North Carolina specific conditions. The study findings will be valuable to guide further guardrail installation and replacement decisions in North Carolina. The team did not find any trends of deteriorating thickness as a function of guardrail age (oldest installation is almost 30 years old), elevation (highest average installation elevation is 4,200 feet), and AADT (highest traffic is 27,000 vehicles per day). The structural analysis therefore suggests no concerns of using weathered steel beam guardrail in the state of North Carolina. Collision analysis found that weathered steel beam guardrail collisions did not result in more severe collisions than galvanized steel guardrail, and that the severity of collisions decreased over the study period. KW - Crash injuries KW - Crashes KW - Deterioration by environmental action KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Galvanized metals KW - Guardrails KW - Injury severity KW - Median barriers KW - New Hampshire KW - North Carolina KW - Structural deterioration and defects KW - Weathering steel UR - http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/tpb/research/download/2011-11finalreport.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42000/42082/2011-11finalreport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117683 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465783 TI - Management & Operations Work Group Collaboration AB - The meeting will focus on several critical Management and Operation (M&O) topics. In particular, strategic planning for operations, performance measures, innovative tools for collecting traffic data, operations and sustainable communities, the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's)) Model Transportation Plans Project, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Operations Guidance and other federal resources. The specific activities under this task include: working with FHWA staff to develop meeting agendas, identifying and contracting presenters, advertising the meetings, providing logistical and administrative support to the Work Group to ensure that participants have the necessary travel information as well as reading materials and staffing the meetings. KW - Data collection KW - Management KW - Modeling KW - Operations KW - Performance measurement KW - Strategic planning KW - Traffic data UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234017 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01573262 TI - ICM Transit Vehicle Real-Time Data Demonstration - Evaluation AB - As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Initiative, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) purchased new automatic passenger counter (APC) technology for their Red and Orange line light rail vehicles to provide real-time passenger counts to their train control center and to provide data to the ICM decision support system. By gaining access to real-time passenger counts, DART hopes to respond more effectively to unplanned incidents on the rail network by enabling more responsive service adjustments. This project will assess how DART responds to incidents before ICM, address what has changed after ICM deployment, and identify constraints to optimum responses. KW - Dallas (Texas) KW - Dallas Area Rapid Transit KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Integrated Corridor Management Initiative KW - Light rail vehicles KW - Passenger counting KW - Real time information UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1366347 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463460 TI - Evaluation of LTPP Climatic Data for Use in MEPDG Calibration and Other Pavement Analysis AB - Climate is a major factor influencing the performance of pavements and pavement materials. Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) has performed pioneering work to characterize and summarize site-specific climatic data for its General Pavement Studies (GPS) and Specific Pavement Studies (SPS) test sections. However, improvements in climatic data collection are needed to support current and future research on climate effects on pavement materials, design, and performance. The calibration and enhancement of the new Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG&mdash;AASHTO, 2008) is just one example of these emerging needs. To address these needs, this study is designed around the following objectives: (1) Examine current and emerging needs in climate data collection and engineering indices for use in MEPDG calibration, changes in Superpave binder performance grading, and development of future mechanistic based infrastructure management including pavement, bridge, and other types of asset management models. (2) Develop a methodology for characterizing location-specific historic climate indices that includes temporal changes in the position and measurement characteristics of the operating weather stations (OWS) used for the computation. This new methodology will include an estimate of the variability or uncertainty caused by the spatial averaging process used to develop the baseline indices. (3) Apply this new methodology to update the climate statistics in the LTPP database. (4) Examine the need to add a climate-soils parameter such as the Thornthwaite Moisture Index (TMI) to the LTPP database. Examine the applicability of TMI to other transportation infrastructure applications. (5) Examine the need for continued location-specific solar radiation measurements to capture the effect of climate change on pavement and other infrastructure performance. Determine if other existing data sources can be used to fulfill this need. KW - Climate KW - Data collection KW - General Pavement Studies (Long-Term Pavement Performance Program) KW - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program KW - Materials KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement performance KW - Specific Pavement Studies (LTPP) UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/programs/infrastructure/pavements/ltpp/prelim.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231686 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343586 AU - Sullivan, Jim AU - Sears, Justine AU - Glitman, Karen AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - AARP AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Travel-Livability Index for Seniors, Phase I: Livability Attribute Importance PY - 2011/05/12 SP - 25p AB - The overall purpose of this research was to develop a localized livability index that is particularly sensitive to the travel needs of seniors. This phase of the research included two objectives: (1) synthesize the survey data from previous AARP surveys which included livability attribute-importance; and (2) rank these attributes by their stated importance and identify the critical attributes in the determination of livability for seniors, for both urban and rural zip codes. The synthesis of the existing AARP survey data revealed that 9 of the 19 existing surveys had measures of the importance of livability attributes that could be used for a combined analysis. In 2005, AARP focus groups resulted in the creation of 7 categories of livability attributes. These include nearby quality health facilities, reliable public transportation, variety in housing types, safe and secure environment, access to shopping, a physical environment that fosters walking ("walkability"), and opportunities for recreation and culture. Although only two of these categories are directly related to transportation (reliable public transportation and a “ walkable” environment), all of the factors are indirectly related. The combined survey data provided at least one measure in each of the seven categories, and four of the categories had multiple measures. The ranking of the livability attributes by their stated importance and comparison by age and zip code type revealed several important patterns. First, safe neighborhoods with a nearby hospital dominate the livability concerns of older Americans in both age groups and area types. Housing was also deemed important. Attributes related to recreational opportunities tended to be unimportant, while attributes related to shopping, places of worship, and infrastructure were of varying importance between groups. The first phase of this research successfully identified the ranks of livability attributes for seniors in rural and urban communities. Phase II will include the identification of spatial and temporal livability metrics from other data sources to represent these attributes. KW - Access KW - Aged KW - Health care facilities KW - Housing KW - Infrastructure KW - Mobility KW - Place of worship KW - Public transit KW - Quality of life KW - Recreation KW - Safety and security KW - Shopping KW - Surveys KW - Travel KW - Walkable communities KW - Walking UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-11-001.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105615 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01613859 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Iowa’s Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan - Review and Update PY - 2011/05/11 SP - 18p AB - This report provides a summary of a two-part peer exchange sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) and the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) held May 11-12, 2011 in Des Moines, Iowa. Part one of the peer exchange offered a web conference designed to solicit peer feedback on Iowa’s current Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan (CHSP); part two was a peer exchange workshop focused on Iowa’s CHSP update process. Prior to the peer exchange, a planning team consisting of representatives from Iowa DOT, GTSB, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety, and the FHWA Iowa Division Office determined that it would be helpful to take an outside perspective to evaluate Iowa’s safety program. The planning team engaged peers to review Iowa’s existing CHSP and identify its strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and strategies for improvement. The planning team presented findings from the review in a web conference held in April 2011. Peer feedback helped determine gaps in the plan as well as focus areas for the face-to-face peer exchange. Approximately five weeks after the web conference, the planning team convened a face-to-face workshop with Iowa’s CHSP stakeholders, building on information provided in the peer review. The purpose of the workshop was to share information from model peer states on creating a plan to engage leadership and provide guidance on programs and policies that will reduce serious injury crashes and fatalities on Iowa’s roadways. Iowa DOT’s objectives in requesting the peer review and peer exchange were to: (1) Review the status of Iowa’s CHSP and related efforts; (2) Re-engage Iowa’s safety stakeholders and introduce the new Iowa DOT safety engineer; (3) Learn from new data analysis and peer-participant feedback; (4) Draft the process and inputs for developing Iowa’s next safety plan; and (5) Develop the approach for managing Iowa’s safety plan. Workshop participants acknowledged the successes of Iowa’s current CHSP and shared knowledge and noteworthy practices for creating an effective, updated plan. Selected peers for the peer review and the in-person workshop included the Illinois DOT (IDOT) and the Missouri DOT (MoDOT). A representative from the Utah DOT (UDOT) also participated in the initial peer review. Criteria for selecting peers included the following: States with a record of creating effective Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP) by effectively using data, identifying performance targets, and engaging key stakeholders. KW - Highway safety KW - Illinois Department of Transportation KW - Iowa Department of Transportation KW - Missouri Department of Transportation KW - Peer exchange KW - Stakeholders KW - State departments of transportation KW - Strategic Highway Safety Plan KW - Strategic planning KW - Utah Department of Transportation KW - Workshops UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/59000/59800/59834/peer_report_IA_May2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1425514 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360945 AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstrations, Evaluation of Use Case #5: Enhanced Road Weather Content for Traveler Advisories PY - 2011/05/11/Final Report SP - 64p AB - This evaluation report presents an assessment of the benefits of a new road condition forecast tool that offers road weather information to travelers. The tool has been developed by Meridian Environmental Technology, Incorporated and has been demonstrated in selected northern tier states as part of the Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstration Program under the auspices of the Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The use of this tool was independently evaluated under contract to the RWMP. This report identifies the hypotheses that were tested, the data collected and analyzed, and the findings from the evaluation. KW - Clarus KW - Data collection KW - Road weather information systems KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - Weather conditions KW - Weather forecasting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43200/43201/FHWA-JPO-11-120_Eval_Report_UC_5_Final_7-25-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126431 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465785 TI - National Wetlands Awards Program AB - The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) will develop and present the multi-agency sponsored "National Wetlands Awards Program" in 2012. ELI presented the same program in 2011. Each year the awards program culminates with an awards ceremony during National Wetlands Week, which is typically in May. The Federal Highway Administration is one of six Federal agencies contributing to the awards program since 2005. KW - Awards KW - Environmental protection KW - Meetings KW - Selection KW - Wetlands UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234019 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01470011 AU - Stavrinos, Despina AU - Fine, Philip R AU - Franklin, Crystal A AU - Garner, Annie A AU - Ball, Karlene K AU - Griffin, Russell AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Distracted Driving on Congestion PY - 2011/05/09/Final Report SP - 27p AB - Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study examined the behavior of teens and young adults operating a driving simulator while engaged in various distractions (i.e., cell phone, texting, and undistracted) and driving conditions (i.e., free flow, stable flow, and oversaturation). Seventy five participants 16 to 25 years of age (split into two groups: novice drivers and young adults) drove a STISIM simulator three times, each time with one of three randomly presented distractions. Each drive was designed to represent daytime scenery on a four lane divided roadway and included three equal roadway portions representing Levels of Service (LOS) A "free flow", C "stable flow", and E "oversauration" as defined in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. Participants also completed questionnaires documenting demographics and driving history. Both safety and traffic flow related driving outcomes were considered. A Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to analyze continuous outcome variables and a Generalized Estimate Equation (GEE) poisson model was used to analyze count variables. Results revealed that, in general, more lane deviations and crashes occurred during texting. Distraction (in most cases, text messaging) had a significantly negative impact on traffic flow, such that participants exhibited greater fluctuation in speed, changed lanes significantly fewer times, and took longer to complete the scenario. In turn, more simulated vehicles passed the participant drivers while they were texting or talking on a cell phone than while undistracted. The results indicate that distracted driving, particularly texting, may lead to reduced safety and traffic flow, thus having a negative impact on traffic operations. No significant differences were detected between age groups, suggesting that all drivers, regardless of age, may drive in a manner that impacts safety and traffic flow negatively when distracted. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Distraction KW - Driving simulators KW - Level of service KW - Teenage drivers KW - Text messaging KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow KW - Young adults UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2013/01/10206-Final-Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46700/46745/10206_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1237158 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01613760 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Montana Highway Safety Improvement Program PY - 2011/05/05 SP - 7p AB - This report provides a summary of a peer-to-peer (P2P) videoconference sponsored by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety held on May 5, 2011. The videoconference format provided a low-cost opportunity for agencies to share information on administering the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) in rural states. Key participants included: Idaho Transportation Department, North Dakota DOT, South Dakota DOT, and Wyoming DOT. The event included an introduction to the HSIP by the FHWA Office of Safety, overviews of each State’s HSIP process by State Department of Transportation (DOT) representatives, and roundtable discussions among the states regarding the operation of their HSIP. Representatives from each State DOT were joined by safety specialists in their respective State FHWA Division Offices to learn about noteworthy practices in the HSIP. Topics covered included: (1) Identifying and prioritizing projects for HSIP funding and how the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) has changed the process; (2) Using cost/benefit ratios to prioritize projects; (3) Implementing systematic improvements through HSIP; (4) Implementing low-cost safety improvements; and (5) Managing crash data. Following the introduction, MDT and each peer agency presented summaries on how they administer their HSIP, including project selection and prioritization criteria, SHSP linkages, examples of implementing systematic improvements through the HSIP, and their management of crash data. Summaries and the results of a roundtable discussion are presented in this report. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Best practices KW - Highway safety KW - Highway Safety Improvement Program KW - Idaho Transportation Department KW - Information processing KW - Montana Department of Transportation KW - North Dakota Department of Transportation KW - Peer exchange KW - Project management KW - Rural areas KW - South Dakota Department of Transportation KW - State departments of transportation KW - Strategic Highway Safety Plan KW - Strategic planning KW - Wyoming Department of Transportation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/59000/59400/59458/peer_report_MT_May2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1425523 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01578104 TI - "Uniform-Format" Advanced Biomass Supply Systems Design and Management AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Management KW - Supply KW - System design UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371625 ER -