TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158851
AU  - San Jose State University
AU  - California Department of Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Rail Passenger Selective Screening Summit
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 92p
AB  - The Rail Passenger Selective Screening Summit, co-sponsored by Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), was held in Chicago on June 18, 2009, during APTA’s annual Rail Conference. Moderated by Brian Michael Jenkins, director of the MTI's National Transportation Security Center of Excellence, it featured speaker from transit and planning agencies, Amtrak, and the Transportation Security Administration. Topics of discussion included an overview of security best practices, selective screening techniques, security staff training, legal issues, funding challenges and establishing agency policy and procedures. This publication is an edited transcript of the summit.
KW  - Amtrak
KW  - Best practices
KW  - Passenger screening
KW  - Passenger security
KW  - Rail transit
KW  - Railroad commuter service
KW  - Security
KW  - Training
UR  - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/Rail%20Transit%20Security%20%285.20.2010%20with%20Covers%29.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/918703
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158829
AU  - Funderburg, Richard G
AU  - Nixon, Hilary
AU  - Boarnet, Marlon G
AU  - San Jose State University
AU  - California Department of Transportation
AU  - Research and Special Programs Administration
TI  - Linking Highway Improvements to Land Use with Quasi-Experimental Research Design: A Better Forecasting Tool for Transportation Decision-Making
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 64p
AB  - This paper incorporates popular regional growth forecasting models into a quasi-experimental research design that directly relates new highway investments in three California counties (Merced, Orange, and Santa Clara) to changes in population and employment location, while controlling for no-build historical counterfactuals. The strategy permits a comparison of the before-and-after tests for effects of investments on economic growth and land use in three regions that contrast how increased highway access affects development patterns for an urban center, for an exurban region, and for a small town. Findings indicate that traditional forecast approaches, which lack explicit control selection, can lead to erroneous conclusions about an impact. The integrated form of the lagged adjustment model confirms results from a conventional form of the model that includes all cross-sectional units as observations; in both forms of the model a statistically significant increase in employment development in the exurban region in Orange County where new toll roads were constructed is estimated. In the case of Santa Clara County, neither the quasi-experimental integrated approach nor the conventional lagged adjustment approach estimates a significant effect on population or employment growth that can be attributed to the new highways constructed in the urban center. For the small town environment in Merced County, the conventional simultaneous growth regressions produce a materially different estimate than the approach developed and examined in this paper. Isolating effects to local spatial units where the intervention occurred and their no-build counterfactual produces estimates of a statistically significant decrease in employment growth in the small town near the newly constructed highway bypass
KW  - Decision support systems
KW  - Economic forecasting
KW  - Employment
KW  - Highway planning
KW  - Highways
KW  - Jobs
KW  - Land use
KW  - Population growth
KW  - Small towns
KW  - Traffic forecasting
KW  - Transportation policy
UR  - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/Nixon%20Publication%20%28with%20covers%29.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/918700
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158463
AU  - Avendano, Alejandro
AU  - Bayrak, Oguzhan
AU  - University of Texas, Austin
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Aggregate Distribution Investigation in Box Beams Fabricated with Self Consolidating Concrete
PY  - 2009/10//Technical Report
SP  - 67p
AB  - In 2004, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) initiated Project 0-5197 to investigate the feasibility of increasing the allowable compressive stress limit at prestress transfer. Initially, the live load performance of 36 specimens was evaluated by Birrcher and Bayrak (TxDOT Report 5197-1, 2007). Report 5197-4 presents the subsequent research conducted based on recommendations of Birrcher and Bayrak (2007). In this portion of TxDOT Project 0-5197, 45 Type-C beams and 10 4B28 box beams were tested to experimentally determine their cracking load. The Type-C beams were produced in four different fabrication plants using conventionally consolidated concrete. The 10 4B28 box beams were produced in two fabrication plants using concrete mixture designs of both self consolidating concrete (SCC) as well as conventional concrete (Schnittker and Bayrak, CTR, 2008). After testing the 10 box beams procured in TxDOT Project 0-5197, Schnittker and Bayrak (2008) reported increased amounts of top flange cracking at release, substantially lower modulus of elasticity (along with increased deflections under live loading), slightly higher cambers near 28-days, and lower than expected flexural cracking loads under live loads. The present investigation is carried out in an effort to explain the poor performance of the beams fabricated with SCC as reported in research report 0-5197-4.
KW  - Allowable stress
KW  - Box beams
KW  - Cracking
KW  - Curvature
KW  - Deflection
KW  - Live loads
KW  - Modulus of elasticity
KW  - Prestress transfer
KW  - Self compacting concrete
UR  - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/0_5197_01_1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919214
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158461
AU  - Newhouse, Charles D
AU  - Bole, Scott A
AU  - Burkett, W R
AU  - Nash, Phillip T
AU  - El-Shami, Mostafa
AU  - Texas Tech University, Lubbock
AU  - Texas Tech University, Lubbock
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Study of Elastomeric Bearings for Superelevated U-Beam Bridges
PY  - 2009/10//Technical Report
SP  - 262p
AB  - The primary objective of this research was to determine the best way to consider the effects of transverse superelevation on uniform-height steel-reinforced elastomeric bearing pads for U-Beam bridges. Existing Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) design provisions did not specifically account for the effects of the transverse superelevation. A nationwide survey of state DOTs revealed that the country was nearly evenly split on whether or not superstructure elements such as U-Beams should be placed on a transverse superelevation. Specific modifications to the AASHTO Method “A” design of elastomeric bearing equations were developed to account for the transverse superelevation. The proposed modifications were evaluated over typical U-Beam span/spacing combinations for both the U-40 and U-54 sections. The ability of the proposed modifications to predict actual behavior was evaluated by inspecting existing bridges and performing full-scale laboratory testing. Both the field inspections and the laboratory testing validated the need for the proposed revisions. These proposed revisions have been submitted as suggested revisions to the TxDOT LRFD Bridge Design Manual. The feasibility of electronic monitoring of in-situ bearings that have experienced significant transverse deflections was investigated. The bulging on the sides of the bearings made monitoring unreliable. Instead, a method to manually record pertinent information during the routine bridge inspection is recommended.
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Bridges
KW  - Elastomeric bearing pads
KW  - Inspection
KW  - Laboratory tests
KW  - Load and resistance factor design
KW  - Revisions
KW  - Superelevation
KW  - U beams
UR  - http://www.depts.ttu.edu/techmrtweb/reports/complete_reports/0-5834-1_final.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919216
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158459
AU  - Waller, S Travis
AU  - Ng, ManWo
AU  - Ferguson, Erin
AU  - Nezamuddin, N
AU  - Sun, Dazhi
AU  - University of Texas, Austin
AU  - Texas A&M University, Kingsville
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Speed Harmonization and Peak-period Shoulder Use to Manage Urban Freeway Congestion
PY  - 2009/10//Technical Report
SP  - 125p
AB  - Traffic congestion is an increasing problem in the nation’s urban areas, leading to personal inconvenience, increased pollution, hampered economic productivity, and reduced quality of life. While traffic congestion tends to continuously increase, growth in transportation infrastructure is limited by financial and land availability constraints. This has placed an increasing emphasis on using dynamic traffic management strategies, such as speed harmonization and peak-period shoulder use, to efficiently manage congestion using existing freeway capacity. This project implemented various strategies of variable speed limits and shoulder use and assessed their impact on traffic operations and safety of freeways. These strategies were found to homogenize traffic and create safer driving conditions, but did not increase the throughput of the system. The intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices required to implement these strategies, enforcement issues, potential impediments in their implementations, and a framework for cost-benefit analysis to determine the economic viability are also discussed.
KW  - Advanced traffic management systems
KW  - Barriers to implementation
KW  - Benefit cost analysis
KW  - Freeway management systems
KW  - Freeway operations
KW  - Intelligent transportation systems
KW  - Peak periods
KW  - Road shoulders
KW  - Speed harmonization
KW  - Traffic congestion
KW  - Traffic law enforcement
KW  - Traffic safety
KW  - Traffic speed
KW  - Urban areas
KW  - Variable speed limits
UR  - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/0_5913_1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919215
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158457
AU  - Ferdous, Nazneen
AU  - Sener, Ipek N
AU  - Bhat, Chandra R
AU  - Reeder, Phillip
AU  - University of Texas, Austin
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Tour-Based Model Development for TxDOT: Implementation Steps for the Tour-Based Model Design Option and the Data Needs
PY  - 2009/10//Technical Report
SP  - 38p
AB  - Travel demand modeling, in recent years, has seen a paradigm shift with an emphasis on analyzing travel at the individual level rather than using direct statistical projections of aggregate travel demand as in the trip-based approach. Specifically, several metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the U.S. are developing and implementing advanced travel demand models that are based on a behaviorally more realistic representation of demand for travel. In addition, a number of planning agencies are considering the transition toward advanced travel demand modeling, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) being one of them. Toward this end, this report provides the details of implementing a tour-based travel demand model system. Specifically, the implementation steps are provided for a tour-based model system (with no recognition of the interactions among tours). This includes discussion on data assembly and data preparation, model estimation and calibration (validation), trip assignment output validation, and software recommendations and budgetary considerations.
KW  - Data needs
KW  - Implementation
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Texas Department of Transportation
KW  - Tour-based models
KW  - Travel demand
UR  - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/0_6210_1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919265
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158418
AU  - Schoenfelder, Jeremy
AU  - Mid-Atlantic Innovative Technology Center
AU  - Arizona Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Options for Reducing Copper Theft
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 52p
AB  - This research investigated the theft of copper, including scope, impacts, and countermeasures. The researchers completed a literature review to demonstrate a global perspective of the problem. They took a survey of other state departments of transportation, utility companies, and developers to determine both successful and unsuccessful techniques being used to deter copper theft and the impact copper theft had on other geographical regions and other industries. Additionally, the researchers conducted a site survey to gain knowledge of the specific issues impacting the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and what mitigation techniques it was implementing. During the time of the research it was found that (1) ADOT estimates that costs over the last two years have exceeded $500,000 and (2) ADOT has been diligent in implementing and adapting various methods and/or techniques to prevent copper theft and apprehend culprits. Suggested mitigation techniques include: 1. Implement a collaborative effort among ADOT, the contracted private investigation firm, and outside consultant(s) to review and amend efforts on a periodic basis to maximize effectiveness through a think-tank type of approach; 2. Implement a program that would monitor ongoing development of methods used by other organizations; and 3. Make particular use of the Copper Keeper, a device that makes it difficult to pull wire through conduit by locking the wire in place through the tightening of a compression bolt.
KW  - Arizona Department of Transportation
KW  - Copper
KW  - Costs
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Literature reviews
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Theft
KW  - Vandalism
UR  - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ657.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919073
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01157127
AU  - Eudy, L
AU  - Chandler, K
AU  - Gikakis, C
AU  - National Renewable Energy Laboratory
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
AU  - Department of Energy
TI  - Fuel Cell Buses in U.S. Transit Fleets: Current Status, 2009
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 31p
AB  - This report documents progress in meeting the technological challenges of fuel cell propulsion for transportation based on current fuel cell transit bus demonstrations and plans for more fuel cell transit buses and hydrogen infrastructure. Introducing new types of buses into the transit world is a well-understood, if sometimes challenging, process involving testing, demonstration, and limited production using increasingly greater numbers of vehicles.
KW  - Buses
KW  - Fuel cell vehicles
KW  - Fuel cells
KW  - Hydrogen fuels
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Technological innovations
KW  - Transit operating agencies
KW  - Transit vehicle operations
UR  - http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/pdfs/46490.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/916553
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01157031
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Status of the Aviation Rulemaking Committees 77 Initiatives for Reducing Delays in the New York Area Federal Aviation Administration
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 20p
AB  - Following the record-breaking flight delays of summer 2007, the Secretary of Transportation established the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to identify ways to reduce delays and congestion at the New York (NY) area airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stated that NY delays impact the entire national airspace system due to those airports' high volume, complex traffic patterns, and airspace management problems. On December 13, 2007, the ARC issued its report highlighting 77 initiatives for improving aviation operations and infrastructure. This report presents the results of our review examining FAA's actions in response to the ARC's recommendations. The authors conducted this audit at the request of the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, who expressed the Subcommittee's concern about the effectiveness of delay-reduction efforts at the NY airports. Our audit objective was to examine FAA's progress in implementing the 77 ARC initiatives.
KW  - Air traffic
KW  - Air transportation
KW  - Airport congestion
KW  - Airport operations
KW  - Civil aviation
KW  - Flight delays
KW  - New York (New York)
KW  - Regulations
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/917276
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01156604
AU  - Granata, Richard D
AU  - Hartt, William H
AU  - Florida Atlantic University, Dania Beach
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Integrity of Infrastructure Materials and Structures
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 85p
AB  - Corrosion of bridges, both of steel and reinforced concrete construction, constitutes a major maintenance problem for the United States.  In the case of reinforced concrete bridges, recent attention has focused on corrosion-resistant reinforcements because of concerns that epoxy coatings, which are presently employed for corrosion protection, may not provide the 75- to 100-year service life that is now required for major structures.  A component of this research addressed two aspects of serviceability of 2304 stainless steel (SS) (UNS S32304) as reinforcement in concrete bridges.  The first aspect addressed concerns regarding possible susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking in chloride-contaminated pore water, and the second aspect focused on determination of the critical chloride concentration to initiate active corrosion.  The latter effort involved both accelerated aqueous tests and longer-term exposure of reinforced concrete slabs.  No stress corrosion cracking was detected, and a value was defined which the critical chloride concentration to initiate active corrosion exceeds.  In the case of steel bridges, an accelerated corrosion test was developed for weathering steel with a range of exposure conditions that demonstrated sensitivity to chloride environments.  The protective oxide layer (patina) of weathering steel was degraded above 0.5 wt percent chloride.  Above 1 wt percent chloride, the protective oxide could have been severely degraded.  Sensors were able to indicate the corrosion rate of coupon material exposed to the same environment.  Sensors allowed direct and immediate observation of the impact environmental changes had on corrosion rate.  X-ray diffraction showed that the corrosion products produced in cyclic test chambers were similar to those observed under field conditions.  Sensors were capable of monitoring corrosive conditions within suspension bridge cables and other steel bridge geometries that were difficult to access.
KW  - Chlorides
KW  - Corrosion
KW  - Corrosion resistance
KW  - Corrosion tests
KW  - Reinforced concrete bridges
KW  - Reinforcing steel
KW  - Sensors
KW  - Service life
KW  - Stainless steel
KW  - Steel bridges
KW  - Suspension bridges
KW  - Weathering steel
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/09044/09044.pdf
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/09044/index.cfm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/917335
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01155864
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Work Zone Mobility and Safety Self Assessment: 2009 National Report
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 41p
AB  - To help States evaluate their work zone practices, and to help assess work zone practices nationally, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed the Work Zone Mobility and Safety Self Assessment (WZ SA) tool. The WZ SA tool consists of a set of 46 questions designed to assist those with work zone management responsibilities in assessing their programs, policies, and procedures against many of the good work zone practices in use today. The policies, strategies, processes, and tools identified in the WZ SA were gathered from the best practices currently in place in State departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and local municipalities.This report presents an overview and detailed results of the 2009 WZ SA. These results are the combined results for the 51 Divisions/States that provided responses to the 2009 WZ SA. Results from the 2008 WZ SA are also included for comparative purposes.
KW  - Best practices
KW  - Highway maintenance
KW  - Local government
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Self assessments
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Work zone safety
KW  - Work zone traffic control
UR  - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/decision_support/2009/wzsa_2009.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/916450
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01155374
AU  - Blomberg, Richard D
AU  - Korbelak, Kristopher T
AU  - Lardner, Mark D
AU  - Cleven, Arlene M
AU  - Dunlap and Associates, Incorporated
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Evaluation of Five Years of GM Funding for Public Information and Education Programs
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 103p
AB  - On March 7, 1995, an agreement was reached between General Motors (GM) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to settle an investigation into alleged fires in GM pickup trucks. The agreement avoided litigation and offered an opportunity for meaningful cooperation between government and industry to enhance the safety of the driving public. It required GM to spend in excess of $51 million over a five-year period to support highway safety research and programs that would prevent motor vehicle deaths and injuries. Of interest to the current study was the agreement to expend at least $11,855,000 in certain described areas of public information and education (PI&E) and to expend approximately one-fifth of this amount in each year of the five-year period. The following three types of PI&E activities were covered under the public education section (Section C) of this agreement: support of State safety legislation, support of enforcement of State safety laws and support of safety organizations. Each grantee under this agreement submitted an annual report to GM describing project activities, and GM provided a year-end report to NHTSA of activities and expenditures. The objectives of the current study were to: assess and synthesize the reports submitted by those who received the grants for PI&E activities; determine if the projects funded by the GM grants endured after the grant funding was depleted; and create a database of the information obtained from the various reports that NHTSA can use to perform analyses of interest regarding the five years of GM-sponsored PI&E activities. Six case studies were produced that illustrate the range of activities conducted with the GM grant funds. Tabulations of data extracted from the grantee reports on the 234 projects studied showed that about half of the GM funds ($6,844,000) were given to the 102 grants in support of the enforcement of State safety laws. The 109 grants focused on the support of State safety legislation totaled $2,566,000, and the 23 projects supporting safety organizations received a total of $1,820,000 in GM grant funds. The grantees used the full range of media forms including TV, radio, print and conferences/symposiums. Few projects included formal evaluations, but those that did documented successful outcomes traceable to the availability and use of the GM funds. There was no discernible relationship between project size and success—small and large projects both produced positive results. Follow-up contacts were successful with personnel from 24 of the 44 projects that filed a report in the fifth (last) year of the agreement. Twenty of these 24 projects were still in existence and following substantially the same objectives for which they had received GM grant funds.
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Financing
KW  - General Motors Corporation
KW  - Grant aid
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Public information programs
KW  - Research
KW  - Safety education
KW  - Safety programs
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31600/31605/5794_10-19-09a_v1a_tag.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/916315
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01155107
JO  - TechBrief
PB  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Graybeal, Ben
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - High Performance Concrete Bridge Deck Investigation
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 4p
AB  - This document is a technical summary of the unpublished Federal Highway Administration report, High Performance Concrete Bridge Deck Investigation, available only through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). NTIS Accession No. of the report covered in this TechBrief: PB2009-115497. This TechBrief provides a summary of an investigation that assessed the performance of high performance concrete (HPC) bridge decks. HPC is a concrete designed to meet a performance specification. Many definitions of HPC have been proposed over the past 15–20 years; one to note is the definition proposed by Goodspeed and later expanded by Russell and Ozyildirim that offers a series of strength and durability-related performance characteristics. It recommends that the desired performance of the concrete should be considered and that the performance characteristics should then be set accordingly. Example performance characteristics toward which concrete properties may be focused include chloride penetration, shrinkage, compressive strength, and freeze/ thaw deterioration resistance.
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Chlorides
KW  - Compressive strength
KW  - Durability
KW  - Freeze thaw durability
KW  - High performance concrete
KW  - Penetration resistance
KW  - Shrinkage
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/09070/09070.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/915825
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01155103
AU  - Hellman, Adrian D
AU  - Ngamdung, Tashi
AU  - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
AU  - Federal Railroad Administration
TI  - Illinois High-Speed Rail Four-Quadrant Gate Reliability Assessment
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 45p
AB  - The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) tasked the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) to conduct a reliability analysis of the four-quadrant gate/vehicle detection equipment installed on the future high-speed rail (HSR) corridor between Chicago and St Louis. A total of 69 highway-rail grade crossings on a 121-mile (195 km) segment of the 280-mile corridor were equipped with four-quadrant gates and inductive loop vehicle detection technology. This segment, between Mazonia and Springfield Illinois, will eventually carry passenger trains at speeds up to 110 mph (177 km/h) at many of the highway-rail grade crossings. The analysis was based on maintenance records obtained from the Union Pacific Railroad, the owner and operator of the highway-rail grade crossings. The results were used to assess the impact of the equipment reliability on the proposed HSR timetable. The Volpe Center study showed that the total average delay to the five scheduled daily high-speed passenger round-trips was an estimated 38.5 minutes, or approximately 4 minutes per train. Overall, extensive analysis of the trouble ticket data showed that the four-quadrant gate and vehicle detection equipment had a minimal direct impact on the frequency and duration of grade crossing malfunctions.
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Evaluation and assessment
KW  - Four quadrant gates
KW  - High speed rail
KW  - Loop detectors
KW  - Railroad grade crossings
KW  - Railroad safety
KW  - Reliability
KW  - Vehicle detectors
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35000/35020/DOT-VNTSC-FRA-09-07.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/915758
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01155077
AU  - Jeong, D Y
AU  - Tang, Y H
AU  - Yu, Hai
AU  - Lyons, M L
AU  - Gordon, J E
AU  - Orringer, O
AU  - Perlman, A B
AU  - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
AU  - Federal Railroad Administration
TI  - Engineering Studies on Structural Integrity of Railroad Tank Cars Under Accident Loading Conditions
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 103p
AB  - This report describes research conducted to support the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in addressing safety recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding a train derailment that occurred near Minot, North Dakota on January 18, 2002. Engineering studies entailing analysis and testing are described, which include (1) analysis of derailment dynamics based on lumped-parameter models, (2) analysis of the structural behavior of tank car components (such as the head and shell) based on finite element modeling, (3) tank car steels characterization based on laboratory testing of samples obtained from tank cars. Specific details of the research are described. Conclusions based on the research findings to date are outlined. The research began to provide FRA with technical support in responding to recommendations made by the NTSB following the Board’s investigation of the Minot accident. Research results are now being applied to support: (1) rulemaking proposed by FRA and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to ensure the safe transport of hazardous materials by tank cars and (2) an industry research-and-development effort, called the Next Generation Rail Tank Car Project that was formed to develop and implement new improved designs for tank cars carrying hazardous materials.
KW  - Derailments
KW  - Finite element method
KW  - Hazardous materials
KW  - Impact loads
KW  - Railroad safety
KW  - Structural integrity
KW  - Tank cars
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/299
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35200/35277/DOT-FRA-ORD-09-18.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/915756
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01155065
JO  - TechBrief
PB  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Graybeal, Ben
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Structural Behavior of a Prototype UHPC Pi-Girder
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 4p
AB  - This document is a technical summary of the unpublished Federal Highway Administration report, Structural Behavior of a Prototype Ultra-High Performance Concrete Pi-Girder, available only through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). NTIS Accession No. of the report covered in this TechBrief: PB2009-115495. This TechBrief highlights the results of a research program that evaluated an ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) pi-girder cross section prototype developed for use in short- and medium-span highway bridge applications. UHPC is an advanced cementitious composite material which has been developed in recent decades. When compared to more conventional concrete materials, UHPC tends to exhibit superior properties such as exceptional durability, high compressive strength, usable tensile strength, and long-term stability. This experimental investigation focused on the structural behavior of a newly developed highway bridge girder cross section, the pi-girder. This girder was developed and optimized to exploit the advanced mechanical and durability properties of UHPC. Structural testing was completed on girders to investigate their flexural response, shear response, transverse flexural response, and lateral load distribution capabilities. Through this work, topics related to the design and fabrication of the pi-girder were also addressed.
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Durability
KW  - Girders
KW  - High performance concrete
KW  - Highway bridges
KW  - Mechanical properties
KW  - Structural analysis
KW  - Ultra high performance concrete
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/09068/index.cfm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/915824
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01154216
AU  - Carlson, David
AU  - Edmiston, Sharon Chan
AU  - Zlotoff, Alisa
AU  - Miller, Alexandra
AU  - Filosa, Gina
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
TI  - State Transportation Liaison Funded Positions Study
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 83p
AB  - The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which was signed into law in August 2005, contained several provisions focused on streamlining the environmental review process. One of these provisions, Section 6002, allowed for State Department of Transportation (State DOT) funding of staff, at both Federal and State resource agencies, who are dedicated to working on State DOT projects on environmental streamlining and related planning activities. This report assesses trends in the use of these “funded positions” and provides recommendations to State DOTs and resource agencies to support more effective uses of funded positions. The report is based on a study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Project Development and Environmental Review with assistance from the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center). The study consisted of two parts: (1) a literature review to assess the state of the knowledge about State DOT-funded positions and agreements, and (2) a series of interviews with participants in funded positions programs, including program managers at State DOTs and Federal and State resource agencies and individuals in those positions.
KW  - Environmental impact analysis
KW  - Environmental streamlining
KW  - Interviewing
KW  - Literature reviews
KW  - Personnel
KW  - Resource agencies
KW  - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
KW  - State departments of transportation
UR  - http://environment.fhwa.dot.gov/strmlng/fundedPositionsReport/report.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34700/34778/October_2009_StateTranspLiaisonFPStudy.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/915832
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01153460
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
AU  - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
TI  - Environmental Mitigation in Transportation Planning: Case Studies in Meeting SAFETEA-LU Section 6001 Requirements
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 69p
AB  - The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) included provisions intended to enhance consideration of environmental issues and impacts within the transportation planning process. The purpose of this case study report is to examine the ways in which metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have responded to SAFETEA-LU new environmental and consultation requirements in transportation planning. By presenting key success factors and lessons learned, common challenges and gaps, and other observations, this report is expected to assist transportation officials across the nation in improving their transportation planning processes and outcomes.
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Environmental mitigation
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - http://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/integ/pubcase_6001.asp
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914893
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01153170
AU  - Chen, Genda
AU  - Yan, Dongming
AU  - Wang, Zuocai
AU  - McConnell, Seth Justin
AU  - Rogers, David
AU  - Karim, Kazi R
AU  - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Structural Assessment of Highway "N" Power Substation under Earthquake Loads
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 58p
AB  - In this study, the Highway N Substation was analyzed with a finite element model (FEM) for its vulnerability. The ‘rigid’ bus and electric switch components were characterized with full scale shake table tests. Each component of the substation was carefully modeled with due considerations of mass density, stiffness and geometries. Based on the FEM, modal analysis was conducted to identify the natural frequencies of the structure along with their corresponding mass participation factors. In response spectrum and time history analyses, the dynamic responses of main components, such as ‘rigid’ buses and switches, were evaluated. The magnitude and location of the maximum moments were identified. The shake table tests on three Turner Electric’s TMX switches indicated that the first three natural frequencies of the switches are approximately 7.41 Hz, 15.2 Hz and 22.9 Hz, respectively. They are significantly higher than their corresponding frequencies of the entire substation system. The tested switches consistently fractured at the base of their metal shaft, a critical component of the switch open-and-close mechanism, due to stress concentration and local manufacture defect.
KW  - Earthquake resistant design
KW  - Electric substations
KW  - Finite element method
KW  - Fracture mechanics
KW  - Risk assessment
KW  - Shaking table tests
UR  - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R213_and_R228_CR.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914752
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01152837
AU  - Yan, Dongming
AU  - Li, Jianbo
AU  - Wu, Chengling
AU  - Chen, Genda
AU  - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Strengthening of Rural Bridges Using Rapid-Installation FRP Technology: Route 63 Bridge No. H356, Phelps County
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 36p
AB  - This report presents the use of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) laminates for the flexural strengthening of a concrete bridge. The bridge selected for this project is a two-span simply supported reinforced concrete slab with no transverse steel reinforcement located in Phelps County, MO. The original construction combined with the presence of very rigid parapets  caused the formation of a 1-inch wide longitudinal crack, which resulted in the slab to behave as two separate elements. The structural behavior was verified using a finite element model (FEM) of the bridge. The bridge analysis was performed for maximum loads determined in accordance with AASHTO 4th edition. The strengthening scheme was designed in compliance with the ACI 440.2R-08 design guide for externally bonded FRP materials, to avoid further cracking and such that the transverse flexural capacity be higher than the cracking moment. The FRP strengthening technique was rapidly implemented. After the strengthening, a load test was performed to validate the bridge model and evaluate the structural behavior according to the AASHTO specifications. The bridge deck was retrofitted after the longitudinal crack was injected with epoxy to allow continuity in the cross section.
KW  - Carbon fibers
KW  - Fiber reinforced plastics
KW  - Load tests
KW  - Reinforced concrete bridges
KW  - Rural areas
KW  - Strengthening (Maintenance)
UR  - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R135_RollaBridge_CR.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914314
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01152768
AU  - Aref, Amjad J
AU  - Warn, Gordon
AU  - State University of New York, Buffalo
AU  - New York State Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Hybrid FRP-Concrete Bridge Deck System: Report II: Long Term Performance of Hybrid FRP-Concrete Bridge Deck System
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 78p
AB  - This report describes the investigation of the long term structural performance of a hybrid fiber reinforced polymer (FRP)-concrete (HFRPC) bridge deck on steel girders. The study aimed at assessing three long term aspects pertaining to the HFRPC bridge deck: (1) creep characteristics, (2) fatigue performance, and (3) ultimate capacity.
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Concrete bridges
KW  - Creep properties
KW  - Fatigue (Mechanics)
KW  - Fiber reinforced plastics
KW  - Hybrid design
KW  - Long term performance
UR  - http://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C-02-07_Final%20Report%20II_October2009.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914419
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01152765
AU  - Aref, Amjad J
AU  - Alnahhal, Wael I
AU  - State University of New York, Buffalo
AU  - New York State Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Hybrid FRP-Concrete Bridge Deck System: Report I: Development and System Performance Validation
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 255p
AB  - In this study, the concept of the hybrid fiber reinforced polymer (FRP)-concrete structural systems was applied to both bridge superstructure and deck systems. Results from both experimental and computational analysis for both the hybrid bridge superstructure and deck systems confirmed that the hybrid FRP-concrete bridge systems have an excellent performance from a structural engineering point of view.
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Bridge superstructures
KW  - Concrete bridges
KW  - Fiber reinforced plastics
KW  - Hybrid design
KW  - Structural engineering
KW  - Structural performance
UR  - http://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C-02-07_Final%20Report%20I_10-15-2009.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914418
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01152678
AU  - Guo, Junke
AU  - Kerenyi, Kornel
AU  - Pagan-Ortiz, Jorge E
AU  - GKY and Associates, Incorporated
AU  - University of Nebraska, Lincoln
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Bridge Pressure Flow Scour for Clear Water Conditions
PY  - 2009/10//Laboratory Report
SP  - 59p
AB  - The equilibrium scour at a bridge caused by pressure flow with critical approach velocity in clear-water simulation conditions was studied both analytically and experimentally. The flume experiments revealed that (1) the measured equilibrium scour profiles under a bridge are more or less consistent across the channel width; (2) all the measured scour profiles can be described by two similarity equations where the horizontal distance is scaled by the deck width and the local scour is scaled by the maximum scour depth; (3) the maximum scour position is located under the bridge and at a location approximately 15.4 percent of the deck width from the downstream edge of the deck; (4) scour begins at approximately one deck width upstream of the bridge, and deposition begins at approximately 2.5 deck widths downstream of the bridge; and (5) the maximum scour depth decreases with increasing median sediment size but increases with higher levels of deck inundation. The analytical analysis shows that (1) bridge scour can be divided into three cases: downstream unsubmerged, partially submerged, and totally submerged; (2) for downstream unsubmerged flows, the maximum scour depth is an open channel problem where the conventional methods in terms of critical velocity or bed shear stress can be applied; and (3) for partially and totally submerged flows, the maximum scour depth can be described by scour and inundation similarity numbers, which has been confirmed by experiments with two sediment sizes (0.039 and 0.078 inches (1 and 2 mm)) and two types of decks with three and six girders, respectively. For application, a design and field evaluation procedure with examples is presented, including the maximum scour depth and scour profile.
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Bridge foundations
KW  - Depth
KW  - Experiments
KW  - Flumes
KW  - Scour
KW  - Sediments
KW  - Size
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/structures/09041/09041.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914369
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01152587
AU  - Kim, Y Richard
AU  - Hummer, Joseph E
AU  - Gabr, Mohammed
AU  - Johnston, David
AU  - Underwood, B Shane
AU  - Findley, Daniel J
AU  - Cunningham, Christopher M
AU  - North Carolina State University, Raleigh
AU  - North Carolina Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Asset Management Inventory and Data Collection
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 287p
AB  - An efficient and accurate inventory of a state highway agency’s assets, along with the means to assess the condition of those assets and model their performance, is critical to enabling an agency to make informed investment decisions in a Transportation Asset Management (TAM) environment. Today, new technologies provide fast and improved ways to gather, process, and analyze data. The key is to identify and gather the most useful, reliable, cost-effective  information and use it to make informed decisions for asset management. Four key infrastructure areas have been identified as primary asset components; pavements, bridges, geotechnical features, and roadside appurtenances. Each area contains multiple categories and data elements important for sound decision making. Although some similarities exist in these four primary categories, the nature of data collection may differ, depending on the asset type. The sheer number of data elements and the length of asset networks for pavements and roadside appurtenances render the automated highway speed data collection method a necessity rather than a luxury. However, the discrete nature of bridges and geotechnical features make the automated mobile data collection method on a network level unfeasible with today’s technology. Important issues in the collection process include precision, subjectivity and variability of the process itself, as well as speed, safety of the survey crew, proximity of the public, cost, etc. Although previous research has attempted to address these issues and determine the most appropriate method(s), the question remains as to which roadway data collection system is best for state highway agencies given real world constraints. This research set up a “sealed envelope” experiment wherein the identification, location, description, and quality of the asset data elements are known only to NCSU researchers. Vendors are informed of only the data necessary to perform their evaluation. To support this effort a 95-mile test course near Raleigh, North Carolina was identified, which contained a sampling of pavement, roadside, geotechnical and bridge elements. This document reports on the findings from the study.
KW  - Asset management
KW  - Automatic data collection systems
KW  - Bridges
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Geotechnical engineering
KW  - Inventory
KW  - Pavements
KW  - Roadside
UR  - http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/tpb/research/download/2008-15FinalReport.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913365
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01151305
AU  - Smither, Dereece
AU  - Percer, Jenny
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - School Bus Seat Belts and Carryover Effects in Elementary School Children
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 20p
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to explore the proposition that the lack of seat belts on school buses increases the likelihood that elementary school children will not use seat belts in personal vehicles.  The paper reviews the limited evidence on this "carryover" effect and looks at current knowledge and understanding of human learning and cognitive development as it applies to the potential carryover effects of no seat belts on school buses to seat belt use in personal vehicles.  This paper focuses specifically on children ages 5 to 10.
KW  - Carry over effects
KW  - Children
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Elementary school students
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - School buses
KW  - Seat belts
KW  - Utilization
UR  - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/nhtsa_static_file_downloader.jsp?file=/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Traffic%20Injury%20Control/Articles/Associated%20Files/811187.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913192
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150740
AU  - Ziehl, Paul H
AU  - Rizos, Dimitris C
AU  - Caicedo, Juan M
AU  - Barrios, Francisco
AU  - Howard, Robert B
AU  - Colmorgan, Alexander S
AU  - University of South Carolina, Columbia
AU  - South Carolina Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Investigation of the Performance and Benefits of Lightweight SCC Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders and SCC Materials
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 182p
AB  - Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC), also known as self-compacting concrete, is a highly flowable concrete that is capable of filling formwork without using conventional vibration techniques while maintaining its cohesiveness.  Currently SCC is used in many commercial applications and is gaining acceptance from many state DOTs for use in precast prestressed bridge girders.  SCC is advantageous for many reasons including: (i) the number of workers required and the noise produced by mechanical vibration is reduced significantly; (ii) the safety hazards of workers on top of the girders is eliminated; (iii) the surface finish of the concrete can be more smooth than that of conventional concrete; (iv) formwork damage from mechanical vibration is reduced, increasing the life of the forms; (v) reinforcing bar configurations are not damaged; (vi) improved bond of concrete to prestressed strands could reduce strand end-slip and the top bar effect; and (vii) SCC is able to fill complicated shapes and congested reinforcement areas better than vibrated concrete.  This research report addresses the design and resulting properties of normal weight mix designs that were developed at the University of South Carolina and the testing of full-scale lightweight concrete AASHTO Type III girders.  Both aspects address material testing for properties in the fresh and hardened states.  Fresh properties include slump spread, filling ability, passing ability, and air content.  Hardened properties include compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, creep, shrinkage, chloride permeability, and freeze-thaw durability.  Testing of the girders includes transfer length, end-slip, midspan deflections, midspan strains, and internal curing temperatures.  Summaries and conclusions are provided along with recommended guidelines for implementation.
KW  - Girders
KW  - High performance concrete
KW  - Lightweight concrete
KW  - Prestressed concrete bridges
KW  - Properties of materials
KW  - Self compacting concrete
KW  - Structural tests
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55800/55869/FHWA-SC-09-02.PDF
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913089
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150621
AU  - Gorder, V
AU  - Knoebel, Geri
AU  - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
TI  - Santa Teresa RFID E-Screening Demonstration Project Evaluation
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 67p
AB  - This report provides an overview and results of a Phase 1 demonstration project using radio frequency identification device (RFID) transponders to electronically screen commercial motor vehicles passing through a state border-crossing facility at Santa Teresa, NM. This report also describes potential enhancements to the e-screening system that could increase its utility in future applications, both for near-term enhancements to the limited operational concept, and for longer-term development of a full-service e-screening application for secondary border facilities at both Southern and Northern borders.
KW  - Automatic vehicle identification
KW  - Commercial vehicles
KW  - International borders
KW  - Law enforcement
KW  - Motor vehicles
KW  - Radio frequency identification
KW  - Santa Teresa (New Mexico)
KW  - Screenings
KW  - United States-Mexico Border
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913071
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150617
AU  - Billingsley, T B
AU  - Espindle, I P
AU  - Griffith, John Daniel
AU  - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - TCAS Multiple Threat Encounter Analysis
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 28p
AB  - The recent development of high-fidelity U.S. airspace encounter models at Lincoln Laboratory has motivated a simulation study of the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) multiple threat logic. We observed from archived radar data that while rarer than single-threat encounters, multiple threat encounters occur more frequently than originally expected. The multi-threat logic has not been analyzed in the past using encounter models. To generate multi-threat encounters, this report extends the statistical techniques used to develop pairwise correlated encounters. We generated and simulated a large number of multi-threat encounters using the TCAS logic imprlementad in Lincoln Laboratory's Collision Avoidance System Safety Assessment Tool.
KW  - Air traffic control
KW  - Air transportation crashes
KW  - Aircraft operations
KW  - Aviation safety
KW  - Crash avoidance systems
KW  - Risk assessment
KW  - Statistical analysis
KW  - Traffic alert and collision avoidance system
KW  - Warning systems
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912941
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150610
AU  - Jennings Consulting Group
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Compilation of State Laws and Regulations Affecting Highway-Rail Grade Crossings
PY  - 2009/10//5th Edition
SP  - 321p
AB  - The Federal Railroad Administration has identified roughly 258,815 public and private highway-rail grade crossings in the United States. Most aspects of jurisdiction over highway-rail grade crossings reside with the states. Within some states, responsibility is divided between several public agencies and the railroad. In other states, jurisdiction over highway-rail grade crossings is assigned to a regulatory agency with various names such as the Public Utility Commission, Public Service Commission, or State Corporation Commission. Still, other states divide the authority among public administrative agencies of the state, county, city, and town, having jurisdiction and responsibility for their respective highway systems. State and local law enforcement agencies have the responsibility for the enforcement of traffic laws at highway-rail grade crossings. In a number of cases, local government bodies are given responsibility for certain operational matters related to crossings; and this is accomplished through various ordinances.
KW  - At grade intersections
KW  - Data compilation
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Railroad grade crossings
KW  - Railroad safety
KW  - Regulations
KW  - State laws
KW  - Traffic laws
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/1576
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913008
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150582
AU  - Sunkari, Srinivasa R
AU  - Charara, Hassan A
AU  - Johnson, Jeremy D
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Field Manual for the Operation of Advance Warning of End of Green System (AWEGS)
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 84p
AB  - The objective of this implementation project was to implement four Advance Warning of End of Green System (AWEGS) across Texas at intersections appropriate for the installation of AWEGS. After a survey across Texas, four sites were chosen in the Atlanta District, Pharr District, Odessa District, and San Antonio District. The AWEGS design plans were prepared for these four sites and submitted to the districts. These design plans were prepared for an intersection with high-speed approaches having the required dilemma zone detection design. The Atlanta District implementation was typical of the earlier implementation and used the TS-2 TS-1 conversion panel. However, the remaining implementations were configured for using enhanced BIUs. AWEGS software was also modified to account for rail preemption as the site in the Odessa District was being preempted by between 15 to 25 trains per day. Finally the implementation in the San Antonio District was redesigned to use radar detection for both dilemma zone and advance detection. AWEGS at the Atlanta, Pharr, San Antonio, and Odessa Districts have been implemented, and an evaluation of the system showed that AWEGS was performing satisfactorily at all sites.
KW  - Advance warning flashers
KW  - Advance Warning of End of Green System
KW  - Dilemma zone
KW  - High speed ground transportation
KW  - Intersections
KW  - Texas
KW  - Traffic actuated controllers
KW  - Traffic control
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/5-5113-01-P1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913016
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150509
AU  - Federal Railroad Administration
TI  - Preliminary National Rail Plan: The Groundwork for Developing Policies to Improve the United States Transportation System
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 42p
AB  - The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) directed the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to develop a Preliminary National Rail Plan (PNRP or Preliminary Plan) to address the rail needs of the Nation. The PRIIA also directed FRA to provide assistance to States in developing their State rail plans in order to ensure that the Federal long-range National Rail Plan is consistent with approved State rail plans. Subsequent to PRIIA, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) sets the framework for the development of true high-speed rail in the United States. This Preliminary Plan is, therefore, an important first step in an ongoing process. This Preliminary Plan lays the groundwork for developing policies to improve the U.S. transportation system. Its goals are consistent with the top goals of the U.S. Department of Transportations (DOT): to improve safety, to foster livable communities, to increase the economic competitiveness of the United States, and to promote sustainable transportation. The important attributes of rail safety, fuel efficiency, and environmental benefits can meaningfully assist in achieving these goals.
KW  - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
KW  - Competition
KW  - Economic factors
KW  - Improvements
KW  - Passenger rail
KW  - Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act
KW  - Rail transit
KW  - Railroad crashes
KW  - Railroad transportation
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Details/L02695
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913070
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150342
AU  - Dadia, D D
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Modeling Wing Tank Flammability
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 116p
AB  - An investigation into the fire safety of a wing fuel tank has been performed to aid in the effort to eliminate or reduce the possibility of a wing fuel tank explosion in a commercial aircraft. A computational model is built to predict the generation of flammable mixtures in the ullage of wing fuel tanks. The model predicts the flammability evolution within the tank based on in-flight conditions of a wing fuel tank. The model is validated through supporting experiments performed in an altitude chamber, the wind tunnel facility as well as data obtained from flight tests. The results from the experiments are compared to the computational results. Computational results from the altitude chamber follow the general trend of the experimental results, but produce them at a different flash point. This is due to the replenishment of species with lower flash point at the surface of the fuel which emulates the flash point of the entire fuel to be lower. Experimental results for the aluminum wing tests from the wind tunnel experiments are in good agreement with the computational results as well. A simpler model is developed from a program that calculates fuel air ratio within the ullage of fuel tanks in order to reduce the required number of inputs to the model. This model is applied to the data sets for the experiments performed in the altitude chamber and wind tunnel. For the tests conducted in the altitude chamber, the correlation estimates the hydrocarbon concentrations extremely well during ascent and descent. During the on-ground condition the estimation is good, but not as accurate as the ascent or descent conditions. For the tests conducted in the wind tunnel, the computational values follow the general trend of the experimental values, but the computational values estimates the total hydrocarbon concentration approximately 10% lower than the experimental value consistently. Flammability studies are also performed in order to track the effects of temperature, pressure, and oxygen concentration on the upper and lower flammability limits. For the temperature and pressure profiles considered in this work, it is found that the temperature and pressure effects on the flammability limits are minimal. In contrast, the oxygen concentration has a significant effect on the flammability limits of the vapor; the flammable region narrows with a decrease in oxygen concentration.
KW  - Aircraft
KW  - Aircraft operations
KW  - Aviation safety
KW  - Civil aviation
KW  - Explosions
KW  - Flammability
KW  - Fuel tanks
KW  - Wings (Aircraft)
UR  - http://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/pdf/TT09-48.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913068
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150273
AU  - Cheraghi, S H
AU  - Jorgensen, M J
AU  - Myose, R Y
AU  - Wichita State University
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Detection and Prevention of Carbon Monoxide Exposure in General Aviation Aircraft
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 111p
AB  - Exposure to carbon monoxide (CO), which is formed by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing materials such as aviation fuels, is associated with headache, dizziness, fatigue, and at elevated doses, death. Exhaust system failures in general aviation (GA) aircraft can result in CO exposure. When this occurs in an aircraft, the end result could be an accident. This research on detection and prevention of CO exposure in GA aircraft addressed the following objectives: (1) to identify protocols to quickly alert users to the presence of excessive CO in the cabin and (2) to evaluate inspection methods and maintenance practices with respect to CO generation. These objectives were accomplished by review of (1) the National Transportation Safety Board database for CO-related incidents/accidents, (2) current CO detector technology, and (3) industry inspection and maintenance practices, Advisory Circulars, and FAA regulations with respect to GA exhaust systems.
KW  - Aircraft exhaust gases
KW  - Aircraft operations
KW  - Carbon monoxide
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Fuel mixtures
KW  - General aviation
KW  - Poisons
KW  - Toxicity
UR  - http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar0949.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913065
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01149575
JO  - TechBrief
PB  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Bared, Joe
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Quadrant Roadway Intersection
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 4p
AB  - Today's transportation professionals, with limited resources available to them, are challenged to meet the mobility needs of an increasing population. At many highway junctions, congestion continues to worsen, and drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists experience increasing delays and heightened exposure to risk. Today's traffic volumes and travel demands often lead to safety problems that are too complex for conventional intersection designs to properly handle. Consequently, more engineers are considering various innovative treatments as they seek solutions to these complex problems. The corresponding report, Alternative Intersections/Interchanges: Informational Report (AIIR) (FHWA-HRT-09-060), covers four intersection designs and two interchange designs that offer substantial advantages over conventional at–grade intersections and grade separated diamond interchanges. The AIIR provides information on each alternative treatment covering salient geometric design features, operational and safety issues, access management, costs, construction sequencing, environmental benefits, and applicability. This TechBrief summarizes information on one of these alternative intersection designs–the quadrant roadway (QR) intersection. A QR intersection is a promising design for an intersection of two busy suburban or urban roadways. The intersection works by rerouting all four left–turn movements at a four–legged intersection onto a road that connects the two intersecting roads.
KW  - Geometric design
KW  - Highway design
KW  - Highway operations
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Intersections
KW  - Quadrant roadway intersections
KW  - Traffic signal control systems
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09058/index.cfm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908524
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01149570
JO  - TechBrief
PB  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Bared, Joe
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Displaced Left-Turn Interchange
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 4p
AB  - Today's transportation professionals, with limited resources available to them, are challenged to meet the mobility needs of an increasing population. At many highway junctions, congestion continues to worsen, and drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists experience increasing delays and heightened exposure to risk. Today's traffic volumes and travel demands often lead to safety problems that are too complex for conventional interchange designs to properly handle. Consequently, more engineers are considering various innovative treatments as they seek solutions to these complex problems. The corresponding technical report, Alternative Intersections/Interchanges: Informational Report (AIIR) (FHWA-HRT-09-060), covers four intersection designs and two interchange designs that offer substantial advantages over conventional at-grade intersections and grade-separated diamond interchanges. The AIIR provides information on each alternative treatment covering salient geometric design features, operational and safety issues, access management, costs, construction sequencing, environmental benefits, and applicability. This TechBrief summarizes information on one of these alternative interchange designs-the displaced left-turn (DLT) interchange. The DLT interchange is a new interchange design that has similarities to both the at-grade DLT intersection and the double crossover diamond (DCD) interchange. The main feature of the DLT interchange is that left-turning traffic crosses over the opposing through lanes several hundred feet upstream of the main intersection and then proceeds on a new roadway situated between the opposing through lanes and a roadway that carries right-turning traffic from the ramp. From this new roadway, the left-turn traffic completes its maneuver onto the on-ramp.
KW  - Displaced left turn interchanges
KW  - Geometric design
KW  - Highway design
KW  - Highway operations
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Interchanges
KW  - Left turns
KW  - Traffic signal control systems
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09056/index.cfm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908521
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01149567
JO  - TechBrief
PB  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Bared, Joe
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Restricted Crossing U-Turn Intersection
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 4p
AB  - Today's transportation professionals, with limited resources available to them, are challenged to meet the mobility needs of an increasing population. At many highway junctions, congestion continues to worsen, and drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists experience increasing delays and heightened exposure to risk. Today's traffic volumes and travel demands often lead to safety problems that are too complex for conventional junction designs to properly handle. Consequently, more engineers are considering various innovative treatments as they seek solutions to these complex problems. The corresponding report, Alternative Intersections/Interchanges: Informational Report (AIIR) (FHWA-HRT-09-060), covers four intersection designs and two interchange designs. These designs offer substantial advantages over conventional at-grade intersections and grade-separated diamond interchanges. The AIIR provides information on each alternative treatment and covers salient geometric design features, operational and safety issues, access management, costs, construction sequencing, and applicability. This TechBrief summarizes information on one alternative intersection design-the restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) intersection. The RCUT, also referred to as the superstreet intersection or J-turn intersection, is characterized by the prohibition of left-turn and through movements from side street approaches as permitted in conventional designs. Instead, the RCUT intersection accommodates these movements by requiring drivers to turn right onto the main road and then make a U-turn maneuver at a one-way median opening 400 to 1,000 ft after the intersection. Left turns from the main road approaches are executed in a manner similar to left turns at conventional intersections and are unchanged in this design. Left-turn movements from the major road could also be removed at primarily rural unsignalized RCUT designs.
KW  - Geometric design
KW  - Highway design
KW  - Highway operations
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Intersections
KW  - Restricted crossing U-turn intersection
KW  - Traffic signal control systems
KW  - U turns
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09059/index.cfm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908522
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01149564
JO  - TechBrief
PB  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Bared, Joe
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Double Crossover Diamond Interchange
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 4p
AB  - Today's transportation professionals, with limited resources available to them, are challenged to meet the mobility needs of an increasing population. At many highway junctions, congestion continues to worsen, and drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists experience increasing delays and heightened exposure to risk. Today's traffic volumes and travel demands often lead to safety problems that are too complex for conventional interchange designs to properly handle. Consequently, more engineers are considering various innovative treatments as they seek solutions to these complex problems. The corresponding technical report, Alternative Intersections/Interchanges: Informational Report (AIIR) (FHWA-HRT-09-060), covers four intersection designs and two interchange designs that offer substantial advantages over conventional at-grade intersections and grade-separated diamond interchanges. The AIIR provides information on each alternative treatment covering salient geometric design features, operational and safety issues, access management, costs, construction sequencing, environmental benefits, and applicability. This TechBrief summarizes information on one alternative interchange design—the double crossover diamond (DCD) interchange. The DCD interchange, also known as a diverging diamond interchange (DDI), is a new interchange design that has much in common with the design of a conventional diamond interchange. The main difference between a DCD interchange and a conventional diamond interchange is in the way left and through movements navigate between the cross street intersections with ramps. The DCD design accommodates left-turning movements onto arterials and limited-access highways while eliminating the need for a left-turn signal phase at signalized ramp terminal intersections. On the cross street, the traffic moves to the left side of the roadway between the signalized ramp intersections. This allows drivers of vehicles on the cross street who want to turn left onto the ramps the chance to continue to the ramps without conflicting with opposing through traffic and without stopping.
KW  - Diamond interchanges
KW  - Double crossover diamond interchange
KW  - Geometric design
KW  - Highway design
KW  - Highway operations
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Traffic signal control systems
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09054/09054.pdf
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09054/index.cfm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908520
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01149560
JO  - TechBrief
PB  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Bared, Joe
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Median U-Turn Intersection
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 4p
AB  - Today's transportation professionals, with limited resources available to them, are challenged to meet the mobility needs of an increasing population. At many highway junctions, congestion continues to worsen, and drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists experience increasing delays and heightened exposure to risk. Today's traffic volumes and travel demands often lead to safety problems that are too complex for conventional intersection designs to properly handle. Consequently, more engineers are considering various innovative treatments as they seek solutions to these complex problems. The corresponding technical report, Alternative Intersections/Interchanges: Informational Report (AIIR) (FHWA-HRT-09-060), covers four intersection designs and two interchange designs that offer substantial advantages over conventional at-grade intersections and grade-separated diamond interchanges. The AIIR provides information on each alternative treatment covering salient geometric design features, operational and safety issues, access management, costs, construction sequencing, environmental benefits, and applicability. This TechBrief summarizes information on one of these alternative intersection designs—the median U-turn (MUT) intersection. MUT intersections can be implemented as either full MUTs—where direct left turns from both the major and minor approaches are eliminated from the main intersection—or as partial MUTs—where direct left turns from only the major approaches are eliminated.
KW  - Geometric design
KW  - Highway design
KW  - Highway operations
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Intersections
KW  - Medians
KW  - Traffic signal control systems
KW  - U turns
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09057/index.cfm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908523
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147857
AU  - Koonce, Peter
AU  - Lee, Kevin
AU  - Urbanik, Tom
AU  - Kittelson and Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Regional Traffic Signal Operations Programs: An Overview
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 76p
AB  - This report provides an overview of practices related to developing and sustaining a Regional Traffic Signal Operations Program. The purpose for a Regional Traffic Signal Operations Program is to provide regional partners a formal framework to collectively manage the signal system performance for efficiency and consistency. A key benefit of a regional program is the development of projects that are of a magnitude that they can be included in a regional or state transportation improvement program (TIP). There are many benefits to the development of a regional traffic signal management and operations program. Agencies and users benefit from regional traffic signal operations programs as planners, engineers, and operators can provide an effective and efficient traffic signal system to the public and also provide higher levels of customer service without increasing costs. Additionally, by sustaining collaboration, regional operators can demonstrate to the public and elected officials that progress is being made on community goals, which then can be leveraged for future funding. Agencies and jurisdictions within a region that use a common framework for developing and establishing expectations, managing resources, and building relationships will result in more successful systems both individually and region-wide.
KW  - Highway traffic control systems
KW  - Level of service
KW  - Regional planning
KW  - Regional traffic management
KW  - Traffic signal control systems
KW  - Transportation Improvement Programs
KW  - Transportation operations
KW  - Transportation policy
UR  - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09007/fhwahop09007.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35700/35775/fhwahop09007.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908487
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147374
AU  - Loukaitou-Sideris, Anastasia
AU  - San Jose State University
AU  - California Department of Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - How to Ease Women’s Fear of Transportation Environments: Case Studies and Best Practices
PY  - 2009/10
SP  - 82p
AB  - The relationship between women’s fear and the built environment has been the subject of research with clear findings that women feel unsafe in many public spaces. These often include transportation environments. Desolate bus stops and train cars, dimly lit park-and-ride lots and parking structures, but also overcrowded transit vehicles represent stressful settings for many women, who often feel compelled to change their transportation modes and travel patterns in order to avoid them. Past research has shown that transit passengers’ fears and concerns about safety influence their travel decisions. But while the relationship between women’s fear of crime and public space has been the focus of considerable research, transit environments have received less attention. This study seeks to address this gap by, 1) identifying the perspectives and needs of women regarding safety from crime in transit environments through a comprehensive literature review and in depth interviews with representatives of 16 national women’s interest groups; 2) assessing if these needs are met by transit agencies, through a survey of 131 U.S transit operators; and 3) discussing model programs and best practices from the U.S. and overseas that address women’s concerns about safe travel. We found that women transit passengers have some distinct travel needs, but these needs are not well addressed in the U.S., where only a handful of transit operators have specific programs in place targeting the safety needs of women riders. In contrast, some other countries have adopted specific measures and policies in response to women’s transit safety needs. We also found a mismatch between the expressed needs of women passengers and the types and locations of common safety/security strategies adopted by transit agencies. Based on feedback from our interviews and case studies we offer a series of policy recommendations.
KW  - Attitudes
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Fear
KW  - Females
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Safety
KW  - Safety factors
KW  - Transit operating agencies
UR  - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/mtiportal/research/publications/documents/Sideris.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905602
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147321
AU  - Woodrooffe, John
AU  - Blower, Daniel F
AU  - Gordon, Timothy J
AU  - Green, Paul E
AU  - Liu, Brad
AU  - Sweatman, Peter
AU  - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Safety Benefits of Stability Control Systems for Tractor-Semitrailers
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 160p
AB  - This study was conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) under a Cooperative Agreement between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Meritor WABCO to examine the performance of electronic stability control (ESC) systems and roll stability control (RSC) systems for heavy-truck tractor-semitrailers. The study is based on the analysis of independent crash datasets using engineering and statistical techniques to estimate the probable safety benefits of stability control technologies for 5-axle tractor-semitrailer vehicles. The conventional approach for assessing the safety benefits of vehicle technologies is to analyze crash datasets containing data on the safety performance of vehicles equipped with the technology of interest. Because the deployment of the stability technologies for large trucks is in its infancy, national crash databases do not yet have a sufficient amount of factual data that can be directly linked to the performance of the technology. Therefore a novel method of examining the potential benefits of these systems was used. Crash scenarios that could likely benefit from the technologies were selected from national crash databases and the probable effectiveness of each technology was estimated. The analysis in this study did not have the advantage of examining representative crash datasets that contain identifiable data from vehicles equipped with the technology. Therefore, the analysis was based on probable outcome estimates derived from hardware-in-the-loop simulation, field test experience, expert panel assessment, and fleet crash data and these methods were used to estimate the safety benefits from the national crash data population.
KW  - Benefits
KW  - Crash data
KW  - Electronic stability control
KW  - Expert panels
KW  - Field tests
KW  - Forecasting
KW  - Hardware in the loop simulation
KW  - Technological innovations
KW  - Technology assessment
KW  - Tractor trailer combinations
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/64283
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907563
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147320
AU  - Sayer, James R
AU  - LeBlanc, David J
AU  - Bogard, Scott E
AU  - Nodine, E
AU  - Najm, Wassim G
AU  - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Third Annual Report
PY  - 2009/10//Progress Report
SP  - 60p
AB  - The Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program is a five-year, two-phase cooperative research program being conducted by an industry consortium led by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). The goal of the program is to assess the safety benefits and driver acceptance associated with a prototype integrated crash warning system designed to address rear-end, roadway departure, and lane change/merge crashes for light vehicles and heavy commercial trucks. This report describes accomplishments and progress made during the third year of the program (June 2008 to May 2009) and activities planned for the following year. Accomplishments detailed in this report include making refinements to the integrated crash warning system, conduct of additional verification testing and extended pilot tests, the analysis of data, and the construction of the fleet of 26 research vehicles.
KW  - Acceptance
KW  - Annual reports
KW  - Benefits
KW  - Crash avoidance systems
KW  - Integrated Vehicle Based Safety Systems (Initiative)
KW  - Lane changing
KW  - Merging traffic
KW  - Prototype tests
KW  - Prototypes
KW  - Ran off road crashes
KW  - Rear end crashes
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/64263
UR  - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash%20Avoidance/2009/811221.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/49000/49300/49318/102369.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907561
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147289
AU  - Tabatabai, Habib
AU  - Ghorbanpoor, Al
AU  - Pritzl, Matthew D
AU  - University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
AU  - University of Wisconsin, Madison
AU  - Wisconsin Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Evaluation of Select Methods of Corrosion Prevention, Corrosion Control, and Repair in Reinforced Concrete Bridges
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 367p
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of selected techniques for corrosion prevention, control, and repair of reinforced concrete bridges.  Thirty laboratory specimens were subjected to six months of accelerated corrosion testing that consisted of cyclic wet/dry cycles and an applied regulated voltage.  The use of galvanic thermal sprayed zinc, galvanic embedded anodes, sealers, coatings, and epoxy repair mortar was evaluated.  The long-term effectiveness of some admixtures and sealers was evaluated on nine different bridge decks across Wisconsin through an extensive analysis of chloride ingress.
KW  - Coatings
KW  - Corrosion protection
KW  - Corrosion resistance
KW  - Maintenance
KW  - Patching
KW  - Reinforced concrete bridges
KW  - Reinforcement (Engineering)
KW  - Repairing
KW  - Sealing compounds
UR  - http://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/53046/06-06%2520Final%2520Report.pdf
UR  - http://wisdotresearch.wi.gov/wp-content/uploads/06-06corrosionconcretebridges-f1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907080
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146785
AU  - Avers, Katrina E
AU  - Hauck, Erica L
AU  - Blackwell, Lauren V
AU  - Nesthus, Thomas E
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Flight Attendant Fatigue, Part VI: Fatigue Countermeasure Training and Potential Benefits
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 20p
AB  - Today’s aviation industry is a 24/7 operation that produces a variety of challenges for cabin crew members, including extended duty periods, highly variable schedules, and frequent time zone changes. While these operational requirements may be necessary, they are far from ideal with respect to the human body’s biological rhythms for managing sleep and alertness. In fact, acute sleep loss, sustained periods of wakefulness, and circadian factors resulting from this form of misalignment are all contributors to fatigue and fatigue-related mishaps (Caldwell, 2005; Rosekind et al., 1996). The strategic management of fatigue is necessary for safety improvement throughout the industry. Employee educational programs regarding the dangers of fatigue, the causes of sleepiness, and the importance of proper sleep hygiene to improve sleep quality may be critical for effective fatigue management (Caldwell, 2005). This report outlines specific recommendations regarding fatigue countermeasures training and its potential benefits to flight attendant operations.
KW  - Aviation safety
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Fatigue (Physiological condition)
KW  - Flight crews
KW  - Sleep
KW  - Training
UR  - https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2000s/media/200920.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906457
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146757
AU  - Chaturvedi, Arvind K
AU  - Craft, Kristi J
AU  - Kupfer, Doris M
AU  - Burian, Dennis
AU  - Canfield, Dennis V
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Application of DNA Profiling in Resolving Aviation Forensic Toxicology Issues
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 18p
AB  - Biological samples from the victims of aviation accidents are submitted to the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) for toxicological evaluation. Body components of aviation accident fatalities are often scattered, disintegrated, commingled, contaminated, and/or putrefied at accident scenes. These situations may impose difficulties in victim identification and tissue matching, thereby in the toxicological analysis of authentic samples and the interpretation of the associated analytical results. The use of DNA typing has been exemplified in the literature to resolve the sample misidentification issue. However, the prevalence of this type of issue in relation to aviation accident forensic toxicology has not been well-established. Therefore, the CAMI toxicology database was searched for the period of 1998−2008 for those accidents/cases wherein DNA profiling was performed. During this period, samples from 3523 accidents were received by CAMI. Of these, there were 3366 aviation accidents wherein at least one fatality had occurred. Biological samples from a total of 3319 pilots were received. Of these, 3275 were fatally injured. The 3319 pilots translated into the equivalent number of aviation accidents. Of the 3319 accidents, there were only 15 (≈ 0.5%) accidents wherein DNA profiling was performed on the biological samples. Six occupants (four fatalities and two injured victims) were involved in one accident and five (two fatalities and three injured victims) in another. Three fatalities occurred in three accidents each, two fatalities in eight accidents each, and one fatality in one accident. In one accident, there were two occupants with non-fatal injuries. DNA profiling was conducted upon the requests of families in two accidents, of accident investigators in three, and of pathologists in four. In six accidents, contradictory toxicological findings—such as selective presence of analytes in samples—led the CAMI laboratory to initiate DNA profiling. The requests made by families and investigators were primarily triggered by the inconsistency between the toxicological results and the history of the use of the drugs by the victims, while by the pathologists because of the commingling of samples. In three (20%) of the 15 accidents, at least one submitted sample was misidentified or mislabeled. The low number of the accident cases requiring DNA profiling suggests that the sample-submitting agencies take extensive precautionary measures to ensure that the origin of the submitted biological samples are correctly identified. Furthermore, the present study confirms that DNA typing can be used as a tool for establishing the authenticity of the aviation biosamples, thereby their associated toxicological conclusions.
KW  - Air transportation crashes
KW  - Aircraft crash victims
KW  - Crash investigation
KW  - DNA analysis
KW  - Forensic medicine
KW  - Postmortem
KW  - Quality assurance
KW  - Quality control
KW  - Toxicology
UR  - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2000s/media/200919.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906459
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145972
AU  - Zhou, Fujie
AU  - Hu, Sheng
AU  - Hu, Xiaodi
AU  - Scullion, Tom
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Mechanistic-Empirical Asphalt Overlay Thickness Design and Analysis System
PY  - 2009/10//Technical Report
SP  - 154p
AB  - The placement of an asphalt overlay is the most common method used by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to rehabilitate existing asphalt and concrete pavements. The type of overlay and its required thickness are important decisions that TxDOT engineers make on a daily basis. To perform well, an asphalt overlay must have a balance of both good rut and crack resistance. Furthermore, overlay performance is highly influenced by many factors, such as existing pavement conditions, traffic loading, and environmental conditions. It has also recently become common practice to use two different materials in an overlay, the first being a crack resistant level up course and the second being a wearing surface. The properties of both overlay types have a big impact on performance. The main objective of the Research Project 0-5123 was to develop a comprehensive mechanistic-empirical (M-E) asphalt overlay design system to assist TxDOT engineers to make these design decisions. The design system developed incorporates models for both rutting and reflection cracking of the proposed overlay. The Paris’ law-based reflection cracking model was evaluated and recommended for use in this study. This model requires the use of both stress intensity factors (SIF) and fracture properties (A and n) for predicting crack propagation caused by both traffic loading and thermal effects. For practical implementation of the SIF concept, a total of 34 SIF regression equations were developed based on more than 1.6 million finite element computations. The required fracture properties can be easily determined using the Overlay Tester. The proposed reflective cracking model was calibrated using performance data from three HMA overlay field case studies and then verified using the California’s Heavy Vehicle Simulator test results. To predict asphalt overlay rutting, the well-known VESYS layer rutting model was used and later calibrated using the field rutting data from the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) test track 2006. The material properties required for this model are obtained from repeated load tests. The reasonableness and accuracy of the calibrated rutting was further verified by the field rutting data from NCAT test track 2000. Finally, the calibrated reflective cracking and rutting models were integrated into an asphalt overlay thickness design and analysis program. To assist in implementation, default values of material properties have been provided for all the overlay types currently used in Texas. The program provides the designer with a tool to evaluate on a project-level basis the impact of load transfer efficiency (LTE) on predicted life and to determine what level of LTE must be repaired in order to achieve adequate performance. In summary, this study has developed a comprehensive overlay thickness design and analysis system based on solid engineering principles. The software package developed in this study has been provided to TxDOT. Based on the evaluations made in this study its predictions appear rational and reasonable. This system is ready for state-wide pilot implementation.
KW  - Bituminous overlays
KW  - Fracture properties
KW  - Load transfer efficiency
KW  - Mathematical models
KW  - Mechanistic-empirical pavement design
KW  - Reflection cracking
KW  - Rutting
KW  - Software packages
KW  - Stress intensity factors
KW  - Thickness
KW  - VESYS (Computer program)
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5123-3.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906593
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145969
AU  - Trejo, David
AU  - Halmen, Ceki
AU  - Reinschmidt, Kenneth F
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Corrosion Performance Tests for Reinforcing Steel in Concrete: Technical Report
PY  - 2009/10//Technical Report
SP  - 252p
AB  - The existing test method used to assess the corrosion performance of reinforcing steel embedded in concrete, mainly ASTM G 109, is labor intensive, time consuming, slow to provide comparative results, and can be expensive. However, with corrosion of reinforcement a major challenge to the durability of infrastructure systems, improvements in the corrosion performance of materials could add significant value. With limited resources, new procedures and test methods are needed to assess corrosion performance of potentially value-adding materials. This research evaluated four accelerated test procedures (rapid macrocell (a.k.a. mini-macrocell), ACT test, CCIA test, and a modified ASTM G109 test) and compared these tests with the standard ASTM G 109 tests. The reasonableness of the test results, test simplicity, test cost, and test duration were all assessed. Results indicate that the rapid macrocell, ACT, and CCIA tests can reduce the time required to perform the tests by approximately 90 percent compared to standard ASTM G 109 test. Not considering the one-time equipment cost, the rapid macrocell, ACT, and CCIA decrease the cost by approximately 75, 58, and 67 percent compared to the standard ASTM G 109 test, respectively. The rapid macrocell test was determined to be relatively simple while the CCIA and ACT tests were considered to be more complex to perform. Based on the research findings, it is proposed that the Texas Department of Transportation use the rapid macrocell test to evaluate the corrosion performance of most materials. To evaluate the performance of dielectric coatings on reinforcement, it is recommended that the MG 109 test be used to evaluate these system types. For specific testing needs, other tests may be appropriate.
KW  - Accelerated tests
KW  - Corrosion
KW  - Protective coatings
KW  - Reinforced concrete
KW  - Reinforcing steel
KW  - Test procedures
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-4825-1.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31300/31357/0-4825-1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906587
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145017
AU  - Tia, Mang
AU  - Liu, Yanjun
AU  - Haranki, Boris
AU  - Su, Yu-Min
AU  - University of Florida, Gainesville
AU  - Florida Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Modulus of Elasticity, Creep and Shrinkage of Concrete – PHASE II: Part 1– Creep Study
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 224p
AB  - A laboratory testing program was performed to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of typical Class II, IV, V and VI concrete mixtures made with a Miami Oolite limestone, a Georgia granite, and a lightweight aggregate Stalite, including compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, creep, and shrinkage. A total of 18 different concrete mixes, with water-to-cement (w/c) ratio varying from 0.24 to 0.44, were evaluated. Fly ash and ground blast-furnace slag were also incorporated as mineral additives in these mixes. Creep apparatuses were designed and built for this study. The creep apparatuses and testing procedures used were found to work satisfactorily. The creep apparatus was capable of applying and maintaining a load up to 145,000 lb on the test specimens with an error of less than 2%. Curing condition had a significant effect on the creep behavior of concrete evaluated in this study. The concretes which had been moist-cured for 14 days had substantially lower creep coefficients than those which had been moist-cured for only 7 days. Using the test results from the concretes investigated, relationships were developed between various mechanical properties, including compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and elastic modulus. Relationships were also established between compressive strength of the concrete and the creep coefficient of the concretes. The predicted ultimate shrinkage strains and ultimate creep coefficients were determined for the concretes evaluated. The predicted ultimate creep coefficients of most of the concrete tested appeared to exceed 2.0.
KW  - Admixtures
KW  - Compressive strength
KW  - Creep
KW  - Creep tests
KW  - Florida
KW  - Mechanical properties
KW  - Modulus of elasticity
KW  - Physical properties
KW  - Shrinkage
KW  - Tensile strength
KW  - Testing equipment
UR  - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_SMO/FDOT_BD545_67_rpt.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905181
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01144495
AU  - Gu, Yu
AU  - West Virginia University, Morgantown
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
AU  - West Virginia Department of Highways
TI  - Evaluation of Remote Sensing Aerial Systems in Existing Transportation Practices
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 41p
AB  - The application of small Remotely-Controlled (R/C) aircraft for aerial photography presents many unique advantages over manned aircraft due to their lower acquisition cost, lower maintenance issue, and superior flexibility.  The extraction of reliable information from these images could benefit DOT engineers in a variety of research topics including, but not limited to, work zone management, traffic congestion, safety, and environmental.  During this effort, one of the West Virginia University R/C aircraft, named 'Foamy', has been instrumented for a proof-of-concept demonstration of aerial data acquisition.  Specifically, the aircraft has been outfitted with a GPS receiver, a flight data recorder, a downlink telemetry hardware, a digital still camera, and a shutter-triggering device.  During the flight a ground pilot uses one of the R/C channels to remotely trigger the camera.  Several hundred high-resolution geo-tagged aerial photographs were collected during 10 flight experiments at two different flight fields.  A Matlab based geo-reference was developed for measuring distances from an aerial image and estimating the geo-location of each ground asset of interest.  A comprehensive study of potential Sources of Errors (SOE) has also been performed with the goal of identifying and addressing various factors that might affect the position estimation accuracy.  The result of the SOE study concludes that a significant amount of position estimation error was introduced by either mismatching of different measurements or by the quality of the measurements themselves.  The first issue is partially addressed through the design of a customized Time-Synchronization Board (TSB) based on a MOD 5213 embedded microprocessor.  The TSB actively controls the timing of the image acquisition process, ensuring an accurate matching of the GPS measurement and the image acquisition time.  The second issue is solved through the development of a novel GPS/INS (Inertial Navigation System) based on a 9-state Extended Kalman Filter.  The developed sensor fusion algorithm provides a good estimation of aircraft attitude angle without the need for using expensive sensors.  Through the help of INS integration, it also provides a very smooth position estimation that eliminates large jumps typically seen in the raw GPS measurements.
KW  - Aerial photography
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Drone aircraft
KW  - Geolocation
KW  - Global Positioning System
KW  - Inertial navigation systems
KW  - Remote control
UR  - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/WVU-2008-01.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904915
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01144164
AU  - Geiselbrecht, Tina Collier
AU  - Baker, Richard Tremain
AU  - University Transportation Center for Mobility
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - A Guide to Transportation Funding Options: Phase 2
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 16p
AB  - This project is a continuation of a project that provided a one-stop shop website, A Guide to Transportation Funding Options (http://utcm.tamu.edu/tfo), detailing transportation funding options and their applicability in an easy-to-use format. The first phase of this project compiled information on transportation funding options for highway funding. This subsequent phase provided similar information for other modes of transportation including transit, rail, aviation, and ports and waterways. The information is presented in a format that is user friendly and easily accessible via the Internet for anyone interested in project financing methods.
KW  - Aviation
KW  - Financing
KW  - Guides to information
KW  - Internet
KW  - Ports
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Railroad transportation
KW  - Waterways
KW  - Websites (Information retrieval)
UR  - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Geiselbrecht_09-09-06.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904479
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01144163
AU  - Bomberg, Matthew
AU  - Baker, Richard Tremain
AU  - Goodin, Ginger D
AU  - University Transportation Center for Mobility
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Mileage‐Based User Fees – A Path toward Implementation: Phase 2: An Assessment of Technology Issues
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 44p
AB  - This report reviews technology options for a mileage-based user fee system in the state of Texas. The report was compiled based on input from a diverse range of sources, including a literature review of existing mileage-based user fee technical write-ups, discussion of an internal technology assessment team at the Texas Transportation Institute, interviews with individuals representing key technology stakeholders, and findings from the first annual symposium on mileage-based user fees. The main focus of this report is to assess the range of possible mileage-based user fee system architectures. These architectures are considered at the logical level (i.e., the flow and transformation of information from raw data describing roadway use to an end bill) with the goal of demonstrating how the process flow of each architecture affects its ability to meet key policy objectives. The report also explores issues related to payment, enforcement, the deployment of on-board units in vehicles, and the potential for technology enabling a mileage-based user fee to be a platform for other value-added services. Finally, the report concludes by identifying key policy questions for Texas that must be addressed before pilot programs can be developed.
KW  - In-vehicle technology
KW  - Law enforcement
KW  - Mileage-based user fees
KW  - On board equipment
KW  - Payment
KW  - Policy
KW  - System architecture
KW  - Technology assessment
KW  - Texas
KW  - User charges
KW  - Value added services
UR  - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Goodin_tech_09-39-07.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904472
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143767
AU  - Strashny, Alexander
AU  - National Center for Statistics and Analysis
TI  - Estimating Median Hospital Charge in the CODES Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System
PY  - 2009/10//NHTSA Technical Report
SP  - 20p
AB  - The Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) is a data system that links crash data with medical and financial outcome data, such as hospital and emergency medical services data. This allows for improved studies of medical and financial outcomes of motor vehicle crashes. Because of the lack of personally identifiable information, crash and outcome data are linked probabilistically using a technique called multiple imputations. One of the variables in CODES is the hospital charge that was charged to each crash victim. This report derives the maximum likelihood estimator of the median hospital charge as well as its confidence interval. The estimator has desirable theoretical properties and performs well in simulations. The estimator is designed for non-negative positively skewed variables, such as cost, charge, price, income, wealth, and so on. It can be used with multiply imputed data, such as the data available in CODES, as well as with non-multiply imputed data.
KW  - Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System
KW  - Crash victims
KW  - Estimating
KW  - Hospital charges
KW  - Hospitals
KW  - Maximum likelihood method
KW  - Multiple imputation
KW  - User charges
UR  - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811217.PDF
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904191
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143752
AU  - Cook, Lawrence J
AU  - Kerns, Timothy J
AU  - Burch, Cynthia A
AU  - Thomas, Andrea
AU  - Bell, Emily
AU  - Utah CODES
AU  - National Center for Statistics and Analysis
TI  - Motorcycle Helmet Use and Head and Facial Injuries: Crash Outcomes in CODES-Linked Data
PY  - 2009/10//NHTSA Technical Report
SP  - 55p
AB  - This report examines the relationship between motorcycle helmet use and motorcycle crash outcomes in terms of injury types, hospital charges, and other variables employing data from the Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES), a program facilitated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Helmeted motorcyclists were less likely to experience facial and head injuries compared to unhelmeted motorcyclists. Helmeted motorcyclists were significantly less likely to experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBIs are of particular concern in this study. TBI was associated with significantly higher hospital charges. Additionally, motorcyclists with TBI were much less likely to be discharged home and more likely to require rehabilitation or to be discharged to a long-term care facility following their hospitalization. Both of these destinations are likely to result in costs and burdens for the injured motorcyclists beyond the scope of this study’s data. Finally, motorcyclists involved in alcohol- or drug-related crashes and speed-related crashes had higher odds of experiencing poor outcomes.
KW  - Alcohol use
KW  - Crash injuries
KW  - Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System
KW  - Drug use
KW  - Face
KW  - Head
KW  - Hospital charges
KW  - Hospitalization
KW  - Long term care
KW  - Motorcycle helmets
KW  - Rehabilitation (Medical)
KW  - Speeding
KW  - Traumatic brain injuries
UR  - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811208.PDF
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904146
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143661
AU  - Monsere, Christopher M
AU  - Diercksen, Lisa
AU  - Dixon, Karen K
AU  - Liebler, Michael
AU  - Portland State University
AU  - Oregon State University, Corvallis
AU  - Oregon Department of Transportation
AU  - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Safety Investment Program (SIP) Policies for Oregon
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 180p
AB  - The Safety Investment Program (SIP) was originally called the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program - Safety Investment Program (STIP-SIP). The concept of the program was first discussed in October 1997 and the program was adopted by the Oregon Transportation Commission in August 1998. The concept for the program grew out of a cost-effective approach to pavement preservation projects that set out to maximize the impact of money spent on highway safety, based on crash reduction factors. Safety projects were to be selected based on high crash locations as identified by the Safety Priority Index System (SPIS) and SIP Category ratings of five-mile sections. This research evaluated the SIP Policy from the perspective of: 1) an overall program for safety improvement projects, 2) a guiding policy when safety improvements are planned as part of other project work, and 3) a component integrated with the highway design procedures for resurfacing, restoration, or rehabilitation (3R) projects. The research included two levels of evaluation; the first evaluation was done as part of the systematic evaluation, while the second was a project-level evaluation. The systematic evaluation revealed that, in general, projects where safety funds were used resulted in a net decrease in total crashes as well as severe and fatal crashes; however, these benefits were not realized for all locations or all work types. The detailed review of the 24 mixed safety-preservation projects highlighted some of the challenges of successfully implementing the SIP Policy. It was clear that the SIP Policy has not been applied consistently to mixed projects. In particular, the variety of design and, to a lesser extent, the funding eligibility scores, highlight the variety of policy interpretations. The project-level evaluation concluded that the most important project element to improve safety performance was the specific identification of a safety problem. Recommendations were made on improved documentation procedures at the project level as well as strategies to improve overall policy compliance.
KW  - Compliance
KW  - Crash reduction factors
KW  - High risk locations
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Oregon
KW  - Policy
KW  - Safety management
KW  - Safety programs
UR  - http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/ResearchReports/SIP_Evaluation_FR.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/903569
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142622
AU  - Henry, Karen S
AU  - Clapp, Joshua
AU  - Davids, William G
AU  - Humphrey, Dana N
AU  - Barna, Lynette A
AU  - U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Structural Improvements of Flexible Pavements Using Geosynthetics for Base Course Reinforcement
PY  - 2009/10//Final Report
SP  - 194p
AB  - A study was conducted on full-scale pavement test sections to assess geogrid/base reinforcement in flexible pavements representative of major highways. The experimental design, trafficking protocol, results and development of rutting models are reported herein. Accelerated trafficking was conducted with a heavy vehicle simulator on eight pavement test sections. Four test sections were reinforced with geogrid placed at the base/subgrade interface, the other four were matching unreinforced (control) sections. Rut depths in the pavement surface as a function of applied traffic cycles were compared. Except for the thickest base and asphalt combination tested, the grid reinforcement provided benefit compared to unreinforced control sections as indicated by surface rut depth. (Four test sections reached ‘failure’ and four did not—traffic ceased at a set number of load cycles in these cases.) Empirical rutting models presented in NCHRP 1-37A, Guide for Mechanistic-Empirical Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures (available from http://www.trb.org/mepdg/) were extended to account for the reinforcement. Mechanistic finite element models were calibrated using strains measured throughout the test sections. Predicted rut depths using this mechanistic-empirical approach were in reasonable agreement with measured values. For the pavement configurations of this study, geogrid was predicted to increase the pavement life by 29 to 43%.
KW  - Accelerated tests
KW  - Base course (Pavements)
KW  - Finite element method
KW  - Flexible pavements
KW  - Geogrids
KW  - Geosynthetics
KW  - Heavy vehicle simulators
KW  - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Reinforcement (Engineering)
KW  - Rutting
KW  - Service life
KW  - Test sections
UR  - http://www.pooledfund.org/documents/TPF-5_010/final_report.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902903
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01481175
AU  - Wilbur Smith Associates
AU  - Arizona Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Public‐Private Partnerships Potential for Arizona‐Mexico Border Infrastructure Projects
PY  - 2009/09/30/Final Report
SP  - 132p
AB  - The purpose of this project is to evaluate and determine the feasibility of using public‐private partnerships to finance Arizona‐Mexico border region infrastructure projects. The potential use of public‐private partnerships is being explored due to traditional funding means being insufficient to finance the needed infrastructure improvements for the movement of people and freight through the Arizona‐Mexico ports. This Final Report is based on four previously completed Technical Memorandums. Technical Memorandum 1, Overview of Border Infrastructure Public‐Private Partnerships, presented a review and summary of current border infrastructure public‐private partnerships. The overview included the findings of a survey of public‐private partnerships in existence at United States land ports of entry and their related connecting infrastructure, as well as those under development. Technical Memorandum 2, Description of Freight Flows, provided detailed information of freight flow data from available sources on the flow of goods and freight that moves across the Arizona‐Mexico border through Arizona’s land ports of entry. Technical Memorandum 3, Identification of Potential Public‐Private Partnership Opportunities, identified potential public‐private partnerships that may exist at each of Arizona’s land ports of entry and related connecting infrastructure. Technical Memorandum 4, Implementation Issues and Potential Finance Techniques for Potential Public‐Private Partnerships, identified issues associated with implementing public‐private partnerships in the state of Arizona for border crossings.
KW  - Arizona
KW  - Border regions
KW  - Financing
KW  - Freight traffic
KW  - Infrastructure
KW  - International borders
KW  - Ports of entry
KW  - Public private partnerships
KW  - State of the practice
KW  - United States-Mexico Border
UR  - http://www.borderplanning.fhwa.dot.gov/ADOT_PPPrpt/pdfs/finalReport.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250042
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01469915
AU  - Ley, Tyler
AU  - Kadam, Shardul
AU  - Frazier, Robert
AU  - Robertson, Bret
AU  - Riding, Kyle
AU  - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
AU  - Kansas State University, Manhattan
AU  - Oklahoma Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Development and Implementation of a Mechanistic and Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) for Rigid Pavements: Annual Report for FY 2009
PY  - 2009/09/30
SP  - 45p
AB  - This document is an update of the progress of the research on Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) project 2208 �??Development and Implementation of a Mechanistic and Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) for Rigid Pavements�?�. This report summarizes the work that was completed at  Oklahoma State University between October 1st, 2008 and September 30th, 2009. The focus of  this project is on assisting ODOT in implementing the MEPDG into their rigid pavement design  practices. It was decided to best accomplish this goal by completing the following tasks:  (1) Review of the inputs to the MEPDG and determine the sensitivity on the final design values. (2) Investigate base material practices for concrete pavements through a literature review and survey of experiences from others. (3) Increase the quantity of weather sites in Oklahoma that provide environmental inputs  for the MEPDG. (4)  Examine different curing methods for rigid pavement construction and their impact on the early age curling and warping of continuous reinforced concrete pavements. (5) Provide regional material input parameters that can be used in the MEPDG for the design of rigid pavements
KW  - Concrete curing
KW  - Concrete pavements
KW  - Durability
KW  - Literature reviews
KW  - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
KW  - Oklahoma
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Rigid pavements
KW  - Surveys
UR  - http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/spr-rip/library/reports/2208-ffy2009.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1237851
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01462436
TI  - Improving Safety-Related Rule Compliance in the Public Transportation Industry
AB  - The critical importance of safety to the public transportation industry makes compliance with safety-related rules a key concern for public transportation systems and administrators. Despite the industry's solid safety record, one major accident stemming from rule non-compliance can call into question the safety of the entire industry. Adding to their traditional practices, many transit systems have established methods for enhancing rule compliance. These approaches have included employee training, re-training, certification requirements, positive reinforcement practices, and other techniques. American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has recently adopted a voluntary standard for rule compliance . Now that these steps have been taken, what more can be done? Do other industries -- such as the aviation, railroad, and other low-probability/high-consequence industries -- offer effective approaches that can be fruitfully applied to improve safety-related rule compliance in the public transportation industry? Research is needed in this area that involves a wide variety of organizations and institutions, including, but not limited to, public transportation systems, public and private companies, regulatory bodies, industry trade groups, and labor organizations. This breadth of perspectives is critical since the various industries are as different as they are similar. The key to successful research in this area will be the usefulness of the final product to a wide audience. The objective of this research is to develop a resource for improving safety-related rule compliance in the public transportation industry. The resource should include a variety of methods and practices so that it can be used by the broad spectrum of public transportation systems, including systems of different sizes and those that operate one or more different modes.
KW  - Bus transit operations
KW  - Bus transportation
KW  - Compliance
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Railroad transportation
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Safety
KW  - Training
KW  - Transit operating agencies
KW  - Transit operators
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2612
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230657
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01349494
AU  - Hatami, Kianoosh
AU  - Miller, Gerald A
AU  - Garcia, Lina M
AU  - University of Oklahoma, Norman
AU  - Oklahoma Transportation Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Use of MSE Technology to Stabilize Highway Embankments and Slopes in Oklahoma
PY  - 2009/09/30/Final Report
SP  - 62p
AB  - Departments of transportation across the U.S., including ODOT, are invariably faced with a persistent problem of landslides and slope failures along highways. Repairs and maintenance work associated with these failures cost these agencies millions of dollars annually. An ideal solution for the construction or repair of slopes and embankments is to use large quantities of coarse-grained, free-draining soils to stabilize these structures. However, such soils are not readily available in Oklahoma and many other parts of the U.S. Consequently, the production and transportation costs for these materials can be prohibitive amounting to millions of dollars annually. A possible solution to this problem would be to use locally available soils that are of marginal quality (e.g. soils with more than 15% fines content) but are significantly less expensive. However, the pullout capacity of reinforcement in reinforced soil slopes constructed with marginal soils can decrease as a result of increase in the soil moisture content. The loss of matric suction and excess pore water pressure as a result of compaction or prolonged precipitation during construction or service life of the structure can jeopardize the stability of structure or lead to excessive deformation. Current design guidelines for reinforced soil slopes in North America do not account for the reduction in the interface strength due to increased moisture content. This study is aimed at developing a moisture reduction factor (MRF) to account for the influence of moisture content on the soil-geosynthetic reinforcement interface strength in reinforced soil structures constructed with marginal soils. In this one-year study, MRF values were determined for an Oklahoma marginal soil and a woven geotextile reinforcement material through large-scale and small-scale pullout tests. The tests were carried out at three different moisture content values: optimum moisture content (OMC), OMC+2% and OMC-2%. It was found that the strength of soil-geotextile reinforcement interface constructed at OMC-2% could decrease by as much as 20%-40% when the soil moisture content is increased to OMC+2%. The outcome of this long-term study will assist ODOT and other departments of transportation in the U.S. to include the influence of soil moisture content in their stability analysis and design of reinforced soil structures to repair, stabilize and reconstruct slopes composed of marginal soils along the transportation corridors in the U.S.
KW  - Drained soil
KW  - Embankments
KW  - Geosynthetics
KW  - Geotextiles
KW  - Interfaces
KW  - Mechanically stabilized earth
KW  - Oklahoma
KW  - Pullout tests
KW  - Slope stability
KW  - Slopes
KW  - Soil reinforcement
KW  - Soil suction
KW  - Soil water
UR  - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-19-F.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107988
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01346514
AU  - Veneziano, David
AU  - Galarus, Douglas
AU  - Koon, Leann
AU  - Western Transportation Institute
AU  - California Department of Transportation
AU  - Oregon Department of Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - California and Oregon Advanced Transportation Systems Phase 3: Final Report
PY  - 2009/09/30/Final Report
SP  - 20p
AB  - The purpose of this document is to summarize the work completed for continued Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) demonstration, evaluation and technology transfer in rural northern California and southern Oregon. This work was completed under the third phase (Phase 3) of the California and Oregon Advanced Transportation Systems (COATS) project. The purpose of the overall COATS effort has been and continues to be encouraging regional, public and private sector cooperation between California and Oregon organizations to better facilitate the planning and implementation of ITS in a rural bi-state area extending between Eugene, Oregon and Redding, California. Following an introductory chapter, the remaining chapters of this report discuss technology transfer, national partnerships and leveraging (focused on the development of Integrated Corridor Management for rural areas), planning and architecture support, evaluation support, and deployment assistance support.
KW  - California
KW  - California/Oregon Advanced Transportation Systems (COATS)
KW  - Cooperation
KW  - Deployment
KW  - Evaluation and assessment
KW  - Integrated corridor management
KW  - Intelligent transportation systems
KW  - Oregon
KW  - Partnerships
KW  - Planning
KW  - Rural areas
KW  - System architecture
KW  - Technology transfer
UR  - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/documents/reports/4W1684_Final_Report.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108729
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01167077
AU  - Ferguson, Erin
AU  - Nezamuddin, N
AU  - Ng, Man Wo
AU  - Waller, S Travis
AU  - University of Texas, Austin
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Guidance for Feasibility Analysis of Candidate Sites: Handbook
PY  - 2009/09/30
SP  - 14p
AB  - The purpose of this handbook is to provide guidance in determining whether or not speed harmonization and peak period shoulder is feasible for a given site or set of sites. The content of this handbook is based on the analysis conducted for this project. Additional information regarding the topics presented in this handbook can be found in project report 0-5913-1, Speed Harmonization and Peak-Period Shoulder Use to Manage Urban Freeway Congestion. The guidance for conducting feasibility analyses, presented below, primarily integrates the cost benefit analysis framework and the operational and deployment strategy presented in Chapter 8 of the project report. The collective goal is to intelligently apply speed harmonization and peak period shoulder use as a combined traffic control strategy that delays the onset of severe congestion and increases throughput. Guidance for assessing the feasibility of speed harmonization and peak period shoulder use is organized into six analysis components. These are: (1) Identify candidate sites; (2) Construct and run microscopic and mesoscopic simulation; (3) Identify infrastructure improvements; (4) Develop an enforcement strategy and public education plan; (5) Apply cost benefit analysis framework; and (6) Consider potential qualitative impacts.
KW  - Feasibility analysis
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Peak hour traffic
KW  - Road shoulders
KW  - Standardization
KW  - Traffic congestion
KW  - Traffic simulation
KW  - Traffic speed
KW  - Urban highways
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33713/0_5913_P1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/927679
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01148568
AU  - Bocchieri, Robert T
AU  - Kirkpatrick, Steven W
AU  - MacNeill, Robert
AU  - Navarro-Northrup, Claudia
AU  - Peterson, Brian
AU  - Gough, Glenn
AU  - Applied Research Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Siemens Transportation Systems Inc.
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
TI  - Collision Safety Improvements for Light Rail Vehicles Operating in Shared Right of Way Street Environments
PY  - 2009/09/30/Final Report
SP  - 66p
AB  - The majority of fatalities that occur from light rail vehicle (LRV) operations are occupants of automobiles that are struck by the LRVs.  Recent developments of crashworthiness standards for LRVs by the American Society of mechanical Engineers (ASME) Rail Transit Vehicle Standards Committee included consideration of a wide variety of crash scenarios including collisions between LRVs and street running automobiles.  The requirements included in the standard are primarily to create an enclosed front end geometry where the struck vehicle will not be entrapped or overridden.  A smooth enclosed front end profile is a primary requirement for improving the compatibility of LRVs with automobiles. The focus of this study was to investigate the potential for reducing injuries to automobile occupants struck by LRVs with the addition of appropriate front-end structures.  In particular, a prototype bumper system design with an improved profile and segmented energy-absorbing corner bumpers was developed.  The technical approach for this project was focused on assessing detailed injuries from an unbelted Side Impact Dummy (SID) using detailed nonlinear dynamic finite element simulations.  Impact conditions focused on normal (90 degrees) and oblique (45 degrees) impacts.  The resulting bumpers suitable for retrofit on LRVs showed marked improvements to automobile passenger safety for a variety of automobile types.
KW  - Automobiles
KW  - Bumpers
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Crashworthiness
KW  - Dummies
KW  - Light rail vehicles
KW  - Occupant protection devices
KW  - Right of way (Land)
KW  - Side crashes
KW  - Traffic crashes
KW  - Transportation safety
KW  - Vehicle occupants
KW  - Vehicle safety
UR  - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/CollisionSafetyImprovementsforLRVs.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908280
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146760
AU  - Alam, Bhuiyan M
AU  - University of Toledo
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Travel Behavior of U.S. Domestic Airline Passengers and Its Impacts on Infrastructure Utilization
PY  - 2009/09/30/Final Report
SP  - 47p
AB  - Unexpected and unannounced delays and cancellations of flights have emerged as a quasinormal phenomenon in recent months and years. The airline unreliability has become unbearable day by day. The volume of airline passengers on domestic routes in the United States has risen despite the devastating terrorist acts of September 11, 2001 while the level of service has gone down in recent years. Some speculate that this increased ridership has caused extra pressure on available infrastructure such as airports. This study investigates the nature of domestic air passenger travel demand at the airports. It also investigates the level of service provided at the airports that are explained by different measuring units. The study includes five regional airports: Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County International Airport (DTW), Cincinnati-Covington International Airport (CVG), Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), and Toledo Express Airport (TOL). It finds that ORD, as it stands for the last decade, has been consistently providing unsatisfactory services to the passengers in terms of flight delays (both departure and arrival), luggage handling, passenger complaints, involuntary denial of boarding, etc. However, four other regional airports are doing better than ORD in providing services to the passengers. The report recommends that ORD expand its infrastructure including adding runways, increasing gates, and increasing number of seats for passengers waiting for flights.
KW  - Air travel
KW  - Airlines
KW  - Airport capacity
KW  - Chicago O'Hare International Airport
KW  - Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
KW  - Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
KW  - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
KW  - Level of service
KW  - Passenger volume
KW  - Toledo Express Airport
KW  - Travel behavior
KW  - Travel demand
UR  - http://www.utoledo.edu/research/ututc/docs/Final_Report_-_Travel_Behavior.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906625
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146341
AU  - Zhao, Jian
AU  - Tabatabai, Habib
AU  - University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
AU  - Wisconsin Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Analysis of Permit Vehicle Loads in Wisconsin
PY  - 2009/09/30/Final Report
SP  - 199p
AB  - This study evaluated the impact of the 250-kip Wisconsin Standard Permit Vehicle against the overloaded vehicles operating on Wisconsin roads in recent years. The evaluation was conducted using three sets of data: 1) overloaded vehicle records within weigh-in-motion data collected in 2007; 2) the single-trip permit application records from 2004 to 2007; and 3) overloaded vehicles in neighboring states, including Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Illinois. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted for the collected overloaded vehicle data, and model vehicles that represent heavies 5% of the overloaded vehicles were created. The maximum moment/shear in simply supported, 2-span and 3-span continuous girders by the representative vehicles were calculated and compared with the impact of Wis-SPV. The study indicates Wis-SPV envelopes almost all single-unit trucks with less than 9 axles, which attributes 80% of the total permit records. The analysis of WIM records shows that about 0.035% of total overloaded vehicles (records) may exceed the impact of the 250-kip Wis-SPV. A 5-axle short truck was proposed to supplement Wis-SPV for possible use in the WisDOT Bridge Manual.
KW  - Analysis
KW  - Bridges
KW  - Heavy duty trucks
KW  - Moments (Mechanics)
KW  - Oversize loads
KW  - Permits
KW  - Shear strength
KW  - Weigh in motion
KW  - Wisconsin
UR  - http://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/53052/0092-08-15%2520Final%2520Report.pdf?sequence=1
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905591
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146331
AU  - Dugarte, Margareth
AU  - Sagues, Alberto A
AU  - University of South Florida, Tampa
AU  - Florida Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Galvanic Point Anodes for Extending the Service Life of Patched Areas Upon Reinforced Concrete Bridge Members
PY  - 2009/09/30/Final Report
SP  - 121p
AB  - The polarization performance of two types of commercial galvanic point anodes for protection of rebar around patch repairs was evaluated. Experiments included measurement of the polarization history of the anode under galvanostatic load, in reinforced concrete slabs, and in field installations. The tests revealed, for both types of anodes, a potential-current function (PCF) indicating relatively little anodic polarization from an open circuit potential at low current levels, followed by an abrupt increase in potential as the current approached an apparent terminal value. Aging of the anodes was manifested by a continually decreasing current output in the concrete tests, and by increasingly more positive potentials in the galvanostatic tests. Those changes reflected an evolution of the PCF generally toward more positive open circuit potentials and, more importantly, to the onset of elevated polarized potentials at increasingly lower current levels. There was considerable variability among the performance of replicate units of a given anode type. Modest to poor steel polarization levels were achieved when coupled with point anodes both in laboratory and field tests. Modeling of a generic patch configuration was implemented with a one-dimensional approximation. The model calculated the throwing distance that could be achieved by a given number of anodes per unit perimeter of the patch, concrete thickness, concrete resistivity, amount of steel and amount of polarization needed for cathodic prevention. The model projections and aging information suggest that anode performance in likely application scenarios may seriously degrade after only a few years of operation, even if a relatively optimistic 100 mV corrosion prevention criterion were assumed. Less conservative criteria have been proposed in the literature but are yet to be substantiated. Other investigations suggest a significantly more conservative corrosion prevention may apply instead. The latter case would question the ability of the point anodes to provide adequate corrosion prevention.
KW  - Anodes
KW  - Bridge members
KW  - Cathodic protection
KW  - Corrosion
KW  - Reinforced concrete
KW  - Reinforcing steel
UR  - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_SMO/FDOT_BD544_09_rpt.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905483
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01467638
TI  - Onboard Monitoring Field Operation Test
AB  - This effort will develop and evaluate an onboard monitoring system that measures driving characteristics that indicate unsafe driving behavior. A prototype suite of technologies provides real-time driving performance feedback to a commercial motor vehicle driver and/or carrier management via a roll-up report for discussion with the driver. This system has the potential to improve drivers' attentiveness and enhance their safety performance.
KW  - Attention
KW  - Behavior
KW  - Commercial vehicle operations
KW  - Driver performance
KW  - High risk drivers
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Onboard monitoring
KW  - Real time information
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235874
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01467635
TI  - Testing and Evaluation of Truck-Based Fuel Monitoring and Operations Management Systems
AB  - This project uses a combination of Volvo link and Green Roads technologies to explore whether fuel-efficient driving is correlated with safe driving.  Volvo link will track fuel consumption as a function of time and distance traveled.  Green Roads technology will track sudden accelerations, decelerations, and other jerky movements as a proxy for unsafe driving.
KW  - Driver monitoring
KW  - Evaluation and assessment
KW  - Fuel consumption
KW  - Fuel efficiency
KW  - High risk drivers
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Safe driving
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235871
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461765
TI  - Support for Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure: Gulf Coast Study, Phase 2
AB  - The objective of Phase 2 research is to build on the findings of Phase 1 to develop more definitive information about multimodal impacts at the local level. This study will focus on the Gulf Coast and in particular develop precise tools and guides for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs), the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), modal planners and municipalities that can facilitate long-term planning architectures to help communities better adapt to potential climate impacts by conducting a detail analysis in one area within the Gulf Coast region.
KW  - Climate change
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Gulf Coast (United States)
KW  - Infrastructure
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Multimodal transportation
KW  - Research projects
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Transportation
KW  - Variability index
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229985
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465795
TI  - Air Quality Health Effects and Highway Proximity
AB  - The Health Effects Institute (HEI) shall conduct research and activities under this grant agreement to further the understanding of the fundamental science and relationship between on-road vehicle emissions and the health of people who live at various  distances from roads or who spend differing amounts of time in traffic. HEI will conduct the following: (1) Obtain scientific based, objective research; (2) Develop, maintain and expand the existing information base on the health effects of air pollution, especially as it relates to mobile source air toxics project decision documents and transportation delivery; and (3) Provide accurate and up-to-date information concerning air pollution trends, especially as it relates to alternative fuels and new technologies.
KW  - Air pollution
KW  - Air quality
KW  - Alternate fuels
KW  - Health hazards
KW  - Highways
KW  - Toxicology
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234029
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461768
TI  - Congestion Management Process: A Guidance Document
AB  - The project objectives will be achieved through a proactive, collaborative process that actively engages representatives of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and associated state agencies, and national transportation advocacy organizations such as Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO), National Association of Regional Councils (NARC), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and others.   Technical assistance for this project will also be provided through collaboration with the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Transportation Safety Planning (TSP) Working Group.
KW  - Congestion management systems
KW  - Cooperation
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Handbooks
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Traffic congestion
KW  - Transportation safety
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229988
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461732
TI  - 2009 Transportation and Air Quality Emissions Analysis Cooperative Research
AB  - During FY 2009, the Office of Natural and Human Environment (HEPN) published a "Transportation and Air Quality Analysis" Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to solicit research proposals in four research focus areas: (1) Testing, Evaluation and Validation of New Emission Models and Methodologies, (2) Research on Conducting Project Level Analysis (3) Air Quality and Transportation Conformity Outreach and Communication, and (4) Fleet Data for On-road Mobile Sources Emissions Inventory. One of the projects awarded under Air Quality and Transportation Conformity Outreach and Communication was titled "Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) Air Quality Work Group". HEPN awarded a contract to AMPO to continue the support of the AMPO Air Quality Work Group that was first created in 2002 with support from FHWA to bring air quality and transportation planners together to exchange information and share practices in areas such as transportation conformity, air quality (State Implementation Plan, SIP) planning and implementation of EPA's final version of the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) emission model. The Air Quality Work Group will assist FHWA and the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) with highly effective outreach and communications to the transportation and air quality communities on issues related to air quality and transportation and with documenting best practices. This project was selected through the Transportation and Air Quality Emissions Analysis Broad Agency Announcement. The objectives of this contract are to hold 4 workgroup meetings through 2011 to discuss critical planning issues and address these challenges as they relate to air quality and transportation conformity outreach and communication. AMPO will document meeting discussions, summarize findings and recommendations and provide follow up on action items. Findings and other pertinent information will be included in AMPO's publications.
KW  - Air quality management
KW  - Association of Metropolitan Planning organizations
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Exhaust gases
KW  - Meetings
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Pollutants
KW  - Research projects
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229952
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01456842
AU  - Ferreira-Diaz, Carlos A
AU  - Torres-Zapata, Alma
AU  - Nanovic, Christopher A
AU  - Abraham, Dulcy M
AU  - Purdue University/Indiana Department of Transportation JHRP
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Worker Injury Prevention Strategies
PY  - 2009/09/25/Final Report
SP  - 283p
AB  - As the trend of increased highway construction and/or rehabilitation continues to grow, the public often demands that delays in work zones be kept to a minimum. Thus, the flow of traffic through the construction zone must be maintained while performing pavement maintenance/ repair/ reconstruction activities. At the same time, the safety of personnel and property in highway construction work zones must be ensured. Three types of risks are encountered by construction and maintenance workers in construction workzones: (a) risks due to underprotection or lack of protection against potential hazards (including lack of hearing protection, eye protection, respiratory protection); (b) effect of speeding through workzones, and (c) impacts due to the lack of/inadequate visibility issues (both workers and motorists).This report presents the findings of three separate, yet interrelated projects that explored the hazards in highway construction and maintenance workzones, and evaluated workzone safety strategies. The evaluation of the safety strategies was performed by analyzing the perceptions of three groups of stakeholders (Indiana Department of Transportation personnel, contractors, and highway construction and maintenance workers). The report also discusses the use of camera and radar systems to prevent workers from being struck by mobile equipment. Finally, it provides some recommendations for more effective implementation of safety strategies and provides suggestions for further research in the domain of highway construction safety.
KW  - Construction safety
KW  - Crash reports
KW  - Maintenance personnel
KW  - Occupational safety
KW  - Road construction
KW  - Road construction workers
KW  - Work zone safety
KW  - Work zones
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314291
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218757
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01462434
TI  - Track Design Handbook For Light Rail Transit, Second Edition
AB  - TCRP Report 57: Track Design Handbook for Light Rail Transit</em> provides guidelines and descriptions for the design of various types of light rail transit track. The track structure types covered include ballasted, direct fixation ("ballastless"), and embedded track. The components of the various track types are discussed in detail. The guidelines consider the characteristics and interfaces of vehicle wheels and rail, track and wheel gauges, rail sections, alignments, speeds, and track moduli. The handbook includes chapters on vehicles, alignment, track structures, track components, special trackwork, aerial structure/bridges, corrosion control, noise and vibration, signals, and traction power. These chapters provide insight into considerations that affect track design and require interface coordination. Since its original publication in 2000, this handbook has been extensively used in the design of light rail transit track systems and is now being used as the basis for the development of AREMA/APTA light rail track design standards. However, there is a need for portions of the handbook to be updated based on advancements that have taken place since 2000 before the material can be adopted as AREMA/APTA standards. Information on several additional subjects not fully covered in the original handbook (e.g., stray current, restraining rail issues, ride quality standards and measuring methods) also need to be addressed in more detail in an updated handbook. The objective of this research would be to update <em>TCRP Report 57:</em> <em>Track Design Handbook for Light Rail Transit </em>for use in the development of AREMA/APTA light rail track design standards. This research will review each section of existing TCRP Report 57, identify those sections that are in need of revision, and prepare and execute research plans necessary to update each section. The research will also identify additional sections that need to be added and will provide the necessary material for those sections. Finally, information will be provided that weighs the cost-effectiveness, maintenance requirements, and constructability tradeoffs of the various types of track for use by track designers. Transit agencies frequently build new light rail transit systems, procure light rail vehicles, and undertake track improvements to existing systems to increase operating speeds, enhance service and expand ridership. This research will provide needed technical input into the newly initiated AREMA/APTA light rail track design standards process. These standards will assist in minimizing capital and maintenance costs associated with such efforts.</font></div>
KW  - Alignment
KW  - Ballast (Railroads)
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Handbooks
KW  - Light rail transit
KW  - Railroad bridges
KW  - Railroad tracks
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Track design
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2614
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230655
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461926
TI  - Recycling Strategies for the Airport Industry
AB  - Recycling is a critical aspect of ongoing efforts at airports and airlines to reduce environmental impacts. As airports throughout the country continue to implement and expand recycling programs, consideration should be given to their compatibility with airline recycling programs and the potential for increased recycling of materials from aircraft. Identifying practices and opportunities to improve the types and amount of material recycled from onboard aircraft will serve to further both airlines' and airports' environmental sustainability objectives. Cost-effective recycling of materials from onboard aircraft presents many challenges. From an airline perspective, there are logistical challenges associated with collecting, separating, and storing materials onboard for removal and recycling on the ground. Likewise, airport recycling programs are complicated by varying state and local requirements, local recycling capabilities, airport infrastructure, waste hauling contracts, and airside safety concerns, among other factors. As a result of these complexities, airport recycling programs across the country can vary significantly. The objective of this research is to analyze current airport recycling programs to identify practices to improve the recycling of materials from onboard aircraft, including suggested improvements to increase the amount and type of materials that may be cost-effectively recycled. The research will include consultation with airport and airline environmental managers and research into innovative recycling practices. Given the increased focus on accounting for improved environmental performance, the research should also identify suggested methods to properly allocate credit and economic benefit for recycled materials among the entities engaged in recycling at an airport. The resulting product will be a reference guide for airports contemplating initiating or improving a recycling program that identifies specific measures that can be taken to improve the potential for increased recycling from onboard aircraft. <span>   </span><div></div>
KW  - Aircraft
KW  - Airlines
KW  - Airports
KW  - Cost effectiveness
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Logistics
KW  - Recycled materials
KW  - Recycling
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Sustainable development
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2786
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230146
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465173
TI  - Evaluation of the "Trauma Nurses Talk Tough" Seat Belt Class
AB  - Currently conducted in Oregon, a one-time, two hour "Trauma Nurses Talk Tough" (TNTT) class is offered as an intervention to increase seat belt use and improve driving behavior. Most people attend the $20 class to dismiss a citation for a seat belt violation. The seat belt class is designed to increase the participants' awareness of risk and reasons why people receive injuries, as well as the effectiveness of simple actions that can be taken to prevent a severe injury. The objectives of this project are to implement the TNTT program in a new site outside of Oregon and to assess the effectiveness of attending the TNTT seat belt class as an alternative to paying a fine.
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Injuries
KW  - Nurses
KW  - Oregon
KW  - Seat belt usage
KW  - Seat belts
KW  - Traffic violators
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233406
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461766
TI  - Transportation and Environmental Justice Best Practices Guidebook
AB  - The objective of this research project is to develop a Transportation and Environmental Justice Best Practices 	Guidebook that provides practical strategies and applications to highlight commonplace techniques that have been used to promote environmental justice in transportation. Emphasis should be made to assure that current trends such as livability and sustainability are taken into consideration, when developing the guidebook. The case studies should detail both analytical and procedural issues relevant to a diverse community including:  Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), State departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), transit providers, other partnering government agencies, community organizations, environmental interest and environmental justice advocacy groups, business, academic institutions, and the public.
KW  - Best practices
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Environmental justice
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Research projects
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Sustainable development
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229986
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461941
TI  - Developing a Database-Driven Web Application for Benchmarking Airport Performance
AB  - Benchmarking is the process of identifying best practices in a particular organization or industry and using measures to track performance against an organizational or industry level of quality or excellence. Benchmarks have various purposes. They can be used to measure progress within a particular organization or to compare performance among similar or competing organizations. At airports, benchmarks have frequently been used to measure financial and operational performance. Recently they have also been used to relate levels and types of commercial services with customer satisfaction. Five recognized basics of benchmarking are (1) deciding what and how to measure performance, (2) identifying and analyzing key performance metrics, (3) determining peers for performance comparisons, (4) refining performance goals, and (5) monitoring progress and communicating results to decision makers. Benchmarking is most valuable when used as a catalyst to increase performance to that of leading organizations, which have similar demographic, economic, or operational characteristics. For airports, such peer comparisons can help place performance into perspective and improve the understanding of airport performance.
KW  - Air transportation
KW  - Airport operations
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Economic impacts
KW  - Financial analysis
KW  - Websites (Information retrieval)
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2779
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230161
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01625567
TI  - Examine Feasibility of Alcohol Interlocks for Motorcycles
AB  - The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of the use of alcohol ignition interlocks for motorcycles. A study design will be developed to determine the feasibility of using alcohol ignition interlocks on motorcycles to reduce impaired motorcycle operation.  Data on existing use of motorcycle interlocks for impaired drivers will be collected.  States that use interlocks on motorcycles for impaired driving offenders will be identified, as well as why they are being used in the State, if the interlocks replaced other sanctions or are an additional sanction, and if they replaced sanctions what sanctions the interlocks may have replaced.  Available data on motorcycle interlock use from the States will be identified and documented.  In addition, States using interlocks, as well as vendors and installation experts, will be contacted to gather data on any operational issues that may affect the practicality and functionality of using motorcycle interlocks, as compared to interlocks installed on automobiles.  The data and data sources on interlock use and operational issues will be summarized, and this information on the feasibility of motorcycle ignition interlocks will be analyzed. A final report will be  submitted detailing the project’s objectives, methodology, results, and conclusions.  
KW  - Alcohol ignition interlock devices
KW  - Crash data
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Impaired drivers
KW  - Motorcycle driving
KW  - States
KW  - Traffic safety
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1452946
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465168
TI  - Evaluating a Program Designed to Increase Seat Belt Use Among Recent Hispanic Immigrants
AB  - The objective for this task order is to provide an independent evaluation of the extent to which a community program influenced the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions about seat belt use among newly-arrived Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. (i.e., within the last five years). The National Latino Children's Institute has partnered with two community groups, one in Los Angles (serving primarily Mexican immigrants) and another in Miami (serving largely Cuban, Central and South American immigrants). The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) will collect seat belt and public awareness surveys to monitor how well the materials reached the target audience.
KW  - Awareness
KW  - Community action programs
KW  - Hispanics
KW  - Los Angeles (California)
KW  - Miami (Florida)
KW  - Seat belt usage
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233401
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465158
TI  - Examine the Issues and Impact of 1st Time Offender Interlock Laws on the DWI System
AB  - The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated that there were approximately 1,427,494 arrests for driving under the influence/driving while intoxicated (DUI/DWI) in the United States in 2007. Of those arrested, approximately 100,000 DWI offenders have interlock systems installed on their vehicles. As of 2008, 47 States and the District of Columbia have some form of interlock law; in some States the interlock is mandatory for certain offenses (e.g., repeat offenders, high BAC conviction), whereas in others judges have discretion as to whether to use ignition interlocks as a sanction for a DWI conviction. Eight States (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Washington) have 1st DWI offense interlock laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is interested in examining the issues associated with and the impact of the use of interlocks for 1st time DWI Offenders in States where it is a mandated sanction and to assess any outcomes related to the use of interlocks on the DWI system. There is a lack of information on how ignition interlocks are assigned, how many first time offenders are given this sanction, and when, following arrest, the interlock is actually assigned. NHTSA is also interested in gaining information about administrative interlock sanctions given to 1st time DWI offenders. NHTSA would like to gain information on how the use of interlocks as a sanction for 1st time DWI offenders has had a positive, negative, or neutral impact on the use of other sanctions. This project is an examination of the factors that may result from increased use of interlocks as sanctions for first time offenders. This is not a study on the effectiveness of interlocks; rather, it is an examination of how instituting interlock laws may affect the use of other sanctions.
KW  - Alcohol ignition interlock devices
KW  - Drunk driving
KW  - First offenders
KW  - Repeat offenders
KW  - Traffic conviction
KW  - Traffic safety
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233391
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465157
TI  - Examination of a Model to Foster Leadership to Facilitate Impaired Driving Systems Improvement
AB  - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded a cooperative agreement to the State of Washington to implement a comprehensive impaired driving system improvement model with a focus on fostering leadership to guide program improvements to reduce alcohol impaired driving and related crashes and fatalities. The purpose of this project is to independently document and examine the efforts of the State of Washington in implementing a comprehensive, leadership-based systems model to reduce alcohol-impaired driving. Much of the focus of this evaluation project will be to observe and document the efforts of the States' leadership and their driving while intoxicated (DWI) Task Force, collect data on specific State efforts and/or task force activities; and obtain and analyze state crash data to determine if there are statistically significant changes in alcohol impaired driving crashes and fatalities.
KW  - Drunk driving
KW  - Fatalities
KW  - Impaired drivers
KW  - Leadership
KW  - Traffic crashes
KW  - Traffic safety
KW  - Washington (State)
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233390
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465102
TI  - Identifying Countermeasure Strategies Targeting Older Pedestrians
AB  - In 2007, 4,654 pedestrians were killed and an estimated 70,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes in the United States. In particular, older pedestrians are at a greater risk of being fatally injured during a pedestrian-motor vehicle crash. While the older population, 70 years and older, made up nine percent of the total U.S. population in 2007, pedestrians in this age group accounted for 16 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. By 2030, it is expected that the number of seniors will nearly double. This suggests that even if the current fatality rate remains constant, older persons will make up an even larger portion of all pedestrians fatalities. Over the years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted pedestrian safety programs that have targeted the older pedestrian population. A study conducted in the early 1990s identified high risk pedestrian crash zones in the City of Phoenix and implemented engineering and education countermeasures. The program evaluation showed that there was an overall reduction in the number of older pedestrian crashes. In the early 2000s, a comprehensive pedestrian safety program encompassing engineering, enforcement, and education countermeasures was implemented in Miami-Dade County, FL. However, this program did not result in a reduction in older pedestrian crashes. The goal of this project is to examine the two studies and identify age and culturally appropriate methods of targeting countermeasures to older pedestrian populations, both main stream aging population and older minority populations.
KW  - Aged
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Fatalities
KW  - High risk locations
KW  - Miami-Dade County (Florida)
KW  - Pedestrian safety
KW  - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes
KW  - Phoenix (Arizona)
KW  - Traffic crashes
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233335
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461761
TI  - Highway Traffic Noise Prediction and Analysis FY09 - FY14 Federal Aid to Highway Tasks
AB  - The Volpe Center will provide continuing support to the Travel Noise Model (TNM) by: (1) Designing and developing current and future versions of the TNM. (2) Providing quality assurance validation and testing of the developed software. (3)Providing user support and maintenance of the software. (3) Reviewing requests for state-specific database use in the TNM. (4) Providing support for the development and review of state-specific programs to introduce quiet pavement  as a noise suppression tool. (5) Evaluating and documenting highway noise abatement technologies. (6) Supporting special project analyses. (7) Project management. The following tasks will be performed by the Volpe Center: (A) Software Development. (B) Quality Assurance (QA) Tests. (C)User Support and Software Maintenance. (D) Review State-Specific Database Use in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) TNM and Requests for Demonstrating Other-Model Consistency with the FHWA/TNM. (E) Review and Develop Quiet Pavement Pilot Program/Quiet Pavement and Tire/Pavement Noise Research. (F) Highway Noise Abatement Technology Evaluation and Documentation. (G)Special Project Analyses. (H) Project Management 	 	Future versions of the software will involve further bug fixes and enhancements to the user interface; further  	improvement to the noise computational algorithms; implementation of pavement effects and implementation of a  	meteorological effects module.
KW  - Project management
KW  - Quality assurance
KW  - Quiet pavements
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Software packages
KW  - Technological innovations
KW  - Traffic noise
KW  - Traffic Noise Model
KW  - Validation
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229981
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461775
TI  - Deer-Vehicle Crash, Ecological and Economic Impacts of Reduced Roadside Mowing
AB  - The objectives of this task order are as follows: (1) Review and summarize the research focused on the ecological, economic and safety impacts of reduced roadside mowing policies; (2) Define and document the "typical" roadside vegetation management policies currently applied in the United States; (3) Investigate and quantify the potential Animal-Vehicle Crash (AVC) and/or Deer-Vehicle Crash (DVC) safety-related impacts of reduced roadside mowing policies in comparison to "typical" or more frequent mowing practices; and (4)  Produce a report that describes the "best practices" in the area of roadside vegetation management and decision-making guidelines.
KW  - Animal vehicle collisions
KW  - Best practices
KW  - Decision making
KW  - Deer
KW  - Deer-vehicle collisions
KW  - Economic impacts
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Habitat (Ecology)
KW  - Mowing
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Roadside
KW  - Vegetation
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229995
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146758
AU  - Lopez de Murphy, Maria
AU  - Lissenden, Cliff
AU  - Xiao, Chao
AU  - Pennsylvania State University, University Park
AU  - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Technology Evaluation on Characterization of the Air Void System in Concrete
PY  - 2009/09/17/Final Report
SP  - 122p
AB  - The objective of this project was to evaluate current technologies that have the capability of characterizing the air void system in concrete within the first several hours of placement.  This objective was met by developing a comprehensive technology assessment and literature review, and conducting a laboratory evaluation of two selected technologies: ultrasound and thermography.  The literature review presents a comprehensive assessment of research developments in the area of material characterization and structural health monitoring, focusing on technologies that are currently used to characterize air voids in concrete and those that have the capability of characterizing the air void system in concrete within the first 24 hours of placement.  Special focus was placed on determining which technologies and equipment development may have a strong potential of being implemented in the field.  The laboratory evaluation of the two selected technologies describes results obtained from experiments aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of ultrasound and thermography technologies in characterizing the air void system of fresh concrete, with an eye toward field implementation.  Experimental results showed that both technologies can capture physical features that are significantly affected by the air void system in concrete.
KW  - Air entrainment
KW  - Air voids
KW  - Fresh concrete
KW  - Technology assessment
KW  - Thermographs
KW  - Ultrasound measuring devices
UR  - ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_PDF_FILES/Documents/Research/Complete%20Projects/Extending%20Pavement%20Life/Tech%20Eval%20of%20Air%20Void%20System%20in%20Concrete.pdf
UR  - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/PSU-2008-01.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906265
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01573575
TI  - Asphalt Sustainability Issues: Evaluation of Long-Term Performance of Recycled Additives, Including Recycled Motor Oil, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavements, Reclaimed Asphalt Shingles, and Bioasphalts

AB  - The computer program for calculating solubility parameters is based on (a) elemental composition and aromaticity and (b) group (chemical functional groups) contributions.  Solubility parameters for blended material are needed to generate phase behavior diagrams.


KW  - Additives
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Reclaimed asphalt pavements
KW  - Recycled materials
KW  - Shingles
KW  - Sustainable development
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1366816
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465081
TI  - Evaluation of a Parental Responsibility Program for Teen Drivers
AB  - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) Office of Occupant Protection, under a separate cooperative agreement, is providing funds for the development and implementation of a parental responsibility program in sites to be determined. This program will center around the marketing materials recently developed by NHTSA's Office of Communication and Consumer Information (OCCI), and will include parental enforcement of "house" driving rules for their teen drivers. The program will be designed to increase parents' awareness about their role in setting and enforcing limits for teen drivers. The purpose of this task order is to scientifically evaluate the programs. The contractor for this task order shall coordinate evaluation activities for these demonstration projects.
KW  - Driver training
KW  - Evaluation and assessment
KW  - Parental involvement
KW  - Parents
KW  - Recently qualified drivers
KW  - Teenage drivers
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233314
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01541411
AU  - Bacher-Gresock, Bethaney
AU  - Schwarzer, Julianne Siegel
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Transportation Infrastructure Projects in a Changing Environment
PY  - 2009/09/13
SP  - 18p
AB  - The development of infrastructure facilities can negatively impact critical habitat and essential ecosystems. Concern for ecosystem protection, along with legislation and policy initiatives aimed at fostering an ecosystem-based approach, led an Interagency Steering Team to collaborate over a three-year period to write Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects. The Steering Team shared a vision of an enhanced and sustainable natural environment combined with the view that necessary infrastructure can be developed in ways that are more sensitive to terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Eco-Logical encourages all partners involved in infrastructure planning, design, review, and construction to use existing flexibility in regulatory processes. The Eco-Logical publication puts forth a conceptual framework for integrating plans across agency boundaries and endorses ecosystem-based mitigation – an innovative method of mitigating infrastructure impacts in today’s changing environment. To test the concepts presented in Eco-Logical, the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty initiated a grant program in 2007. Of the 40 applications from across the country, FHWA funded 14 cooperative agreements and 1 interagency agreement, totaling approximately $1.4 million. The purpose of this study is to describe the origins of FHWA‟s Eco-Logical program and explain the progress and lessons learned so far from the FHWA Eco-Logical grant program. The reader will learn about the following subjects: (1) The challenges to providing needed infrastructure in an environmentally sensitive manner and how the Eco-Logical publication offers solutions to these challenges. (2) The ideological and legal precedent for Eco-Logical. Case studies illustrate how the Eco-Logical process can be used by different types of agencies. (3) The impact of the Eco-Logical grant program on both the grant recipients and the agencies that signed Eco-Logical.
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Ecosystems
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Grant aid
KW  - Infrastructure
KW  - Policy, legislation and regulation
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48300/48340/Eco-logical_paper.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1324992
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461762
TI  - Interstate and Border Planning Strategic Outreach Activities
AB  - This Interagency Agreement (IAA) covers technical assistance and strategic communications needed to help advance transportation planning.
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Geospatial technology
KW  - International borders
KW  - Interstate highways
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Strategic planning
KW  - Technological innovations
KW  - United States-Canada Border
KW  - United States-Mexico Border
KW  - Websites (Information retrieval)
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229982
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01573254
TI  - Development of New Default Traffic Datasets for the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide Using the Data from Long-Term Pavement Performance Specific Pavement Study Traffic Data Collection Pooled Fund Study, TPF-5(004)

AB  - The default traffic datasets for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 1-37A Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (the ME PDG) were based on the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) traffic data available in 1998. According to the 1999 interim report, “The Development of the 2002 Guide for the Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures,” the quantity and quality of these data were less than expected. Since that time, the LTPP Traffic Data Collection Pooled Fund Study, Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF)-5(004), has greatly increased the quality and quantity of traffic data available through LTPP.

KW  - Data collection
KW  - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program
KW  - Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide
KW  - National Cooperative Highway Research Program
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Quality assurance
KW  - Specific Pavement Studies (LTPP)
KW  - Traffic data
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1366335
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01573253
TI  - Verification, Refinement, and Applicability of Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Classification Scheme

AB  - The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Expert Task Group (ETG) on Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Traffic Data Collection and Analysis (or Traffic Expert Task Group (Traffic ETG)) identified the inconsistencies in the classification data as problematic. Therefore, under the LTPP Specific Pavement Study (SPS) Traffic Data Collection Pooled-Fund Study, TPF-5(004), the Traffic ETG developed a prototype classification scheme to be used in an effort to bring uniformity to the SPS traffic data collection. It was developed based on the experience of three States. The appropriateness of the application of the LTPP Classification Scheme needs to be done while the SPS data collection is still underway. This is very important research because binned class data cannot be reprocessed into different results. Implementing this national class scheme forms a basis for better data sharing among States. A better understanding of the classification scheme variability will allow pavement designers to account for this in their use of the data. Improved vehicle classification will result in better roadway designs as many States are using classification data in lieu of weight data at many locations. The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide depends upon accurate vehicle classification data. Studies that use traffic data will be impacted by these findings.

KW  - Data collection
KW  - Data sharing
KW  - Highway design
KW  - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program
KW  - Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Specific Pavement Studies (LTPP)
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Traffic data
KW  - Vehicle classification
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1366332
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465140
TI  - Effect of EMS on Outcome of Crashes - Test of a New Methodology
AB  - The objective of this Task Order is to assess the impact that Emergency Medical Service (EMS) care has on the outcomes of motor vehicle crashes. First, the contractor (Booz, Allen &amp; Hamilton [BAH]) will conduct a literature review to describe the "state of the art" in outcomes research for prehospital care.  BAH will then develop a new methodology to estimate the contribution of prehospital care to improve patient outcomes with guidance from experts in trauma-related statistical modeling. Lastly, BAH will demonstrate the utility of the new methodology with a pilot study that tests hypotheses on aspects of prehospital care that may contribute to the morbidity and mortality of victims of a motor vehicle crash.
KW  - Crashes
KW  - Emergency medical services
KW  - Fatalities
KW  - Injuries
KW  - Literature reviews
KW  - State of the art
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233373
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461715
TI  - Verification, Refinement, and Applicability of LTPP Classification Scheme
AB  - Pavement analyses depend upon accurate and consistent load data derived from traffic data. To meet this need, the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program requested that all the states submit data according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 13-category vehicle classification scheme. The practical reality, however, is that the FHWA 13-category vehicle classification scheme is a visual description and the algorithms used to satisfy these criteria vary considerably from state-to-state and vendor-to-vendor. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Expert Traffic Group (ETG) on LTPP Traffic Data Collection and Analysis (or Traffic ETG) identified the inconsistencies in the classification data as problematic. Therefore, under the LTPP Specific Pavement Study (SPS) Traffic Data Collection Pooled-Fund Study, TPF-5(004), the Traffic ETG developed a prototype classification scheme to be used in an effort to bring uniformity to the SPS traffic data collection. It was developed based on three states' experience. Work is needed to verify the applicability of the LTPP Classification Scheme to the wide variety of traffic data collection locations and diversity of vehicles encountered across the Nation. The appropriateness of the application of the LTPP Classification Scheme needs to be done while the SPS data collection is still underway. This is very important research because binned class data cannot be re-processed into different results. Implementing this National class scheme forms a basis for better data sharing among states. A better understanding of the classification scheme variability will allow pavement designers to account for this in their use of the data. Improved vehicle classification will result in better roadway designs as many states are using classification data in lieu of weight data at many locations. The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide depends upon accurate vehicle classification data. Studies that use traffic data will be impacted by these findings.
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Specific Pavement Studies (LTPP)
KW  - Traffic data
KW  - Vehicle classification
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229935
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461714
TI  - Development of New Default Traffic Datasets for the M-E PDG Using the SPS Traffic Data Collection Pooled-Fund Study Data
AB  - Many pavement construction projects cannot justify the collection of site-specific weigh-in-motion (WIM) data solely for design purposes. Use of WIM data from other sites or default traffic values is therefore not uncommon. The default traffic datasets for NCHRP Project 1-37A - the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (M-E PDG) - were based on the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) traffic data available in 1998. According to the 1999 Interim Report "The Development of the 2002 Guide for the Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures," the quantity and quality of these data were less than expected. Since that time, the LTPP Traffic Data Collection Pooled-Fund Study, TPF-5(004) has greatly increased the quality and quantity of traffic data available through LTPP. The M-E PDG is sensitive to traffic inputs and the existing default traffic values are inadequate. This project will rectify this situation with the high-quality traffic data now available from LTPP.
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Traffic data
KW  - Weigh in motion
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229934
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461722
TI  - Explore ITS Technologies for Work Zones and Impact Areas
AB  - The objectives of this project are to identify existing work zone Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications that are appropriate to Federal land road projects, and to provide guidance to federal land units that are considering or implementing work zone ITS systems.
KW  - Federal lands
KW  - Intelligent transportation systems
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Road projects
KW  - Work zone safety
KW  - Work zone traffic control
UR  - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4W2833.aspx
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229942
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01152760
AU  - Howard, Christopher N
AU  - Stolle, Cale J
AU  - Lechtenberg, Karla A
AU  - Faller, Ronald K
AU  - Reid, John D
AU  - Sicking, Dean L
AU  - University of Nebraska, Lincoln
AU  - New York State Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Dynamic Evaluation of a Pinned Anchoring System for New York State’s Temporary Concrete Barriers
PY  - 2009/09/08/Final Report
SP  - 101p
AB  - Temporary concrete barrier (TCB) systems are utilized in many circumstances, including for placement adjacent to vertical dropoffs. Free-standing TCB systems are known to have relatively large deflections when impacted, which may be undesirable when dealing with limited space behind the barrier (as seen on a bridge deck) or limited lane width in front of the barrier system. In order to allow TCB systems to be used in space-restricted locations, a variety of TCB stiffening options have been tested, including beam stiffening and pinning the barriers to the pavement. These pavement-pinning procedures have been considered time-consuming and may pose undue risk to work-zone personnel who are anchoring the barrier on the traffic-side face. Thus, a means of reducing TCB deflections while reducing risk to workers was deemed necessary. The primary research objective was to evaluate the potential for pinning alternate barrier sections on the back-side toe of the New York State’s New Jersey-shape TCBs and evaluate the barrier system according to the Test Level 3 (TL-3) criteria set forth in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). The research study included one 2270P full-scale vehicle crash test with a Dodge Quad Cab pickup truck. Four 15½-in. (394-mm) long, vertical steel pins were placed through holes on the back-side toe of alternating barrier sections and inserted into drilled holes within the rigid concrete surface. Following the successful redirection of the pickup truck, the safety performance of the pinned anchoring system was determined to be acceptable according to the TL-3 evaluation criteria specified in MASH using the 2270P vehicle. However, it should be noted that significant barrier deflections were observed during the crash test and may be greater than those desired for work areas with restricted space.
KW  - Anchoring
KW  - Concrete barriers
KW  - Impact tests
KW  - Pickup trucks
KW  - Pins
KW  - Redirection (Impacting vehicle)
KW  - Safety performance
KW  - Stiffening
KW  - Temporary barriers
UR  - http://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/TRP-03-216-09.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914422
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146801
AU  - Semsick, Dennis R
AU  - O'Brien, Thomas E
AU  - GAI Consultants, Incorporated
AU  - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Effective Utility Accommodation
PY  - 2009/09/08/Final Report
SP  - 200p
AB  - The report presents research regarding methods to improve project delivery times and minimize construction delays due to utility coordination by conducting a study of the current best practices used by six (6) similar state transportation departments, selected PennDOT District staff, consulting engineers, and utility agencies/owners. Through this research, logical, practical, and implementable solutions to the utility relocation and coordination process problems are recommended.
KW  - Civil engineering
KW  - Construction management
KW  - Construction projects
KW  - Coordination
KW  - Project management
KW  - Public utilities
KW  - Subsurface utility engineering
UR  - ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_PDF_FILES/Documents/Research/Complete%20Projects/Smart%20Transportation%20Solutions/Effective%20Utility%20Accommodation.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906267
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01462435
TI  - Audience Measurement for Transit Advertising
AB  - Sale of advertising in public transit facilities and vehicles is a nearly $1 billion industry generating approximately $500 million annually to transit authorities. Yet transit advertising revenue is less than half of one percent of total U.S. ad expenditures. The other 99.5% of advertising revenues goes to television, radio, billboards, the internet, newspapers, magazines, and other media. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), as a service to its transit agency members, has set out to boost transit's share of national advertising expenditures. This is one of several self-help, revenue-generating strategies to enable the transit industry to keep fares down and sustain service to its customers. To increase transit advertising revenues, a recent TCRP study was conducted, <em><span>Practical Measures To Increase Transit Industry Advertising Revenues</span></em> (TCRP Project B-33). Preliminary results from TCRP Project B-33 indicate that a key impedance to increasing transit advertising revenues is the lack of an audience measurement system that can demonstrate the value of transit advertising to potential advertisers.  Other more lucrative media, such as radio and television, have standardized audience measurement systems. These standardized audience measures are successful because they give media buyers confidence that ads will deliver messages to the right audiences cost effectively. The proposed research to develop an audience measurement system for transit is expected to increase transit advertising revenue. Each additional tenth of one percent of advertising market share will generate upwards of $125 million in annual revenue to transit authorities. The objective of this research is to develop an audience measurement system to sharply boost advertising revenue for transit systems.</font></div><div><font size="3"> </font></div>
KW  - Advertising campaigns
KW  - Fares
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Revenues
KW  - Roadside advertising
KW  - Strategic planning
KW  - Transit operating agencies
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2613
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230656
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01457387
AU  - Basu, Prasenjit
AU  - Prezzi, Monica
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Design and Applications of Drilled Displacement (Screw) Piles
PY  - 2009/09/04/Final Report
SP  - 112p
AB  - Drilled displacement (DD) piles (commonly known as screw piles in Europe) are being increasingly used as foundation elements for structures, particularly in projects requiring accelerated construction or involving the rehabilitation of foundations of existing, overstressed structures. Different types of DD piles are available in practice; each type is classified according to the design of the drilling tool and associated installation method. Installation of DD piles causes substantial changes in the state of the soil surrounding the pile. These changes result from the complex loading imposed on the soil by expansion of a cylindrical cavity to make room for the specially designed drilling tool, by torsional and vertical shearing as the drilling tool gradually moves down into the ground, and by the reversed vertical shearing caused by extraction of the drilling tool from the ground. This report consolidates the information available on DD piling technology, reviews and compares the empirical design methods typically used for these piles, and presents a numerical approach to model the shaft resistance of DD piles in sand.  The installation of DD piles produces greater radial displacement of soil than that produced by nondisplacement piles (e.g., drilled shafts), particularly in the case of sandy soils which gain additional strength through densification. This radial displacement of soil around the pile shaft contributes to the high capacity obtained for DD piles. Accordingly, the focus has been on analyzing the shaft resistance of DD piles in sand and proposing a design procedure based on the results of the analyses. The analyses were done using the finite element (FE) method and an advanced constitutive model for sand. The constitutive model captures all the key features required for these analyses, and the FE analyses are 1D analyses of shaft resistance that can handle the large deformations and displacements involved in pile installation. Design equations that can be used to calculate the lateral earth pressure coefficient acting on the pile shaft are proposed.
KW  - Dislocation (Geology)
KW  - Finite element method
KW  - Pile driving
KW  - Pile foundations
KW  - Piles (Supports)
KW  - Sand
KW  - Structural design
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314278
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218744
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01464373
TI  - Sensitivity Evaluation of MEPDG Performance Prediction
AB  - The American Association of State Highway &amp; Transportation Officials (AASHTO) interim edition of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide Manual of Practice (MEPDG) and related software developed under NCHRP provides methodologies for the analysis and performance prediction of different types of flexible and rigid pavements. The performance predicted by these methodologies (in terms of distresses such as cracking, rutting, faulting, and smoothness) for the anticipated climatic and traffic conditions depends on the values of input parameters that characterize pavement materials, layers, design features, and condition. However, these input parameter values are expected to differ to varying degrees and, therefore, the predicted performance may also vary to some degree depending on the input parameter values. Although studies have been conducted to relate predicted performance to differences in input parameter values, these studies have not addressed this relationship in a systematic manner to identify the relative influence of input parameter values on predicted performance. Also, these studies have not considered the combined effects of variations in two or more input parameter values on predicted performance in a comprehensive manner. Research is needed to determine the degree of sensitivity of the performance predicted by the MEPDG to input parameter values. This information will help identify, for specific climatic region and traffic conditions, the input parameters that appear to substantially influence predicted performance. In this manner, users can focus efforts on those input parameters that will greatly influence the pavement design. The objective of this research is to determine the sensitivity of the performance predicted by the MEPDG to variability of input parameter values. The research will deal with all types of flexible and rigid pavements included in the MEPDG. The research shall be conducted using the MEPDG software version available as of October 1, 2008.
KW  - Cracking
KW  - Flexible pavements
KW  - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Rigid pavements
KW  - Rutting
KW  - Sensitivity analysis
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2487
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232602
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01573574
TI  - Detailed Exploration of the Locking Point Concept in Mix Design

AB  - The project will use x-ray computed tomography and mechanical performance tests to evaluate the manner in which aggregate particles pack during mix design to assess whether there is a point where aggregates no longer pack but simply move around. This will be compared to empirical definitions of locking point, which try to define the same thing. Then contemporary performance tests will be used to quantify the performance consequences for alternate mix design practices that attempt to increase binder content and durability without sacrificing permanent deformation (rutting resistance).

KW  - Aggregates
KW  - Binder content
KW  - Durability
KW  - Mechanics
KW  - Mix design
KW  - Rutting
KW  - Tomography
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1366815
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01573546
TI  - Effects of Automated Transit and Pedestrian/Bicycling Facilities on Urban Travel Patterns

AB  - The purpose of this Exploratory Advanced Research project is to assess the potential of transformative improvements in neighborhood-serving transit and pedestrian and cycling facilities to shift neighborhood trips and transit access trips from the automobile to other modes. The neighborhood serving transit concepts will include an automated community transit system. To ensure that the modeled changes are of sufficient magnitude to shift modal choice significantly; transportation and land-use attributes of a city rich in pedestrian, transit, and cycling opportunities will be used as a basis for future scenarios. The analysis will be conducted with specialized agent-based and activity-based transportation models, and enabled through a special household travel survey to allow the potential new service concepts to be visualized and assessed by potential consumers.

KW  - Modal shift
KW  - Mode choice
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Travel patterns
KW  - Travel surveys
KW  - Trip purpose
KW  - Urban areas
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/projects/projectsdb/projectdetails.cfm?projectid=FHWA-PROJ-09-0037
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1366737
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01566753
TI  - Southeast Transportation Consortium
AB  - The Southeast Transportation Consortium and is intended to encourage coordination among member states and provide resources and management of collaborative studies. The consortium intends to address high priority transportation research topics of common interest to the Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) II Region states and for which expertise exists within the region. Its purpose is to pool the financial, professional, and academic resources of the region to conduct research and develop improved methods of dealing with common problems in the planning, design, construction, maintenance, management and operation of transportation systems in the participating states. The objective of this project is to address high priority transportation research topics of common interest and for which expertise exists in these states.
KW  - Construction
KW  - Coordination
KW  - Design
KW  - Maintenance
KW  - Management
KW  - Planning and design
KW  - Southeastern United States
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/440
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1358409
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01467318
TI  - Capturing Wellbeing in Activity Pattern Models Within Activity-Based Travel Demand Models
AB  - Understanding activity patterns and the causes of well-being, offers the ability to model the responses to changes in policy, and subsequently predict disruptive changes in urban systems. People aim to enhance their well-being. Human activity is driven by needs that can be satisfied with subsequent activities. Once the needs are satisfied, the result is well-being. It has long been recognized that travel demand is derived from the demand for activities such as work, leisure and shopping. However, existing models of the demand for those activities have poor explanatory power and lack in behavioral realism. This research proposes to model the demand for activity patterns using a well-being maximization approach. The resulting innovative activity pattern models will contribute to the strategic management of disruptive changes in transportation systems, particularly in the area of disruptive environments such as traffic congestion. The research will draw upon methodologies from various scientific and applied disciplines, including transportation, psychology, economics, and behavioral economics. A web-based activity diary survey will be conducted to collect self-reported indicators of well-being. Discrete choice and structural equations with latent variables modeling techniques will be used to identify the interrelationships between well-being, its causes, indicators, and activities.
KW  - Activity choices
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Public health
KW  - Travel behavior
KW  - Travel demand
KW  - Travel patterns
KW  - Well-being
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235554
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01467317
TI  - Linking Mileage to Auto Accident Risk and Urban Form
AB  - The proposed research combines spatially detailed information about vehicle miles traveled (VMT), urban form, and automobile accidents in the most extensive analysis yet undertaken of mileage based risk and the influence of urban form.  Pricing auto insurance on a per-mile basis could provide a beneficial, cost-based incentive to reduce vehicle miles traveled compared with traditional rating plans that charge annual premiums with little or no consideration of miles driven.  However, interaction effects complicate attempts to demonstrate the potential benefit of mileage-based pricing.  For example, geography and urban form can mask some of the mileage effect since urban motorists tend to drive fewer miles, but in riskier places.  Multivariate analysis and large sample sizes are necessary to address the complexity of driver/place combinations and the infrequency of auto accidents.  We combine spatially detailed GIS data layers for housing, infrastructure, and demographic factors with two unique Massachusetts State datasets for millions of vehicles in order to associate accident experience both with actual miles driven (for private passenger vehicles) and with driver and place-of-garaging characteristics.  The work involves close collaboration with MassGIS (the State's GIS Office) and with the Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), two key state and regional planning agencies involved in the policy analysis and modeling of land use, growth management, and transportation strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  We estimate VMT for vehicles garaged in similar types of places (based on population and road density, proximity to highway/transit, and the like) and estimate the per-mile-driven claims costs both for traditional categories of drivers, rating territories and vehicle types, and for places with similar urban form.  These per-mile estimates are then combined with price elasticity of demand for gasoline and with MAPC projections of regional growth in order to estimate the VMT savings from mileage-based insurance pricing and from alternative metropolitan growth scenarios.
KW  - Boston (Massachusetts)
KW  - Crash risk forecasting
KW  - Geographic information systems
KW  - Insurance rates
KW  - Mileage-based user fees
KW  - Urban form
KW  - Vehicle miles of travel
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235553
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01464472
TI  - Validating an Endurance Limit for HMA Pavements: Laboratory Experiment and Algorithm Development
AB  - Implementation of a fully characterized endurance limit in the mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) software will enhance the ability to prepare long-life hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement designs that achieve a balance between practical layer thickness and satisfactory fatigue performance. National Cooperative Highway Research Project NCHRP) Project 9-44 prepared a multi-part work plan to (1) validate, through an analysis of laboratory and field data, the existence of an endurance limit for HMA pavements characterized in NCHRP Project 9-38; (2) determine, insofar as possible, the shift factor between the endurance limits for HMA mixes measured in the laboratory and the field; and (3) identify and recommend methodologies for incorporating an endurance limit in the MEPDG and other approaches to HMA mechanistic-empirical pavement design. Based on the results of a workshop with the participation of U.S. and international experts in HMA fatigue cracking, the 9-44 contractor has proposed the incorporation of a variable endurance limit that is likely a function of mixture composition, binder properties, temperature, aging, and duration of rest periods in HMA pavement analysis through the modification of current fatigue relationships in the MEPDG. Thus, the work plan includes a laboratory experiment to quantify the effect of these variables on the rate of damage and damage recovery. The research plan further proposes the use of accelerated pavement testing (APT) to validate certain effects in the high-strain region of the fatigue curve; however, the overall field validation effort is focused on the evaluation of full-scale test roads and in-service pavement sections. The analysis of in-service pavements requires their detailed composition and construction history and the ability to make and document assumptions where such firm data do not exist. This situation argues for an in-depth analysis of a small number of well-documented pavements. Research is needed to (1) carry out the laboratory portion of the research plan developed in NCHRP Project 9-44 within the bounds described in the tasks below and (2) produce an algorithm to implement a fatigue endurance limit in the MEPDG and other selected design methods. A future Project 9-44B is anticipated to conduct field validation of the endurance limit algorithm and further revise the algorithm as determined by the results of the field validation. The objectives of this research are to (1) carry out a laboratory experiment to identify the mixture and pavement layer design features related to an endurance limit for bottom-initiated fatigue cracking of HMA and (2) develop an algorithm to incorporate this endurance limit into the MEPDG and other selected pavement design methods.
KW  - Asphalt mixtures
KW  - Cracking
KW  - Fatigue (Mechanics)
KW  - Hot mix asphalt
KW  - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
KW  - Pavement design
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2518
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232702
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461724
TI  - FWS Traffic Monitoring Assessment and Demo
AB  - The purpose of this project is to evaluate the current traffic monitoring practices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and make plans for a series of demonstration projects to test alternative techniques for improving visitor estimation.
KW  - Demonstration projects
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Traffic estimation
KW  - Traffic surveillance
KW  - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
KW  - Visitors
UR  - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4W2788.aspx
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229944
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01518744
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
AU  - Department of the Interior
AU  - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
TI  - Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands (ATPPL) Program: Review: Summary and Results of Transportation Assistance Group (TAG) Activities Conducted to Date
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 21p
AB  - Beginning in late 2006, the Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands (ATPPL) Program — jointly administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) — conducted a number of site-specific Transportation Assistance Group (TAG) activities, aimed at providing recommendations to federal land management agency (FLMA) staff on addressing transportation needs. These TAGs, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Transportation John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, were based on a similar series of successful activities, also known as TAGs, begun several years ago by the National Park Service (NPS) as part of its Alternative  Transportation Program. Land units operated by NPS, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are eligible to submit project proposals for ATPPL funding. In some cases, potential applicants need assistance in scoping projects or in identifying their transportation problems and needs: few land units have transportation experts on staff, and ATPPL, as a new program, is not yet well understood. In other cases, land units may have transportation issues that could be effectively addressed by an effort much smaller than a months-long planning study. TAGs — usually a 2-3 day site visit by an interagency team of transportation professionals — are intended to  respond to all of these cases: delivering technical assistance, strengthening project applications, raising awareness of the ATPPL program, and saving FTA, DOI, and the FLMAs a great deal of time, money, and effort. To date, 11 TAGs have been conducted under the ATPPL program, as summarized in this document.
KW  - Alternatives analysis
KW  - Federal Land Management Agencies
KW  - Financing
KW  - National parks
KW  - Public land
KW  - Recommendations
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48500/48579/UPDATEDtagsummary2009.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290270
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01482450
AU  - Dukatz, Erv
AU  - Haddock, John
AU  - Hall, Kevin
AU  - Kliewer, Julie
AU  - Marek, Chuck
AU  - Musselman, Jim
AU  - Regimand, Ali
AU  - West, Randy
AU  - Sholar, Greg
AU  - Tran, Nam
AU  - National Center for Asphalt Technology
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - A Review of Aggregate and Asphalt Mixture Specific Gravity Measurements and Their Impacts on Asphalt Mix Design Properties and Mix Acceptance
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 42p
AB  - A task group under the direction of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Asphalt Mix and Construction Expert Task Group examined the methods currently used to measure specific gravity in hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures. The methods examined include: maximum specific gravity of asphalt mixtures; bulk specific gravity of coarse and fine aggregates; and bulk specific gravity of compacted HMA specimens. The task group looked at the shortcomings of each method, recommended alternative testing methods, and analyzed mix design properties and acceptance methods.
KW  - Acceptance tests
KW  - Coarse aggregates
KW  - Fine aggregates
KW  - Hot mix asphalt
KW  - Measuring methods
KW  - Mix design
KW  - Recommendations
KW  - Specific gravity
UR  - http://www.ncat.us/files/reports/2012/rep12-06.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250367
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01478243
AU  - Rao, Shreenath
AU  - Mallela, Jagannath
AU  - Hoffman, Gary
AU  - Applied Research Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Michigan Demonstration Project: Performance Contracting for Construction on M-115 in Clare County, MI
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 67p
AB  - As part of a national initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration under the Highways for LIFE program, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) was awarded a $1 million grant to demonstrate the use of innovative technologies for construction contracting using performance contracting for construction (PCfC). This report documents the contracting methods used to encourage and reward contractor innovation on construction of M-115, a two-lane rural highway in Clare County near Mt. Pleasant, MI. This report includes contracting details of the construction project with specifics on the incentives and disincentives MDOT offered to encourage the contractor to meet or exceed MDOT requirements for performance measures such as early opening to traffic, early construction and cleanup completion, pavement performance, ride quality, worker safety during construction, reduced work zone crashes, and reduced motorist delays. The report also describes the project construction and steps the contractor took to earn incentives. Details of the experiences of MDOT and the contractor are also included. MDOT’s overall conclusion was that the project was successful and the agency would use performance-based contracting on future projects when appropriate. The as-constructed roadway added $1,369,072 to the initial cost of the project. The incremental initial costs after considered user-costs was $690,226. However, the warranty resulted in the contractor constructing a roadway with potentially improved long-term performance as compared to that specified in the request for proposal (RFP). The life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) showed that the baseline project will cost MDOT and the users of the roadway $7,801,876 in terms of net present value (NPV) based on a 20-year analysis period. By comparison, the as-constructed project will cost $6,150,201 in terms of NPV, for a total savings of $1,651,675. Through the use of PCfC, the project was completed with minimal disruption to the traveling public, and provided MDOT with a safer, smoother pavement with a 5-year warrant y, and lower life-cycle costs.
KW  - Construction projects
KW  - Contracting
KW  - Disincentives
KW  - Economic analysis
KW  - Highways for LIFE
KW  - Incentives
KW  - Michigan Department of Transportation
KW  - Performance contracts
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - Technological innovations
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/summary/pdfs/mi_090209.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247039
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01470690
AU  - Maine Department of Transportation
AU  - Department of Transportation
TI  - Statewide Transportation Improvement Program Federal Fiscal Years 2010-2011-2012-2013 Revised
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 242p
AB  - The Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) is a federally required four-year transportation capital improvement program. Federal regulations require each state to produce a STIP that identifies federal funding by year for scheduled transportation programs receiving Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) or Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding. The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) produces a STIP every two years to meet the following requirements: (1) The State must show Fiscal Constraint, that it is not scheduling more transportation projects for construction, by year, than it reasonably can expect funding for; (2) To certify that the State’s transportation program conforms to Federal air quality regulations. Since Maine already produces a state initiated biennial Capital Work Plan, the STIP essentially is a formal submittal of FHWA and FTA funded projects, which make up most of the Capital Work Plan to federal agencies. Schedule information in the STIP is based on anticipated year of obligation of federal funds. Although federal obligation of funds is related to project scheduling, projects may have federal obligations years after project construction is complete due to MaineDOT’s use of federal Advance Construction regulations. For instance, a project that is scheduled for construction in calendar year 2010 may not have any anticipated federal obligations until federal fiscal year 2011 or later. Parties that are interested in construction schedule information are encouraged to contact MaineDOT for project details instead of relying on the obligation schedule information indicated by the STIP.
KW  - Air quality
KW  - Construction
KW  - Federal aid
KW  - Financing
KW  - Improvements
KW  - Maine
KW  - Transportation planning
KW  - U.S. Federal Highway Administration
KW  - U.S. Federal Transit Administration
UR  - http://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1050&context=mdot_docs
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1238114
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01457943
AU  - McCullouch, Bob G
AU  - Leung, Michelle
AU  - Kang, Won Jin
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) for Road Condition Reporting
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 55p
AB  - This project developed an automated vehicle location (AVL) system for Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) that utilized the statewide wireless network, SAFE-T. This option was chosen after doing a cost analysis of commercial AVL systems that use cellular data communications. The system developed provides real time information collected during snow and ice removal. Information includes weather and road conditions, truck speed, amount of chemicals spread, time, location, plow position, and road temperature. This information is displayed on INDOT geographic information system  maps available through a browser on the INDOT network. The data is also transferred to the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) that INDOT uses in winter activities. This system experienced significant data transfer problems and consequently was eliminated as a viable AVL alternative. Therefore other commercial AVL systems were evaluated in this study.Other activities included investigating other hardware options for data collection and data transfer. Also, a hotspot method for data transfer was tested to do batch data transfer. A summer AVL application for paint stripping was developed.Two other commercial systems were evaluated, IWAPI and ThomTech. The IWAPI system was evaluated over three winter seasons and Thomtech for the 08-09 season. Both systems experienced data transfer problems which seems to be the biggest issue with AVL systems. Overall most users were satisfied with how the systems operated and with the information being collected and reported.The project exposed issues that exist with all types of AVL systems. There are plusses and minuses, and costs and benefits. These are described in the report. One outcome is that AVL systems are not a panacea, they offer better information and benefits, but are they economically justifiable? An internal INDOT study was performed during the 08-09 season that shows a savings of $10,000,000 in salt costs that can be attributed to some degree the use of AVL and MDSS.
KW  - Automatic vehicle location
KW  - Condition surveys
KW  - Data communications
KW  - Decision support systems
KW  - Snow removal
KW  - Winter maintenance
KW  - Wireless communication systems
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314293
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218759
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01457940
AU  - Levenberg, Eyal
AU  - McDaniel, Rebecca S
AU  - Olek, Jan
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Validation of NCAT Structural Test Track Experiment Using INDOT APT Facility
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 175p
AB  - The National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) operates a full-scale test road for studying the response and performance of asphalt pavements. During the 2003 - 2005 testing phase, NCAT instrumented eight of their test sections with stress and strain gauges. Two of the test sections were later replicated, along with embedded instrumentation, for subsequent testing in the accelerated pavement testing (APT) facility operated by the Indiana Department of Transportation. The availability of similarly constructed and instrumented pavement systems loaded in different conditions offered a unique opportunity to develop and test the forecastability of pavement models. Exploring this aspect is the topic of the present work, in which an attempt is made to use the APT experiment in conjunction with laboratory test results, and forecast resilient responses obtained at NCAT that were generated under completely different loading and environmental conditions. The modeling and analysis methodologies are outlined in detail and the calculation results are compared with NCAT measurements. Findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are given.
KW  - Accelerated tests
KW  - Asphalt pavements
KW  - Asphalt tests
KW  - Elasticity (Mechanics)
KW  - Field tests
KW  - Indiana Department of Transportation
KW  - Instrumentation
KW  - Modulus of resilience
KW  - National Center for Asphalt Technology
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Test tracks
KW  - Validity
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314311
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218782
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01454878
AU  - Huang, Pao-Tsung
AU  - Patel, Mital
AU  - Santagata, Maria Caterina
AU  - Bobet, Antonio
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Classification of Organic Soils
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 180p
AB  - The presence of organics in soils is generally associated with high compressibility, significant secondary compression, often  unsatisfactory strength characteristics, and low unit weight. As a result of the above, many state departments of transportation (DOT) in the United States have strict limits on the maximum value of the  organic content (2-7%) that can be present in soils to be used as  subgrades and backfills. The loss on ignition test is the most widely used technique for measuring organic content. However, especially  for low organic content soils, this method can lead to significantly overestimating the true organic content. As a result, certain soils may be  incorrectly classified and erroneously considered unviable for certain applications; in other cases unnecessary costly treatments may be  requested, even if not required. These are the issues motivating the research presented in this report, which addressed the classification of organic soils and the quantification of organic matter in soils.  The research reviewed existing classification systems for organic soils, the effects of organic matter on the geotechnical properties of soils, and the methods for determination of organic content. In addition to the review of the existing literature, this research also included  experimental work conducted on natural soils with varying organic content, as well as on laboratory prepared (“artificial”) organic soils.  The experiments performed included loss on ignition tests (LOI), Atterberg limits, colorimetric tests, dry combustion tests, thermal analyses, and  X-ray diffraction analyses.  This work led to proposing a system for classifying organic soils which is based on the percentage of organic matter present: soils with organic content <3% are termed mineral soils; if the organic content is >3% and < 15%, soils are classified as mineral soils with organics;  when the organic content exceeds 15% but is <30%, the term organic soil is employed. Finally, soils with organic content higher than 30% are termed highly organic soils or peats. Given the potential errors associated with measuring organic content using the LOI method, this research proposes an approach based on the combined use of the LOI test, the liquid limit test, and the the colorimetric test.
KW  - Atterberg limits
KW  - Classification
KW  - Colorimetry
KW  - Geotechnical properties
KW  - Liquid limits
KW  - Loss on ignition
KW  - Organic content
KW  - Organic soils
KW  - Soils by organic content
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314328
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218799
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01454159
AU  - Zhang, Jing
AU  - Golub, Michael
AU  - Alaska University Transportation Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Feasibility Study of Electric Cars in the Cold Regions
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 6p
AB  - Electric vehicles, cars that run on electricity stored in batteries, have drawn increasing interest from federal agencies, the auto industry, and academia as a promising path to reduced reliance on fossil fuels and elimination of pollutants. This project studied the feasibility of using electric vehicles as reliable transportation in cold regions. Researchers evaluated conditions in which the electric car is appropriate, and they addressed the use of electric cars as a mode of transportation, the optimal distance between origin and destination, and potential environmental impacts on transportation operations. Data was collected in several Alaska urban areas, including Fairbanks and Barrow, as a case study. Project results include data and analysis of electric car performance for urbanized areas in cold regions. Results suggested that electric vehicles can be a viable option for certain users in subarctic and arctic communities. For example, researchers learned of a 1986 Chevy Sprint converted in Barrow, Alaska. The car is driven daily for three miles, from one heated garage to another. Electric cars are infamous for not going too far or too fast. Student researchers compiled energy usage on nine test vehicles during driving and while charging. Initial results showed that one test car, a Chevy Metro, used a trim 250 watt hours per mile. The study found that many variables affect electric car efficiency. As one example, in colder areas such as Alaska and Canada, some infrastructure for public heater block outlets already exists, in parking garages and at parking meters, provided primarily for engine pre-heating. When an electric car uses these outlets, its efficiency doubles. The knowledge gained through this study will assist departments of transportation in cold regions when considering adopting electric cars as an alternative transportation method.
KW  - Alaska
KW  - Block heaters
KW  - Electric automobiles
KW  - Energy consumption
KW  - Feasibility analysis
KW  - Frigid regions
UR  - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/02/Feasibility-Study-of-Electric-Cars_Final-Report.093009pdf-ineautc1115.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46200/46234/Feasibility_Study_of_Electric_Cars_Final_Report.093009pdf-ineautc1115.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218639
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01446518
AU  - Kumar, Ashok
AU  - Shandilya, Kaushik K
AU  - University of Toledo
AU  - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Characterization and Speciation of Fine Particulate Matter inside the Public Transport Buses Running on Bio-Diesel
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 35p
AB  - Air pollution with respect to particulate matter was investigated in Toledo, Ohio, USA, a city of approximately 300,000, in 2009. Two study buses were selected to reflect typical exposure conditions of passengers while traveling in the bus. Monitoring inside the bus was done in the spring and summer seasons. Particulate matter levels found inside the bus were well below the USEPA standards. Scanning electron microscope analysis was used to identify the possible sources. Particle shape and size distribution analysis was conducted and aspect ratios were determined; the results will be used to find out the potential particle dynamics inside the bus. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were analyzed to determine potential carcinogenic matter exposure to passengers. The absence of carcinogens in all the samples suggests healthful air quality levels inside the bus. SEM methodology is a valuable tool for studying the distribution of particulate pollutants. These patterns represented the morphological characteristics of single inhalable particles in the air inside the bus in Toledo. The size distribution was generally multi-modal for the ULSD but uni-modal for the B20-fueled bus. The aspect ratio found for different filters collected inside the bus fueled by both the B20 blend and ULSD ranged 2.4-3.6 and 2.3- 2.9 in average value with standard deviation range 0.9-7.4 and 1-7.3 respectively. The square and oblong particles represented the single inhalable particles’ morphology characteristics in the air of a Toledo transit bus.
KW  - Air quality
KW  - Biodiesel fuels
KW  - Electron microscopes
KW  - Hydrocarbons
KW  - Particulates
KW  - Toledo (Ohio)
KW  - Transit buses
UR  - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/af-21/pdf/MIOH_UTC_AF21p1_2009_Final_Report_Characterization_and_Speciation_of_Fine_Particulate_Matter_etc.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1213751
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01384759
AU  - Bean, J D
AU  - Kahane, C J
AU  - Mynatt, M
AU  - Rudd, R W
AU  - Rush, C J
AU  - Wiacek, C
AU  - United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
TI  - Fatalities in frontal crashes despite seat belts and air bags: September 2009 review of all CDS cases: model and calendar years 2000-2007: 122 fatalities
PY  - 2009/09
IS  - DOT HS 811 102
SP  - 78p
AB  - Why are people still dying in frontal crashes despite seat belt use, air bags, and the crashworthy structures of late-model vehicles?  Statistical analyses show the combination of seat belt use and air bags is highly effective, reducing fatality risk by 61 percent compared to an unbelted occupant of a vehicle not equipped with air bags - but 61 percent is not 100 percent.  To address the question, an interdisciplinary NHTSA team reviewed every case of a frontal fatality to a belted driver or right-front passenger in a model year 2000 or newer vehicle in the Crashworthiness Data System (CDS) of the National Automotive Sampling System through calendar year 2007.  Aside from a substantial proportion of these 122 crashes that are just exceedingly severe, the main reason people are still dying is because so many crashes involve poor structural engagement between the vehicle and its collision partner: corner impacts, oblique crashes, impacts with narrow objects, and underrides.  By contrast, few if any of these 122 fatal crashes were full-frontal or offset-frontal impacts with good structural engagement, unless the crashes were of extreme severity or the occupants exceptionally vulnerable.
KW  - Accident analysis
KW  - Accident type
KW  - Automobiles
KW  - Car
KW  - Crash analysis
KW  - Crash types
KW  - Crashworthiness
KW  - Crashworthiness
KW  - Fatalities
KW  - Fatality
KW  - Frontal crashes
KW  - Head on collision
KW  - Road safety (engineering and vehicles)
KW  - Usa
KW  - Vehicle safety
KW  - Vehicle safety
UR  - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811102.PDF
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1152522
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01376079
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Longer Combination Vehicles on Exclusive Truck Lanes:
Interstate 90 Corridor Case Study
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 67p
AB  - Separated truck lanes, in conjunction with the use of longer combination vehicles (LCV), present a potential opportunity to boost transportation productivity and reduce emissions and energy consumption per ton mile of freight moved for the nation’s highway commerce while at the same time improving safety through the elimination of conflicts with passenger cars. Recent studies suggest that trucking economics may support the feasibility of truck toll lane development with the provision of opportunities for the trucking industry to realize greater productivity through the expanded utilization of LCVs – double or triple trailers. This would potentially allow LCVs to operate on toll truck ways in states where LCV operations are now allowed, or toll truckways to be built in states where they are not allowed provided Federal legislation supports it, permitting such tolls on appropriate portions of the Interstate and, in some cases, using Interstate right-of-way for expansions to accommodate the toll truck ways.  This study investigates the potential feasibility of exclusive truck lanes (ETL) in a multistate corridor that could potentially benefit from new connectivity of LCV networks. In order to identify the potential issues and impacts of implementation of an ETL allowing LCVs, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) directed the study team to identify the basic construction and operating parameters of the facility; and to provide initial estimates of facility utilization, toll revenue, and other performance metrics to enable the FHWA to determine future follow-up studies or pilot testing programs. This is not a policy study, it is a technical study to examine the various impacts of ETLs that have been raised in recent literature. After examining several possible corridors, the FHWA and the study team determined that the Interstate 90 corridor between the Chicago, Boston, and New York City metropolitan areas would serve as a worthy proxy.  The “LCV gap” on the study portion of the I-90 corridor occurs between Cleveland, Ohio, and the New York/Pennsylvania State Line. I-80 in Indiana and Ohio allow LCVs and this study tests the impacts of connecting I-80 to the New York Throughway that currently also allows LCVs.
KW  - Highway corridors
KW  - Interstate 90
KW  - Longer combination vehicles
KW  - Toll truckways
KW  - Tractor trailer combinations
KW  - Truck facilities
KW  - Truck lanes
KW  - Truck traffic
KW  - Trucks
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/otps/110721/lcv_etl.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1143782
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01370155
AU  - Carlson, Paul
AU  - Picha, Dale
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Sign Retroreflectivity Guidebook for Small Agencies, Federal Land Management Agencies, and Tribal Governments
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 58p
AB  - “Retroreflectivity” describes how light is reflected from a surface and returned to its original source (“retro”-reflector). Traffic signs are made with retroreflective sheeting materials to increase their visibility at night. Maintaining traffic sign retroreflectivity is important to promoting nighttime traffic safety. This document was developed to assist small-sized agencies without traffic engineering staff in meeting the new Federal requirements for maintaining traffic sign retroreflectivity on roads open to public travel. By considering the needs and capabilities of small agencies, this document provides the necessary information needed to be in compliance with the new traffic sign retroreflectivity requirements. Two products were produced. One is a stand-alone computer-based package (known as the Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity Toolkit) that includes the new retroreflectivity requirements as well as the necessary information needed to implement a program that will be in compliance with the new requirements. The second product is a hard copy of the computer-based package, without many of the features included in the computer-based package. These documents will help small agencies meet the new traffic sign retroreflectivity requirements while considering their limited resources.
KW  - Federal Land Management Agencies
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Night visibility
KW  - Retroreflectivity
KW  - Traffic signs
KW  - Tribal government
UR  - http://rebar.ecn.purdue.edu/ltap1/Resources/Publications/Sign_Retroreflectivity_Guidebook.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1137204
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01354094
AU  - Ramseyer, Chris C
AU  - Gastgeb, Matt
AU  - University of Oklahoma, Norman
AU  - Oklahoma Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Creation of an ODOT Specification for Patching or Overlay of Bridge Decks
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 98p
AB  - Portland cement concrete roadways are quickly deteriorating, thus requiring a patching mix to be developed. Research has been done to create a very early strength concrete mix using Type 1 Portland cement. These mixes, however, have used a liquid accelerator. It was the goal of this research to develop an early strength mix using type I/II type Portland cement, with a dry accelerator. This report outlines the development and testing of an early strength mix using a dry accelerator. The mix developed during this research meets all requirements detailed in the report. It can achieve a compressive strength of 4,000psi in six hours and performs just as well as the mixes with the liquid accelerator.
KW  - Accelerating agents
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Concrete overlays
KW  - Patching
KW  - Portland cement concrete
KW  - Repairing
KW  - Very early strength concrete
UR  - http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/spr-rip/library/reports/fhwa-ok0809.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117295
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01352916
AU  - Gallagher, Susan
AU  - Western Transportation Institute
AU  - Montana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - 2009 Summer Transportation Institute
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 34p
AB  - The Western Transportation Institute hosted a two-week residential Summer Transportation Institute (STI) for sixteen high school students on the Montana State University campus from June 14 to June 26, 2009. Participants included Montana residents, one student from California, one from New Mexico, and one from Indiana. The students ranged from rising tenth to rising twelfth graders. They participated in a comprehensive academic program that introduced them to various modes of transportation and highlighted transportation safety issues. Team design-build activities encouraged leadership and problem-solving skills. Students learned about college and career opportunities in the transportation field. The STI enhancement program promoted career and college survival skills and encouraged sportsmanship and collegiality among the STI cohort.
KW  - Education and training
KW  - High school students
KW  - Summer Transportation Institute, Montana State University
KW  - Transportation careers
KW  - Transportation safety
UR  - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/research/external/docs/research_proj/summer/final_report09.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45800/45826/final_report09_47.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117514
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01349468
AU  - Mabirizi, Daniel
AU  - Bulut, Rifat
AU  - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
AU  - Oklahoma Transportation Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Unsaturated Soil Moisture Drying and Wetting Diffusion Coefficient Measurements in the Laboratory
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 90p
AB  - Transient moisture flow in an unsaturated soil in response to suction changes is controlled by the unsaturated moisture diffusion coefficient. The moisture diffusion coefficient can be determined by measuring suction profiles over time. The laboratory testing approach involves measurement of the total suction changes with time using thermocouple psychrometers in cylindrical soil specimens with predetermined boundary conditions. The determination of the diffusion coefficient by this method is simple and relatively rapid and can be carried out on a routine basis in a geotechnical engineering laboratory. It is well-known that soils exhibit hysteresis with drying and wetting cycles. A similar hysteresis has been observed between the drying and wetting diffusion parameters for a number of undisturbed soil samples obtained from field borings across Oklahoma. The wetting diffusion coefficients are generally greater than the drying diffusion coefficients by a factor of up to 2.
KW  - Diffusion coefficients
KW  - Drying
KW  - Hysteresis
KW  - Oklahoma
KW  - Soil suction
KW  - Soil water
KW  - Unsaturated soils
KW  - Wetting
UR  - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-11-F.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107975
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01343654
AU  - Parker, Robert
AU  - Johnson, Bethany
AU  - University of Oregon, Eugene
AU  - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Expanding Service Learning Models in Transportation
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 24p
AB  - This Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) education project links experiential education with local transportation planning through a collaborative partnership between the University of Oregon, the Lane Transit District, and the cities of Eugene and Springfield. The Community Planning Workshop (CPW) is an experiential/service learning program affiliated with the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management at the University of Oregon. Through this service learning program, graduate students learn professional planning skills while assisting communities in actual planning and policy projects.The project results include: (1) the completion of the following six deliverables: EmX Evaluation Framework Document, EmX Stakeholder Perceptions Document, Bus Rapid Transit Case Studies Document, Business Survey Report, Fairmount Neighborhood Survey Report, EmX Website Evaluation; and (2) the development of a rich, cross-disciplinary, experiential learning opportunity that could be replicated in other universities. Recognizing the need to create a vehicle to share the results of this project, CPW created a website targeted to communities and universities. Community members, city staff, and/or university faculty can go to this site and download the documents to use as an example for their own community, or download CPW’s service learning curriculum. This website will host all deliverables from University of Oregon OTREC projects related to service learning.
KW  - Bus rapid transit
KW  - City planning
KW  - Education
KW  - Eugene (Oregon)
KW  - Lane Transit District
KW  - Partnerships
KW  - Springfield (Oregon)
KW  - Transportation planning
KW  - University of Oregon
UR  - http://otrec.us/project/264
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106024
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01342235
AU  - Ramseyer, Chris
AU  - Kiamanesh, Roozbeh
AU  - University of Oklahoma, Norman
AU  - Oklahoma Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Optimizing Concrete Mix Designs to Produce Cost Effective Paving Mixes
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 122p
AB  - This research is designed to determine the effect of the mechanically activated fly ash on fresh concrete properties and the ultimate strength of the hardened concrete. Six types of fly ash that are locally available in the state of Oklahoma were used in this research. The activation of the fly ash was performed with a modified ball mill to increase the hydration reaction rate of the fly ash particles. Two primary variables were studied in this research; Grinding duration and the percentage of fly ash as a portion of cementitious material. The fly ash was ground for 30 and 120 minutes. The ground fly ash was used as a cementitious material in the concrete in various proportions; 20, 40, and 60% of the weight. The strength of each mix was compared with plain Portland cement concrete and the concrete samples with un-ground fly ash to determine any changes. The results of this study show that the concrete with higher proportions of fly ash has higher workability, although the strength of the samples decreases in most cases if high volume of fly ash is used. However, the results indicate that grinding the fly ash can mechanically active the particles and not only improve the strength of the samples with high proportions of fly ash, but also increase the strength higher than traditional Portland cement concrete.
KW  - Concrete
KW  - Fly ash
KW  - Grinding
KW  - Mix design
KW  - Optimization
KW  - Paving materials
KW  - Portland cement concrete
KW  - Properties of materials
KW  - Ultimate strength
UR  - http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/spr-rip/library/reports/fhwa-ok0811.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103947
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01341150
AU  - Department of Transportation
TI  - Recovering From Disasters: The National Transportation Recovery Strategy
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 54p
AB  - The U.S. transportation network includes more than 360 seaports, 26,000 miles of navigable water channels, approximately 4 million miles of roads and highways, more than 140,000 miles of freight rail, about 4,450 miles of commuter rail, around 168,000 miles of bus lines, more than 5,200 public-use airports, and well over a million miles of gas and oil pipeline. This network takes millions of people to and from work, school, and vacation destinations every day, and transports goods and services from one coast to the other and everywhere in between, including your own community. Communities hit hard by disaster face a variety of complex issues and choices during the disaster recovery process. When dealing with a multitude of demands for limited resources, the transition to recovery will be easier if the community takes the opportunity to convene those responsible for overseeing the recovery of various infrastructure networks together with residents to plan for the overall community recovery process. It is vital that all essential service providers in the community participate in this discussion.
KW  - Air transportation
KW  - Disasters
KW  - Disasters and emergency operations
KW  - Emergency management
KW  - Incident management
KW  - Pipeline transportation
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Recovery operations
KW  - Transportation modes
KW  - Transportation networks
KW  - Water transportation
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103104
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01329753
AU  - Quinley, Rich
AU  - Transtec Group, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - WIM Data Analyst's Manual
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 182p
AB  - This manual provides information and recommended procedures to be utilized by an agency’s Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) Office Data Analyst to perform validation and quality control (QC) checks of WIM traffic data. This manual focuses on data generated by WIM systems that have the capability to produce high quality data. Many of the recommended data QC procedures are dependent upon data containing wheel loads (in conformance with the Type I WIM system requirements of ASTM E 1318). However, the more basic QC procedures discussed may be of use to an analyst performing checks on data generated by systems generating only axle load data (conforming to Type II system requirements of ASTM E 1318) and/or systems relying upon autocalibration features deemed necessary to obtain loading data adequate for certain programs
KW  - Axle loads
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Data quality
KW  - Manuals
KW  - Quality control
KW  - Traffic data
KW  - Weigh in motion
KW  - Wheel loads
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/wim/pubs/if10018/if10018.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090863
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01329713
AU  - Qiao, Fengxiang
AU  - Yu, Lei
AU  - Wang, Hui
AU  - Ma, Lijin
AU  - Zhang, Rong
AU  - Zeng, Yan
AU  - Texas Southern University, Houston
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Warrants for Major Traffic Generator Guide Signing
PY  - 2009/09//Product
SP  - 51p
AB  - Major traffic generators (MTGs) are important regional attractions, events, or facilities that attract persons or groups from beyond a local community, city, or metropolitan area. MTGs are significant because of their unique educational, cultural, historical, or recreational experience and public appeal. The Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD) provides the definition of regular traffic generators based on four population types but not for MTGs. Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, and British Columbia in Canada have specific guidelines for MTGs in various forms, but these guidelines cannot be directly applied to Texas. It is imperative to establish MTG warrants that are suitable for the Texas environment. In this product, practices and manuals used in Texas and other states are scanned through a literature review, an engineer survey, and an MTG survey. The opinions of engineers and the needs of MTGs were obtained in terms of the criteria, types of symbols used, and location and size of symbols/signs. Practices in other states and the opinions of responding engineers are synthesized through proposed fuzzy logic–based algorithms. The preliminary recommendations of type of symbol and location and size of symbols/signs are identified based on the study of the literature and survey results, which are then tested in the driving simulator and computer slide show. Through all these efforts, warrants of guide signing for Texas MTGs are proposed.
KW  - Driving simulators
KW  - Guide signs
KW  - Major traffic generators
KW  - Texas
KW  - Warrants (Traffic control devices)
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35100/35171/0-5800-P1-TSU_1208_2009.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089720
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01206853
AU  - Anderson, Edwin
AU  - Cyr, Jason
AU  - Cordon, Daniel
AU  - Steciak, Judi
AU  - Beyerlein, Steve
AU  - Budwig, Ralph
AU  - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Compression Ratio and Catalyst Aging Effects on Aqueous Ethanol Ignition (Year 2): Part 1. Compression Ratio Effects on Aqueous Ethanol Ignition
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 19p
AB  - The lean burning of water ethanol blends has the potential to reduce NOx, CO, and HC emissions while reducing the ethanol fermentation production cost of distillation and dehydration. The torch style ignition produced by the catalytic igniter allows for the operation and cold start of a typical SI engine on ethanol/water fuels up to a 50/50 blend. This work reported here targets multiple operating conditions of a Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) engine and monitors in-cylinder pressure and emission characteristics. Premixing ethanol/water blends showed a reduction in NOx over separately injecting water and ethanol for blends up to 70/30 ethanol/water. Altering catalytic igniter voltage showed no control over CA50. This investigation will help researchers better understand the performance and emission characteristics of timing control in addition to different injection techniques for ethanol/water blends for catalytic ignition implementations focused on improving thermal efficiency and emission reduction.
KW  - Air quality management
KW  - Carbon monoxide
KW  - Cold starts (Driving)
KW  - Ethanol
KW  - Exhaust gases
KW  - Fuel injection
KW  - Hydrocarbons
KW  - Ignition systems
KW  - Ignition timing
KW  - Nitrogen oxides
KW  - Spark ignition engines
UR  - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK756A_N09_11.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/967869
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01206851
AU  - Leichliter, Katrina
AU  - Steciak, Judi
AU  - Beyerlein, Steve
AU  - Budwig, Ralph
AU  - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Compression Ratio and Catalyst Aging Effects on Aqueous Ethanol Ignition (Year 2): Part 2. Catalyst Aging and Effects of Water on Ignition
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 69p
AB  - A tubular plug-flow reactor under low Reynolds Numbers Re flow regimes, along with a 127 μm diameter coiled platinum (Pt) wire, were used to study catalytic surface reactions of nonflammable, fuel-lean mixtures of propane, oxygen, and water vapor diluted with nitrogen. The average wire temperature at ignition, the power required to initiate surface reactions, and the power generated from surface reactions were calculated from experimental data. Ignition temperatures varied from 450 to 540 K +/- 1 K and heat generation flux varied from 6 to 11.2 W/cm² depending on the fuel, oxygen and water content. Less than 6 W/cm² electrical flux to the wire was required to initiate surface reactions. Aging effects were observed. Unseasoned wires had to be heated to a higher temperature before surface reactions occurred. Grain growth was observed in seasoned wires. Eventually, catalyst performance suffered and deposits were seen at grain edges. Water vapor affected the combustion process, but not as much as was expected at the fuel:water ratio used (maximum 70:30 propane:water molar ratio). The ignition temperatures of wet experiments increased by no more than 10 K. Water had little effect on the heat generated due to surface reactions with at most ~3% difference between dry and wet experiments. The finite volume modeling program Fluent® was used to predict the average wire temperature as a function of power input to the wire in air cross-flow. These results were within ~25 K of the values calculated from experimental data.
KW  - Aging (Materials)
KW  - Air quality management
KW  - Catalysts
KW  - Ethanol
KW  - Fuel systems
KW  - Ignition
KW  - Lean fuel mixtures
KW  - Nitrogen
KW  - Oxygen
KW  - Propane
KW  - Temperature
KW  - Water vapor
UR  - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK756_N09-12.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/967870
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01173730
AU  - Greene, Jessica
AU  - Daniel, Debbie
AU  - University of Oregon, Eugene
AU  - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - The Built Environment, Neighborhood Safety, and Physical Activity Among Low Income Children
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 37p
AB  - There is a growing body of evidence that environmental factors are related to physical activity and active modes of transportation. There is a separate body of research that links neighborhood safety to physical activity. This study used a cross sectional telephone survey of 801 parents/guardians of low income children in Florida to bridge these literatures and examine the independent relationship of the built environment and neighborhood safety on childrens’ physical activity. In multivariate regression models the authors found that neighborhood safety is a more consistent predictor of low income children’s physical activity. In neighborhoods where parents reported that there was a safe outdoor place for children to play, children more frequently engaged in vigorous exercise. Children in these neighborhoods were also more likely to participate in sports teams and classes. Measures of the built environment, in contrast, were not related to physical activity. In sum, these findings point to the potential role of public safety in influencing physical activity. Efforts to improve neighborhood safety may have the added benefit of increasing children’s physical activity levels in low income areas.
KW  - Bicycling
KW  - Built environment
KW  - Children
KW  - Florida
KW  - Low income groups
KW  - Multivariate analysis
KW  - Neighborhoods
KW  - Physical activity
KW  - Regression analysis
KW  - Safety
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Walking
UR  - http://www.otrec.us/project/20
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/934606
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01167126
AU  - Wipf, Terry J
AU  - Phares, Brent M
AU  - Sritharan, Sri
AU  - Degen, Brian E
AU  - Giesmann, Mark T
AU  - Iowa State University, Ames
AU  - Iowa Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Design and Evaluation of a Single-Span Bridge Using Ultra-High Performance
Concrete
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 148p
AB  - Research presented herein describes an application of a newly developed material called Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to a single-span bridge. The two primary objectives of this research were to develop a shear design procedure for possible code adoption and to provide a performance evaluation to ensure the viability of the first UHPC bridge in the United States. Two other secondary objectives included defining of material properties and understanding of flexural behavior of a UHPC bridge girder. In order to obtain information in these areas, several tests were carried out including material testing, large-scale laboratory flexure testing, large-scale laboratory shear testing, large-scale laboratory flexure-shear testing, small-scale laboratory shear testing, and field testing of a UHPC bridge. Experimental and analytical results of the described tests are presented. Analytical models to understand the flexure and shear behavior of UHPC members were developed using iterative computer based procedures. Previous research is referenced explaining a simplified flexural design procedure and a simplified pure shear design procedure. This work describes a shear design procedure based on the Modified Compression Field Theory (MCFT) which can be used in the design of UHPC members. Conclusions are provided regarding the viability of the UHPC bridge and recommendations are made for future research.
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Concrete bridges
KW  - Flexural strength
KW  - High performance concrete
KW  - Properties of materials
KW  - Shear strength
KW  - Testing
KW  - Ultra high performance concrete
UR  - http://publications.iowa.gov/id/eprint/11673
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/926139
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01164278
AU  - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - American Council of Engineering Companies
TI  - Uniform Audit & Accounting Guide For Audits of Architectural and Engineering (A/E)
Consulting Firms
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 197p
AB  - This audit and accounting guide contains the following major topic headings: adequacy of accounting records; standards for attestations and audits; cost principles; cost accounting; labor charging systems; compensation; selected areas of cost; general audit considerations; guidance for developing audit procedures; audit reports and minimum disclosures; and cognizance and oversight.
KW  - Accounting
KW  - Architecture
KW  - Auditing
KW  - Consultants
KW  - Engineering
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Standards
UR  - http://www.transportation.org/sites/audit/docs/Uniform%20Audit%20&%20Accounting%20Guide%2009-11-09%20%28No%20Markup%29.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923560
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01162863
AU  - Li, Guoqiang
AU  - Saber, Aziz
AU  - Southern University A&M College, Ruston
AU  - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
AU  - Louisiana Transportation Research Center
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Elimination of Deck Joints Using a Corrosion Resistant FRP Approach
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 120p
AB  - The research presented herein describes the development of durable link slabs for jointless bridge decks based on using a fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) grid for reinforcement. Specifically the ductility of the FRP material was utilized to accommodate bridge deck deformations imposed by girder deflection, concrete shrinkage, and temperature variations. It would also provide a cost-effective solution to a number of deterioration problems associated with bridge deck joints. The structural behavior of two types of FRP grid reinforced concrete slabs was investigated. A total of 11 slabs were prepared and tested. Three slabs were made of plain concrete as controls. Three slabs were reinforced by commercially available FRP grids. Three slabs were reinforced by lab-fabricated FRP grids. The remaining two slabs were the pure grid panel (one from commercial source and the other fabricated in our lab). All the slabs were tested using a three-point bending test configuration. Physical properties such as surface abrasion, shrinkage, and coefficient of thermal expansion were also tested. The design concept of link slabs was then examined to form the basis of design for FRP grid link slabs. Improved design of FRP grid link slab/concrete deck slab interface was confirmed in the numerical analysis. The mechanical properties between the FRP grid and concrete were evaluated. The behavior of the link slab was investigated and confirmed for durability.
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Corrosion resistant materials
KW  - Fiber reinforced polymers
KW  - Geogrids
KW  - Jointless bridges
KW  - Mechanical properties
UR  - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2010/fr_443.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33100/33142/fr_443.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/921211
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01162241
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Elizabeth Brady Road extension : environmental impact statement
PY  - 2009/09//Volumes held: Draft
KW  - Environmental impact statements
KW  - North Carolina
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923227
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01162147
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Streamlining the processing of experimental permit applications : environmental impact statement
PY  - 2009/09//Volumes held: Draft, F
KW  - Environmental impact statements
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923133
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01162116
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
TI  - East Corridor Project : environmental impact statement
PY  - 2009/09//Volumes held: Draft(3v), Draft AppendixD, Final(2v)
KW  - Colorado
KW  - Environmental impact statements
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923101
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01162111
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Route 63, south of Route 50 to south of Maries/Phelps County Line, Route 63 road relocation and improvements,Osage, Maries, and Phelps counties : environmental impact statement
PY  - 2009/09//Volumes held: Draft, Draft Appendix, Final, Final Appendix
KW  - Environmental impact statements
KW  - Missouri
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923096
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01162105
AU  - Surface Transportation Board
TI  - Alaska Railroad Corporation construction and operation of a rail line between North Pole and Delta Junction : environmental impact statement
PY  - 2009/09//Volumes held: Draft(2v), Dsum, F
KW  - Alaska
KW  - Environmental impact statements
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923089
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01159704
AU  - Celaya, Manuel
AU  - Chittoori, Bhaskar
AU  - Saride, Sireesh
AU  - Nazarian, Soheil
AU  - Puppala, Anand J
AU  - University of Texas, El Paso
AU  - University of Texas, Arlington
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Design Manual and Test Protocols to Accelerate Mix Design of Stabilized Subgrades: Products P1 and P2
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 50p
AB  - This document establishes recommended evaluation criteria to select stabilization type and content, methods of evaluating the effectiveness of stabilization, and methods for moisture conditioning of samples to accelerate the mix design process and to evaluate the effectiveness of stabilization. This revised procedure is an adaptation of the current guidelines for subgrade stabilization, with the addition of chemical analysis of the soil fines to identify clay mineralogy, accelerated curing and moisture conditioning to minimize to time to achieve the mix design and wetting-drying cycles as means of durability indicators. In addition a static compaction method for preparing fine-grained soil specimens is recommended.
KW  - Accelerated curing
KW  - Clay
KW  - Durability
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Manuals
KW  - Mineralogy
KW  - Mix design
KW  - Moisture conditioning
KW  - Soil stabilization
KW  - Subgrade (Pavements)
KW  - Test protocols
KW  - Wetting and drying tests
UR  - http://www.docstoc.com/docs/39544812/Design-Manual-and-Test-Protocols-to-Accelerate-Mix-Design
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/920246
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01159309
AU  - Jaber, Tarif M
AU  - Jaber Engineering Consulting, Incorporated
AU  - Arizona Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Performance Testing of HPC on Sunshine Bridge
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 15p
AB  - The deck of the Sunshine Bridge overpass, located westbound on Interstate 40 (I-40) near Winslow, Arizona, was replaced on August 24, 2005. The original deteriorated concrete deck was replaced using high performance concrete (HPC), reinforced with low-carbon, low-corrosion reinforcing steel. HPC is a new technology in Arizona. This report documents the first survey of the deck's condition and recommends that ADOT embark on a monitoring program to evaluate the performance of HPC. The ADOT monitoring program should consist of visual observation of the deck condition and concrete sampling and testing to measure and document HPC performance. The survey presented in this report was performed on December 18, 2007, which represents the first field survey since concrete deck placement. Visual observation and test results show the following: 1. The concrete has a very low chloride permeability. 2. The concrete has significantly slowed down and/or prevented chloride penetration through the bridge deck. 3. The average air-void parameters of HPC do not meet the industry standards for frost resistant concrete. 4. The deck surface appears to have minimal wear from snow removal equipment and shows no signs of concrete cracking. HPC appears to perform very well during the monitoring period despite the lower than recommended air void system. There were no signs of deterioration or adverse field conditions. It is recommended that bridge deck monitoring and concrete testing be done annually or biennially throughout the bridge's estimated 50-year service life to confirm long-term performance of HPC. It is also recommend that the next monitoring survey be initiated and conducted before the end of the year 2009.
KW  - Air voids
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Carbon steel
KW  - Chloride content
KW  - Cracking
KW  - High performance concrete
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Penetration resistance
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - Permeability
KW  - Reinforcing steel
UR  - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ658.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919786
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01158544
JO  - NHTS Brief
PB  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - National Household Travel Survey: Changes in the U.S. Household Vehicle Fleet
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 2p
AB  - The preliminary 2008 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) shows a number of important changes in the U.S. household-based vehicle fleet. The NHTS collects detailed information on household vehicle ownership, including the type of vehicles, model year, odometer reading, and daily use characteristics. Perhaps reversing a longstanding trend towards the aging of the household vehicle fleet, the preliminary 2008 NHTS shows a leveling off in average vehicle age--in 1977, the average household vehicle was 6.6 years old, by 2001 average age was 8.9 years, but declined slightly to 8.3 years in the 2008 preliminary data. Older vehicles (10 years or older) accounted for 39 percent of the household fleet in 2001, but their share declined slightly to 37 percent in 2008. At the other end of the spectrum, the number of newer vehicles rose, including the addition of nearly 5 million hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles. Maybe more importantly, the mix of household vehicles continues to include fewer passenger cars and more SUVs. SUVs account for over 18 percent of all household vehicles in 2008, an increase from 12 percent in 2001.
KW  - Households
KW  - National Household Travel Survey
KW  - Ownership
KW  - Private passenger vehicles
KW  - Sport utility vehicles
KW  - Travel by vehicle type
KW  - Trend (Statistics)
KW  - United States
KW  - Vehicle fleets
UR  - http://nhts.ornl.gov/briefs/Changes%20in%20the%20Vehicle%20Fleet.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/917963
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158178
AU  - Boisvert, Denis M
AU  - New Hampshire Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Alternative Pavements for Snowmobile Crossings
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 25p
AB  - Excessive highway pavement wear from snowmobile traffic is a maintenance problem for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. The snowmobiles and trail grooming equipment scar and erode the pavement surfaces, eventually creating wide ruts across the State’s highways that cause potential safety issues for vehicular traffic. The damage includes breaking off bits of the pavement’s edge until the travel lanes are threatened. The Department performed an evaluation of alternative pavement treatments intended to protect the pavement surface from excessive degradation. Cleanosol is a surface-applied thermoplastic material that has been successfully used to armor snowmobile crossings in Michigan and Wisconsin. Imprint® is a synthetic surface material developed in the United Kingdom that consists of a hot applied resin-based compound with graded sand and granite aggregate, reinforced with two types of fibers. Three pairs of snowmobile crossings, known for heavy snowmobile traffic and excessive pavement wear, were treated with each product. Wear was measured and patterns were observed over three winters. Unit wear rates of the test materials did not indicate a greater durability than conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA). Cleanosol was the easiest and quickest product to install, and was the least expensive as compared with Imprint and HMA repair. The convenience and lower cost of installing Cleanosol make it a good choice for the repair of snowmobile trail damage across the State’s highways. Recommendations include: (1) Adoption of a revised Motorized Recreational Vehicle Trail Crossing detail for use in permitting new trail crossings; (2) Improvement of existing trail crossings to bring them into reasonable compliance with the Motorized Recreational Vehicle Trail Crossing detail; and (3) A statewide program for treating, improving and maintaining snowmobile crossings in collaboration with the recreational vehicle community.
KW  - Damage (Pavements)
KW  - Durability
KW  - Field tests
KW  - Hot mix asphalt
KW  - Pavement design
KW  - Recreation
KW  - Repairing
KW  - Snowmobiles
KW  - Surface treatment (Pavements)
KW  - Thermoplastic materials
KW  - Trail crossings
KW  - Wear
UR  - http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/projectdevelopment/materials/research/projects/14282d.htm
UR  - http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/projectdevelopment/materials/research/projects/documents/FHWA-NH-RD-14282D.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/918733
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01157123
AU  - Qiao, Fengxiang
AU  - Wang, H
AU  - Ma, L
AU  - Zhang, R
AU  - Texas Southern University, Houston
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Symbols and Warrants for Major Traffic Generator Guide Signing
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 162p
AB  - The Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD) provides the definition of regular traffic generators based on four population types but not for major traffic generators (MTGs). MTG signs have been considered to supplement the overall signing system for highways, and can direct road users to important traffic generators, resulting in improved traffic flow operation and decreasing drivers' frustration caused by missing an exit. These signs would better guide travelers on major highway 'gateways' to crucial cultural, business, and recreational destinations, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the area. Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, and British Columbia in Canada have specific guidelines for MTGs in various forms; however, these guidelines are not applicable for direct use in Texas. It is imperative to establish MTG warrants that are suitable for the Texas environment. In this report, practices and manuals used in Texas and other states are scanned and summarized through a literature review, an engineer survey, and an MTG survey. Engineer opinions and the needs of MTGs were obtained in terms of the criteria, types of symbols used, and location and size of symbols/signs. Practices in other states and the opinions of responding engineers are synthesized through proposed fuzzy logic-based algorithms. Together with driving simulator tests and computer slide show tests, the preliminary recommendations about the types of symbols and location and size of symbols/signs for MTGs are then identified.
KW  - Driving simulators
KW  - Guide signs
KW  - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
KW  - Special events
KW  - Texas
KW  - Traffic control devices
KW  - Traffic surveillance
KW  - Travel time
KW  - Trip purpose
KW  - Warrants (Traffic control devices)
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/916558
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01156927
JO  - Research Results
PB  - Federal Railroad Administration
AU  - Stewart, Monique
AU  - Federal Railroad Administration
TI  - Evaluation of the Brake Piston Travel Sensor System
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 3p
AB  - The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) successfully concluded its research project to study and measure air brake piston stroke and provide data wirelessly to the locomotive engineer. FRA’s Office of Research and Development funded this four-phase project. A remote sensing mechanism was developed to determine whether the air brakes were applied on railroad freight cars or whether foreign debris is caught between the brake shoe and the wheel of the rail car. Measuring the piston stroke and relaying that measurement to the locomotive engineer in real time will help improve brake efficiency and the overall safety of railroad transportation. Extensive research was conducted to evaluate the appropriate sensor and communication method to measure air brake piston travel. Several sensors were evaluated including piezoelectric films, fiberoptics, Hall Effect, as well as proximity sensors, while considering the challenging railroad environment and cost before selecting the appropriate sensor. In the first phase, a prototype sensor system was developed and installed for a New York Air Brake-type brake cylinder on a Norfolk Southern freight car. In subsequent phases of the project, a system for Wabtec and TMB-type air brakes was developed and sensors were installed for four hopper cars on Southern Company cars for the FRA’s Advanced Concept Train program. Another system will be designed and installed on three hopper cars, one container car, and one tank car in Chicago. A sensor was successfully installed to measure brake piston displacement, which is determined when the brakes are applied and the status is relayed to the locomotive engineer, via the On-board Monitoring and Control System (OBMCS). The results of this project will demonstrate the cost effectiveness and safety benefits of remotely measuring brake piston travel.
KW  - Air brakes
KW  - Evaluation
KW  - Railroad safety
KW  - Remote sensing
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2010
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/917700
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01156882
JO  - Research Results
PB  - Federal Railroad Administration
AU  - Coplen, Michael
AU  - Ranney, Joyce
AU  - Zuschlag, Michael
AU  - Federal Railroad Administration
TI  - Improved Safety Culture and Labor-Management Relations Attributed to Changing At-Risk Behavior Process at Union Pacific
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 4p
AB  - Changing At-Risk Behavior (CAB) is a safety process that is being conducted at Union Pacific’s San Antonio Service Unit (SASU) with the aim of improving road and yard safety. CAB is an example of a proactive safety risk-reduction method called Clear Signal for Action (CSA) by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Human Factors Program within the Office of Research and Development. CSA combines behavior-based safety, continuous improvement, and safety leadership development. With sponsorship from FRA, Behavioral Science Technology, Inc. is instructing and advising on the implementation of CAB. The impact of CAB on safety culture, specifically labor-management relations, is evaluated in this paper based on forced-choice safety-culture surveys and semistructured interviews of workers and managers. Quantitative analysis of the survey data indicates that, from the start of CAB in 2005 through the end of the evaluation period in 2008, workers and managers reported improved perceptions of cooperation between labor and management. This finding is corroborated by comparing responses to interviews conducted from 2005 to 2008, with a wide cross-section of workers and managers. Responses show an increase in perceived management commitment to safety and greater trust and cooperation between labor and management.
KW  - Behavior
KW  - Culture (Social sciences)
KW  - Labor relations
KW  - Leadership
KW  - Railroad safety
KW  - Risk taking
KW  - Safety programs
KW  - Union Pacific Railroad
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/252
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/917694
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01156872
JO  - Research Results
PB  - Federal Railroad Administration
AU  - Maal, Luis
AU  - Federal Railroad Administration
TI  - Radio Frequency Identification to Track Freight Car Truck Components at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 4p
AB  - Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), conducted a radio frequency identification demonstration (RFID) test at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) on the High Tonnage Loop (HTL) located at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado. This 10-week test showed that RFID technology, which has traditionally been used to track packages and boxes, can be used to track railroad freight-car truck components at speeds of 10 to 40 miles per hour (mph). Twenty-six passive RFID tags were bonded to the wheels, axles, side frames, and bolsters on the trucks of three cars of the FAST train, for a total of 156 tags. Two of the three test cars had aluminum carbodies; the third had steel. This test evaluated two RFID scanners with four antennae each and an automatic equipment identification reader. Four RFID scanner antennae were deployed between the rails in different orientations, and two antennae were mounted vertically on either side of the track to evaluate the effect of antenna position on scanning efficiency. The RFID tags mounted to the wheels, axles, side frames, and bolsters were read each lap for approximately 13,000 miles at FAST. RFID tags mounted to the couplers were read well at low speeds (5 to 10 mph). At 40 mph, many RFID tags were missed due to a narrow window of visibility. Carbody material (aluminum or steel) did not appear to affect how well RFID tags were read. Five wheel-mounted RFID tags fell off, likely due to inadequate degreasing of the area where the epoxy adhesive was applied.
KW  - Demonstration projects
KW  - Facility for Accelerated Service Testing
KW  - Freight cars
KW  - Radio frequency identification
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42800/42895/rr0814.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/917702
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01156864
JO  - Research Results
PB  - Federal Railroad Administration
AU  - Punwani, John
AU  - Federal Railroad Administration
TI  - Locomotive Exhaust Emissions
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 4p
AB  - The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funded a project to conduct locomotive emissions measurement tests using a portable, heavy-duty diesel truck emissions measurement system. Based on the quality of the data collected, the conclusion is the tested equipment can be adapted and/or enhanced for locomotive emissions measurement. This research was funded by FRA in order to improve public and railroad personnel safety as well as to develop a complete locomotive emissions measurement system that would be portable, easy to use, and applicable for both stationary and over-the-road testing. Particulate matter and smoke measurements were not included in the project due to complexities and limited funding. Emissions measurement of locomotives requires extensive preparation in instrumentation, data reduction and analysis. Insofar as the instrumentation is concerned, the use of a compact, lightweight, easy to use, and integrated emissions measurement system greatly reduces this complexity. A portable emissions measurement system that is used in the heavy-duty diesel truck industry was procured for the project. For data reduction, custom spreadsheets were developed to combine engine performance information with raw emissions concentration data in order to generate brake-specific and duty cycle emissions rates and successfully used them in post-processing emissions data. A portable system was developed wherein the emissions and auxiliary instrumentation is transported in a cargo van and parked next to the locomotive for use. This arrangement allows for efficient and portable measuring of locomotive emissions. The setup and measurement portion of an emissions test can be completed in 1-2 days using this system; a significant improvement over current logistics where the locomotive has to be taken out of service, and can result in significant revenue loss to railroads and car owners. Based on the test results, it appears that the tested system can be adapted to provide for an efficient means of measuring locomotive emissions.
KW  - Diesel engine exhaust gases
KW  - Diesel locomotives
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Measurement
KW  - Portable equipment
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/253
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/917689
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01153611
AU  - Lagasse, P F
AU  - Clopper, P E
AU  - Pagan-Ortiz, J E
AU  - Zevenbergen, L W
AU  - Arneson, L A
AU  - Schall, J D
AU  - Girard, L G
AU  - Ayres Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - National Highway Institute
TI  - Bridge Scour and Stream Instability Countermeasures: Experience, Selection and Design Guidance. Third Edition. Volume 1
PY  - 2009/09//Third Edition - Volume 1
SP  - 256p
AB  - This document identifies and provides design guidelines for bridge scour and stream instability countermeasures that have been implemented by various State departments of transportation (DOTs) in the United States. Countermeasure experience, selection, and design guidance are consolidated from other FHWA publications in this document to support a comprehensive analysis of scour and stream instability problems and provide a range of solutions to those problems. Selected innovative countermeasure concepts and guidance derived from practice outside the United States are introduced. Management strategies and guidance for developing a Plan of Action for scour critical bridges are outlined, and guidance is provided for scour monitoring using portable and fixed instrumentation. The results of recently completed National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) projects are incorporated in the design guidance, including: countermeasures to protect bridge piers and abutments from scour; riprap design criteria, specifications, and quality control; and environmentally sensitive channel and bank protection measures. This additional material required expanding HEC-23 to two volumes. Volume 1 now contains a complete chapter on riprap design, specifications, and quality control as well as an expanded chapter on biotechnical countermeasures. The guidance on scour monitoring instrumentation has been updated and now includes additional installation case studies. Volume 2 contains 19 detailed design guidelines grouped into six categories, including countermeasures for: (1) stream instability, (2) streambank and roadway embankment protection, (3) bridge pier protection, (4) abutment protection, (5) filter design, and (6) special applications.
KW  - Bank protection
KW  - Bridge abutments
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Bridge piers
KW  - Channel stabilization
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Innovation
KW  - Instrumentation
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Plan of action
KW  - Riprap
KW  - Scour
KW  - Stream stability
KW  - Technology
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering/hydraulics/pubs/09111/09111.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914931
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01153605
AU  - Lagasse, P F
AU  - Clopper, P E
AU  - Pagan-Ortiz, J E
AU  - Zevenbergen, L W
AU  - Arneson, L A
AU  - Schall, J D
AU  - Girard, L G
AU  - Ayres Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - National Highway Institute
TI  - Bridge Scour and Stream Instability Countermeasures: Experience, Selection and Design Guidance. Third Edition. Volume 2
PY  - 2009/09//Third Edition - Volume 2
SP  - 376p
AB  - This document identifies and provides design guidelines for bridge scour and stream instability countermeasures that have been implemented by various State departments of transportation (DOTs) in the United States. Countermeasure experience, selection, and design guidance are consolidated from other FHWA publications in this document to support a comprehensive analysis of scour and stream instability problems and provide a range of solutions to those problems. Selected innovative countermeasure concepts and guidance derived from practice outside the United States are introduced. Management strategies and guidance for developing a Plan of Action for scour critical bridges are outlined, and guidance is provided for scour monitoring using portable and fixed instrumentation. The results of recently completed National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) projects are incorporated in the design guidance, including: countermeasures to protect bridge piers and abutments from scour; riprap design criteria, specifications, and quality control; and environmentally sensitive channel and bank protection measures. This additional material required expanding HEC-23 to two volumes. Volume 1 now contains a complete chapter on riprap design, specifications, and quality control as well as an expanded chapter on biotechnical countermeasures. The guidance on scour monitoring instrumentation has been updated and now includes additional installation case studies. Volume 2 contains 19 detailed design guidelines grouped into six categories, including countermeasures for: (1) stream instability, (2) streambank and roadway embankment protection, (3) bridge pier protection, (4) abutment protection, (5) filter design, and (6) special applications.
KW  - Bank protection
KW  - Bridge abutments
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Bridge piers
KW  - Channel stabilization
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Innovation
KW  - Instrumentation
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Plan of action
KW  - Riprap
KW  - Scour
KW  - Stream stability
KW  - Technology
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering/hydraulics/pubs/09111/09112.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914932
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01153222
AU  - Kim, Y Richard
AU  - Guddati, Murthy N
AU  - Underwood, B Shane
AU  - Yun, T Y
AU  - Subramanian, V
AU  - Savadatti, S
AU  - North Carolina State University, Raleigh
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Development of a Multiaxial Viscoelastoplastic Continuum Damage Model for Asphalt Mixtures
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 268p
AB  - This report highlights findings from the FHWA DTFH61-05-H-00019 project, which focused on the development of the multiaxial viscoelastoplastic continuum damage model for asphalt concrete in both compression and tension. Asphalt concrete pavement, one of the largest infrastructure components in the United States, is a complex system that involves multiple layers of different materials, various combinations of irregular traffic loading, and various environmental conditions. The performance of this structure is closely related to the performance of asphalt concrete. To predict the performance of asphalt concrete with reasonable accuracy, a better understanding of its deformation behavior under realistic conditions is urgently needed. Over the past decade, the authors have been successful in developing uniaxial material models that can accurately capture various critical phenomena such as microcrack-induced damage that is critical in fatigue modeling, strain-rate temperature interdependence, and viscoplastic flow, which is critical for high temperature modeling. The resulting model is termed the viscoelastoplastic continuum damage model. However, to consider the complicated nature of in-service stress states, a multidimensional model is needed. To predict the performance of the real pavement structures, it is also important to incorporate the material model in a pavement model that considers the vehicle and climatic loads as well as the boundary conditions; the in-house finite element package has been developed for this purpose.
KW  - Asphalt concrete
KW  - Asphalt mixtures
KW  - Continuum damage model
KW  - Damage mechanics
KW  - Finite element method
KW  - Multiaxial stress
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Viscoelastoplastic model
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/08073/08073.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914770
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01153220
AU  - Srinivasan, Raghavan
AU  - Baek, Jongdae
AU  - Carter, Daniel
AU  - Persaud, Bhagwant
AU  - Lyon, Craig
AU  - Eccles, Kimberly A
AU  - Gross, Frank
AU  - Lefler, Nancy X
AU  - Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Incorporated
AU  - Persaud and Lyon, Incorporated
AU  - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Safety Evaluation of Improved Curve Delineation
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 56p
AB  - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) organized a pooled fund study of 26 States to evaluate low-cost safety strategies as part of its strategic highway safety effort. One of the strategies chosen to be evaluated for this study was improving curve delineation. Geometric, traffic, and crash data were obtained at 89 treated curves in Connecticut and 139 treated curves in Washington to determine the safety effectiveness of improved curve delineation. Treatments varied by site and included new chevrons, horizontal arrows, and advance warning signs as well as the improvement of existing signs using fluorescent yellow sheeting. All sites were on two-lane rural roads. To account for potential selection bias and regression-to-the-mean, an Empirical Bayes (EB) before-after analysis was conducted. The aggregate results revealed an 18% reduction in injury and fatal crashes, a 27.5% reduction in crashes during dark conditions, and a 25% reduction in lane departure crashes during dark conditions. The reductions were more prominent at locations with higher traffic volumes and sharper curves (curve radius less than 492 ft) and in locations with more hazardous roadsides (roadside hazard rating (RHR) of 5 or higher) compared to locations with less hazardous roadsides (RHR of 4 or lower). In addition, curves where more signs were either added or replaced (with a more retroreflective material) within the curve experienced larger reductions in crashes. An economic analysis revealed that improving curve delineation with signing improvements is a very cost-effective treatment with the benefit-cost ratio exceeding 8:1.
KW  - Before and after studies
KW  - Benefit cost analysis
KW  - Chevrons
KW  - Connecticut
KW  - Cost effectiveness
KW  - Crash injuries
KW  - Darkness
KW  - Directional arrows
KW  - Economic analysis
KW  - Empirical Bayes method
KW  - Fatalities
KW  - Highway curves
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Lane departures
KW  - Nighttime crashes
KW  - Retroreflectivity
KW  - Rural highways
KW  - Sign sheeting
KW  - Traffic signs
KW  - Two lane highways
KW  - Washington (State)
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09045/09045.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914771
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01151284
AU  - Ogle, Jennifer
AU  - Sarasua, W
AU  - Dillon, J
AU  - Bendigieri, V
AU  - Anekar, S
AU  - Alluri, P
AU  - Clemson University
AU  - South Carolina Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Support for the Elimination of Roadside Hazards: Evaluating Roadside Collision Data and Clear Zone Requirements
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 60p
AB  - Over a three year period (2004‐2006), there were more than 60,000 crashes involving fixed objects (trees, utility poles, culverts, bridge piers, etc.) located within South Carolina roadsides. These fixed object crashes accounted for 20% of all crashes in South Carolina, and nearly 50% of all fatal crashes. In comparison, only 30% of fixed‐object crashes result in fatalities nationally. Responding to the growing concerns of roadside hazard involvement in crashes, SCDOT selected a research project to analyze roadside collision data, evaluate the sufficiency of current clear zones along state roadways, and assess the benefits associated with minimizing consequences of leaving the roadway by providing and maintaining adequate clear zones. Clemson University was selected to perform this work. After using a combination of crash data, SCDOT roadway inventory data, and geographic information system analysis tools to identify 287 sites of interest in 14 counties across the state, Clemson researchers surveyed the sites with an instrumented van to identify exact parameters for roadside slopes and distances to obstacles in the clear zones. Of the 287 sites surveyed, 131 were randomly selected and analyzed for clear zone requirements. Of these, only 12 met the criteria using automated software processing. Taking into consideration, variations in actual operating speeds and the presence of curves at these sites, six more would no longer meet clear zone requirements. The research team also analyzed 58 control sites. Control sites are areas that have no instances of fixed object crashes within the three year study period. For these 58 control sites, 47 met the minimum clear zone requirements, and only 11 did not. Using an odds ratio test for this sample, researchers determined that the odds of a site having a fixed object crash are 42 times higher if the minimum clear zone is not met. Considering the magnitude of the roadside hazard problem, and the deficiency of the clear zones in these areas, it appears that by providing recommended clear zones (or safe recovery areas) for motorists who leave the roadway, South Carolina could realize a notable decrease in roadway fatal and injury crashes. This is particularly significant realizing that many times it is for reasons other than driver error (i.e. blown tire, struck by another vehicle, avoiding an accident, avoiding deer, etc.).
KW  - Clear zones
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Highway factors in crashes
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Roadside hazards
KW  - Single vehicle crashes
KW  - South Carolina
KW  - Traffic crashes
UR  - http://www.clemson.edu/t3s/scdot/pdf/projects/FHWA-SC-09-01SPR667.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46200/46238/SPR_667.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913170
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01151111
AU  - Kane, Gerald J
AU  - Bai, Li
AU  - Temple University
AU  - Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
TI  - Regional Rail On-Board Electronic Payment Project
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 29p
AB  - The goal was to develop a non‐proprietary and plug‐in‐and‐play multi‐modal transport payment (i.e., cash, credit card, passes, and more importantly the contactless smartcard) portable solution. This project focused on developing an open architecture and prototype design with a commercial‐off‐the‐shelf (COTS) product for a handheld, contactless, smartcard‐based unit for the mass transit and regional rail systems. The system was extended from Temple University’s senior design project research efforts and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's (SEPTA’s) in house backend database improvement on the project. The system has been demonstrated with effective applicability, usability and durability for today’s transit systems.
KW  - Advanced on-board electronics
KW  - Electronic payment
KW  - Fare collection
KW  - Onboard equipment
KW  - Onboard ticket sales
KW  - Prototypes
KW  - Rapid transit
KW  - Regional railroads
KW  - Smart cards
KW  - Subways
UR  - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Raj_-_SeptaFinalReport_bai_FINAL_REPORT_04-01-2010_(2).pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913305
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150730
AU  - Tsiatas, George
AU  - Lee, K Wayne
AU  - Kasten, Albrecht
AU  - Venkata, Hari Priya Pemmaraju
AU  - Sherrod, James
AU  - University of Rhode Island, Kingston
AU  - Rhode Island Department of Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Design of Existing Simple Span Bridges Made Continuous
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 174p
AB  - Eliminating expansion joints from existing simple span bridges is recommended to reduce maintenance costs or enhance bridge performance.  Different simple span connection techniques as well as abutment joint elimination are investigated.  Data from three typical Rhode Island bridges are used for the study.  For shorter spans a continuous deck and a steel plate connecting the top flanges of the adjacent girders works well.  In the case of a bridge with 75 ft long adjacent spans, the webs had to also be connected.  Asphaltic plugs were also studied using a series of finite element analyses and limited laboratory tests for rutting susceptibility of the APJ.  The most significant distresses of asphaltic plugs under warm temperatures is rutting and under cold temperatures cracking, debonding, and disintegration.
KW  - Bridges
KW  - Expansion joints
KW  - Jointless bridges
KW  - Simple spans
KW  - Structural connection
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/913088
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150729
AU  - Herbel, Susan
AU  - Meyer, Michael D
AU  - Kleiner, Bernardo
AU  - Gaines, Danena
AU  - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - A Primer on Safety Performance Measures for the Transportation Planning Process
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 32p
AB  - This Primer is a tool to help State and local practitioners, transportation planners, and decision-makers identify, select, and use safety performance measures as a part of the transportation planning process. The Primer draws from current literature, professional experience, and State DOT and MPO practice. Key elements of the Primer include: a definition of performance measures; a step-by-step description and flowchart showing how safety performance measures can be identified and integrated into the transportation planning process; characteristics of effective performance measures; a checklist to assess an organization’s current status with respect to the use of safety performance measures in the transportation planning and decision-making process; a list of references; and case studies of noteworthy practice.
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - Transportation planning
KW  - Transportation safety
UR  - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/tsp/fhwahep09043/
UR  - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/tsp/fhwahep09043/fhwahep09043.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912747
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150604
AU  - Gallagher, D
AU  - Cyrus, H M
AU  - Bassey, R
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Photoluminescent Material Evaluation
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 22p
AB  - The fundamental principle of photoluminescent technology is the ability of the photoluminescent material to absorb and store ambient ultraviolet light energy from its surroundings and then emit the stored energy as visible light. Two particular photoluminescent pigments have been used in the development of marking systems: zinc sulfide and strontium aluminate. Both afford a pale, flat, yellow-green color when viewed in lighted conditions; in darkness, the zinc sulfide material glows with a more yellow-tinged light compared to the greener emission of the strontium aluminate. While neither of these pigments provide significant levels of illumination, these markers are used for low-location lighting and escape route marking systems onboard aircraft. As a result of these developments, manufacturers of the photoluminescent materials approached the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow these materials to be used for airport markings, reflectors, signs, and construction barricades as well. The manufacturers were asked to provide specific information about their products, such as suggested paint application thickness, area covered per gallon, useful light emission duration, serviceable life, and longevity/durability data. The luminance characteristics of the photoluminescent materials were evaluated at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center to assess their suitability in an airport environment. The initial illumination, duration of useful light, and emission decay rate of the test samples were measured at predetermined intervals during photometric and subjective visual tests.
KW  - Airport operations
KW  - Airport runways
KW  - Marking materials
KW  - Night visibility
KW  - Photoluminescent materials
KW  - Reflectorized road markings
KW  - Visibility
UR  - http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/artn0935.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912936
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150601
AU  - Maritime Administration
TI  - North American Cruise Statistical Snapshot, 2nd Quarter 2009
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 17p
AB  - This report contains cruise statistics for seventeen major cruise lines that offer North American cruises with a U.S. port of call. The statistics include passengers booked and capacities offered by the cruise lines. Capacities are based on two passengers per stateroom. The statistics are presented in terms of passengers and passenger nights
KW  - Cruise lines
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Harbors
KW  - Passenger ships
KW  - Passenger transportation
KW  - Port capacity
KW  - Statistical analysis
KW  - Water transportation
UR  - http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/North_American_Cruise_Statistics_Quarterly_Snapshot.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912590
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150596
AU  - Luxhoj, J T
AU  - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Safety Risk Analysis of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Into the National Airspace System: Phase 1
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 84p
AB  - This report describes the system-level development of a hazard taxonomy for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The taxonomy is termed the Hazard Classification and Analysis System (HCAS) and was developed by researchers at Rutgers University through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It was particularly emphasized that this study should remain focused at the systems level and not become operational in perspective. The Rutgers Phase 1 approach is based on the FAA regulatory perspective (i.e., Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations chapters on Aircraft, Airmen, Certification/Airworthiness, Flight Operations, and others). Such an approach uniquely distinguishes the HCAS taxonomy from all other UAS hazard analyses being performed by the Department of Defense, the RTCA-Special Committee 203, etc. The Phase 1 research goal was to develop a generalized taxonomy of system-level UAS hazards that would have broad applicability across FAA part types. The intent was that this Phase 1 study would lead to general research recommendations and guidelines in high-level support of the FAA UAS Program Office. The report describes the developmental steps leading to the HCAS taxonomy.
KW  - Aviation safety
KW  - Drone aircraft
KW  - Integrated systems
KW  - National Airspace System
KW  - Policy
KW  - Recommendations
KW  - Risk analysis
KW  - Taxonomy
UR  - http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar0912.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912937
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150573
AU  - Kay, G
AU  - Urabe, D
AU  - Shields, A
AU  - DeTeresa, S
AU  - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Characterization of BMS 8-212 for Use in Penetration Simulations
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 24p
AB  - A program to simulate the performance of aircraft composite material as uncontained engine fragment barriers has been initiated and supported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Computational constitutive models of the shields are an important part of that program. An important initial step in the FAA program was the determination of the lamina properties of a representation carbon-fiber composite panel. BMS 8-212 lamina properties for use in the computational modeling of aircraft shielding systems were determined in this study. The carbon-reinforced BMS 8-212 composite lay-ups that were tested were unidirectional, 0.351 inches thick (45-ply) flat panels. The mechanical responses of the flat panel unidirectional specimens were assumed to be representative of the behavior of the matrix-dominated compressive BMS 8-212 lamina responses in the transverse and normal directions. The rate sensitivity of the flat-panel specimens was determined for loading rates between 0.001 s-1 and 1000 s-1. In that regime, the transverse and normal failure stresses were found to increase by approximately 1.5.
KW  - Aircraft engines
KW  - Carbon
KW  - Composite materials
KW  - Engine failure
KW  - Fiber composites
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - Sensitivity analysis
KW  - Shear strain
KW  - Simulation
UR  - http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar0940.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912909
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150567
AU  - Countermarsh, B A
AU  - Engineering Research and Development Center
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - EMAS Cold Weather Performance Investigations
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 63p
AB  - At some airports, Engineered Material Arresting Systems (EMAS) are used in runway safety areas at to provide a mechanism for decelerating aircraft in the event of a runway overrun. The main component of an EMAS is energy-absorbing cellular concrete material that is relatively delicate. A system of sealants, coatings, and outer layers protect the cellular concrete from environmental conditions such as weather and jet blast. A research study was conducted to ascertain an EMASs durability in cold climates where temperatures cycle between freezing and thawing. Four series of tests were performed, including (1) thermal cycling on a large-scale EMAS bed, (2) temperature and humidity cycling on 1-cubic-foot EMAS samples, (3) adhesion tests on EMAS sealant materials, and (4) durability tests on the materials that comprise the top protective layer of EMAS blocks. The large-scale EMAS bed was thermally cycled from -20 degrees F to room temperature for 20 cycles over a 9-month period. Qualitative condition assessments were performed during the cycling, and quantitative post-cycling punch tests were performed and compared to the pre-cycling punch tests.
KW  - Airport runways
KW  - Aviation safety
KW  - Concrete
KW  - Deceleration
KW  - Durability
KW  - Engineered material arresting systems
KW  - Freeze thaw durability
KW  - Runway overruns
UR  - http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar0914.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912916
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150559
AU  - Griffis, C A
AU  - Wilson, T
AU  - Schneider, J
AU  - Pierpont, P
AU  - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Unmanned Aircraft System Propulsion Systems Technology Survey
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 74p
AB  - This technology survey is an investigation of various propulsion systems used in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Discussed are existing and near-future propulsion mechanisms of UAS, such as reciprocating piston engines, Wankel rotary engines, gas turbine engines, rocket-powered systems, electric motors, and battery-based systems. Also discussed are systems that use proton exchange membrane fuel cells, photovoltaics, ultracapacitors, and propellers. Each system is described in reference to a larger conceptual framework, with instances and profiles of existing UAS employing the system being described. Advantages and disadvantages of each type of propulsion system are identified along with associated technical issues and their respective applicability to a UAS context, all of which are described with regard to the concern over regulation and introduction of UAS into the National Airspace System.
KW  - Drone aircraft
KW  - Fuel cell vehicles
KW  - Motors
KW  - Proton exchange membrane fuel cells
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Technology assessment
KW  - Types of engines
KW  - Vehicle design
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912944
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150511
AU  - Huang, S S
AU  - Cho, JYN
AU  - Donvan, M F
AU  - Hallowell, Robert G
AU  - Frankel, R S
AU  - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Redeployment of the New York TDWR: Technical Analysis of Candidate Sites and Alternative Wind Shear Sensors
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 106p
AB  - The John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) are protected from wind shear exposure by the New York Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), which is currently located at Floyd Bennett Field, New York. Because of a September 1999 agreement between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Transportation, this location is required to be vacated not later than January 2023. Therefore, a study based on model simulation of wind shear detection probability was conducted to support future siting selection and alternative technologies. A total of 18 candidate sites were selected for the analysis, including leaving the radar where it is. (The FAA will explore the feasability of the latter alternative; it is included in this study only for technical analysis.) The 18 sites are: Six candidate sites that were identified in the initial New York TDWR site-survey studies in the 1990s (one of which is the current TDWR site), a site on Staten Island, two Manhattan skyscrapers, the current location of the WCBS Doppler weather radar in Twombly Landing, New Jersey, and eight local airports including JFK and LGA themselves. Results clearly show that for a single TDWR system, all six previously surveyed sites are suitable for future housing of the TDWR. Unfortunately, land acquisition of these sites will be at least as challenging as it was in the 1990s due to further urban development and likely negative reaction from neighboring residents. Evaluation results of the on-airport siting of the TDWR (either at JFK or at LGA) indicate that this option is feasible if data from the Newark TDWR are simultaneously used. This on-airport option would require software modification such as integration of data from the two radar systems and implementation of 'overHead' feature detection.
KW  - Aviation safety
KW  - Doppler radar
KW  - John F. Kennedy International Airport
KW  - LaGuardia Airport
KW  - Microbursts
KW  - Simulation
KW  - Warning systems
KW  - Weather conditions
KW  - Weather radar
KW  - Wind shear
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912908
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01150503
AU  - Hottman, S B
AU  - Hansen, K R
AU  - Berry, M
AU  - New Mexico State University, Las Cruces
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Literature Review on Detect, Sense, and Avoid Technology for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 88p
AB  - This is a literature review of detect, sense, and avoid (DSA) documentation related or applicable to Unmanned Aircraft Systems that is currently in publication. The literature review focuses on noncooperative technologies and then types of systems, such as active or passive, for those technologies as applicable. Cooperative DSA technologies also are discussed. A summary of the technologies and systems is contained in the appendix C.
KW  - Civil aviation
KW  - Drone aircraft
KW  - Literature reviews
KW  - National Airspace System
KW  - Planning
KW  - Recommendations
KW  - Systems engineering
KW  - Technological innovations
UR  - http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar0841.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/912934
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01149552
AU  - Pape, Doug
AU  - Arant, Michael
AU  - Nelson, Susan
AU  - Franzese, Oscar
AU  - Knee, Helmut
AU  - LaClair, Tim
AU  - Attanayake, Upul
AU  - Hathaway, Richard
AU  - Keil, Mitch
AU  - Ro, Kapseong
AU  - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - U19: Heavy Truck Rollover Characterization (Phase-B) Final Report
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 416p
AB  - The Heavy Truck Rollover Characterization Study - Phase-B builds on the results of prior phases of research.  Phases 1 and 2 (funded by the Federal Highway Administration) involved heavy truck rollover characterization for a tractor and box-trailer; and Phase-A involved the characterization of a tractor and flatbed-trailer. Phase-B of the Heavy Truck Rollover Characterization Study included on-track testing utilizing New Generation Single Wide-Based Tires (NGSWBTs) and standard dual tires; the use of a Volvo VT830 class-8 tractor (the same tractor that was used in Phase-A); the use of three LBT tranker-trailers (two for characterization and one for test-track testing); and a Bendix Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system on the tractor and tanker-trailer.  Characterization was conducted by both Michelin and WMU.  The standardized torsional stiffness testing developed by Michelin in Phase-A and the procedure developed by WMU were utilized for characterization of the respective tanker-trailers at Michelin and WMA.  The tanker-trailer at Michelin was also characterized on Michelin's Kinematics and Compliance (K&C) test rig.  The purpose of the characterization efforts was to generate detailed K&C data about the tanker-trailer that could be utilized in selected vehicle dynamics models.  Phase-B also involved the development of a vehicle dynamics model of the tractor and tanker-trailer in TruckSim(R) or an equivalent vehicle dynamics model.  WMU also continued with the development of their solid, finite element, and kinematic models, and will apply them to make initial design recommendations to be considered in Phase-C of this research.
KW  - Heavy duty trucks
KW  - Motor vehicle dynamics
KW  - Rollover crashes
KW  - Tank trucks
KW  - Testing
KW  - Tires
KW  - Tractor trailer combinations
KW  - Trucking safety
UR  - http://www.ntrci.org/ntrci-50-2009-015
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908531
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01149205
AU  - Seneca, Joseph J
AU  - Ozbay, Kaan
AU  - Lahr, Michael Lincoln
AU  - Irving, Will
AU  - Bartin, Bekir
AU  - Mantell, Nancy
AU  - Mudigonda, Sandeep
AU  - Jahan, Nusrat
AU  - Rutgers University, New Brunswick
AU  - Rutgers University, Piscataway
AU  - New Jersey Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Transportation: Impact on Economy, Project 2008-05, Volume I and Volume II
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 205p
AB  - This report estimates both the one-time and the on-going economic and fiscal benefits from transportation investments. The report provides the new Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) with two general software programs to enable both types of benefits to be estimated for specific highway transportation projects. These programs can assist NJDOT in its planning and economic analysis. The report uses past NJDOT highway transportation projects to identify the myriad inputs used in highway projects and the expenditures made on these inputs for 40 project types and locations (e.g., bridge replacement, road widening, intersection improvements, etc. in North and South New Jersey). Using the R/ECON™ Input-Output Model, estimates of the one-time benefits of each project type/location are made and a general-use software program is developed. This Transportation Investment Impact Estimator is applied to NJDOT’s Ten-Year Capital Plan. The analysis indicates that over 95,000 job-years, an additional $7.9 billion in gross domestic product, and an additional $6 billion in compensation (income) will be generated in New Jersey from the estimated $10.7 billion in investment expenditures of the Ten-Year Capital Plan. In addition, a similar analysis is conducted for the $832 million in state and local highway projects that will receive the first-round of support from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These projects will generate over eight thousand job-years, $627 million in additional gross domestic product, and $480 million in additional income for New Jersey. The report proceeds to analyze the reductions in recurring costs (due to congestion, traffic accidents, environmental damages, vehicle operation, and maintenance) that result from improvements in transportation capacity. The North Jersey Regional Transportation Model is used together with cost functions (CUBE) developed specifically for New Jersey. Cost-benefit analysis is conducted for five past highway projects that increased transportation capacity. The analysis indicates that each of the projects was economically efficient; i.e., the present value of the future stream of economic benefits (reduced costs) generated by the project exceeds (by significant margins) the present value of the investment costs of the project. A software program is developed that allows NJDOT to conduct such cost-benefit analyses for any past, current, or future projects that increase transportation capacity in north New Jersey.
KW  - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
KW  - Benefit cost analysis
KW  - Economic analysis
KW  - Economic benefits
KW  - Economics
KW  - Highway projects
KW  - Input output models
KW  - Investments
KW  - New Jersey
KW  - Programming (Planning)
KW  - Software
UR  - http://www.nj.gov/transportation/refdata/research/reports/FHWA-NJ-2009-015.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/911556
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01149203
AU  - Vitillo, Nicholas
AU  - Gucunski, Nenad
AU  - Rascoe, Carl
AU  - Zaghloul, Sameh
AU  - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
AU  - New Jersey Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Evaluation of the Automated Distress Survey Equipment
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 80p
AB  - This research: Illustrated the abilities and limitations of the Automated Distress Survey Equipment and Software to collect, characterize, and analyze pavement cracking distresses under different lighting conditions; Assessed the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) profiler crew’s evaluation of these same sections; and Used graphical comparisons and statistical analyses to make assessments of repeatability of multiple test runs under different lighting conditions and different degrees of data processing. This research concluded that based on the analysis, the Automated Distress Survey Equipment can be used to collect cracking distress data with quality control checks to ensure that the cracking data collected, characterized, and analyzed is accurate. This research recommends that the NJDOT needs to collaborate with the vendor to refine the data collection and analysis procedures to differentiate the location of cracking (within and outside of the wheel paths) and to provide quality control on the data collection and analysis.
KW  - Area scan
KW  - Automatic data collection systems
KW  - Lighting
KW  - Line scan
KW  - Pavement cracking
KW  - Pavement distress
KW  - Quality control
KW  - Repeatability
UR  - http://www.nj.gov/transportation/refdata/research/reports/FHWA-NJ-2009-007.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/911539
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01148581
AU  - Mahmassani, Hani S
AU  - Dong, Jing
AU  - Kim, Jiwon
AU  - Chen, Roger B
AU  - Park, Byungkyu
AU  - Science Applications International Corporation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Incorporating Weather Impacts in Traffic Estimation and Prediction Systems
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 110p
AB  - Dynamic Traffic Simulation-Assignment models are gaining wider acceptance and use to support transportation network planning and traffic operations decision-making. Significant improvements in traffic estimation capabilities and overall utilities of these systems for traffic management can be achieved by upgrading or adjusting them to account for the impacts of weather. This report presents the results of a study to develop weather-sensitive dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) models for Traffic Estimation and Prediction (TrEPS) application, which addresses both supply and demand aspects of the response to adverse weather, including user responses to various weather-specific interventions such as advisory information and control actions.
KW  - Dynamic traffic assignment
KW  - Road weather information systems
KW  - Traffic estimation
KW  - Traffic flow
KW  - Traffic models
KW  - Traffic simulation
KW  - Weather conditions
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31400/31419/14497.htm
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31400/31419/14497_files/14497
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33723/index.htm
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33723/treps_pdf.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/908318
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147416
AU  - Kostyniuk, Lidia P
AU  - Connell, Cathleen M
AU  - Robling, Danielle K
AU  - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
AU  - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Driving Reduction and Cessation: Transitioning to Not Driving
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 22p
AB  - This project examined the process of driving reduction and cessation from the perspective of older adults (current and former drivers) and adult children. The objectives were to identify common markers of the process of driving cessation and to gain an understanding of the complex and interrelated family dynamics that influence the process. Audio recordings of a series of structured and focus group interviews with older drivers, former drivers, and children of older drivers from an earlier study funded by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methods. Analyses revealed several themes across current and former drivers including reluctance to stop driving, avoidance of particular traffic and weather conditions, perceived importance of driving for independence and convenience, unwillingness to acknowledge declining driving capability, lack of perceived risk to other motorists, and lack of planning for cessation. Barriers to driving cessation included reluctance by older adults to increase the burden on their children and reluctance by children to initiate the role of caregiver by assuming responsibility for transportation. Results highlighted the complexity of family dynamics that shape decision making about when older adults should limit or stop driving and how much and what type of support adult children can provide during this transition.
KW  - Aged
KW  - Aged drivers
KW  - Driving cessation
KW  - Families
KW  - Family responsibilities
KW  - Focus groups
UR  - http://m-castl.org/files/2009-02KostyniukReport.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907683
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147322
AU  - Blower, Daniel F
AU  - Matteson, Anne
AU  - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
AU  - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
TI  - Evaluation of 2008 Vermont Crash Data Reported to the MCMIS Crash File
PY  - 2009/09//Special Report
SP  - 40p
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 Vermont. MCMIS Crash File records were matched to the Vermont crash file to determine the nature and extent of underreporting. It was necessary to focus just on crashes involving a fatality, A-injury or B-injury, because of problems identifying MCMIS reportable crashes in the Vermont crash file. It appears that Vermont reported 64.9% of these crash involvements in 2008. Reporting rates were found to be related to crash severity, the configuration of the vehicle, and the type of enforcement agency that covered the crash. Over 71% of fatal crash involvements were reported, 54.5% of A-injury involvements, and 67.1% of B-injury involvements. More than 66% of reportable involvements of truck involvements were reported, but the reporting rate was 50.0% for buses. Missing data rates are low for most variables. Corresponding data elements in the MCMIS and Vermont crash files were reasonably consistent, though all cases reported as truck with trailer in the MCMIS file were recorded as tractor-semitrailers in the Vermont crash file.
KW  - Crash data
KW  - Crash reports
KW  - Crash severity
KW  - Data reporting
KW  - Missing data
KW  - Motor Carrier Management Information System Crash File
KW  - Motor carriers
KW  - Statistics
KW  - Underreporting
KW  - Vermont
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/64345
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907568
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147312
AU  - Sargand, Shad M
AU  - Figueroa, J Ludwig
AU  - Edwards, William F
AU  - Al-Rawashdeh, Abdalla S
AU  - Ohio University, Athens
AU  - Ohio Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Performance Assessment of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) Pavements
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 138p
AB  - Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) is a new technology that was introduced in Europe in 1995. WMA offers several advantages over conventional asphalt concrete mixtures, including: reduced energy consumption, reduced emissions, improved or more uniform binder coating of aggregate which should reduce mix surface aging, and extended construction season in temperate climates. Three WMA techniques, Aspha-min, Sasobit, and Evotherm, were used to reduce the viscosity of the asphalt binder at certain temperatures and to dry and fully coat the aggregates at a lower production temperature than conventional hot mix asphalt. The reduction in mixing and compaction temperatures of asphalt mixtures leads to a reduction in both fuel consumption and emissions. This research project had two major components, the outdoor field study on SR541 in Guernsey County and the indoor study in the Accelerated Pavement Load Facility (APLF). Each study included the application of four types of asphalt surface layer, including standard hot mix asphalt as a control and three warm mixes: Evotherm, Aspha-min, and Sasobit. The outdoor study began with testing of the preexisting pavement and subgrade, the results of which indicated that while the pavement and subgrade were not uniform, there were no significant problems or variations that would be expected to lead to differences in performance of the planned test sections. During construction, the outdoor study included collection of emissions samples at the plant and on the construction site as well as thermal readings from the site. Afterwards, the outdoor study included the periodic collection and laboratory analysis of core samples and visual inspections of the road. Roughness (IRI) measurements were made shortly after construction and after a year of service. The indoor study involved the construction of four lanes of perpetual pavement, each topped with one of the test mixes. The lanes were further divided into northern and southern halves, with the northern halves having a full 16 in (40 cm) perpetual pavement, and with the southern halves with thicknesses decreasing in 1 in. (2.5 cm) increments by reducing the intermediate layer. The dense graded aggregate base was increased to compensate for the change in pavement thickness. The southern half of each lane was instrumented to measure temperature, subgrade pressure, deflection relative to top of subgrade and to a point 5 ft (1.5 m) down, and longitudinal and transverse strains at the base of the fatigue resistance layer (FRL). The APLF had the temperature set to 40°F (4.4°C), 70°F (21.1°C), and 104°F (40°C), in that order. At each temperature, rolling wheel loads of 6000 lb (26.7 kN), 9000 lb (40 kN), and 12,000 lb (53.4 kN) were applied at lateral shifts of 3 in. (76 mm), 1 in. (25 mm), -4 in. (-102 mm), and -9 in. (- 229 mm) and the response measured. Then each plane was subjected to 10,000 passes of the rolling wheel load of 9000 lb (40 kN) at about 5 mph (8 km/h). Profiles were measured after 100, 300, 1000, 3000, and 10,000 passes with a profilometer to assess consolidation of each surface. After the 10,000 passes of the rolling wheel load were completed, a second set of measurements was made under rolling wheel loads of 6000 lb (26.7 kN), 9000 lb (40 kN), and 12,000 lb (53.4 kN) at the same lateral shifts as before. Additionally, the response of the pavement instrumentation was recorded during drops of a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD).
KW  - Aspha-Min
KW  - Asphalt concrete pavements
KW  - Evotherm
KW  - Falling weight deflectometers
KW  - Field studies
KW  - International Roughness Index
KW  - Ohio Accelerated Pavement Loading Facility
KW  - Perpetual pavements
KW  - Sasobit
KW  - Test sections
KW  - Warm mix paving mixtures
UR  - http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/TransSysDev/Research/reportsandplans/Reports/2009/Pavement/134312_FR.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907626
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147298
AU  - Ryus, Paul
AU  - Lombard, Pieter Marais
AU  - Billings, Kip A
AU  - Jeannotte, Krista
AU  - Kittelson and Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Applying Analysis Tools in Planning for Operations: Case Study #2–Incorporating Highway Capacity Manual Procedures into Long-Range Transportation Planning
PY  - 2009/09//Brochure
SP  - 22p
AB  - More and more, transportation system operators are seeing the benefits of strengthening links between planning and operations. A critical element in improving transportation decision-making and the effectiveness of transportation systems related to operations and planning is through the use of analysis tools and methods. This brochure is one in a series of five intended to improve the way existing analysis tools are used to advance operational strategies in the planning process. The specific objective of developing this informational brochure series was to provide reference and resource materials that will help planners and operations professionals to use existing transportation planning and operations analysis tools and methods in a more systematic way to better analyze, evaluate, and report the benefits of needed investments in transportation operations. This particular case study focused using Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) procedures in long-range transportation planning for arterial signalization strategies. To better estimate link capacity, this case study developed an automated methodology to 1) transfer demand volumes from a regional model to software implementing the HCM Urban Streets procedure, 2) combine the volumes with known traffic signal timings to calculate a link-specific capacity, and 3) transfer that capacity back to the regional model for the next iteration. In addition, operational treatments that can influence capacity can be accounted for in the HCM-implementing software, thus allowing the effects of these treatments to be reflected in the regional model output.
KW  - Analysis
KW  - Arterial highways
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Highway Capacity Manual
KW  - Long range planning
KW  - Regional transportation
KW  - Signalization
KW  - Software
KW  - Traffic signal timing
KW  - Transportation operations
KW  - Transportation planning
KW  - Travel demand
KW  - Urban transportation
UR  - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10003/fhwahop10003.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907531
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147297
AU  - Zhang, Lin
AU  - Jeannotte, Krista
AU  - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Applying Analysis Tools in Planning for Operations: Case Study #3 – Using Archived Data As a Tool for Operations Planning
PY  - 2009/09//Brochure
SP  - 26p
AB  - More and more, transportation system operators are seeing the benefits of strengthening links between planning and operations. A critical element in improving transportation decision-making and the effectiveness of transportation systems related to operations and planning is through the use of analysis tools and methods. This brochure is one in a series of five intended to improve the way existing analysis tools are used to advance operational strategies in the planning process. The specific objective of developing this informational brochure series was to provide reference and resource materials that will help planners and operations professionals to use existing transportation planning and operations analysis tools and methods in a more systematic way to better analyze, evaluate, and report the benefits of needed investments in transportation operations. This particular case study focused on the application of archived data as a tool for operations planning. This case study summarizes an effort involving the use of archived data for operations planning conducted for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in the San Francisco Bay Area.
KW  - Analysis
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Data banks
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - San Francisco Bay Area
KW  - Transportation operations
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10004/fhwahop10004.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907532
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147293
AU  - Dowling, Richard
AU  - Huang, Allen
AU  - Sterner, Kym
AU  - Jeannotte, Krista
AU  - Dowling Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Applying Analysis Tools in Planning for Operations: Case Study #4 – Application of Microsimulation in Combination With Travel Demand Models
PY  - 2009/09//Brochure
SP  - 20p
AB  - More and more, transportation system operators are seeing the benefits of strengthening links between planning and operations. A critical element in improving transportation decision-making and the effectiveness of transportation systems related to operations and planning is through the use of analysis tools and methods. This brochure is one in a series of five intended to improve the way existing analysis tools are used to advance operational strategies in the planning process. The specific objective of developing this informational brochure series was to provide reference and resource materials that will help planners and operations professionals to use existing transportation planning and operations analysis tools and methods in a more systematic way to better analyze, evaluate, and report the benefits of needed investments in transportation operations. The main problem of interfacing travel demand models with microsimulation models is that the demands produced by demand models are not as capacity constrained as they need to be for use in microsimulation models. The result is that the microsimulation model produces unrealistic facility performance estimates when it is given unrealistic calibration year and future year demands. The solution is to adjust the travel demand model demands to more realistic levels that reflect the physical limitations of the network. This brochure describes two case studies for applying simulation models in combination with travel demand models: 1) the traditional approach performing these adjustments outside of the travel demand model; and 2) an advanced approach that makes many of the demand adjustments within the demand model.
KW  - Analysis
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Highway capacity
KW  - Microsimulation
KW  - Transportation operations
KW  - Transportation planning
KW  - Travel demand
UR  - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10005/fhwahop10005.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907533
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147292
AU  - Jeannotte, Krista
AU  - Sallman, Douglas
AU  - Margiotta, Richard
AU  - Howard, Mark
AU  - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Applying Analysis Tools in Planning for Operations
PY  - 2009/09//Brochure
SP  - 22p
AB  - More and more, transportation system operators are seeing the benefits of strengthening links between planning and operations. A critical element in improving transportation decision-making and the effectiveness of transportation systems related to operations and planning is through the use of analysis tools. The use of the term “Tools” in this context is meant not only to include physical software and devoted analytical applications, but also more basic analysis methods and procedures as well. The intent of this brochure, and four accompanying case study brochures, is to help planners and operations professionals use existing transportation planning and operations analysis tools and methods in a more systematic way to better analyze, evaluate, and report the benefits of needed investments in transportation operations, in order to make the overall transportation system work better.
KW  - Analysis
KW  - Decision making
KW  - Procedures
KW  - Software
KW  - Transportation operations
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10001/fhwahop10001.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907529
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01147290
AU  - Sallman, Douglas
AU  - Jeannotte, Krista
AU  - Morallos, Dorothy
AU  - Ramaratnam, Shriram
AU  - Bunch, Jim
AU  - Lowrance, Cheryl
AU  - Hatcher, Greg
AU  - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated
AU  - Noblis
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Applying Analysis Tools in Planning for Operations: Case Study #1– Operations Strategy Impact Reference and Deployment Guidance
PY  - 2009/09//Brochure
SP  - 24p
AB  - More and more, transportation system operators are seeing the benefits of strengthening links between planning and operations. A critical element in improving transportation decision-making and the effectiveness of transportation systems related to operations and planning is through the use of analysis tools and methods. This brochure is one in a series of five intended to improve the way existing analysis tools are used to advance operational strategies in the planning process. The specific objective of developing this informational brochure series was to provide reference and resource materials that will help planners and operations professionals to use existing transportation planning and operations analysis tools and methods in a more systematic way to better analyze, evaluate, and report the benefits of needed investments in transportation operations. This particular case study focused on compiling information on various operations strategies in order to promote a greater understanding of the impacts including: (1) High-level summaries of the likely impacts of operational strategies on performance measures;  (2) Guidance on specific thresholds or rules-of-thumb that have been developed to help practitioners identify conditions that warrant deployment of particular operations strategies. The guidance provided in this case study is intended to bridge a common knowledge gap faced by many deploying agencies and aims to answer the questions: “what situations are most conducive to operational strategy deployments” and “what are the likely impacts of the strategies under consideration.”
KW  - Analysis
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Deployment
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - Procedures
KW  - Strategic planning
KW  - Transportation operations
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10002/fhwahop10002.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907530
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146830
AU  - Olson, Rebecca L
AU  - Hanowski, Richard J
AU  - Hickman, Jeffrey S
AU  - Bocanegra, Joseph L
AU  - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
AU  - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
TI  - Driver Distraction in Commercial Vehicle Operations
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 285p
AB  - This study investigated the impact of driver distraction in commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operations. Data from two earlier naturalistic studies were combined to create a data set of 203 CMV drivers and 55 trucks from seven trucking fleets operating at 16 locations. A total of 4,452 safety-critical events (i.e., crashes, near-crashes, crash-relevant conflicts, and unintentional lane deviations) were identified in the data set, along with 19,888 baseline (uneventful, routine driving) epochs. Data analyses included odds ratio calculations and population attributable risk estimates. Key findings were that drivers were engaged in non-driving related tasks in 71 percent of crashes, 46 percent of near-crashes, and 60 percent of all safety-critical events. Also, performing highly complex tasks while driving led to a significant increase in risk. Eye glance analyses examined driver eye location while performing tasks while operating a CMV. Tasks associated with high odds ratios (increased risk) were also associated with high eyes off forward road times. This suggests that tasks that draw the driver’s visual attention away from the forward roadway should be minimized or avoided. Based on the results of the analyses, a number of recommendations are presented that may help address the issue of driver distraction in CMV operations.
KW  - Commercial drivers
KW  - Commercial vehicle operations
KW  - Crash risk forecasting
KW  - Distraction
KW  - Glance behavior
KW  - Human factors in crashes
KW  - Lane deviation
KW  - Near miss collisions (Ground transportation)
KW  - Traffic conflicts
KW  - Truck crashes
KW  - Truck drivers
KW  - Visual attention
UR  - http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/report/FMCSA-RRR-09-042.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907078
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146828
AU  - Masada, Teruhisa
AU  - Ohio University, Athens
AU  - Ohio Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Shear Strength of Clay and Silt Embankments
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 319p
AB  - The highway embankment is one of the most common large-scale geotechnical facilities constructed in Ohio. In the past, the design of these embankments was largely based on soil shear strength properties that had been estimated from previously published empirical correlations and/or crude soil test results. This is because either the actual soil fill material is not available for testing at the time of embankment design or detailed shear strength determination of soil samples in the laboratory tends to be time-consuming and expensive. Structural stability of these embankments is vital to the state economy and public safety. There is a strong need to conduct a study to examine whether the empirical correlations are truly applicable to Ohio soils and to develop comprehensive geotechnical guidelines concerning the shear strength properties of cohesive soils typically used in Ohio. In this study, soil samples from nine highway embankment sites scattered across Ohio were tested both in the field and laboratory to establish comprehensive geotechnical properties of cohesive soil fills, which represent a wide range of geological features existing in the state. The large volume of soil data produced in the study was then analyzed to evaluate reliability of the empirical correlations and derive statistically strong correlations for shear strength properties of cohesive soil fill materials found in Ohio. Based on the outcome of these analyses, multi-level guidelines are proposed by the author for estimating shear strength properties of Ohio cohesive soils more confidently.
KW  - Cohesive soils
KW  - Embankments
KW  - Field tests
KW  - Geotechnical engineering
KW  - Laboratory tests
KW  - Ohio
KW  - Shear strength
KW  - Slope stability
UR  - http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/2/OHI/2009/12/22/H1261497839157/viewer/file1.pdf
UR  - http://worldcat.org/oclc/489698919/viewonline
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907082
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146826
AU  - Herman, Lloyd A
AU  - McAvoy, Deborah S
AU  - Richardson, Wallace
AU  - Ohio University, Athens
AU  - Ohio Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Effectiveness of Noise Barriers Installed Adjacent to Transverse Grooved Concrete Pavements
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 108p
AB  - In recent years the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has reconstructed a number of roadways where asphalt pavements were replaced with random transverse grooved concrete pavements. Upon completion, residents living adjacent to the reconstructed roadways have complained of increased noise levels. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Traffic Noise Model (TNM) is used to determine if predicted traffic noise levels warrant abatement and to design the abatement structures. The public perception problem described above suggests that the model does not result in adequate noise barrier abatement designs near random transverse grooved concrete pavements. The overall goal of this project was to provide ODOT with accurate TNM noise predictions when modeling random transverse grooved concrete pavement highways. Three random transverse grooved PCC roadway sites were chosen for study where high quality sound recordings were taken. Sites 1 (Cincinnati I-275) and 2 (Troy I-75) were chosen to represent the noise quality experienced by residents adjacent to the roadway, where the residential areas were separated from the roadway by sound barriers. Site 3 (Madison County I-70) was chosen to study the attenuation of road noise with distance in an easily-characterized environment; an open soybean cropland essentially level on both sides of the roadway with no noise barrier. Through a paired t-test the research findings determined that the sample means of the TNM average pavement and the ODOT random transverse grooved pavement were not equivalent based upon a level of confidence of 95 percent. An examination of the one-third octave band frequency levels indicated that at frequencies greater than 500 Hz, the measured traffic noise levels exceeded both the TNM average pavement type and TNM ODOT random transverse grooved pavement predictions. However, at frequencies less than 500 Hz the predictions tended to exceed the measurements. It is recommended that the experimental version of TNM developed for this project, using the current ODOT random transverse grooved concrete pavement REMEL, should not be used in practice due to its potential to under-predict traffic noise levels. A new surface texture specification should also be developed for concrete pavements to replace the current specification in order to reduce tire/pavement noise levels while maintaining or improving safety and durability characteristics.
KW  - Concrete pavements
KW  - Noise barriers
KW  - Pavement grooving
KW  - Sound level
KW  - Traffic noise
KW  - Traffic Noise Model
UR  - http://worldcat.org/oclc/489729171/viewonline
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907063
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146825
AU  - Akin, Michelle
AU  - Mokwa, Robert
AU  - Western Transportation Institute
AU  - Montana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Measurement and Evaluation of Subgrade Soil Parameters: Phase I – Synthesis of Literature
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 69p
AB  - A key material property used in the mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) is the resilient modulus (M sub r), which either can be obtained from experimental testing or can be backcalculated from other measured soil properties. The determination of a representative M sub r value for a given subgrade, considering seasonal variations and testing intricacies, is not an easy or straightforward task. Over 30 different correlation equations were reviewed in this study. Selected equations were further examined using data from two Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) soil survey reports. Results from the literature review and preliminary data evaluation indicate there is little to no consistency between equations for predicting M sub r from soil index and classification properties. Most of the equations were developed from relatively small sample sets and often for region-specific soil types. Until a more detailed assessment is conducted, the authors discourage the general use of M sub r correlation equations without prior testing and verification of the suitability and reliability of the modulus estimates. The authors suggest that full scale implementation of a repeated load triaxial testing program for the determination of M sub r on a routine project basis may not be the most cost effective approach for MDT. Rather, it is recommended that additional evaluation of MDT soil survey data be conducted to identify potentially useful correlation equations and to identify the soil parameters that may be most denotative of soil stiffness. A subsequent phase of focused repeated load triaxial testing could then be conducted in an efficient manner to measure M sub r for specific soil types and to verify the suitability and applicability of previously identified correlation equations.
KW  - Equations
KW  - Literature reviews
KW  - Mathematical prediction
KW  - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
KW  - Modulus of resilience
KW  - Repeated loads
KW  - Subgrade (Pavements)
KW  - Triaxial shear tests
UR  - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/research/external/docs/research_proj/subgrade_soil_eval/final_report.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45800/45822/final_report43.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/907074
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146794
AU  - Haghani, Ali
AU  - Afshar, Abbas
AU  - University of Maryland, College Park
AU  - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center
AU  - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Supply Chain Management in Disaster Response
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 89p
AB  - In today's society disasters seem to be striking all corners of the United States and the globe, and the importance of emergency management is undeniable.  Much human loss and unnecessary destruction of infrastructure can be avoided with more foresight and specific planning.  During emergencies various aid organizations often face significant problems of transporting large amounts of many different commodities including food, clothing, medicine, medical supplies, machines, and personnel from different points of origin to different destinations in the disaster areas.  The transportation of supplies and relief personnel must be done quickly and efficiently to maximize the survival rate of the affected population and minimize the cost of such operations.  The goal of this research is to develop a comprehensive model that describes the integrated supply chain operations in response to natural disasters.  The research will offer a model that not only considers details such as vehicle routing and pick up or delivery schedules; but also considers finding the optimal location for temporary facilities as well as considering the capacity constraints for each facility and the transportation system.  Such a model provides the opportunity for a centralized operation plan that can eliminate delays and assign the limited resources in a way that is optimal for the entire system.  A mathematical model at the operational level is needed that can be used in the critical hours and days immediately after disaster strikes.  This research also aims at developing optimization algorithms and heuristics to solve the proposed model and find applicable solutions to decrease human suffering in the most economically sensible way.  Finally, a comprehensive series of numerical analysis is performed to evaluate the proposed model and solution algorithms.  The numerical analysis shows the required details for model implementation.  Conclusions and directions for further research are also discussed.
KW  - Algorithms
KW  - Disaster preparedness
KW  - Disaster relief
KW  - Disasters and emergency operations
KW  - Mathematical models
KW  - Numerical analysis
KW  - Optimization
KW  - Supply chain management
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906596
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146768
AU  - Wittwer, Ernie
AU  - Adams, Teresa
AU  - Toledo-Duran, Edwin
AU  - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE)
AU  - Wisconsin Department of Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - 21st Century Workforce Development Summit
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 59p
AB  - The transportation workforce will be facing severe strains over the next decade as the baby boom generation begins to retire. These strains will be made worse by the relatively small numbers of workers entering the transportation workforce and the small number entering the technical fields that are the source of the workforce. At the same time the nature of the transportation industry is changing producing the need for new and broader skill sets. These issues were explored in a workshop. It was concluded that new skills will be required. To produce those skills and the number of workers required, new partnerships will also be needed. Agencies, private sector firms and educators will have to combine forces to make the training and development processes as effective as possible and to attract students to the sciences and to transportation in particular.
KW  - Labor force
KW  - Personnel development
KW  - Training
KW  - Transportation careers
UR  - http://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/55636/01-10_CFIRE_FR.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906606
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146753
AU  - Sacco, Maggie
AU  - CTC & Associates LLC
AU  - Wisconsin Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Transportation Librarian’s Toolkit, Second Edition
PY  - 2009/09//Second Edition
SP  - 66p
AB  - This report is a product of the Transportation Library Connectivity pooled fund study, TPF-5(105), a collaborative effort by transportation libraries to enhance information accessibility and professional expertise to serve the transportation community. At the time of publication study members included state DOT libraries in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York State, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority; University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies; and the Wisconsin Transportation Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Technical Advisory Committee members of the pooled fund study were instrumental in creating this toolkit, which is a product of the collective work of the study. The purposes of this toolkit are to ease the learning curve of those new to librarianship and/or transportation; to pull together the collective wisdom of study members on topics that the study has addressed through its work of connecting and networking transportation libraries; to serve as a living document, updated frequently in print and online; to capture some of the institutional memory that is leaving the DOTs as waves of retirements loom; and to give transportation librarians of varying experience levels and work situations some tools to inspire, enhance and streamline librarians’ work and library operations.
KW  - Guides to information
KW  - Information services
KW  - Libraries
KW  - Library operations
KW  - Transportation libraries
UR  - http://libraryconnectivity.org/archive/librarianresources_files/Toolkit%20Second%20Edition%20-%20Web%20Final.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906605
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01146347
JO  - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series
PB  - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
AU  - Jo, Jang-Hyeon
AU  - Lee, Jong-Sung
AU  - Ouyang, Yanfeng
AU  - Li, Zongzhi
AU  - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
AU  - Illinois Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Crash Data Analysis and Engineering Solutions for Local Agencies
PY  - 2009/09//Research Report
SP  - 68p
AB  - This report introduces the development process of an Internet-based, GIS-compatible software tool for Illinois local road crash analysis. This state-of-the-art tool is capable of performing crash information query, trend analysis, statistical analysis, color-coded mapping, and other safety information display within the web-based GIS compatible environment. The Internet-accessible user interface allows users to inquire about detailed information on vehicle crashes associated with road segments and intersections for any geographical regions or jurisdictions in the state of Illinois via query forms or zoom-enabled interactive maps. In addition, users can specify a data aggregation type, time range, and information type to display crash information in formats of tables, charts, or maps. This system helps the state and local transportation agencies in Illinois to screen dangerous highway segments, diagnose safety performance of the selected roads, and identify the most cost-effective countermeasures for safety improvements. This report addresses three major technical issues of the system design: (1) system architecture design and software development technologies, (2) supportive databases and data structure, and (3) user interfaces and system functionality. The report introduces system architecture and background components with used technologies for the full-scale implementation. In addition, descriptions on required datasets, their structures, and data-related issues are presented to explain the characteristics of databases. The system functionality section introduces functional definitions and explains the development purposes of all modules in the system. The report also explains how to utilize each module and provide required inputs for online crash data query and the decision support process based on web-based GIS applications.
KW  - Crash analysis
KW  - Crash data
KW  - Databases
KW  - Development
KW  - Illinois
KW  - Internet
KW  - Software
KW  - System architecture
KW  - System design
KW  - User interfaces (Computer science)
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/2142/13790
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55700/55778/FHWA-ICT-09-057.PDF
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905597
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146336
AU  - Pincheira, Jose A
AU  - Midwest Regional University Transportation Center
AU  - Wisconsin Department of Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Development and Layout of a Protocol for the Field Performance of Concrete Deck and Crack Sealers
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 54p
AB  - The main objective of this project was to develop and layout a protocol for the long-term monitoring and assessment of the performance of concrete deck and crack sealants in the field. To accomplish this goal, a total of six bridge decks were chosen for study. The decks have ages that vary from 4 to 30 years old, are all in good condition, though some presented a variety of longitudinal, transverse and diagonal cracking. In each deck, test segments were laid out along one lane in four of the six bridges. Drill powder samples were extracted in each segment in order to determine the in-situ, near-surface chloride ion content of the deck. Laboratory analyses of the samples showed that the chloride ion content varied between 3.2 lb/cy for the younger decks (3 years old) and 20.8 lb/cy for the older decks (28 years old). Based on the recommendations of a previous laboratory investigation, a pool of the best performing deck and crack sealants were selected to be applied in the decks. In two bridges, deck segments were sealed with four deck sealants while one segment was left unsealed to be used as a control segment. Additionally, the cracks in each of these segments were sealed with five crack sealants. While two other decks were also scheduled for sealing as part of this phase of the project, they were not done because the required curing time for some of the products was longer than deemed acceptable by DOT crews for these high traffic bridges. It is recommended, however, that every effort be made to have these decks be sealed in the near future. The remaining two bridges had been sealed at the time of construction. While no specific information could be secured about the product used in these decks, the low chloride ion content in these decks suggested that the applied product has helped reduce the ingress of chloride ions. Therefore, it is recommended that these decks continue to be monitored over time. Based on the inspections and the data collected in the field, a protocol and schedule for the continuing monitoring of sealant performance is presented.
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Concrete bridges
KW  - Cracking
KW  - Evaluation and assessment
KW  - Maintenance
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Performance
KW  - Sealing compounds
UR  - http://www.tsp2.org/files_tsp2/resource/MRUTC_07-13_FR.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905628
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01146330
JO  - Tech Brief
PB  - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
AU  - Gupta, Santosh
AU  - Olson, Rebecca
AU  - Hanowski, Richard
AU  - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
AU  - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
TI  - Defensive Driving Tips for CMV Drivers: An Internet-Based Approach
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 102p
AB  - The main objective of this study was to develop a web-based driving tips website to be used by commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and fleet safety managers to show common large-truck driving errors and to provide tips on how to avoid such errors. The website, hosted on the FMCSA website, is accessible to the public. The website is intended to be used as a supplemental CMV driver training tool and is not intended to replace any of the current classroom or on-road training methods that are currently being used. The website contains real-world video clips of CMV drivers who were recorded making various driving errors. It is hoped that the CMV web-based driving tips website, with support from the naturalistic driving video clips, will provide drivers with compelling information to support safe driving.
KW  - Commercial vehicles
KW  - Defensive drivers
KW  - Driver errors
KW  - Driver training
KW  - Internet
KW  - Truck drivers
KW  - Truck driving
KW  - Trucking safety
KW  - Websites (Information retrieval)
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51200/51284/Defensive-Driving-Tips-for-CMV-Drivers.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905489
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01146325
AU  - Tabatabai, Habib
AU  - Zhao, Jian
AU  - Lee, Chin-Wei
AU  - University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Statistical Analysis of Heavy Truck Loads Using Wisconsin Weigh-In-Motion Data
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 197p
AB  - This study involved statistical evaluation of heavy truck loads that were recorded in 2007 using Weigh-In-Motion stations located throughout the State of Wisconsin.  The heaviest 5% of all trucks in each class and axle groupings were selected for further analyses.  Best fit unimodal and multimodal distributions for all axle loads and spacings in each truck class were determined.  Multivariate Monte Carlo simulations using the marginal distributions and empirical copulas were performed to assess maximum moments and shears in simply supported bridges.  Moments and shears due to the 250-kip Wisconsin Permit Vehicle were compared with simulation results.  The multivariate Monte Carlo simulations of truck loadings can be used to assess the reliability of bridges and pavements as well as detailed fatigue analyses.
KW  - Axle loads
KW  - Bridges
KW  - Heavy duty trucks
KW  - Monte Carlo method
KW  - Statistical analysis
KW  - Weigh in motion
KW  - Wisconsin
UR  - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/01-02_FR.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905636
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145978
AU  - Trejo, David
AU  - Hueste, Mary Beth D
AU  - Gardoni, Paolo
AU  - Pillai, Radhakrishna G
AU  - Reinschmidt, Kenneth F
AU  - Im, Seok Been
AU  - Kataria, Suresh
AU  - Hurlebaus, Stefan
AU  - Gamble, Michael
AU  - Ngo, Thanh Tat
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Effect of Voids in Grouted, Post-Tensioned Concrete Bridge Construction: Volume 1 – Electrochemical Testing and Reliability Assessment
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 366p
AB  - Post-tensioned (PT) bridges are major structures that carry significant traffic. PT bridges are economical for spanning long distances. In Texas, there are several signature PT bridges. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, several state highway agencies identified challenges with the PT structures, mainly corrosion of the PT strands. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) performed some comprehensive inspections of its PT bridges. A consultant’s report recommended that all ducts be re-grouted. However, the environment in Texas is very different than the environments in which the corrosion of the PT strands were observed. The objective of this research was to evaluate the corrosion activity of strands for PT structures and to correlate this corrosion activity with general environmental and void conditions. To achieve this objective, time-variant probabilistic models were developed to predict the tension capacity of PT strands subjected to different environmental and void conditions. Using these probabilistic models, time-variant structural reliability models were developed. The probability of failure of a simplified PT structure subjected to HS20 and HL93 loading conditions was assessed. Both flexural failure and serviceability were assessed. Results indicate that the presence of water and chlorides can lead to significant corrosion rates and failure is dependent on this corrosion activity and the number of strands exposed to these conditions. Volume 1 of this report presents these results. To assist TxDOT with developing a plan to mitigate this corrosion, studies were performed to assess repair grout materials, inspection methods, and repair methods. In addition, a general methodology is presented on optimizing repairs. These topics are presented in Volume 2 of this report. An Inspection and Repair Manual was also developed from this research and is presented in a separate report. Results indicate that TxDOT should prevent water and chlorides from infiltrating the tendons; this can be achieved in part by repairing drain lines and ducts and protecting anchor heads, as these conditions can lead to early failure of PT bridges. Recommendations on inspections, repairs, and materials are provided; however, further research on the potential formation of galvanic coupling of strands embedded in both existing and new repair grouts needs to be assessed.
KW  - Air voids
KW  - Chlorides
KW  - Concrete bridges
KW  - Corrosion
KW  - Ducts
KW  - Failure
KW  - Grouting
KW  - Inspection
KW  - Posttensioning
KW  - Repairing
KW  - Structural reliability
KW  - Tendons (Materials)
KW  - Texas
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-4588-1-Vol1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906609
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145975
AU  - Trejo, David
AU  - Halmen, Ceki
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Corrosion Performance Tests for Reinforcing Steel in Concrete: Test Procedures
PY  - 2009/09//Product
SP  - 36p
AB  - The existing test method to assess the corrosion performance of reinforcing steel embedded in concrete, mainly ASTM G109, is labor intensive, time consuming, slow to provide comparative results, and often expensive. However, corrosion of reinforcement is a major challenge to the performance and long-term durability of infrastructure systems. Improvements in the corrosion performance of materials could add significant value to the infrastructure. New procedures and test methods are needed to assess the corrosion performance of potentially value-adding materials. This study evaluated four accelerated test procedures: the mini-macrocell (MM) test, the concrete chloride ion assessment (CCIA) test (also referred to as the concrete corrosion inhibitor association test), the accelerated chloride threshold (ACT) test, and the modified G109 test. Results from the accelerated tests were compared with results from the standard ASTM G109 results. The rapid MM test proved to be relatively simple, and researchers recommend that it be used to assess the relative performance of several material systems. The CCIA and ACT tests are recommended only when the critical chloride threshold of a reinforced system is needed. These tests are more complex and expensive to perform than the MM test. This product provides the procedures for performing these tests. The modified G109 test can continue to be used, but test durations are still relatively long.
KW  - Accelerated tests
KW  - Corrosion
KW  - Reinforced concrete
KW  - Reinforcing steel
KW  - Test procedures
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-4825-P1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906588
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145974
AU  - Brydia, Robert E
AU  - Brackin, Byron E
AU  - De Roche, Robert F
AU  - Johnson, Jeremy D
AU  - Thomas, Gary B
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Development of a Video over IP Guidebook
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 38p
AB  - Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) engineers are responsible for the design, evaluation, and implementation of video solutions across the entire state. These installations occur with vast differences in requirements, expectations, and constraints. Because the systems require extensive interoperability to other systems, agencies, and deployments, a systems engineering process (SEP) is employed to develop a consistent and structured approach to the development of concepts, needs, requirements, design, testing, and on-going operations. This report details the development of a guidebook and supplemental CD-ROM for TxDOT engineers to understand, assess, and deploy digital video solutions.
KW  - Digital video
KW  - Handbooks
KW  - Highway operations
KW  - Interoperability
KW  - Systems engineering
KW  - Texas
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5942-1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906590
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145970
AU  - Trejo, David
AU  - Hueste, Mary Beth D
AU  - Gardoni, Paolo
AU  - Pillai, Radhakrishna G
AU  - Reinschmidt, Kenneth F
AU  - Im, Seok Been
AU  - Kataria, Suresh
AU  - Hurlebaus, Stefan
AU  - Gamble, Michael
AU  - Ngo, Thanh Tat
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Effect of Voids in Grouted, Post-Tensioned Concrete Bridge Construction: Volume 2 – Inspection, Repair, Materials, and Risks
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 342p
AB  - Post-tensioned (PT) bridges are major structures that carry significant traffic. These bridges are designed and constructed because they are economical for spanning long distances. In Texas, there are several signature PT bridges. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, several state highway agencies identified challenges with the PT structures: mainly corrosion of the PT strands. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) performed some comprehensive inspections of their PT bridges. A consultant’s report recommended that all ducts be re-grouted. However, the environment in Texas is very different than the environments in which the corrosion of the PT strands were observed. The objective of this research was to evaluate the corrosion activity of strands for PT structures and to correlate this corrosion activity with general environmental and void conditions. To achieve this objective, time-variant probabilistic models were developed to predict the tension capacity of PT strands subjected to different environmental and void conditions. Using these probabilistic models, time-variant structural reliability models were developed. The probability of failure of a simplified PT structure subjected to HS20 and HL93 loading conditions was assessed. Both flexural failure and serviceability were assessed. Results indicate that the presence of water and chlorides can lead to significant corrosion rates and failure is dependent on this corrosion activity and the number of strands exposed to these conditions. These results are presented in Volume 1 of this report. To assist TxDOT with developing a plan to mitigate this corrosion, studies were performed to assess repair grout materials, inspection methods, and repair methods. In addition, a general methodology is presented on optimizing repairs. These topics are presented in Volume 2 of this report. An Inspection and Repair Manual was also developed from this research and is presented in a separate report. Results indicate that TxDOT should prevent water and chlorides from infiltrating the tendons — this can be achieved in part by repairing drain lines, ducts, and protecting anchor heads as these conditions can lead to early failure of PT bridges. Recommendations on inspections, repairs, and materials are provided, however, further research on the potential formation of galvanic coupling of strands embedded in both existing and new repair grouts need to be assessed.
KW  - Air voids
KW  - Chlorides
KW  - Concrete bridges
KW  - Corrosion
KW  - Ducts
KW  - Failure
KW  - Grouting
KW  - Inspection
KW  - Posttensioning
KW  - Repairing
KW  - Structural reliability
KW  - Tendons (Materials)
KW  - Texas
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-4588-1-Vol2.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906624
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145968
AU  - Carlson, Todd B
AU  - Sepulveda, Edward D
AU  - Weissmann, Jose
AU  - Crawford, Jason
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - An Assessment of a Traffic Monitoring System for a Major Traffic Generator to Improve Regional Planning: Technical Report
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 401p
AB  - The opening of a major traffic generator in the San Antonio area provided an opportunity to develop and implement an extensive traffic monitoring system to analyze local, area, and regional traffic impacts from the generator. Researchers reviewed the technical literature and the experiences of other areas with major traffic generators. Twenty-nine new traffic data collection sites were installed as part of the monitoring system, including two sites with new radar-based technology. This provided the Texas Department of Transportation with the opportunity to test new traffic data collection equipment. Researchers combined historical traffic data from the study area, travel time runs, commuter surveys, and data from new sites to measure impacts. The major generator created small impacts at or in the vicinity of its location in the study area. Changes recorded in the data from roadways further out from the major generator were found not related to activities from the generator. The process of developing and implementing a monitoring system is transferable to other cities and regions and depends on available resources and agency interest.
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Impact studies
KW  - Major traffic generators
KW  - Regional planning
KW  - San Antonio (Texas)
KW  - Traffic surveillance
KW  - Trip generation
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5531-2.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/906591
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145315
AU  - Decina, Lawrence E
AU  - Foss, Robert
AU  - Tucker, Mary Ellen
AU  - Goodwin, Arthur
AU  - Sohn, Jamie
AU  - TransAnalytics, LLC
AU  - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Alternative Transportation Programs: A Countermeasure for Reducing Impaired Driving
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 54p
AB  - This report is a compilation of information on alternative transportation programs that could provide guidance to States and local communities in developing, refining, or expanding programs to address impaired driving.  The impaired-driving problem is complex and requires the full range of countermeasures.  Alternative Transportation (AT) programs emerged as an approach to reduce drinking and driving episodes.  These services transport drinkers from--and sometimes to and between--drinking establishments using taxis, privately owned vehicles, buses, tow trucks, and law enforcement agents.  Some programs provide drivers to drive the drinker's car home along with the drinker.  These alternatives to driving a motor vehicle while impaired have been in existence for several decades.  Studies on AT programs commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that specific characteristics of various programs show promise.  These included accessibility, availability, and ease of integration into activity.  The model AT program--one with the greatest likelihood of reducing crashes by impaired drivers--would be continually available, free to users, and would be convenient and easy to use, taking them directly to their homes and minimizing the need to retrieve a vehicle later.  The report also provides insight into appropriate experimental design methodology to use when evaluating AT programs.
KW  - Alternatives analysis
KW  - Countermeasures
KW  - Drinking establishments
KW  - Drunk drivers
KW  - Drunk driving
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Impaired drivers
UR  - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Traffic%20Injury%20Control/Articles/Associated%20Files/811188.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905347
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145308
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
AU  - American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
TI  - Driver Fitness Medical Guidelines
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 160p
AB  - This guide provides guidance to assist licensing agencies in making decisions about an individual’s fitness for driving. This is the first attempt to produce a consolidated document covering medical conditions included in the task agreement between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). Many medical conditions are not covered by this document. They have been excluded in order to limit the project to manageable objectives and to focus on the most common conditions. In the guide, there are ratings of the quality of the evidence: high, moderate, and low. These ratings represent the replicability of the research presented in each study.
KW  - Diseases and medical conditions
KW  - Drivers
KW  - Driving
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Health
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Physical fitness
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31148/6061_MedicalReviewGuide_10-1_v2a.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905424
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01145050
AU  - Joshi, Ajay J
AU  - Papanikolopoulos, Nikolaos P
AU  - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
AU  - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Data Mining of Traffic Video Sequences
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 29p
AB  - Automatically analyzing video data is extremely important for applications such as monitoring and data collection in transportation scenarios. Machine learning techniques are often employed in order to achieve these goals of mining traffic video to find interesting events. Typically, learning-based methods require significant amount of training data provided via human annotation. For instance, in order to provide training, a user can give the system images of a certain vehicle along with its respective annotation. The system then learns how to identify vehicles in the future - however, such systems usually need large amounts of training data and thereby cumbersome human effort. In this research, the authors propose a method for active learning in which the system interactively queries the human for annotation on the most informative instances. In this way, learning can be accomplished with lesser user effort without compromising performance. Their system is also efficient computationally, thus being feasible in real data mining tasks for traffic video sequences.
KW  - Artificial intelligence
KW  - Data mining
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Learning (Artificial intelligence)
KW  - Traffic data
KW  - Traffic surveillance
KW  - Vehicle classification
KW  - Video imaging detectors
UR  - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1240
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/905227
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01144540
AU  - Loo, Sin Ming
AU  - Owen, Michael
AU  - Kiepert, Josh
AU  - Planting, Arlen
AU  - Pook, Michael
AU  - Klein, Derek
AU  - Jones, Byron
AU  - Beneke, Jeremy
AU  - Watson, Jean
AU  - Boise State University
AU  - Kansas State University, Manhattan
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - Modular, Portable, and Reconfigurable Wireless Sensing System for the Aircraft Cabin
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 21p
AB  - This paper describes the design and prototyping of a modular, portable, reconfigurable, and wireless multipurpose sensor system for monitoring and recording environmental conditions in aircraft cabins. The objective of this small, portable embedded sensing system is to record aircraft cabin conditions on flights of convenience to generate a large database for determination of normal conditions. By designing a sensor system that can be easily reconfigured for different needs (with the ability and flexibility to accommodate different/extra sensors), the system can be used to measure parameters that meet multiple research requirements. Through design considerations such as generalized signal interface and hierarchical code structure that can be easily reworked for new sensors, this sensor system has been developed for optimum usefulness in aircraft environment research. In the current setup, the system is configured with temperature, humidity, sound level, carbon dioxide, and pressure sensors. The system has been calibrated in the laboratory without the use of a pressure chamber. Data from six flights are presented in this report.
KW  - Air quality
KW  - Aircraft cabins
KW  - Environment
KW  - Humidity
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Portable equipment
KW  - Sensors
KW  - Sound
KW  - Temperature sensors
KW  - Wireless sensors
UR  - http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/faa-aviation-medicine-reports/AM09-18.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904196
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01144521
AU  - Liang, Robert Y
AU  - University of Akron
AU  - Ohio Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Continuing Investigation of Polishing and Friction Characteristics of Limestone Aggregate in Ohio
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 259p
AB  - Due to increased focus on maintaining highway operating safety and reducing wet weather accidents, the Ohio Department of Transportation has initiated a research study to develop a laboratory scale accelerated polishing device that can mimic the actual abrasion and polishing actions between the vehicle rubber tires and the Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) surface.  The intent was to use the developed accelerated polishing device to screen the hot mix design and the aggregates sources to ensure satisfactory field performance in terms of providing adequate friction (skid resistance) during the expected life span of the pavement.  Toward this goal, a new laboratory scale accelerated polishing device has been designed, fabricated, and test validated.  The device uses the rubber pads as the means to achieve the accelerated polishing action, while offering the desired features such as the use of the Gyratory compacted specimens for testing, short test duration (6 to 8 hours), and minimum labor efforts.  The validity of the test device and the accompanied test procedures were ascertained by comparing with the polishing and friction test results of the constituent aggregates using the ASTM standard British Polishing Wheel Test.  In addition, the statistical analysis of the accelerated polishing test data affirmed the repeatability of the test procedures.  For a correlation study between the accelerated laboratory test results and field performance data, a total of eight pavement test sections (each 500 long) were selected for study.  Preliminary correlation relationships were established among the Skid Number measured by the Locked Wheel Skid Trailer, the Friction Number measured from the Dynamic Friction Tester, and the texture measurement from the circular Texture Meter.  A continuing long-term testing program is ongoing to collect additional time-dependent data for further correlation studies.
KW  - Friction
KW  - Hot mix asphalt
KW  - Limestone aggregates
KW  - Ohio
KW  - Polishing (Aggregates)
KW  - Test procedures
KW  - Testing equipment
UR  - http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/2/OHI/2009/12/21/H1261408564328/viewer/file1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904563
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01144489
AU  - Leland, Richard
AU  - Rogers, Rodney O
AU  - Boquet, Albert
AU  - Glaser, Scott
AU  - Environmental Tectonics Corporation
AU  - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
AU  - Federal Aviation Administration
TI  - An Experiment to Evaluate Transfer of Upset-Recovery Training Conducted Using Two Different Flight Simulation Devices
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 20p
AB  - Air transport training programs provide simulator-based upset-recovery instruction for company pilots. However, no prior research demonstrates that such training transfers to an airplane in flight. The authors report on an FAA-funded research experiment to evaluate upset-recovery training transfer. Two groups of participants were given simulator-based training in upset-recovery, one in a high-end centrifuge-based device, the other using Microsoft Flight Simulator running on desktop computers. A third control group received no upset-recovery training at all. All three groups were then subjected to serious in-flight upsets in an aerobatic airplane. Pilots from both trained groups significantly outperformed control group pilots in upset-recovery maneuvering. However, performance differences between pilots from the two trained groups were less distinct. Moreover, pilot performance in both trained groups fell well short of the performance exhibited by pilots experienced in all attitude flight. Although the authors conducted flight testing in a general aviation airplane, their research has important implications for heavy aircraft upset-recovery trainers.
KW  - Education and training methods
KW  - Flight simulators
KW  - Flight training
KW  - Technology transfer
KW  - Training
KW  - Training simulators
KW  - Upset recovery training
UR  - http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2000s/media/200917.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904193
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143781
AU  - Edara, Praveen K.
AU  - University of Missouri, Columbia
AU  - Missouri Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Evaluation of Work Zone Enhancement Software Programs
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 32p
AB  - The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is looking for software tools that can assist in developing effective plans to manage and communicate work zone activities. QuickZone, CA4PRS, VISSIM, and Spreadsheet models are the tools that MoDOT is particularly interested in. These tools quantify the travel delays and hence can be used to plan, design, and schedule the work activity so as to minimize those delays. In this report, the findings of a research project on evaluating the four identified work zone tools are presented. Based on the results of a literature review, state DOT survey, and case studies conducted in this project, recommendations were made for the most appropriate tool for different work zone configurations. The study recommendations are: 1) For rural interstates, divided roadways, and multilane undivided highways in Missouri the Spreadsheet model developed in this study should be used; 2) For work zones in urban areas where lane closures on a roadway may impact the traffic on neighboring roadways, the use of VISSIM is recommended, and it is also suggested that the driver behavior parameters in VISSIM be selected from the calibration charts developed in this study to obtain field capacity values; and 3) For a two way one lane work zone with flagger operation, QuickZone and VISSIM are recommended.
KW  - CA4PRS (Computer model)
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Literature reviews
KW  - QuickZone (Computer program)
KW  - Rural areas
KW  - Software
KW  - Spreadsheet (Computer model)
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Urban areas
KW  - VISSIM (Computer model)
KW  - Work zone traffic control
UR  - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/Ri07062/or10006.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904209
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143775
AU  - Carlson, Todd B
AU  - Sepulveda, Edward D
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Guidebook for Development of Traffic Monitoring Systems for Major Traffic Generators in the State of Texas
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 40p
AB  - The purpose of this guide is to aid the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and other state and local agencies to develop an effective traffic monitoring system for new major traffic generators in their metropolitan region. This guidebook will provide you, the transportation planner and engineer, with a better understanding of the considerations that need to be taken when developing a monitoring system for these types of large generators. When a new large traffic generator is constructed in a region, local and sometimes regional traffic patterns are impacted. Regional planners and engineers need accurate, adequate data in order to understand the location and magnitude of the impact. This project looked at the state-of-the-practice in major traffic generator monitoring systems around the country, while focusing on a single, new major traffic generator in the State of Texas. The City of San Antonio gained a Toyota Motor Corporation automobile manufacturing facility in the southern area of its metropolitan region. The opening of this facility provided an opportunity to analyze the impact on transportation in the immediate area and region wide. Since the new traffic generator is located in an isolated area where traffic volumes are light, researchers could more easily monitor changes in traffic characteristics and apply lessons learned to other future mega-traffic generator sites. The results of this effort provide the foundation for this guidebook.
KW  - Handbooks
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Mega-traffic generators
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Regional planning
KW  - San Antonio (Texas)
KW  - State of the practice
KW  - Texas
KW  - Traffic surveillance
KW  - Trip generation
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5531-P3.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31300/31308/0-5531-P3.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904205
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143773
AU  - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated
AU  - Missouri Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Impacts of Public Policy on Rail Development in Missouri
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 46p
AB  - Identifying the State policies that most directly affect or advance railroad development begins with an understanding of how railroads make investment decisions. Railroads are a capital-intensive business, owning all physical assets, locomotives, and many rail cars, and are responsible for each train movement and for the systems that manage traffic on the entire rail network. State policies that enhance the financial return of maintenance or expansion projects can attract investments to a State. The State policies that most directly affect railroad decision-making are: taxation, particularly property taxes; highway-rail grade crossing programs; rail safety enforcement; and economic incentives for railroad investments.
KW  - Decision making
KW  - Economic development
KW  - Impacts
KW  - Incentives
KW  - Investments
KW  - Law enforcement
KW  - Property taxes
KW  - Public policy
KW  - Railroad grade crossings
KW  - Railroad safety
KW  - Railroads
KW  - Return on investment
KW  - States
KW  - Taxation
UR  - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/Ri07035/or10009.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904220
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143772
AU  - Petrella, Margaret
AU  - Rainville, Lydia
AU  - Spiller, David J
AU  - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
TI  - Remote Infrared Audible Signage Pilot Program Evaluation Report
PY  - 2009/09//Final Evaluation Report
SP  - 73p
AB  - This report presents evaluation findings on the Remote Infrared Audible Signage (RIAS) Pilot Program in the Puget Sound Region of Washington. The installation, demonstration and evaluation of RIAS were required by a provision in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. RIAS is an orientation and mobility technology designed to eliminate barriers to accessibility for people who are visually impaired or are cognitively or developmentally disabled. The evaluation was designed specifically to better understand the impacts of RIAS on multimodal accessibility, on transit ridership, on transit operators, and on quality of life issues. This report outlines the evaluation methodology and presents focus group and survey findings, lessons learned, conclusions, and recommendations.
KW  - Accessibility
KW  - Cognitive impairment
KW  - Focus groups
KW  - Lessons learned
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Puget Sound Region
KW  - Quality of life
KW  - Recommendations
KW  - Remote Infrared Audible Signage Pilot Program
KW  - Remote infrared signage
KW  - Ridership
KW  - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Talking signs
KW  - Transit operators
KW  - Visually impaired persons
UR  - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/RIAS_EvaluationReport.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34700/34777/FTA-MA-26-7117-2009.01.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904276
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143766
AU  - Cousins, Thomas E
AU  - Lesko, John J
AU  - Majumdar, Prasun K
AU  - Liu, Zihong
AU  - Virginia Transportation Research Council
AU  - Virginia Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Rapid Replacement of Tangier Island Bridges Including Lightweight and Durable
Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Deck Systems
PY  - 2009/09//Final Contract Report
SP  - 24p
AB  - Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite cellular deck systems were used as new bridge decks on two replacement bridges on Tangier Island, Virginia. The most important characteristics of this application were reduced self-weight and increased durability for an FRP deck system over a reinforced concrete bridge deck. Tangier Island is in the Chesapeake Bay and is accessible only by water or air; each bridge is over saltwater. The two bridge deck systems used were from different manufacturers: Strongwell Corp. and Zellcomp, Inc. The deck system from Strongwell was virtually identical to a previous application by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in Covington, Virginia. Because of the extensive testing of this system conducted as part of a prior Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment project, further investigation of its behavior was not warranted. The objectives of the testing of the Zellcomp deck system were four-fold: (1) investigate connection behavior under simulated pseudo-static service load; (2) examine flexural strength and failure mode of connections and deck; (3) explore fatigue behavior during simulated cyclic wheel loading and residual strength after fatigue loading; and (4) investigate viability of transition connection. Two test sections were constructed in the Structures and Materials Laboratory at Virginia Tech. The test sections included sections of the Zellcomp deck attached to supporting steel stringers. The first was flat, 11 ft by 8 ft in plan, and subjected to static and simulated truck loadings. The second included a transition connection and was 17 ft by 8 ft in plan. Of special interest during this testing was the investigation of the static and cyclic behavior of all Zellcomp deck connections (top plate to supporting T-sections, T-section to T-section, and T-section to supporting stringers). The flat Zellcomp deck test specimen had a 1.4 safety factor against sustaining permanent damage and a 2.4 safety factor against failure when subjected to an HL-93 wheel load of 22 kips. There was no measured composite action between the top plate and supporting T-section. Generally, the specimen performed well during the fatigue test. However, there was some indication of deterioration of the lap joint connections at 1 million cycles of load and loss of stiffness at about 2.5 million cycles of load. The bent lap joint connection was difficult to construct. A permanent gap between the top plate and supporting T-sections resulted because of inherent construction tolerances. The slope Zellcomp deck specimen underwent significant deterioration during the first 600,000 cycles of load. Numerous top plate screw connections loosened, with several completely fracturing. The damage to the deck increased for the next 400,000 cycles. The study recommended that VDOT’s Structure and Bridge Division (1) not use the sloped deck transition on any applications of the Zellcomp bridge deck system; (2) consider close inspection of all screw connections on the Zellcomp deck during regularly scheduled bridge inspections; and (3) consider additional more rigorous full-scale testing of the Zellcomp deck system before considering its use on any bridge structure that has truck traffic. The Tangier Island Bridge is subjected to very light truck traffic, and the Zellcomp system proved to be adequate for this specific application only.
KW  - Bridge decks
KW  - Composite materials
KW  - Durability
KW  - Failure modes
KW  - Fatigue (Mechanics)
KW  - Fiber reinforced plastics
KW  - Flexural strength
KW  - Laboratory tests
KW  - Lap joints
KW  - Stiffness
KW  - Structural connection
KW  - Tangier Island (Virginia)
UR  - http://virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/10-cr3.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904133
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143762
AU  - Percer, Jenny
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Child Pedestrian Safety Education: Applying Learning and Developmental Theories to Develop Safe Street-Crossing Behaviors
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 56p
AB  - Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young children, and 20% of these fatalities among ages 5-9 represent child pedestrians.  Recent discussions in the literature on child pedestrian education have argued the effectiveness of education approaches versus engineering approaches for increasing child pedestrian safety.  One of the main arguments against education is that children rarely show increases in safe street-crossing behavior after education interventions.  A majority of child pedestrian education in the United States utilizes videos and classroom instruction to teach young children.  Often, these programs find an increase in children's knowledge of pedestrian safety but do not show similar gains in increasing children's safety behaviors.  One possible explanation for this consistent finding is that psychological theories of learning and more updated child development theories are not often used when developing programs.  Interventions based on relevant learning theories and child development might be more effective in increasing safe pedestrian behaviors in young children.  This report scientifically reviews the literature on child pedestrian education and discusses possible child pedestrian safety programs that could be more effective in keeping child pedestrians safe.
KW  - Child psychology
KW  - Children
KW  - Developmental psychology
KW  - Learning
KW  - Pedestrian education
KW  - Pedestrian safety
KW  - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes
KW  - Psychological aspects
KW  - Safety programs
KW  - Street crossing behavior
KW  - Theory
UR  - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Traffic%20Injury%20Control/Articles/Associated%20Files/811190.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904195
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143759
AU  - Fell, James C
AU  - Langston, Elizabeth A
AU  - Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - A Guide for Statewide Impaired-Driving Task Forces
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 80p
AB  - The purpose of the guide is to assist State officials and other stakeholders who are interested in establishing an Impaired-Driving Statewide Task Force or who are exploring ways to improve their current Task Force.  The guide addresses issues such as (a) how to initiate a successful Task Force, (2) how to select the Task Force membership, (3) how to keep the membership involved, (4) how to select problem areas to work on, (5) how to use various strategies to solve problems, and (6) how to avoid potential pitfalls and obstacles that confront Task Forces.  The appendices provide a series of useful documents for reference, such as brief descriptions of existing Task Forces, sample meeting agendas and meeting minutes, and sample Task Force recommendations.  Some of the statewide Task Forces have been extremely effective in developing key legislation at the State level (that is later adopted) and in closing loopholes in their impaired-driving laws, enforcement, prosecution, and adjudication procedures.  Others have addressed institutional changes such as developing better record-keeping systems or creating active communication between key agencies and stakeholders.  Task Force efforts have addressed legislative issues, enforcement strategies, criminal justice processing changes, improvements in sentencing procedures, the treatment of DUI/DWI offenders, and initiatives for curbing underage drinking.  By learning from the experience of others, those wishing to develop or augment statewide Task Forces can enhance the process and avoid "reinventing the wheel."
KW  - Drunk driving
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Handbooks
KW  - Impaired drivers
KW  - State government
KW  - Strategic planning
KW  - Task forces
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31300/31303/5663_Impaired_Driving_Task_Force_Guide-tagged.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904194
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143758
AU  - Diefenderfer, Brian K
AU  - Mokarem, David W
AU  - Virginia Transportation Research Council
AU  - Virginia Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Evaluation of Jointed Reinforced Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation on I-64 in the
Richmond and Hampton Roads Districts of Virginia
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 46p
AB  - Beginning in 2004, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) undertook a series of pavement rehabilitation projects to address deficiencies in three sections of the I-64 corridor between Richmond and Newport News. I-64 serves as the primary avenue between the Richmond and Hampton Roads metropolitan areas and carries a combined traffic volume ranging from approximately 20,000 to 90,000 vehicles per day. For nearly 100 mi, this roadway is a four-lane divided facility that was originally built between the late 1960s and early 1970s as either a jointed reinforced or continuously reinforced concrete pavement. The existing concrete pavement was rehabilitated using three rehabilitation procedures: two standard approaches and an experimental approach. The standard rehabilitation procedures included the use of full-depth portland cement concrete (PCC) patches overlaid by a hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay and full-depth PCC patches followed by grinding of the pavement surface. The experimental rehabilitation procedure consisted of the use of full- and partial-depth HMA patches followed by an HMA overlay. The purpose of this study was to document the initial condition and performance to date of the I-64 project and to summarize similar work performed by state departments of transportation other than VDOT. The pavement rehabilitation cost per lane-mile was nearly 20% less for the section of I-64 for which full-depth PCC patches followed by grinding of the pavement surface was used than for the other two sections. However, the experimental results do not allow for a comparison to determine any differences in the structural capacity or service life between the sections. The study recommends that VDOT’s Materials Division annually monitor the ride quality of the pavement in the three rehabilitated sections of I-64 so that the end of service life can be defined as the pavement roughness increases because of deterioration. Further, the Virginia Transportation Research Council should collaborate with other research organizations to encourage and pursue full-scale or laboratory-scale accelerated pavement testing to determine the optimum repair materials and methods for pre-overlay repair of existing PCC pavements and to develop models to quantify the deterioration of an asphalt overlay placed over an existing concrete pavement because of reflection cracking.
KW  - Bituminous overlays
KW  - Cost effectiveness
KW  - Grinding
KW  - Hot mix asphalt
KW  - Interstate highways
KW  - Patching
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Recommendations
KW  - Reflection cracking
KW  - Rehabilitation (Maintenance)
KW  - Reinforced concrete pavements
KW  - Ride quality
KW  - Service life
KW  - Virginia
UR  - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/10-r3.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904120
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143736
AU  - Rainville, Lydia
AU  - Hau, Victoria
AU  - Peirce, Sean
AU  - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
TI  - Electronic Fare Collection Options for Commuter Railroads
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 47p
AB  - This research is designed to support the Federal Transit Administration in its efforts to disseminate knowledge of new technologies within the transit community, in this case focusing on issues associated with automated fare collection (AFC) for commuter rail. By identifying “lessons learned” with AFC deployments, the report is also intended as a resource for commuter railroads considering adoption of AFC and/or joining multi-modal electronic payment systems. The findings may be of particular use for commuter rail systems that are still in the planning stages and have the opportunity to leapfrog older technologies. Six case studies are presented that provide some insight into commuter railroads’ experiences in adoption of AFC.
KW  - Automatic fare collection
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Electronic payment
KW  - Lessons learned
KW  - Railroad commuter service
KW  - Technological innovations
UR  - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/ElectronicFareCollectionOptionsforCommuterRailroads.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/903997
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142935
AU  - Staes, Lisa
AU  - Cusack, Henry
AU  - Sapper, Deborah
AU  - National Center for Transit Research
AU  - Research and Special Programs Administration
AU  - Florida Department of Transportation
TI  - Evaluation of Electronic Data Recorder for Incident Investigation, Driver Performance and Vehicle Maintenance
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 62p
AB  - The objective of this research project was to evaluate the benefits that Event Data Recorders (EDRs) could provide to transit agencies in three areas: incident investigation, driver performance, and vehicle maintenance. Due to the problems experienced with the installation of the unit, software issues, and the operation of the EDR unit in new and existing buses since the beginning of the vendor contract, researchers have been unable to identify transit agencies in Florida that are using EDR unit data. Transit agencies in Florida that have attempted to use EDRs quickly became frustrated due to poor customer service from the vendor, poor manufacturer installation of the unit, software problems, and operational issues with the EDR unit that took significant time to resolve. This research report provides a description of the EDR systems currently in use by the Florida Transit Research Inspection Procurement Services (TRIPS) Program and other commercial products available, as well as experiences noted by agency representatives, maintenance technicians, and TRIPS staff related to deployment, vendor responsiveness and assistance, and data extraction and use; the potential for modifications to the way in which the technology is applied within the TRIPS program; and recommendations for improvements to the procurement, installation, and use of the technology by public transportation agencies.
KW  - Bus drivers
KW  - Bus transit
KW  - Event data recorders
KW  - Florida
KW  - Incident detection
KW  - Performance
KW  - Vehicle maintenance
KW  - Video cameras
UR  - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/pdf/77808.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902904
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142925
AU  - Margreta, Michael
AU  - Ford, Chester
AU  - Dipo, M Adhi
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - U.S. Freight on the Move: Highlights from the 2007 Commodity
Flow Survey Preliminary Data
PY  - 2009/09//Special Report
SP  - 6p
AB  - More than 13 billion tons of freight, valued at $11.8 trillion, were transported nearly 3.5 trillion ton-miles1 in the United States during 2007, according to preliminary estimates from the 2007 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS).2 The tonnage, value, and ton-miles of 2007 freight shipments all increased over 2002 totals. Tonnage was up 12 percent, infl ation-adjusted value up 13 percent, and tonmiles up 11 percent (see box A). On a typical day in 2007, over 35.7 million tons of goods, valued at $32.4 billion, moved nearly 9.6 billion ton-miles on the nation’s transportation network. Nearly 93 percent of the total tonnage and 81 percent of the total value of freight were shipped by means of a single transportation mode, while the remainder was shipped using two or more modes. The CFS, a survey of shippers sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) in partnership with the Census Bureau, provides a detailed, multimodal picture of national freight fl ows. The survey is the only publicly available source of national commodity fl ow data for the highway mode. CFS data are collected every 5 years as a component of the national Economic Census and provide a benchmark on the value, tonnage, ton-miles, distance shipped, and mode used to transport commodities. Analysis and research utilizing CFS data are used to make decisions in the public and private sectors involving policy, infrastructure, and the economy. The 2007 CFS data and results presented in this report are preliminary. Final CFS data are scheduled for release in December 2009.  Transportation modes used to move freight included trucking, air transportation, railroads, pipelines, and water transportation.
KW  - Air cargo
KW  - Commodity flow
KW  - Commodity Flow Survey
KW  - Distance
KW  - Freight traffic
KW  - Freight transportation
KW  - Pipelines
KW  - Present value
KW  - Railroads
KW  - Ton miles
KW  - Tonnage
KW  - Trucking
KW  - United States
KW  - Water transportation
UR  - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2009_09_30/pdf/entire.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35392/U.S._freight.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/903026
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142765
AU  - Shaffer, S J
AU  - Southeastern Transportation Center
AU  - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated
AU  - Battelle Memorial Institute
AU  - Virginia Department of Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - U14: Field Testing and Analysis of Braking Performance of In-Service Trucks
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 42p
AB  - The purpose of this project was to collect a high quality data set to provide a snapshot of the braking capability of a representative sampling of in-service commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) on the road today. This data collection effort is important to safety in that no actual stopping performance data has been collected from in-service vehicles since the implementation of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) visual inspection in the early 1980's. This assessment utilized improved technology, such as GPS systems and a Performance Based Brake Tester (PBBT), to collect data on CMV braking performance. The data collected in this effort is intended for use in evaluating how current in-service vehicles perform, and how the Level I visual inspection corresponds to braking performance. Since there is no regulation of after-market components, including replacement brake pads, visual inspection may not fully assess the ability of a vehicle to stop safely. Industry and regulators alike could use current vehicle performance data in safety applications as they review present design and maintenance practices and regulations.
KW  - Braking performance
KW  - Commercial vehicle operations
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Field tests
KW  - Global Positioning System
KW  - Truck crashes
KW  - Trucking
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902897
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142621
AU  - Vachal, Kimberly
AU  - Malchose, Donald
AU  - Lofgren, Mark
AU  - Huseth-Zosel, Andrea
AU  - Benson, Laurel
AU  - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
AU  - North Dakota Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Seat Belt Use on ND Rural Roads, 2009
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 33p
AB  - North Dakota’s rural roads are vital social and economic connectors. These roads, however, are associated with relatively high crash injury risk. While a multitude of efforts is underway to reduce crash risk through road improvements and vehicle technology, seat belts offer an immediate and low-cost protection that can reduce occupant crash injury risk by half. To increase knowledge about seat belt use on these roads, a pilot observation study was conducted around the time of the state’s annual seat belt campaign. Observations showed a 44.8% rural roads use rate. Because of the higher relative risk and disparate use rates, it may be more informative to consider the use rates by road environment. Statewide rural seat belt use rates of 55.2% and 35.6% were estimated on highways and in towns, respectively, based on 6,919 driver observations. Results showed higher use among female drivers than male, and that the lowest use rate was among male pickup truck drivers. Evidence from post and ex ante surveys showed promise for increasing seat belt use on rural roads by involving local sheriff and police departments in high visibility enforcement. This pilot project creates a building point for increasing knowledge and strengthening programs through empirical analysis of rural seat belt use rates. The value of this pilot will be determined by future work that reduces crash injury and death by knowledge gained in extending and expanding the empirical analysis initiated by this endeavor.
KW  - Crash injuries
KW  - Field studies
KW  - Gender
KW  - North Dakota
KW  - Pickup trucks
KW  - Rural highways
KW  - Seat belt use rates
KW  - Seat belts
KW  - Traffic law enforcement
UR  - http://www.ugpti.org/pubs/pdf/DP216.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902922
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142617
AU  - Roberts-Wollmann, Carin L
AU  - Cousins, Thomas E
AU  - Carroll, Christopher
AU  - Virginia Transportation Research Council
AU  - Virginia Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Grade 300 Prestressing Strand and the Effect of Vertical Casting Position
PY  - 2009/09//Final Contract Report
SP  - 39p
AB  - The purpose of this investigation was (1) to compare the differences in the transfer length, development length, and flexural strength among Grade 300 strand, the traditional Grade 270 strand, and the predictions of these properties obtained using current code equations for prestressed concrete members, and (2) to determine the effect of the as-cast vertical location of the strands (top-strand effect) on these properties. The current code provisions by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Concrete Institute are based on years of experimental research on the traditional Grade 270 strand. The scope of this project was limited to the fabrication and testing of 20 pretensioned, prestressed beams, 10 of which contained Grade 270 and 10 of which contained Grade 300 strands constructed and tested in the Structures and Materials Laboratory at Virginia Tech. The increase in strand strength was found to influence transfer length, development length, and flexural strength; the as-cast vertical location was found to influence only transfer length and, in turn, development length. Transfer lengths of the Grade 300 strand had an average increase of 10% compared to the transfer lengths of the Grade 270 strand. Development lengths for the Grade 300 strand were also shown to increase compared to the Grade 270 strand. Flexural bond lengths were found to be relatively the same for both strand strengths, indicating the increase to be primarily dependent on the increase in transfer length. Minimum flexural bond lengths that resulted in flexural failures were found to be in the range of 45 to 50 in. for both strand strengths. The influence of strand strength on flexural strength was also evaluated. As expected, members cast with ½ in. diameter, Grade 300 strands had about 11% higher nominal moment capacities than did those cast with ½ in. diameter, Grade 270 strands. Contrary to the historical definition, the top-bar/strand effect was found to be more dependent on the amount of concrete cast above the strand than the amount below it, with transfer lengths showing a steady increase with a decrease in the amount of concrete cast above the strand. The current equations for flexural strength were found to give adequate estimates for flexural strength, although a decrease in ductility was noted. The study recommends the following: 1. VDOT’s Structure and Bridge Division should use the current AASHTO equation for transfer length and development length for flexural members containing Grade 300 strand cast in non-top strand situations; and 2. VDOT’s Structure and Bridge Division should use the current ACI and AASHTO provisions for the calculation of nominal moment capacity for flexural members containing Grade 300 prestressing strands.
KW  - Bridge members
KW  - Development length (Reinforcement)
KW  - Flexural strength
KW  - Moment capacity
KW  - Prestressed concrete
KW  - Prestressing strands
KW  - Transfer length
KW  - Vertical casting
UR  - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/10-cr2.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902916
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142616
AU  - Bean, James David
AU  - Kahane, Charles J
AU  - Mynatt, Mark
AU  - Rudd, Rodney W
AU  - Rush, Carla J
AU  - Wiacek, Chris
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Fatalities in Frontal Crashes Despite Seat Belts and Air Bags – Review of All CDS Cases – Model and Calendar Years 2000-2007 – 122 Fatalities
PY  - 2009/09//NHTSA Technical Report
SP  - 88p
AB  - Why are people still dying in frontal crashes despite seat belt use, air bags, and the crashworthy structures of late-model vehicles? Statistical analyses show the combination of seat belt use and air bags is highly effective, reducing fatality risk by 61% compared to an unbelted occupant of a vehicle not equipped with air bags – but 61% is not 100%. To address the question, an interdisciplinary NHTSA team reviewed every case of a frontal fatality to a belted driver or right-front passenger in a model year 2000 or newer vehicle in the Crashworthiness Data System (CDS) of the National Automotive Sampling System through calendar year 2007. Aside from a substantial proportion of these 122 crashes that are just exceedingly severe, the main reason people are still dying is because so many crashes involve poor structural engagement between the vehicle and its collision partner: corner impacts, oblique crashes, impacts with narrow objects, and underrides. By contrast, few if any of these 122 fatal crashes were full-frontal or offset-frontal impacts with good structural engagement, unless the crashes were of extreme severity or the occupants exceptionally vulnerable.
KW  - Air bags
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Crash severity
KW  - Crashworthiness
KW  - Crashworthiness Data System
KW  - Fatalities
KW  - Frontal crashes
KW  - National Automotive Sampling System
KW  - Seat belts
KW  - Underride override crashes
KW  - Vehicle intrusion
UR  - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811102.PDF
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902908
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142353
AU  - Capps, Gary
AU  - Franzese, Oscar
AU  - Knee, Bill
AU  - Plate, Randall
AU  - Lascurain, Mary Beth
AU  - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
AU  - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
TI  - Wireless Roadside Inspection Proof-of-Concept Test
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 95p
AB  - This project was undertaken to determine the feasibility of gathering vehicle, driver, and carrier data to be used to format and wirelessly transmit from a commercial motor vehicle a Safety Data Message Set (SDMS). The Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Program is defined in three phases: Phase 1: Proof-of-Concept Test (POC)—Testing of commercial off-the-shelf technology to validate WRI concept; Phase 2: Pilot Test—Safety technology maturation and back-office system integration; Phase 3: Field Operational Test—Multi-vehicle testing over a multi-state region.  This report focuses on Phase 1 efforts. Technical efforts dealt with the ability of a wireless inspection system to collect driver, vehicle, and carrier information; format a SDMS from this information; and wirelessly transmit a SDMS to a roadside receiver unit or mobile enforcement vehicle. As a result of the WRI POC testing, it is concluded that WRI holds considerable promise in increasing highways safety by: (1) Improving the quality of the inspections performed; (2) Allowing more inspections to be conducted; and (3) Providing industry benefits for these technologies that encourage early adoption. Because of these positive results, it is recommended that Phase 2 (Pilot Testing) be engaged.
KW  - Automated inspection technology
KW  - Commercial vehicle operations
KW  - Commercial vehicles
KW  - Inspection equipment
KW  - Proof of concept
KW  - Trucking safety
KW  - Wireless communication systems
KW  - Wireless roadside inspections
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51300/51304/FMCSA-RRA-09-007_WRI-POC.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51300/51304/FMCSA-RRA-09-007_WRI-POC.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902470
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01142062
AU  - Young, Peg
AU  - Notis, Ken
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - The Freight Transportation Services Index as a Leading Economic Indicator
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 2p
AB  - The Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) showed a decline a full year and a half prior to the start of the current recession. This downturn suggests the TSI may prove particularly useful as an indicator of economic downturns. Leading economic indicators identify and anticipate emerging turns in the current business cycle by historically turning downward before a recession or a slowdown in the economy and upward before an expansion or acceleration. According to BTS research1, over the past three decades the freight TSI led slowdowns in the economy by an average of 4–5 months.
KW  - Business cycles
KW  - Economic indicators
KW  - Freight transportation
KW  - Transportation services index
UR  - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_transportation_trends_in_focus/2009_09_01/pdf/entire.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35400/35449/Freight_transportation.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902097
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141697
AU  - Burris, Mark W
AU  - Patil, Sunil
AU  - University Transportation Center for Mobility
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Estimating the Benefits of Managed Lanes
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 83p
AB  - Stated preference (SP) studies developed to estimate travelers’ value of travel time savings (VTTS) on managed lanes (ML) may underestimate the VTTS. This study investigates survey design strategies and differentiating the VTTS for ordinary and six common urgent situations faced by the travelers in an attempt to improve on VTTS estimation. An internet based survey for Katy Freeway travelers was used to collect data for this study. The authors used three different survey design strategies to produce surveys. They found that a random attribute level generation strategy, where the VTTS presented in the alternative was adjusted based on the answer to a previous SP question, performs better than other designs with respect to analysis of choice behavior and estimation of VTTS. The authors analyzed SP choices for travelers facing ordinary and six common urgent travel situations. They found that travelers value their travel time savings much more when facing most of the urgent situations. Due to this significant increase in the VTTS for travelers on urgent trips it is possible that the majority of ML travelers are on urgent trips. This includes travelers from all income levels, as even low income travelers on urgent trips value their time more than many high income travelers on regular trips. Therefore, using average VTTS will greatly underestimate the value of these MLs to travelers. This has significant policy implications since the benefits of MLs (and of most transportation investments) are primarily derived from travel time savings. Underestimating the value of ML travel time savings underestimates the benefits of MLs, reducing the likelihood of funding such facilities. Thus an important travel alternative would not be constructed. This study provides an important first step in proper estimation of these benefits using revised SP survey designs.
KW  - Benefits
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Estimating
KW  - Katy Freeway (Houston, Texas)
KW  - Managed lanes
KW  - Perceived urgency
KW  - Stated preferences
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Time savings
KW  - Travel behavior
KW  - Travel time
UR  - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Burris_08-05-04.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902316
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141692
AU  - Chrysler, Susan T
AU  - Nelson, Alicia A
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Driver Comprehension of Managed Lane Signing
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 50p
AB  - A statewide survey of driver comprehension of managed lane signing is reported. Computer-based surveys were conducted using video clips of computer animations as well as still images of signs. The surveys were conducted in four Texas cities with a total of 142 participants. Results showed varying levels of comprehension for signs relating to pricing, occupancy requirements, and destinations. A series of guide sign banner designs was tested, as well as various methods to convey form of payment. Some results suggest that participants may have had difficulties seeing all of the details in the computer animations. Future research using this method should carefully consider the stimulus displays, resolution, and play rate of animations.
KW  - Comprehension
KW  - Computer animation
KW  - Drivers
KW  - Managed lanes
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Texas
KW  - Traffic signs
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5446-3.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31172/0-5446-3.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902286
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141691
AU  - Arndt, Jeffrey C
AU  - Morgan, Curtis A
AU  - Overman, John H
AU  - Clower, Terry L
AU  - Weinstein, Bernard L
AU  - Seman, Michael
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Transportation, Social and Economic Impacts of Light and Commuter Rail
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 140p
AB  - While transportation impacts are often masked by heavy growth in corridor traffic and latent travel demand, modeling enables measuring the real transportation impacts of rail projects. Rail transit is both safe and environmentally friendly. Rail systems expand mobility and reduce household investment in transportation. However, as regions implement rail systems, they must take care to consider the full range of rider impacts so that environmental justice issues do not emerge. The largest body of research relates to the economic impact of rail. These impacts are strongest in station areas, as access to rail increases property value on nearby property. The positive impact of rail on property values does not hold true for property directly adjacent to the rail line however. State departments of transportation have played a variety of roles in rail development, ranging from funding initial planning to operating services. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has authority to participate in rail development but no funding has been appropriated by the legislature. TxDOT could more actively participate in commuter rail projects if the agency was afforded greater flexibility in application of funds and the right to own rolling stock.
KW  - Economic development
KW  - Economic impacts
KW  - Environmental justice
KW  - Financing
KW  - Light rail transit
KW  - Ownership
KW  - Property values
KW  - Rail transit
KW  - Railroad commuter service
KW  - Rolling stock
KW  - Social impacts
KW  - Texas
KW  - Texas Department of Transportation
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5652-1.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31173/0-5652-1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902294
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141690
AU  - Brewer, Marcus A
AU  - Hawkins, H Gene
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Pedestrian Accessibility at Signalized Intersections
PY  - 2009/09//Product
SP  - 40p
AB  - This product is formatted as a chapter to be included in a current or future Texas Department of Transportation manual. The chapter presents guidance on the use and placement of selected treatments to accommodate pedestrian accessibility at signalized intersections. Specific accommodations discussed in the chapter include curb ramps and blended transitions, accessible pedestrian signals, and countdown pedestrian signals.
KW  - Accessibility
KW  - Accessible pedestrian signals
KW  - Countdown pedestrian indicators
KW  - Curb ramps
KW  - Curbs
KW  - Pedestrian actuated controllers
KW  - Pedestrians
KW  - Signalized intersections
KW  - Texas
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-4701-P4.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31165/0-4701-P4.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902291
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141637
AU  - Vijay, P V
AU  - GangaRao, Hota V S
AU  - Li, H
AU  - West Virginia University, Morgantown
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Design and Evaluation of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement with Fiber Reinforced Polymer Dowels
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 160p
AB  - This study evaluates fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) dowel bars as load transferring devices in jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) under HS25 static and fatigue loads and compares their response with JPCP consisting of steel dowels.  Along with laboratory and field evaluations of JPCP with FRP and steel dowels, analytical modeling of dowel response was carried out in terms of maximum bending deflection, relative deflection (RD), and bearing stress of dowels.  In addition, field rehabilitation of JPCP was carried out using FRP dowels to evaluate its long-term performance.  Laboratory tests included static and fatigue load application corresponding to HS25 load and 1.5 times HS25 load on concrete slabs [27.94- and 30-48-cm (11- and 12-in.) depth] with 3.81- and 2.54-cm (1.5- and 1.0-in.) steel and FRP dowels at different spacings [30.48 and 15.24 cm (12 and 6 in.)].  Both 3.81- and 2.54-cm (1.5- and 1.0-in.)-diameter FRP dowels were installed in the field with 15.24-, 20.32-, 22.86-, and 30.48-cm (6-, 8-, 9-, and 12-in.) spacings.  Load calibrated field tests were conducted on these pavements using a West Virginia Department of Transportation truck in 2002 and 2003.  FRP dowel bars that were 1.5 in. in diameter were also used for pavement rehabilitation.  Field data collected through an automatic data acquisition system included strain and joint deflections, which were used for assessing joint load transfer efficiency (LTE), joint RD, and pavement performance.  Theoretical calculations are provided through different examples for JPCP with FRP and steel dowels by varying dowel diameters, spacing, dowel material properties, joint width, and base material properties.  This research showed that JPCP with FRP dowels provided very good LTE up to and beyond 90%, which exceeds the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and American Concrete Pavement Association criteria.  JPCP with FRP dowels also provided sufficient LTE after 5 million cycles of fatigue tests under HS25 loading.
KW  - Bearing capacity
KW  - Bending
KW  - Concrete pavements
KW  - Deflection
KW  - Diameter
KW  - Dowel bars
KW  - Fatigue tests
KW  - Fiber reinforced plastics
KW  - Field tests
KW  - Laboratory tests
KW  - Load tests
KW  - Load transfer
KW  - Load transfer efficiency
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Polymer dowels
KW  - Reinforcing bars
KW  - Spacing
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/06106/06106.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/901479
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141334
AU  - Williams, William Frederick
AU  - Bligh, Roger P
AU  - Menges, Wanda L
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Dynamic Testing of the T223 Bridge Rail
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 68p
AB  - The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) T203 bridge rail is often used on bridges where asphalt overlays reduce the effective height of the bridge rail. This reduction in height due to asphalt paving overlay is undesirable. For this project, several geometric features were changed to improve the strength and crash performance of the T203 rail. These features include increasing the rail height to 32 in., increasing the size and strength of the rail, and increasing the thickness of the post. In addition, the width of the post was reduced to 4 ft and the openings between the posts were increased to 6 ft. Orientation, placement, and frequency of reinforcing steel in the rail, post, and deck were also evaluated to determine if impact damage to the deck can be reduced. These proposed changes to the T203 rail led to the development of the TxDOT Type T223 bridge rail design, which is reported herein. The objective of this project was to evaluate the strength of the new TxDOT Type T223 bridge rail design with respect to different reinforcing steel details in the deck, rail, and posts. The strength of the new TxDOT Type T223 bridge rail was evaluated using dynamic bogie testing. These tests were performed at the ends/joint (two tests) and at mid-span locations (two tests). Reinforcing steel details varied at each test location to determine the preferred placement and orientation of reinforcing steel for the TxDOT Type T223 bridge rail and supporting deck to minimize deck damage during a design impact event.
KW  - Bridge railings
KW  - Design
KW  - Impact tests
KW  - Reinforcing steel
KW  - Texas
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5210-8.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31140/0-5210-8.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/901453
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141331
AU  - Borchardt, Darrell W
AU  - Pesti, Geza
AU  - Sun, Dazhi
AU  - Ding, Liang
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Capacity and Road User Cost Analysis of Selected Freeway Work Zones in Texas
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 78p
AB  - This research was developed to produce usable and meaningful estimates for work zone capacities under a variety of roadway and traffic conditions, work zone configurations, and lane closure scenarios within Texas. Using data collected at eighteen work zone sites, the research presents updated guidance for expected capacities of various freeway work zone lane closure configurations. In addition, models used to evaluate traffic conditions in work zones were evaluated and recommendations for their use were made. Finally, recommendations concerning road user cost analysis for freeway construction projects are included.
KW  - Construction projects
KW  - Freeways
KW  - Highway capacity
KW  - Lane closure
KW  - Recommendations
KW  - Road user costs
KW  - Texas
KW  - Traffic models
KW  - Work zone traffic control
KW  - Work zones
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5619-1.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31134/0-5619-1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/901255
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141329
AU  - Ullman, Gerald L
AU  - Porter, Richard J
AU  - Karkee, Ganesh J
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Implementation Guide for Monitoring Work Zone Safety and Mobility Impacts
PY  - 2009/09//Product
SP  - 46p
AB  - This implementation guide describes the conceptual framework, data requirements, and computational procedures for determining the safety and mobility impacts of work zones in Texas. Researchers designed the framework and procedures to assist district-level personnel who have responsibility for work zone safety and mobility impact reviews of significant projects as required by Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) policy. In this guide, researchers describe the types of impact monitoring and analysis that can occur as part of on-going project activities and those that can be performed during post-project reviews. Analysis procedures are presented to assist in determining which projects should be targeted for regular reviews of crash data during the project, as well as the increase in crash frequency that is indicative of unusual safety concerns that should be investigated further through field observations. Researchers also present analysis procedures to guide district personnel in determining the queue lengths, individual vehicle delays, and total vehicle-hours of delay that are created during temporary lane closures in a project.
KW  - Construction projects
KW  - Crash data
KW  - Crash rates
KW  - Handbooks
KW  - Implementation
KW  - Lane closure
KW  - Mobility
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Queue length
KW  - Texas
KW  - Traffic delays
KW  - Traffic queuing
KW  - Work zone safety
KW  - Work zone traffic control
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5771-P1.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31138/0-5771-P1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/901456
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01140747
AU  - Strathman, James G
AU  - Broach, Joseph
AU  - Callas, Steve
AU  - Portland State University
AU  - Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon
AU  - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Evaluation of Short Duration Unscheduled Absences Among Transit Operators: TriMet Case Study
PY  - 2009/09//Final Report
SP  - 57p
AB  - This report analyzes factors contributing to short duration (one to three days) unscheduled absences among operators at TriMet, the transit provider for the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region. The analysis draws on a wide array of operator-specific information recovered by transit ITS technologies in combination with information from the agency’s human resources, scheduling, incident, and customer relations databases. The likelihood of an absence is estimated in relation to personal characteristics, employment status, aspects of assigned work, service delivery and performance indicators, temporal factors, and customer feedback. The findings can be used directly to support extraboard planning practices. More generally, the findings point to changes in policies and practices that would potentially reduce the incidence of short duration absences.
KW  - Absenteeism
KW  - Extraboards
KW  - Personnel management
KW  - Policy
KW  - Transit operators
KW  - Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon
UR  - http://otrec.us/main/document.php?doc_id=1180
UR  - http://otrec.us/project/93
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31168/OTREC-RR-09-11.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/901156
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01140744
AU  - Hanna, Refaat
AU  - National Center for Statistics and Analysis
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Incidence of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crashes by Hybrid Electric Passenger Vehicles
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 22p
AB  - This study examines the incidence rates of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes that involved hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and compares the results to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles under similar circumstances. State crash files from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration State Data System were used to measure the incidence rates of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes by HEVs and to compare the incidence rate with their peer ICE vehicles. The purpose of the study is to compare the crash experience of two different types of vehicles; it is not to make national estimates of problem size. The small sample size used in this study remains as a limitation towards conducting further analysis. Incidence rates provided in this report should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size. Future analysis using larger sample size would provide better estimate of the problem size. This analysis was conducted on a total of 8,387 HEVs and 559,703 ICE vehicles that met the selection criteria. A total of 77 and 3,578 pedestrians were involved in crashes with HEVs and ICE vehicles, respectively. A total of 48 and 1,862 bicyclists were involved in crashes with HEVs and ICE vehicles, respectively. This study found that pedestrian and bicyclist crashes involving both HEVs and ICE vehicles commonly occurred on roadways, in zones with low speed limits, during daytime and in clear weather, with higher incidence rates for HEVs when compared to ICE vehicles. A variety of crash factors were examined to determine the relative incidence rates of HEVs versus ICE vehicles in a range of crash scenarios. For one group of scenarios, those in which a vehicle is slowing or stopping, backing up, or entering or leaving a parking space, a statistically significant effect was found due to engine type. The HEV was two times more likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash in these situations than was an ICE vehicle. Vehicle maneuvers such as slowing or stopping, backing up, or entering or leaving a parking space, were grouped in one category assuming these maneuvers have occurred at very low speeds where the difference between the sound levels produced by the hybrids versus ICE vehicles is the greatest. In future analysis with a larger sample size, it would be ideal to investigate each of these maneuvers individually. Incidence rate of pedestrian crashes in scenarios when vehicles make a turn was significantly higher for HEVs when compared to ICE vehicles. There was no statistically significant difference in incidence rate of pedestrian crashes involving HEVs when compared to ICE vehicles when both types of vehicles were going straight. Similar to pedestrians, in crashes that potentially have occurred at very low speed such as when vehicles are turning, slowing or stopping, backing up, or entering or leaving a parking space, the incidence rate of bicyclist crashes involving HEVs was significantly higher when compared to ICE vehicles. On a roadway was the most common location of bicyclist crashes involving both HEVs and ICE vehicles with no statistically significant difference. On the other hand, bicyclist crashes involving HEVs at intersections or interchanges were significantly higher when compared to ICE vehicles. In conclusion, this study found that HEVs have a higher incidence rate of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes than do ICE vehicles in certain vehicle maneuvers. These results should serve as a guide when designing future HEVs pedestrian and bicyclist crash prevention programs. NHTSA will continue monitoring the incidence of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes involving HEVs. In future, a larger sample size would allow a more detailed analysis such as limiting the entire analysis to low-speed crashes, analyzing different vehicle maneuvers individually, etc. Data findings on this study will be updated when more recent State Data System and other data sources are available.
KW  - Bicycle crashes
KW  - Crash rates
KW  - Electric vehicles
KW  - Hybrid vehicles
KW  - Internal combustion engines
KW  - Low speed collisions
KW  - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes
KW  - Sound level
UR  - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811204.PDF
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/901157
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01140581
AU  - Sheikh, Nauman M
AU  - Ferdous, Rubiat
AU  - Bligh, Roger P
AU  - Abu-Odeh, Akram Y
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Analysis of Roadside Safety Devices for Use on Very High-Speed Roadways
PY  - 2009/09//Technical Report
SP  - 90p
AB  - The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is embarking on a multi-decade effort to expand the state’s transportation system. TxDOT has expressed an interest in using very high design speeds (above 80 mph) for some of these facilities to promote faster and more efficient travel within the state. Currently, roadside safety hardware is tested at a speed of 62 mph. This impact speed was derived from crash data collected on roads with design speeds up to 70 mph. The ability of existing roadside safety features to accommodate more severe, higher energy impacts is not known. The objective of this research is to develop roadside safety hardware suitable for use on very high-speed highways. Finite element simulations are used to evaluate the impact performance of selected roadside safety devices subjected to very high-speed impacts. Systems analyzed include single slope concrete barrier, modified thrie-beam guardrail, box beam guardrail, and slip-base sign supports. Design modifications to some of these systems are recommended for further consideration.
KW  - Barriers (Roads)
KW  - Box beams
KW  - Breakaway supports
KW  - Finite element method
KW  - Guardrails
KW  - High speed roads
KW  - Highway safety
KW  - Impact tests
KW  - Roadside
KW  - Roadside safety hardware
KW  - Sign supports
KW  - Simulation
KW  - Thrie beams
UR  - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6071-1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/900977
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01140580
AU  - Excalibur Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Science Applications International Corporation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - The National Incident Management System: A Workbook for State Department of Transportation Frontline Workers
PY  - 2009/09
SP  - 45p
AB  - This Workbook consists of four modules: 1. The National Response Framework; 2. The National Incident Management System; 3. Introduction to the Incident Command System; and 4. Incident Command System Organization. Throughout the Workbook, you will learn how the information contained in the four modules relates to you as a frontline State Department of Transportation (DOT) worker. At the end of each module, there are a few review questions related to a scenario for you to answer. At the end of the Workbook is a 10-question review quiz. You are to answer the 10 questions and return the Workbook to your supervisor. There is also an Addendum with a planning checklist for you to use if you are deployed to an incident scene. Keep this Addendum for future use.
KW  - Disaster preparedness
KW  - Incident Command System
KW  - Incident management
KW  - National Incident Management System
KW  - National security
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Workbooks
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/security/emergencymgmt/profcapacitybldg/docs/nims/nims_wkbk.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/900958
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01465065
TI  - Examine Problems of Collision Avoidance
AB  - The purpose of this project is to examine the problem of collision avoidance between locomotives, or a locomotive and another tail vehicle, when the colliding vehicles are operating on the same track or likely to operate on the same track. It is anticipated that the system will engage, when the vehicles are no more than one or two miles apart, by sending a timely warning to the cab crew. If no response is received by the cab crew, the system will slow down the moving locomotive(s), by eventually deploying full brakes.
KW  - Crash avoidance systems
KW  - Locomotives
KW  - Warning systems
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233298
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01464244
TI  - Research for AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways. Task 274. Price Indexing in Transportation Construction Contracts
AB  - When market prices of cement, steel, or other commodities used in transportation infrastructure construction are increasing, state departments of transportation (DOTs) will typically be faced with demands from their contractors that price indexing or cost escalation clauses be incorporated in construction contracts. Such demands have most recently been spurred by sharply rising petroleum prices and consequently increased costs of fuel and asphalt products. Price indexing and cost escalation clauses shift business risk from the contractor to the DOT. While this shifting of risk may benefit the agency through contractors' willingness to submit lower bids, the agency faces greater uncertainty in budgeting and managing the final costs of a project. There is little information available on how an agency's use of such clauses may affect construction-market competition or commodity prices within a regional market. There is also little information on how the use of particular price indices may influence the outcome of the agency's use of indexing, and how general economic conditions may affect these outcomes. Agency decision makers seek guidance for judging if consideration of indexing and escalation clauses is warranted, whether the benefits an agency may gain using such clauses outweigh the costs, and how best to implement indexing. The objectives of this project are to describe the current state of DOT practice in using price indexing or cost escalation clauses in construction contracts and to provide guidance for DOT staff making decisions about whether and how such clauses should be used. The project will review primarily the experiences of those DOTS that have used price indexing or cost escalation clauses, but will consider also any other available data that illustrates the effectiveness or ineffectiveness
KW  - Cement
KW  - Commodities
KW  - Cost escalation
KW  - Decision making
KW  - Market pricing
KW  - Price indexes
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Steel
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2602
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232473
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01463996
TI  - Safe Routes to School
AB  - This project will have both proactive and reactive elements. The project staff will be very proactive in coming up to speed with the latest safe routes to school (SRTS) information from around the country and will then actively advertise the availability of the support services to school systems around the state. However, successful SRTS programs almost always have a local champion who promotes community buy-in. The purpose of this project will not be to "sell" the program in the sense of trying to convince communities to start a program or make use of the support services. So some tasks will be implemented on an as requested basis once a local agency notifies us of their need for the services of the project team. With this in mind the project has been broken out into eight distinct but related tasks. Each task will be implemented in coordination with the efforts of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) SRTS program staff.
KW  - Coordination
KW  - Safe Routes to School (Program)
KW  - Safety programs
KW  - School safety
KW  - Schools
KW  - Tennessee
KW  - Traffic safety
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232224
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461968
TI  - Bike Sharing Programs on Federal Lands
AB  - This project will analyze the challenges bike sharing programs in some national parks and national wildlife refuges are facing, including liability and risk management, helmet use, business models, operations and maintenance, and funding mechanisms, and offer recommendations for Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMAs) interested in implementing bike sharing programs. The results can help transfer knowledge on this new technology among the FLMAs.
KW  - Bicycle travel
KW  - Bikeways
KW  - Liability
KW  - National parks
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Risk management
KW  - U.S. Federal Land Management Areas
UR  - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4w2774.aspx
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230188
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01153462
AU  - Burt, Matt
AU  - Gopalakrishna, Deepak
AU  - Cluett, Chris
AU  - Battelle
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
TI  - Phase III (Final) Evaluation Report: National Evaluation of FY01 Earmark: Area Transportation Authority of North Central Pennsylvania – Regional GIS/ITS Initiative
PY  - 2009/08/31
SP  - 89p
AB  - This report presents the results of the United States Department of Transportation evaluation of a federally funded earmark project implemented by the Area Transportation Authority of North Central Pennsylvania (ATA). The project implemented a suite of technologies including computer-assisted scheduling and dispatch (including automatic vehicle location and mobile data computers), maintenance management and invoicing systems. Intended benefits of the project consisted of enhanced productivity, safety, and customer satisfaction. The evaluation examined impacts in each of these areas as well as ATA staff perspectives on benefits, challenges and lessons learned. Overall, the deployment has been successful. Of the 19 specific hypothesized benefits that were tested through the evaluation, 10 of them were fully supported, six were partially supported, and three were not supported. Benefit highlights include a 28 percent reduction in dispatchers’ time on the radio with drivers; reduction of the lag time for identifying vehicle preventative maintenance from two weeks to less than one day; a 43 percent reduction in the time required to prepare monthly invoices; and a 68 percent reduction in the number of in-service vehicle breakdowns. The evaluation results confirm the value of these sorts of advanced technologies for transit systems, especially rural operators providing demand response service. The results also corroborate similar studies showing that successful technology deployments can take many years to complete and demand a high degree of competency, preparation, and follow-through on the part of the deploying agency.
KW  - Automatic vehicle location
KW  - Demand responsive transportation
KW  - Dispatching
KW  - Geographic information systems
KW  - Intelligent transportation systems
KW  - Pennsylvania
KW  - Rural transit
KW  - Scheduling
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31500/31593/14493.htm
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31500/31593/14493_files/14493.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914942
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01152806
AU  - Cluett, Chris
AU  - Gopalakrishna, Deepak
AU  - Osborne, Leon
AU  - Battelle Seattle Research Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Road Weather Management Program Performance Metrics: Implementation and Assessment
PY  - 2009/08/31/Final Report
SP  - 82p
AB  - Since the late 1990’s, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has managed a program dedicated to improving the safety, mobility and productivity of the nation’s surface transportation modes by integrating meteorology into transportation operations and maintenance. Guided by goals in national legislation, FHWA’s Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) seeks to improve the level of service on roads and reduce vehicle crashes through a combination of road weather research, scientific innovations to invigorate the private sector weather enterprise, and multifaceted education and outreach programs to engage public transportation agencies. The RWMP conducted a study with stakeholders from the transportation and meteorological communities to define eleven performance measures that will enable the USDOT to determine the extent to which these goals are being met. This report discusses these performance measures and presents results that illustrate the social, scientific and organizational benefits that can be attributed to the RWMP.
KW  - Evaluation and assessment
KW  - Implementation
KW  - Meteorology
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - Road Weather Management Program
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31600/31611/14492.htm
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31600/31611/14492_files/14492.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914242
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143763
AU  - Cook, Kenneth R
AU  - Tyson-Wood, Wendy
AU  - Thomas, Edward L
AU  - Kulatilake, A Siranjan
AU  - New England Professionals, LLC
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
TI  - A Transit Methodology Using Six Sigma for Heavy Rail Vehicle Maintenance Programs
PY  - 2009/08/31/Final Report
SP  - 138p
AB  - This research central purpose was to develop a methodology for determining how substantial public resources should be invested so that rail transit operations can be improved relative to capital and operating efficiencies. However, the goal was to use a proven methodology tool (Six Sigma) for increasing productivity and apply it in a transit environment to improve and sustain capital and operating efficiencies. Application of the transit methodology using Six Sigma was accomplished by conducting a Case Study of Miami-Dade Transit Process Improvement and the Six Sigma Initiative, with emphasis on rail car maintenance.
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Economic efficiency
KW  - Methodology
KW  - Miami-Dade Transit
KW  - Operating efficiency
KW  - Productivity
KW  - Rapid transit
KW  - Rapid transit cars
KW  - Six sigma
KW  - Vehicle maintenance
UR  - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Transit_MethodologySixSigmaHeavyRailVehicleMaintenancePrograms.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904119
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143756
AU  - Wang, Feng
AU  - Li, Chao
AU  - Zhou, Xuesong
AU  - Chen, Xiaoming
AU  - Stokes, Charles E
AU  - Li, Andrew
AU  - Bulti, Samson
AU  - Jackson State University
AU  - Jackson State University
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Simulation Study of Impacts of Evacuating Traffic on En-route Metropolitan Highway Network
PY  - 2009/08/31/Final Report
SP  - 54p
AB  - In response to both natural and man-made disasters, more and more emergency evacuation plans have been put forward and consistently aim to move a large disaster affected population through a multimodal transportation network towards safer areas as quickly and efficiently as possible. The objectives of this paper are 1) to verify the feasibility of applying the DYNASMART-P model to simulation of traffic characteristics in both normal and emergency conditions for the urban transportation system in the Greater Jackson metropolitan area in Mississippi and 2) to develop and evaluate emergency evacuation strategies for a large scale evacuation of people under emergency conditions in the Greater Jackson area. In this paper, the traffic network including the counties of Hinds, Madison and Rankin was built through the mesoscopic traffic-network planning and simulation model DYNASMART-P based on the dynamic traffic assignment methodology. The model was applied to a highway network on the route of the evacuation. The background origin-destination (OD) demand as input for the simulation program was calibrated using observed traffic volume data collected in several critical routes of evacuation. An evacuation scenario was designed to study the impacts of the evacuating traffic from southeastern Louisiana to the Greater Jackson Metropolitan Area of Mississippi due to an assumed approaching hurricane disaster. Critically congested freeway segments under two evacuation intensity levels were identified based on the criterion of the average queue length percentage and level of service. The causes for the congestion of roads were analyzed and explained.
KW  - Disasters and emergency operations
KW  - Dynamic traffic assignment
KW  - DYNASMART-P (Computer program)
KW  - Evacuation
KW  - Jackson (Mississippi)
KW  - Level of service
KW  - Mesoscopic traffic flow
KW  - Metropolitan areas
KW  - Origin and destination
KW  - Simulation
KW  - Strategic planning
KW  - Traffic congestion
KW  - Traffic queuing
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31300/31331/Simulation_Study_of_Impact_of_Evacuating_Traffic_Final_Report.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904159
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01143753
AU  - Skelton, Gordon W
AU  - Meghanathan, Natarajan
AU  - Jackson State University
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Risk Assessment, Identification, and Notification (RAIN) System: A Novel Approach for Traffic Management
PY  - 2009/08/31/Final Report
SP  - 21p
AB  - Primary research focused on the design and development of an energy-efficient Risk Notification Message Dissemination Protocol (RNMDP) for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). RNMDP propagates Risk Notification Messages (RNMs) from a location of origin to vehicles approaching a Risk Zone. The performance of RNMDP was compared with that of the commonly used flooding strategy through extensive simulations conducted for highway networks with different numbers of lanes and lane density. Simulation results indicate that with a slightly larger delay, RNMDP can achieve the same message delivery ratio attained by flooding, but at a relatively much lower energy loss compared to flooding. RNMDP has been designed to minimize the energy lost in the propagation of the RNMs, but at the same time incur the least possible delay in delivering the messages.
KW  - Disasters and emergency operations
KW  - Energy efficiency
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Message delivery
KW  - Risk assessment
KW  - Risk Notification Message Dissemination Protocol
KW  - Simulation
KW  - Vehicular ad hoc networks (Computer networks)
UR  - http://www.jsums.edu/imtrans/research/risk-assessment-identification-and-notification-rain-system-a-gis-based-tool-for-construction-maintenance-condition-assessment-pavement-management-and-transportation-safety/
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31300/31332/Risk_Assessment_Identification_and_Notification_System_Final_Report.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/904151
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01141658
AU  - Balke, Kevin N
AU  - Brydia, Robert E
AU  - University Transportation Center for Mobility
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Development of a Special Topics Course on Intelligent Transportation Systems for the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering of Texas A&M University
PY  - 2009/08/31/Final Report
SP  - 189p
AB  - With Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), engineers and system integrators blend emerging detection/surveillance, communications, and computer technologies with transportation management and control concepts to improve the safety and mobility of the surface transportation system. Individuals responsible for developing, deploying, and managing ITS projects need a solid foundation not only in transportation engineering concepts and principles but also systems engineering, communications, and technology. This project developed a special topics course on the planning, design, and implementation of ITS projects for transportation management. This course is a graduate-level survey course in which students are provided with the basic knowledge and concepts needed to plan, design, and implement an ITS project that can be deployed in the field.  Course topics include: an overview of ITS technologies and applications for advanced transportation management; the application of system engineering concepts in the planning and design of advanced ITS projects; techniques and strategies for managing and deploying ITS projects; design and application of advanced telecommunication techniques for ITS deployments; and techniques and tools for evaluating ITS projects and technologies.
KW  - Communications
KW  - Curricula
KW  - Education
KW  - Graduate study
KW  - Intelligent transportation systems
KW  - Strategic planning
KW  - Systems engineering
KW  - Technological innovations
KW  - Technology
KW  - Telecommunications
KW  - Transportation engineering
UR  - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Balke_08-27-02.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/902095
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01462437
TI  - Communication with Vulnerable Populations: A Transportation and Emergency Management Toolkit
AB  - The natural disasters encountered by the coastal states in 2005 increased national awareness of the role that public transportation has in planning, response, and recovery with regard to weather-related threats. State departments of transportation and their public transportation divisions were required to communicate and coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies with which they may have had little or no prior exposure. Emergency operation practices for natural disasters, such as hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, and blizzards vary from state to state. In addition to varying on a state level, there may also be institutional differences in how operations and communications are handled among the highway divisions compared to public transportation and rail divisions. Two separate reviews of how transit agencies prepare for emergencies with a focus on vulnerable populations (i.e., transit-dependent, disabled, poor, low English proficiency, racial and ethnic minorities, etc.) were conducted by the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA's) Office of Civil Rights and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. FTA's 12-month review culminated in the release of Transportation Equity in Emergencies: A Review of the Practices of State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and Transit Agencies in 20 Metropolitan Areas. COMTO's expedited 2-month review--completed with a white paper entitled Emergency Preparedness and Response for Vulnerable Populations--was the focal point of a June 2007 discussion during its 2007 National Meeting &amp; Training Conference. Both reports summarized existing preparedness and recovery policies and processes regarding vulnerable populations. What is abundantly clear in both reviews is that vulnerable populations--residents who have no other means of transportation when an evacuation is called for--must rely on public assistance. With no discernable means of communications to this specific population, there is a gap of awareness regarding the role of public transit agencies versus the public emergency response operations and the impact on the communities they serve. This gap was evident during the evacuation of New Orleans residents during Hurricane Katrina. It was evident in the 12-month review conducted by the FTA as well as in the review conducted by COMTO, and it is apparent that this gap still has not been fully addressed. The objective of this research is to identify and disseminate best internal and external planning, response, and recovery policies and practices pertaining to weather-related emergencies with an emphasis on specific outreach to vulnerable populations.
KW  - Communication systems
KW  - Disaster preparedness
KW  - Emergency management
KW  - Emergency response time
KW  - Floods
KW  - Hurricanes
KW  - Natural disasters
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Transit operating agencies
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2611
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230658
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01324972
AU  - Sisiopiku, Virginia P
AU  - Sullivan, Andrew
AU  - Cavusoglu, Ozge
AU  - Sikder, Saiyid
AU  - Mouskos, Kyriacos
AU  - Barrett, Curtis
AU  - University of Alabama, Birmingham
AU  - University Transportation Center for Alabama
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Managed Lanes: Current Status and Future Opportunities
PY  - 2009/08/27/Final Report
SP  - 155p
AB  - The continuous increase in automobile use is directly related to the increase in congestion and decline in air quality in urban settings.  In response to this reality, transportation agencies across the nation employ a number of strategies to reduce traffic demand or spread it over time and space.  This can be done by using lane management strategies that regulate demand, separate traffic streams to reduce turbulence, and utilize available and unused capacity.  In recent years, application of such operational policies has evolved into the notion of "managed lanes."  This study examined the potential role of managed lane strategies in addressing traffic congestion issues in the Birmingham, Alabama metropolitan area.  More specifically, the study first reviewed the state-of-practice on managed lanes and summarized best practices and lessons learned from earlier deployment efforts.  Then an assessment of potential operational impact from implementation of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and designated truck lanes along I-65 in Birmingham was performed.  This was accomplished through detailed traffic simulation modeling using the VISTA mesoscopic tool.  Alternatives considered included (a) the conversion of an existing lane into an HOV or truck designated lane and (b) the addition of a new HOV lane along the study corridor.  A detailed sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the impact of various percentages of HOV and truck use on traffic operations.  A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis was also performed to determine the most economically efficient alternative among all HOV options considered.  The research findings from this study are expected to benefit both the scientific community and those agencies and authorities responsible for planning, designing, implementing, managing, and operating transportation facilities.
KW  - Birmingham (Alabama)
KW  - High occupancy vehicle lanes
KW  - Managed lanes
KW  - Mesoscopic traffic flow
KW  - Traffic congestion
KW  - Traffic mitigation
KW  - Traffic simulation
KW  - Truck lanes
UR  - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=07204
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086124
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01464127
TI  - Research for AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways. Task 284. Establish Test Methods for 100-Year Service Life for HDPE Thermoplastic Pipe in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications
AB  - No summary provided.
KW  - AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - High density polyurethane
KW  - Load and resistance factor design
KW  - Service life
KW  - Specifications
KW  - Test procedures
KW  - Thermoplastic materials
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2764
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232355
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461777
TI  - TRANSIMS Program Technical Support Task Request
AB  - This task request covers three areas of activity: user support, developer support, and administration. User support is intended to provide the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and its contractors with assistance in using TRANSIMS on agency projects. Developer  support is intended to provide additional software capabilities or resolve software issues as these needs are identified. Finally, management and administration supports activities such as reporting, quality assurance, travel, meeting preparation and attendance.
KW  - Administration
KW  - Meetings
KW  - Quality assurance
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Technical assistance
KW  - Technical support
KW  - TRANSIMS (Computer model)
KW  - Transportation planning
KW  - Travel
KW  - User interfaces (Computer science)
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229997
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461776
TI  - Peer Exchange Executive Roundtable: Performance-Based Planning and Programming:
AB  - The objective of this work is to organize, facilitate, and report on a Peer Exchange Executive Roundtable on performance-based transportation planning and programming.  This Roundtable will provide an opportunity for FHWA and its partners to better understand a workable definition for performance-based planning and programming by framing a realistic, achievable performance-based planning and programming approach.  This approach should build on experiences, but recognize inherent obstacles within the current transportation planning and programming process, including those related to State Department of Transportation (DOT) institutional structures, decision making, public outreach and input, legislative and political pressures and others.  The outcome of the Executive Roundtable will be an update to the existing transportation planning process that defines and implements performance-based planning and programming based on goals and related targets.
KW  - Decision making
KW  - Peer exchange
KW  - Performance based planning
KW  - Programming (Planning)
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Roundtables
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229996
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01329757
AU  - Min, Hokey
AU  - Bowling Green State University
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Combined Truck Routing and Driver Scheduling Problems under Hours of Service Regulations
PY  - 2009/08/20/Final Report
SP  - 47p
AB  - Regardless of changing variants, hours-of-service (HOS) regulations are intended to help truck drivers ensure that they get adequate rest and perform safe operations.  The new HOS regulations, however, may lead to substantial cost increases for regional common carriers which have already been hit hard by rising fuel prices and declining shipping demands.  In addition, the new HOS regulations complicate driver schedules by not only restricting the driver's consecutive driving hours, but also expanding off-duty hours.  To deal with this complex challenge, the author develops a mixed integer programming model and a simulated annealing (SA) meta-heuristic for solving that model.  To validate the practicality and efficiency of the proposed model and heuristic solution procedure, they were applied to actual truck routing and driver scheduling problems encountering a regional common carrier.  A series of computational experiments and sensitivity analysis with actual truck routing and driver scheduling problems verified the solution accuracy and computational efficiency of the SA meta-heuristic.
KW  - Hours of labor
KW  - Regulations
KW  - Routes and routing
KW  - Schedules and scheduling
KW  - Truck drivers
KW  - Truck traffic
KW  - Trucking safety
UR  - http://www.utoledo.edu/research/ututc/docs/UTUTC%20HOS_II_Final.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090843
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01467995
TI  - Analysis, Modeling and Design for Traffic Incident Management Systems
AB  - The aim of incident management system 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 analysis and then optimal solutions can help in a decision support system framework for the overall incident management. Incidents result in reduction in the operational efficiency of the transportation network which lead to costly delays for the travelers, increased risk of secondary incidents, and also safety risks to the incident responders. Designing an effective incident management system requires the study of static (including geometric) and dynamic local characteristics of traffic, freeway and arterial traffic control architecture, and the structure of various organizations involved. Regional incident management requires the coordination of many agencies and technologies.
KW  - Arterial highways
KW  - Coordination
KW  - Decision support systems
KW  - Highway operations
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Incident management
KW  - Mathematical models
KW  - Regional planning
KW  - Traffic delays
KW  - Traffic incidents
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236231
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461760
TI  - National Transportation Agreement on Research and Innovation Between Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP)
AB  - The results of the research shall be translated into development of recommendations and guidance, prototypes for programmatic approaches, and dissemination of best practices to facilitate environmental process efficiency and improvements.  Dissemination of research results will enhance inter-agency coordination, contribute to capacity building within FHWA's environmental discipline, support more effective collaboration among the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), State Department of Transportation (DOT) and stakeholder groups, and promote planning and environment linkages.
KW  - Advisory groups
KW  - Best practices
KW  - Education and training
KW  - Environmental stewardship
KW  - Environmental streamlining
KW  - Historic preservation
KW  - Information dissemination
KW  - Innovation
KW  - Recommendations
KW  - Research
KW  - Research projects
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229980
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01575537
TI  - New Biocatalysts to Hydrolyze Lignocellulosic Biomass in Ionic Liquids
AB  - No summary provided.
KW  - Biomass
KW  - Catalysts
KW  - Cellulose
KW  - Hydrolysis
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367954
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01560758
TI  - Recycled Materials Resource Center
AB  - The ultimate objective of the Recycled Materials Resource Center (RMRC) is to increase the wise use of recycled materials in roadway construction and maintenance. This objective will decrease the amount of materials going to landfills or stockpiles, and will reduce the cost and environmental impact of Department of Transportation (DOT) projects. This goal will be achieved through the following activities: (i) Systematically testing, evaluating, and developing standards and guidelines and demonstrating environmentally acceptable and occupationally safe technologies and techniques for the increased use of recycled materials in highway construction and maintenance. (ii) Making information available to State transportation departments, the Federal Highway Administration, the construction industry, local and municipal agencies, and other interested parties to assist in evaluating proposals to use recycled materials in transportation infrastructure construction and maintenance. (iii) Encouraging the increased use of traditional and non-traditional recycled materials by using scientific principles to analyze thoroughly all potential long-term considerations that affect the physical and environmental performance of recycled and secondary materials. (iv) Working cooperatively with Federal, State, and local officials to reduce institutional barriers that limit widespread use of recycled materials and to ensure that increased use is consistent with the sustained environmental and physical integrity of the infrastructure in which the materials are used. More detailed objectives will be determined in cooperation with the RMRC Board of Advisors and the State DOTs who contribute to the pooled fund.
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Highway maintenance
KW  - Recycled materials
KW  - Recycled Materials Resource Center
KW  - Road construction
KW  - Sustainable development
UR  - http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/425
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1351321
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01328159
AU  - Eksioglu, Sandra D
AU  - Petrolia, Daniel
AU  - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State
AU  - National Center for Intermodal Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Impact of Intermodal Facilities to the Design of Supply Chains for Biorefineries
PY  - 2009/08/15
SP  - 16p
AB  - This paper analyzes the impact that an intermodal facility has on location and transportation decisions for biofuel production plants. Location decisions impact the management of the inbound and out-bound logistics of a plant. The authors model this supply chain design and management problem as a mixed integer program. Input data for this model are location of intermodal facilities and available transportation modes; cost and cargo capacity for each transportation mode; geographical distribution of biomass feedstock, and production yields; and biomass processing, and inventory costs. Outputs from this model are the number, location and capacity of biofuel production plants. For each plant, the transportation mode used, timing of shipments, shipments size, inventory size, and production schedule that minimize the delivery cost of biofuel are determined. The state of Mississippi is considered as the testing grounds for the authors'  model. Experimental results indicate that the best location for a (corn-to-ethanol) biorefinery in Mississippi is Warren County, where an in-land port is located. Results indicate that, even when the biomass available in Mississippi is enough to operate this facility, it is economical to ship corn from the Midwest using barge.
KW  - Biomass fuels
KW  - Design
KW  - Intermodal facilities
KW  - Location
KW  - Logistics
KW  - Mississippi
KW  - Production plants
KW  - Supply chain management
UR  - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089299
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01328126
AU  - Jin, Mingzhou
AU  - Zhang, Li
AU  - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State
AU  - National Center for Intermodal Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Demonstration of Global Supply Chains with Intermodal Transportation and
Decision Support for Small and Medium Business
PY  - 2009/08/14/Final Report
SP  - 25p
AB  - Globalization has exposed all companies, large or small, to global competition and cooperation. The US furniture industry is not an exception in this process. In the US, upholstered furniture imported from China has grown annually rate  over the last decade. Before 2005, more than 80% of imported upholstery was leather. In 2006, only just over 60% of upholstery imports from China were leather. Fabric upholstery imports nearly tripled from 2005 to about $625 million. Fully assembled upholstered furniture from China grew 37.9% in 2006 (Epperson 2007). It is expected that the growth of upholstery imports from China will continue, especially for fabric upholstered furniture. Imports have a large share in the furniture market in the US and this share is growing. An efficient supply chain is the key for furniture companies to survive and prosper in the global competition faced by the furniture industry (Bryson et al. 2003). However, the global supply chain process is so complicated and involves multiple logistics/transportation companies, different insurance companies, various policies and laws over countries, and typical complex information systems. The authors' survey on Mississippi furniture companies, including Airline Manufacturing, Lane Furniture, Flexsteel, Tupelo Manufacturing, and United Furniture Industries, shows that most of them do not understand and do not know how to operate their supply chain. They usually order the materials from a third logistic party and focus the negotiation on prices. The finding is different from big companies such as Ashley, which is operating a very efficient global supply chain (Gilmore, 2006). In this research, the authors can demonstrate that better management of their own supply chain will enhance their competitiveness by better controlling their inventory, reducing the intermodal transportation via working together with a third-party logistics company, and minimizing lead time and avoiding risk by tracing the log of orders. All those benefits require a close relationship and alliance with partners along the industry value chain, from upstream suppliers to freight carriers to retailers (Holweg and Bicheno, 2002). Small business owners can also adjust their market strategies based on their supply chain operations. To survive and grow in this dynamic environment, all players in the industry need to understand, define, develop, and maintain their competitiveness via tuning their supply chains. The authors believe that a better understanding of their supply chains will help Mississippi furniture companies work together with logistics companies to improve the efficiency, specifically the cost and lead time of their products.
KW  - Businesses
KW  - China
KW  - Decision making
KW  - Intermodal transportation
KW  - International
KW  - Logistics
KW  - Medium
KW  - Mississippi
KW  - Small business
KW  - Supply chain management
KW  - United States
UR  - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089302
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01328120
AU  - Zhang, Li
AU  - Wen, Yi
AU  - Jin, Minzhou
AU  - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State
AU  - National Center for Intermodal Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - The Framework for Calculating the Measure of Resilience for Intermodal Transportation Systems
PY  - 2009/08/14/Final Report
SP  - 24p
AB  - A literature review indicates no conforming approval on the measure of resilience (MOR) for intermodal transportation systems (1, 2, 3). The objective of this report is to develop a framework for calculating the measure of resilience (MOR) to disaster for intermodal transportation systems. TransCAD was used to model the intermodal network and generate transportation data for the MORs calculation procedure. Intermodal Origin-Destination (OD) traffic before and after disaster struck was estimated based on the study area’s population and employment data. The pre-disaster and post-disaster population and employment data will be collected at county level and disaggregated to each Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) by using linear equations. A series of indicators in terms of mobility, accessibility, and reliability were selected to evaluate the intermodal system performance based on the TransCAD outputs. The report further introduced a Performance Index (PI) combining some indicators to measure the system performance regarding mobility. The Level of Service (LOS) of highway network and intermodal terminals before and after disaster was also determined according to the LOS standards. This report defined MORs as the percentage of system performance degradation due to a disaster. A formula was developed to give the intermodal system MOR a quantitative value with respect to mobility, accessibility, and reliability. The above process was reviewed in a case study along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed MOR calculation procedure.
KW  - Intermodal transportation
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - Resilience (Adaptability)
UR  - http://ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2009_28_Zhang%20and%20Jin%20Framework%20for%20Analyzing%20Resistance_reports_59.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089300
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01464128
TI  - Research for AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways. Task 283. Evaluation of the Flashing Yellow Arrow (FYA) Permissive Left Turn in Shared Yellow Signal Sections
AB  - The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) project 3-54 (Evaluation of Traffic Signal Displays for Protected/Permissive Left Turn Control) recommended the use of the Flashing Yellow Arrow as the desired permissive indication for when using protected/permissive left turn (PPLT) phasing. The recommended display for the PPLT is a four section head. However, there are occasions where installing a four-section head can be very expensive or impossible without significant retrofit because of vertical clearance issues. It is possible to operate the flashing yellow arrow in PPLT in existing three section heads by installing a bi-modal head that allows the yellow left turn arrow to operate in flashing (permissive) and steady (change) mode. It is not known how well drivers will respond to this application of the three section head and whether it provides adequate notice that the permissive left-turn is ending, The primary purpose of this research is to explore the effectives of a three section protected/permissive left turn signal display versus a four section signal display, containing both a flashing yellow arrow section and a steady yellow arrow change interval section, when implementing the FYA in protected/permissive left turn control.
KW  - Flashing traffic signals
KW  - Flashing yellow arrow
KW  - Left turn lanes
KW  - Permissive left turn operations
KW  - Traffic control devices
KW  - Yellow interval (Traffic signal cycle)
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2763
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232356
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461308
TI  - Identification of Emerging Practices and Issues for Alternative Fuel Technologies and Energy Facilities in the Right-of-Way
AB  - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Real Estate Services (HEPR) and its stakeholders seek to develop and provide information that presents material on the state of the practice and suggested lessons learned when considering the implications of accommodating alternative energy technologies and alternative fuel facilities in the right-of-way. A goal of this research will be to provide state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) with information that will enable them to assess asset management processes and the ways in which asset management decision making and programs can support accommodating alternative energy technologies and alternative fuel facilities in the right-of-way.
KW  - Alternate fuels
KW  - Asset management
KW  - Energy consumption
KW  - Right of way (Land)
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - State of the practice
KW  - Technical assistance
KW  - Technological innovations
KW  - Websites (Information retrieval)
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229527
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01153487
AU  - Magno, Carlos
AU  - Remkes, Charles
AU  - Masek, Nathan
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - New Mexico Department of Transportation
AU  - Mid Region Council of Governments
TI  - ITS Regional Architecture for the Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area (AMPA)
Evaluation Report
PY  - 2009/08/11
SP  - 8p
AB  - The Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area (AMPA) Regional ITS Architecture is the roadmap for transportation systems integration in the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area over the next 20 years. This architecture was developed through a supportive effort by the AMPA’s transportation agencies, which represents a common vision of how each agency’s systems, will work together in the future, sharing information and resources to provide a safer, more efficient, and more effective transportation system for travelers in the region. The architecture is an important tool that is been used by: (1)  Operating Agencies to recognize and plan for transportation integration opportunities in the AMPA as well as the larger state. (2)  Planning Agencies to better reflect integration opportunities and operational needs into the transportation planning process. (3)  Other organizations and individuals that use the transportation system in the AMPA as well as the larger state. The architecture provides an overarching framework that spans all of these organizations and individual transportation projects. Using the architecture, each transportation project can be viewed as an element of the overall transportation system, providing visibility into the relationship between individual transportation projects and ways to cost-effectively build an integrated transportation system over time. The architecture also is coordinated with the New Mexico Statewide ITS Architecture to ensure consistency at those jurisdictional and operational points where AMPA based operations coincides and/or integrates with statewide planning and operations. The architecture covers services across a broad range of ITS, including traffic management, maintenance and construction operations, incident management, emergency services, transit management, traveler information, archived data management, and electronic payment. The objective of the earmarked funds was to define the Regional ITS Architecture through a series of workshops based on the National ITS Architecture, conducted by representation of the stakeholders, resulting in the agreement of the regional architecture by consensus of the stakeholders.
KW  - Albuquerque (New Mexico)
KW  - Evaluation
KW  - Intelligent transportation systems
KW  - Metropolitan areas
KW  - Regional planning
KW  - System architecture
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31700/31762/14502.htm
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31700/31762/14502_files/14502.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/914948
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01468284
TI  - Training Course for the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model
AB  - This effort will include a curriculum, course materials and problem sets for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Stochastic   Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM).  The course will cover model theory, application and interpretation of input date and model results.  The sample problems will include example data sets to on-line data sources to include the National Water Information System Web. United States Geological Survey (USGS) will provide all materials, equipment, labor and any other items necessary to carry out this research as defined in this Statement of Work (SOW).
KW  - Curricula
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Education and training
KW  - Empirical methods
KW  - Loading facilities
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Stochastic processes
KW  - Training programs
KW  - Transportation planning
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236521
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01505719
AU  - McNeil, Sue
AU  - Davidson, Rachel
AU  - Lee, Earl
AU  - Trainor, Joseph
AU  - Wachtendorf, Tricia
AU  - Black, Laura
AU  - Dalton, Sarah
AU  - Mitchell, Charles
AU  - Wasileski, Gabriela
AU  - Delaware Center for Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - UTC/DelDOT Infrastructure Security and Emergency Preparedness
PY  - 2009/08/07/Final Report
SP  - 52p
AB  - Transportation infrastructure security and emergency preparedness presents an enormous challenge for both the State of Delaware and the major transportation corridors that run through the state. Delaware Department of Transportation and its extensive network of partner organizations have a strong coalition in place to plan, train, and run exercises related to regional evacuation issues. Given the complexity of this task and the many intersecting areas of interest, it is vital that relevant engineering and social sciences be brought to bear on planning processes. The objective of this project is to review the current state of practice for Delaware and the BOSFOLK corridor, review external research and apply insights from state-of-the-art social science and engineering, and develop a plan for integrating research insights into practice. We will formulate a “Workplan for Improving Infrastructure Security and Emergency Preparedness.”
KW  - Delaware
KW  - Disaster preparedness
KW  - Emergency management
KW  - Evacuation
KW  - Infrastructure
KW  - Security
KW  - Social sciences
KW  - State of the practice
KW  - Transportation corridors
UR  - http://www.ce.udel.edu/UTC/downloads2013/McNeil_etal_Security_UTCFinal%20Report.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1285222
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01462510
TI  - Applying Intelligent Transportation Systems to Improve Airport Traveler Access Information
AB  - Many airports have developed elaborate and often highly sophisticated programs for providing travelers with ground access information, but there is no common format for presenting this information to the public, either on airport websites or via other electronic media. As U.S. airports consider making new or expanding existing capital investments to improve public access, there is increasing interest in the potential for creating a consistent format for quickly and effectively presenting information on viable ground access travel options using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology. In the broadest sense, ITS encompass a range of wireless and wired communications-based information and electronics technologies. Although many metropolitan areas are developing traveler information systems, few existing systems address ground access requirements specific to airport travelers. Airport travelers have become accustomed to attaining necessary information using technology. In addition, travelers to and from airports, both resident and non-resident, often need real-time information about parking availability, access delays, and alternative travel modes. Research is needed to provide uniform guidance to assist airports in providing pre-trip planning and real-time information in a consistent or similar format. The objectives of this research are to (1) describe opportunities for using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology to help travelers simply, efficiently, and interactively evaluate their airport ground transportation options; and (2) prepare a guidebook for use by airport operators (in cooperation with transportation service providers) to develop and implement ITS solutions specific to their environment. The guidebook should encompass existing and emerging technologies for presenting useful information, addressing all forms of ground transportation available to travelers to and from the airport. The guidebook should (1) identify options for providing interactive pre-trip planning using real-time information on ground access services and facilities and (2) provide functional specifications for and a mock-up of a web-based or other technology-based information delivery system for trip planning, adaptable for use at a wide variety of airports with a reasonable degree of commonality. The guidebook should also include a CD containing a downloadable version of the mockups and an interactive demonstration using a suitable application platform. The ITS approach should consider how desired traveler information can be provided using a framework similar in content yet customizable by individual airports.
KW  - Airport access
KW  - Airport ground transportation
KW  - Airport operations
KW  - Airport surface traffic control
KW  - Baltimore (Maryland)
KW  - Information systems
KW  - Intelligent transportation systems
KW  - Personal digital assistants
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Shared rides
KW  - Traveler information and communication systems
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2584
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230731
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01138547
AU  - Selvam, R Panneer
AU  - Subramani, Vikramraja J
AU  - Murray, Shanique
AU  - Hall, Kevin D
AU  - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center
AU  - Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
AU  - National Science Foundation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Potential Application of Nanotechnology on Cement Based Materials
PY  - 2009/08/06/Final Report
SP  - 158p
AB  - The tensile strength of cement paste is one of the most important of the mechanical properties that influence shrinkage cracks in cementious materials. Cement pastes which exhibit low tensile strength, tend to exhibit greater shrinkage crack potential and reduced durability. If the tensile strength in cement paste can be increased, then the shrinkage cracking potential can be minimized. It is believed that the strength and cohesion of cement paste is controlled by the formation of Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) gel. In order to be able to enhance macroscopic mechanical properties (tensile strength) it is necessary to understand the structure and behavior of C-S-H gel at the atomic level. Molecular statics was used to determine minimal potential energy and the mechanical properties of crystalline C-S-H structures. It was found that when bonds in the silicate chains of crystalline C-S-H structures were broken at certain places, the computed elastic modulus was comparable with macro level experimental values. From this study a plausible atomic structure of C-S-H gel is proposed. Further research effort builds upon the previous work by using molecular dynamics to derive tensile and compressive strength of C-S-H structures from uniaxial stress-strain data. The results from the molecular dynamics simulations showed that the maximum strength (i.e., compressive and tensile) for the proposed C-S-H gel is magnitudes higher than the strength at the macro level. However, the tensile strength of the proposed C-S-H gel is 23% of the compressive strength. This research also concludes that electrostatic forces and bond forces in the silicate chains are the main contributors to cement strength at the atomic level and that breakage in the silicate chains leads to low tensile strength in C-S-H gel.
KW  - Calcium silicate
KW  - Calcium silicate hydrate
KW  - Cement paste
KW  - Compressive strength
KW  - Cracking
KW  - Durability
KW  - Molecular structure
KW  - Nanotechnology
KW  - Shrinkage
KW  - Simulation
KW  - Tensile strength
UR  - http://arkansastrc.com/MBTC%20REPORTS/MBTC%202095.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/898967
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461969
TI  - National Scan of Best Practices for Road Dust Control and Soil Stabilization
AB  - The purpose of the National Scan is to examine programs and practices employed by different governmental agencies and contractors that result in effective dust control and/or soil stabilization on unpaved roads. The driving force behind this scan is that road dust and/or the additives used in its control pose a myriad of health, safety, economic, regulatory, and environmental challenges.
KW  - Additives
KW  - Best practices
KW  - Dust control
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - National Center for Intermodal Transportation
KW  - National policies
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Soil stabilization
KW  - Unpaved roads
UR  - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4w2779.aspx
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230189
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01144479
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - The National Incident Management System: A Workbook for State Department of Transportation Frontline Workers - Supervisor Instructions
PY  - 2009/08/03
SP  - 3p
AB  - The Workbook, NRF/NIMS for Frontline Transportation Workers, is designed to provide State Departments of Transportation front-line employees with basic information concerning the National Response Framework (NRF), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the Incident Command System (ICS). This Workbook meets the national objectives and training requirements set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for credit for the FEMA courses IS-100. The Workbook is comprised of four (4) modules.    1. The National Response Framework,    2. The National Incident Management System,    3. Introduction to ICS, and     4. ICS Organization. These are the instructions for supervisors of frontline workers. It provides an answer key for the comprehensive final review.
KW  - Disaster preparedness
KW  - Incident Command System
KW  - Incident management
KW  - National Incident Management System
KW  - National security
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - Supervisors
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/security/emergencymgmt/profcapacitybldg/docs/nims/sup_instruct.htm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/903993
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01464476
TI  - Field Versus Laboratory Volumetrics and Mechanical Properties
AB  - In the quality assurance (QA) of hot mix asphalt construction, the results of volumetric testing conducted by the contractor and agency are often compared statistically to verify the contractor's test results. Such comparisons help the agency judge whether its QA test results are from the same population as the contractor's test results. However, because the tests are performed by different operators using different equipment and with potentially different methods, variability of the test results is inevitable. A further source of variability arises when the sampling and compaction of the specimens are not the same, i.e., when results from laboratory-mixed and compacted specimens are compared to those from plant-mixed, laboratory-compacted specimens, or plant-mixed, field-compacted specimens, or both, on a single project. A major barrier to conducting a sound QA program is quantifying the variability that arises when it is necessary to compare the properties of asphalt mixture specimens that may be (1) produced in a laboratory or at the plant, (2) compacted in different physical locations, and (3) compacted in the laboratory or in-place on the pavement. The objectives of this research are to (1) determine causes of variability and the precision and bias for volumetric and mechanical properties of dense-graded asphalt mixtures measured within and among these three specimen types: (a) laboratory mixed and compacted, (b) plant mixed and laboratory compacted, and (c) plant mixed and field compacted; and (2) prepare a recommended practice for state departments of transportation (DOTs) to incorporate these results in specifications and criteria for (a) quality assurance, (b) mix design verification or validation, and (c) structural design and forensic studies. The research will primarily address variability associated with volumetric and mechanical test results within and among the three specimen types defined herein and not the test method's within- and among-laboratory variability (i.e., repeatability and reproducibility or precision statement), which is generally well established and documented. However, the effect of this laboratory testing variability will be considered in accomplishing the project objectives.
KW  - Compaction
KW  - Field tests
KW  - Hot mix asphalt
KW  - Laboratory tests
KW  - Mineral aggregates
KW  - Mix design
KW  - Quality assurance
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2503
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232706
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01464073
TI  - Legal Aspects of Airport Programs. Topic 3-01. Fair Disclosure of Airport Impacts in Real Estate Transfers
AB  - The purpose of fair disclosure laws is to provide prospective home buyers with sufficient information to make informed decisions about the purchase of property. Airport operators are particularly interested that home buyers obtain information about the noise and flight paths associated with airport operations before prospective buyers make decisions about purchasing property located near an airport.  In too many cases property is purchased near airports without full disclosure of the nature of airport operations and thus the potential for purchaser remorse based on the lack of disclosure of airport noise and operations.  In some cases, the adoption of fair disclosure laws that include the disclosure of the potential impacts of aviation operations has been impeded by the fear of some homeowners, local officials, and representatives of the real estate industry that such disclosure may provide an exaggerated impression of the significance of aviation related impacts and thereby impair property values.  Proponents of such disclosure laws maintain that the real estate market takes account of any aviation related impacts regardless of fair disclosure laws.  Still others argue that existing fair disclosure laws are adequate to address issues that arise regarding the disclosure of airport noise and operations in the area where a home is purchased. The intent of this ACRP Legal Topic is to survey existing fair disclosure laws among the states, determine if and how existing fair disclosure laws are meeting the need for a disclosure to prospective purchasers of airport-related conditions and operations, and to develop an annotated model fair disclosure law. The model fair disclosure law developed for this topic should be in a form  that is appropriate for consideration by state legislatures and local governments.  The Consultant shall survey existing literature, research state laws, case law, and survey airport proprietors, trade associations, and other knowledgeable persons in order to identify circumstances and occurrences involving the issues described above.  Of particular interest should be legislation or case law which specifically requires the disclosure of airport noise and operations in the area where a home is located.  The report should synthesize the literature, statutes, regulations, and case law gathered by the Consultant's research efforts.  The primary data collected through surveys and interviews should be tabulated and presented to supplement the legal synthesis. The report shall include an analysis of the essential features required for effective fair disclosure of aviation related impacts.  The report should also develop a model fair disclosure law and  a set of best practices for use by airport operators and local government land use regulatory agencies in implementing fair disclosure laws and ordinances in a manner that requires the full disclosure to prospective home buyers of airport-related conditions and operations.
KW  - Airport noise
KW  - Airport operations
KW  - Disclosure
KW  - Homebuyers
KW  - Laws
KW  - Real property
KW  - Research projects
UR  - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2872
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232301
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01464023
TI  - LTPP Analysis Task Order: Simplified Techniques for Evaluation and Interpretation of Pavement Deflections for Network-Level Analysis
AB  - The primary objective of this study is to identify or develop, verify, and recommend simplified deflection-based analytical techniques suitable for rapid, automated screening of pavement structural capacity for inclusion in network-level PMS. These techniques will be derived from information gathered from Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) and from states currently using structural information in their PMS. The success of the study will hinge on identifying solutions that can be readily implemented in State and local municipality systems. The second objective of the study is to develop and recommend data collection procedures that will maximize testing productivity and minimize risk while still providing adequate information for use in the PMS. Spacing and frequency of data collection are the two primary parameters of interest. The recommendations should consider both the incremental cost of collecting the data and benefits of better prediction and decision making. The third objective of this study is to ensure that the results are applicable to agencies that do not use deflection testing in their PMS but use nondestructive deflection testing as part of their project-level analysis and design activities.
KW  - Data collection
KW  - Decision making
KW  - Deflection
KW  - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program
KW  - Nondestructive tests
KW  - Pavement management systems
KW  - Pavement performance
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Structural analysis
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/programs/infrastructure/pavements/ltpp/prelim.cfm
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232251
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01463288
TI  - Quick Response for Special Needs. Task 77. Support for APTA/FTA Transit Train Control Assessment
AB  - This task is providing technical support for an American Public Transportation Association/Federal Transit Administration transit train control assessment.
KW  - Assessments
KW  - Automatic train control
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Rail transit operations
KW  - Technical support
KW  - Transit safety
KW  - Transit traffic
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231514
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461692
TI  - Economic Costs and Environmental Consequences of U.S. Biofuels Policies
AB  - The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 sets a renewable fuel standard (RFS) that requires the use of 9 billion gallons of renewable liquid fuels in 2008 and rises to 36 billion by 2022. Of this, 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol is required by 2015 (remaining at this level thereafter) and the additional 21 billion gallons is mandated to be obtained from cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels by 2022. The purpose of the proposed project is to examine the effects of the RFS, employing a simulation model to evaluate the policy's efficiency and distributional implications. The project investigates the impacts of increased U.S. biofuels mandates for cornbased and cellulosic ethanol on blended fuel consumption, relating these impacts to changes in fuel mix (regular gasoline and ethanol), changes in fleet composition (e.g. shifts to higher mileage automobiles) and vehicle miles traveled (VMT). We also examine the impacts of increased U.S. biofuels mandates on agricultural production, relating these effects to changes in the acreage of major crops, rotation practices, tillage systems, land allocated to the conservation reserve program (CRP), and volume of crop exports. We also explore how the costs are distributed across different agents in the economy and regions of the country, thus providing useful estimates to the northeast region as well as other Sun Grant regions. Finally, the project measures the effects of increased U.S. biofuels mandates on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, relating our estimates to those of standard lifecycle analysis (LCA) and to recent studies that account for unintended land use effects. A central theme of the proposed work is that LCA alone can generate very misleading conclusions related to the GHG emissions effects of biofuels policies.
KW  - Air quality management
KW  - Alternate fuels
KW  - Biomass fuels
KW  - Economic factors
KW  - Energy consumption
KW  - Ethanol
KW  - Greenhouse gases
KW  - Life cycle costing
KW  - Policy making
KW  - Pollutants
KW  - Renewable energy sources
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Vehicle miles of travel
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229912
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01616151
AU  - Prozzi, Jolanda
AU  - Zhao, Mengying
AU  - Prozzi, Jorge
AU  - Robertson, Chris
AU  - Walton, C Michael
AU  - University of Texas, Austin
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Characteristics of the Auto Users and Non-Users of Central Texas Toll Roads
PY  - 2009/08//Technical Report
SP  - 130p
AB  - As toll road usage increases to finance new road infrastructure or add capacity to existing road infrastructure, the question of who does and does not use toll roads becomes increasingly important to toll road developers, financiers, Traffic and Revenue consultants, and investors, among others. Although a number of previous studies have attempted to characterize toll road users and sub-sets of toll road users, this study presents a first attempt to differentiate the auto users and non-users of the Central Texas toll roads. Respondents (1,507) to a telephone survey that was conducted in the Spring of 2008 were categorized as users and non-users of toll roads and statistical analysis was conducted to provide insight into the demographic and trip characteristics of the auto users and non-users of the Central Texas toll roads. The report also includes a detailed analysis of actual transaction data from the Central Texas Turnpike System. These actual data coupled with the preferences expressed in the surveys provides a detailed look into the characteristics of the auto users and non-users of the Central Texas area toll roads.
KW  - Central Texas Turnpike
KW  - Demographics
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Telephone surveys
KW  - Texas
KW  - Toll data
KW  - Toll roads
KW  - Travelers
KW  - Trip characteristics
UR  - http://ctr.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/pubs/0_6044_2v1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1428890
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01580343
AU  - Gilley, Rex D
AU  - Mallela, Jagannath
AU  - Hoffman, Gary
AU  - Ullman, Gerald L
AU  - Applied Research Associates, Incorporated
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Virginia Demonstration Project: Rapid Removal and Replacement of U.S. 15/29 Bridge Over Broad Run Near Gainesville, VA
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 45p
AB  - As part of a national initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration under the Highways for LIFE program, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) was awarded a $600,000 grant to demonstrate the use of proven, innovative technologies for accelerated bridge removal and replacement. This report documents accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques used to remove, widen, and replace the superstructure of the U.S. 15/29 bridge over Broad Run over three weekends. This report describes the existing bridge and the materials and methods used to widen the three-span bridge and replace the superstructure. Prefabricated superstructure segments, four per span, were used to simplify and expedite construction. Under conventional construction, the impact of this project on the traveling public was estimated at 100 days, but with the use of accelerated construction techniques, the impact was reduced to three weekend closures. Using ABC techniques added approximately $260,000 to the initial construction cost of the project. However, a more comprehensive economic analysis including user cost savings shows that the project saved road users an estimated $2.16 million or about 65 percent over conventional construction practices. Because of the success of this project, VDOT plans to use ABC techniques on future projects.
KW  - Bridge construction
KW  - Bridge replacement
KW  - Cost effectiveness
KW  - Demonstration projects
KW  - Economic analysis
KW  - Gainesville (Virginia)
KW  - Highways for LIFE
KW  - Prefabricated bridges
KW  - Technological innovations
UR  - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/summary/pdf_2/VA_US15-29_Final_August%202009.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1373008
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01544619
AU  - Oliva, Michael G
AU  - Banister, Michelle Ann
AU  - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE)
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Impact of Bridge Ratings on the Timber Transportation Industry
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 232p
AB  - The logging industry plays an important role in the State of Wisconsin’s economy. Additionally, the condition of some of Wisconsin’s bridges, as well as the state of our nation’s bridges, is deteriorated due to lack of funding for replacement. As a result of this, bridges are being load posted which prohibits travel over them by many commercial vehicles. One industry in particular that is of interest to this project is the forest products/timber industry, but Wisconsin’s dairy industry is also extensively affected. As a result of the load posting, hauling routes are longer due to detours and it is costing the timber industry more money to haul raw timber. The purpose of this project was to investigate the current load ratings of bridges and look at the effects that logging vehicles have on single span bridges. Following these analyses, solutions to help alleviate some of the challenges the timber industry is experiencing due to load posted bridges were examined. Currently, bridges in Wisconsin are load rated based on specified unique design vehicles such has the HS20. This project looked into how the moment and shear effects of logging trucks compared to the effects of common design and State vehicles. Thirty-one logging vehicles with varying configurations and gross weights were measured and used in this comparison analysis. In addition to the logging truck analysis and comparison, several bridges that are of major concern to a prominent timber association in Wisconsin, the Great Lake Timber Professionals Association, were investigated and load rated using the two currently available methods, the Load Factor Rating method and the Load and Resistance Factor Rating method. This was done to better understand the methods used for load rating and to compare the load ratings from this project with current load postings. Lastly, possible solutions to the current issues the Great Lake’s Timber Professionals Association and the timber industry are experiencing were investigated. The first solution was looking at optimization of the current logging vehicles including optimizing the distribution of weight on the axles as well as optimizing the axle configuration on the truck to decrease the effects of the trucks on bridges. Additionally, the amount of gross weight reduction for timber trucks that would be necessary to reduce effects to a level equivalent to the design vehicles was calculated. The final solution that was investigated was looking into potential economical bridge strengthening options. The main option that was considered was the use of Mechanically Fastened Fiber Reinforced Polymer Strips as a strengthening option for reinforced concrete bridges. This strengthening technique has been previously utilized successfully in Missouri. Wisconsin bridge B380513, which is load posted and a large concern to the logging industry has been chosen and examined as a candidate for strengthening using this technique.
KW  - Bridges
KW  - Economic impacts
KW  - Load and resistance factor design
KW  - Load factor
KW  - Logging trucks
KW  - Optimization
KW  - Oversize loads
KW  - Overweight loads
KW  - Routes
KW  - Strengthening (Maintenance)
KW  - Wisconsin
UR  - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0305.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1330896
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01531735
AU  - Benson, Craig H
AU  - Edil, Tuncer B
AU  - Ebrahimi, Ali
AU  - Kootstra, Brian
AU  - Li, Lin
AU  - University of Wisconsin, Madison
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Stabilization of Reclaimed Pavement Material and Road Surface Gravel with Coal Combustion Products
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 319p
AB  - Recycling part or all of the pavement materials in an existing road during rehabilitation and reconstruction is an attractive construction alternative. For roads with a hot mix asphalt (HMA) surface, the HMA, underlying base, and a portion of the existing subgrade often are pulverized to form a new base material referred to as recycled pavement material (RPM). Compacted RPM is overlain with a new HMA layer to create a reconstructed or rehabilitated pavement. This process is often referred to as full-depth reclamation (FDR). Similarly, when an unpaved road with a gravel surface is upgraded to a paved road, the existing road surface gravel (RSG) is blended and compacted to form a new base layer that is overlain with an HMA surface. Recycling pavement and road materials in this manner is both cost effective and environmentally friendly. Recycled base materials may contain asphalt binder, fines, and/or other deleterious materials that can adversely affect strength and stiffness. To address this issue, chemical stabilizing agents such as cement, asphalt emulsions, lime, cement kiln dust (CKD), or cementitious fly ash can be blended with RPM or RSG to increase the strength and stiffness. This “stabilized” material is referred to as SRPM or SRSG. Use of industrial material resources for stabilization, such as CKD or fly ash, is particularly attractive in the context of sustainability. The purpose of this study was to develop a practical method to design local roadways using SRPM or SRSG as the base layer and Class C fly ash as the stabilizing agent in the context of the “gravel equivalency” (GE) design methodology employed for local roads in Minnesota. The project consisted of four major elements: (i) laboratory testing (Appendix B), (ii) prototype pavement evaluation (Appendix C), field assessment of two existing roadways constructed with SRPM and SRSG (Appendix D), and (iv) assessment of potential impacts to ground water (Appendix E and F). This summary report was created as a design guide and includes step-by-step design procedures along with practical implications relevant to implementation.
KW  - Base course (Pavements)
KW  - Design methods
KW  - Field tests
KW  - Fly ash
KW  - Gravel roads
KW  - Groundwater
KW  - Laboratory tests
KW  - Minnesota
KW  - Reclaimed asphalt pavements
KW  - Recycling
UR  - http://rmrc.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/project_47_final_report.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1316330
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01518957
AU  - Church, Robert F
AU  - Hyde, David J
AU  - Mauri, Ronald A
AU  - Mergel, Joseph J
AU  - Pace, David
AU  - Pickrell, Don H
AU  - Shaulov, Mark
AU  - Templeton, Joshua
AU  - Wetula, Leopold E
AU  - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
AU  - Federal Railroad Administration
TI  - Methodology for Determining the Avoidable and Fully Allocated Costs of Amtrak Routes Volumes I, II, and III
PY  - 2009/08
SP  - 221p
AB  - The Federal Railroad Administration tasked the Volpe Center with developing a methodology for determining the avoidable and fully allocated costs of Amtrak routes. Avoidable costs are costs that would not be incurred if an Amtrak route were discontinued. Fully allocated costs are the total costs of operating a route, including operating, marketing, general and administrative, and capital costs. The methodology was developed in cooperation with Amtrak staff and is being implemented within Amtrak’s new Amtrak Performance Tracking (APT) system. This report describes the methodology for determining Amtrak’s avoidable and fully allocated costs. Challenges faced in developing the methodology included how to allocate shared costs that cannot be directly linked to single trains, how to spread high-level costs, such as general and administrative costs, how to distribute costs to Amtrak’s ancillary businesses, how to estimate and allocate capital costs given Amtrak’s history and structure, and how to estimate avoidable costs given record keeping limitations and the fact that many Amtrak costs are shared. The methodology will provide improved estimates of avoidable and fully allocated costs as compared to Amtrak’s current cost allocation  system. It simplifies the cost allocation rules, incorporates Amtrak’s ancillary businesses in the allocation process, and increases transparency.
KW  - Amtrak
KW  - Cost accounting
KW  - Cost allocation
KW  - Cost estimating
KW  - Costs
KW  - Methodology
KW  - Passenger trains
KW  - Routes
KW  - U.S. Federal Railroad Administration
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/15771
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/15780
UR  - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2746
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290293
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01470008
AU  - McTernan, William F
AU  - Cross, Stephen A
AU  - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
AU  - Oklahoma Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Development of Liquidated Damages for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 71p
AB  - Federal regulations require that Departments of Transportation (DOTs) must establish liquidated damages (LD) for construction projects and update when necessary and submit them to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) every two years for approval. According to FHWA, the method used to develop a standard LD schedule should use construction engineering costs associated with the type and size of work encountered. The FHWA method has four steps: 1) determination of requisite data, 2) collection and organization of data, 3) calculation of workday LD rates and 4) calculation of calendar-day LD rates. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the Auburn University protocol used to determine LDs in Alabama and to modify it as necessary and apply it to a data base supplied by Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). This effort included the evaluation, screening and qualifying of the ODOT data for the development of liquidated damages. These data and the selected methodology were then applied to the ODOT’s data base to determine a statistically defensible daily rate for agency charges when projects are not completed within the original schedules. A robust statistically based procedure for use by ODOT or an outside vendor to determine LD rates for projects of varying sizes that should meet the requirements of FHWA was developed.
KW  - Auburn University
KW  - Construction projects
KW  - Databases
KW  - Liquidated damages
KW  - Oklahoma Department of Transportation
KW  - On time performance
KW  - Rates
UR  - http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/spr-rip/library/reports/fhwa-ok0812.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1237853
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01469912
AU  - Huang, Scott L
AU  - Darrow, Margaret M
AU  - Calvin, Peter
AU  - Alaska University Transportation Center
AU  - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Unstable Slope Management Program
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 93p
AB  - This Rapid Response Project gathered information on existing unstable slope management programs, with a focus on asset management practices in the United States and overseas. On the basis of this study, the research team summarized and recommended guidelines to develop an Unstable Slope Management Program for the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (AKDOT&PF).
KW  - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
KW  - Asset management
KW  - Dislocation (Geology)
KW  - Risk management
KW  - Rock slopes
KW  - Slope failure
KW  - Slope stability
KW  - State departments of transportation
KW  - State of the practice
UR  - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2013/01/RR08.10part2.FinalReport082109-ineautc1118.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46700/46747/RR08.10part2.FinalReport082109-ineautc1118.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1237191
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01466776
TI  - Rail Capacity Improvement Study for Heavy Rail Transit Operations
AB  - New technologies such as moving block Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) may offer more cost-effective and timely solutions than traditional plant upgrades for certain scenarios. The objective of this study is to offer a combination of considerations and evaluation tools pertaining to relevant means of capacity improvements (technology, operations, route, and vehicle upgrades), conventional and emerging. Guidance regarding the economics is offered to help balance the mix to minimize cost of achieving the level of capacity improvements required. To meet this objective, the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., has evaluated various aspects of the present capacity limitations vs. ridership for two large rail transit systems in the United States to determine capacity constraints and to identify areas where improved capacity might be needed.
KW  - Automatic train control
KW  - Communications based train control – cbtc
KW  - Moving block control
KW  - Railroad capacity
KW  - Ridership
KW  - Technological innovations
KW  - Upgrades (Railroads)
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235011
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461827
TI  - Advanced Technology Bus Rapid Transit
AB  - This third amendment provides for the purchase of the first of two advanced technology vehicles for the Southeast Area Transit Authority advanced technology bus rapid transit (BRT) project. The advanced technology BRT project team will collect, analyze, and compare performance data of the new vehicles alongside data on existing vehicles to obtain information on operating cost, performance and reliability comparisons of advanced vehicles operating under a range of seasonal conditions. This data will aid transit planners and operators in making better vehicle selections and in finding the best use of these vehicles.
KW  - Advanced vehicle technologies program
KW  - Bus rapid transit
KW  - Bus transit
KW  - Operating costs
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Vehicle operations
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230047
ER  - 

TY  - ABST
AN  - 01461747
TI  - American Cities Foundation Project TRANSIT
AB  - This amendment supports the ongoing effort of the American Cities Foundation Project TRANSIT to connect neglected citizens of Philadelphia to careers and business opportunities available within the transportation industry. By working with the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Streets Department, Project TRANSIT was able to reach over four hundred fifty (450) 11th and 12th grade students with information about careers in public transportation.  One hundred forty (140) students participated in job-readiness training preparatory to placement into internship positions with the Streets Department of Philadelphia in transportation-related roles.
KW  - High school students
KW  - Job opportunities
KW  - Jobs
KW  - Public transit
KW  - Research projects
KW  - Students
KW  - Transportation
KW  - Transportation careers
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229967
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01454879
AU  - Balunaini, Umashankar
AU  - Yoon, Sungmin
AU  - Prezzi, Monica
AU  - Salgado, Rodrigo
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Tire Shred Backfill in Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall Applications
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 169p
AB  - Tire shred-soil mixture backfill for use in mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls has several advantages over traditional backfill materials: 1) good drainage, 2) high shear strength, 3) low compacted unit weight and 4) low lateral pressure exerted on retaining structures. This work presents the results of laboratory tests performed on tire shred-sand mixtures focusing on determining the properties required for their use as backfill in MSE wall applications. Three sizes of tire shreds are considered: tire chips with 9.5mm in nominal size, and tire shreds with 50-to-100-mm and 100-to-200-mm in length. The optimal mix proportions of tire shred-sand mixtures for enhanced mechanical response of the composite material are provided. Segregation of the materials in the tire shred-sand mixtures was investigated for various mix proportions. The effects of tire shred size, and tire shred-sand mixing ratio on the interaction between geogrids/ ribbed-metal strips and the mixtures are evaluated based on a series of laboratory pullout tests. Results indicate that the optimal mix proportion of tire shreds and sand is 25/75 and 30/70 (tire shred/sand) by weight, equivalent to approximately 40/60 and 50/50 (tire shred/sand) by volume for tire shreds with 50-100 mm and 100-200mm in length, respectively. This optimum mix proportion also ensures negligible segregation of the components of the mixture in the composite material. For all three shredded tire sizes considered, the pullout capacity of a geogrid embedded in the tire shred-sand mixtures prepared at the optimum mixing ratio is larger than that obtained for pure tire shreds. The pullout capacity of geogrid placed in samples prepared at optimum tire shred-sand mixing ratio is found to be higher for tire chip-sand mixtures than for tire shred-sand mixtures. This is mainly due to the crossing of the geogrid by the tire chips, which generates passive resistance during pullout. The size of tire shred has a negligible effect on the pullout response of ribbed-strip embedded in mixtures. Large-scale direct tests evaluated the shear strength properties of samples prepared at optimum tire chip-sand and tire shred (50 to 100 mm in size)-sand mixing ratios.
KW  - Backfill soils
KW  - Geogrids
KW  - Laboratory tests
KW  - Mechanically stabilized earth
KW  - Mix design
KW  - Pullout capacity
KW  - Sand
KW  - Shear strength
KW  - Soil compaction test
KW  - Soil-tire shred mixtures
KW  - Tire shreds
KW  - Tires
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314319
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218790
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01454873
AU  - Fricker, Jon D
AU  - Martchouk, Maria
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Origin-Destination Tools for District Offices
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 120p
AB  - Understanding through trip patterns is crucial when making decisions concerning a traffic diversion strategy, such as whether to build a highway to bypass a city. While conducting a vehicle license plate origin-destination survey may be the most accurate way to estimate through trip patterns, many small communities may be unable to bear this cost. Thus, a simple and affordable sketch planning tool to estimate through trip movements would be useful. Three through trip estimation methods that have been used or published are Modlin’s method, Anderson’s method, and subarea analysis. Subarea analysis, while an effective tool, requires personnel with knowledge of modeling software, as well as a license for that software. Hence, subarea analysis may be of limited use to small cities and DOT district offices. Anderson and Modlin methods on the other hand are simpler to implement. However, these methods require some data that are not routinely collected, use parameters that can be highly subjective, and rely on calculations that may distort the results. To address some of the shortcomings of the existing methods, a logit-based external trip estimation method was created that had strong statistical justification. Evaluation of the logit model using small cities in Indiana yielded results that are usually better than Modlin’s and Anderson’s methods. The logit model is readily implemented in a spreadsheet and requires only two input variables. When subarea analysis using modeling software is not feasible, the logit model has been shown to produce good estimates of through trips.
KW  - External trips
KW  - Indiana
KW  - Logits
KW  - Origin and destination
KW  - Small cities
KW  - Traffic estimation
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314329
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218800
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01454662
AU  - Fricker, Jon D
AU  - Mills, Joshua B
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Effects of Bypasses
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 192p
AB  - This study aims to investigate the long-term impacts of bypasses on small- and medium-sized communities in Indiana. Interviews were conducted with community officials and individuals familiar with the history of each bypassed community. Statistical models were developed to analyze economic impacts across a number of key indicators including payroll and employment in various industry sectors. Lessons learned from this study vary from county to county and across industry sectors. The findings of this study will be used to develop a concise guide that will provide guidance to both Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) officials and community officials as to how to best adapt to the presence of the bypass.
KW  - Bypasses
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Communities
KW  - Economic development
KW  - Economic impacts
KW  - Impact studies
KW  - Indiana
KW  - Lessons learned
KW  - Statistical analysis
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314320
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218791
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01454442
AU  - Lee, Joo Hyoung (Jay)
AU  - McCullouch, Bob G
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Review Construction Techniques for Accelerated Construction and Cost Implications
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 102p
AB  - Transportation construction activities on heavy traffic routes can be very disruptive to the system users due to lane closures, construction traffic, or reduced speed zones. Besides the driving public, local businesses are also affected by noise and air pollution, loss of access, or changing access routes. Thus, it is apparent that minimizing construction time will lessen these impacts. The primary objectives of this project are to explore some alternative methods to expedite construction time for particular project types mitigating disruptions to the traveling public; and to identify construction activities that can be accelerated by those selected methods. To accomplish these objectives, this project evaluated state-of-the-art construction techniques for accelerating processes at the job site by investigating practices of other transportation agencies and their cost implications.
KW  - Accelerated construction
KW  - Best practices
KW  - Construction management
KW  - Construction projects
KW  - Costs
KW  - Highway maintenance
KW  - State departments of transportation
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314299
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218765
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01454139
AU  - Basu, Prasenjit
AU  - Salgado, Rodrigo
AU  - Prezzi, Monica
AU  - Chakraborty, Tanusree
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - A Method For Accounting For Pile Setup and Relaxation in Pile Design and Quality Assurance
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 106p
AB  - When piles are installed by jacking or driving, they cause substantial changes in the state of soil located near the pile. These changes result from the complex loading imposed on the soil by expansion of a cylindrical cavity to make room for the pile, by multiple cycles of shearing in the vertical direction as the pile gradually moves down into the ground, and by the slow drainage associated with clayey soils. If a pile is load-tested a short time after installation, it will develop an axial resistance that reflects the existence in the soil of the excess pore pressures caused by the installation process. After the excess pore pressures dissipate, the axial pile resistance will be different from that measured in the short term. This difference is referred to as pile setup (if the resistance increases) or relaxation (if the resistance drops). This report focuses on the pile setup observed in clayey soils, which can be quite significant. Pile setup in clays result primarily from shaft resistance gains with time after installation because the base resistance contributes proportionally much less in soft to medium stiff clays, which are the focus of the research. This report focuses on analyzing setup in shaft resistance, validating the equations resulting from these analyses and then proposing design and quality assurance procedures based on the results of the analyses. The analyses were done using the finite element method and an advanced constitutive model developed specifically for this project. The constitutive model captures all the key features required for these analyses, and the finite element analyses are 1D analyses of shaft resistance that can handle the large deformations and displacements involved in pile installation. The results of the analyses compare well with load test data from the literature. Design equations for the unit shaft resistance are proposed. Equations for unit shaft resistance in the short term (for comparison with load tests) are also proposed.
KW  - Clay
KW  - Clay soils
KW  - Design
KW  - Finite element method
KW  - Pile foundations
KW  - Pile setup
KW  - Piles (Supports)
KW  - Quality assurance
KW  - Shaft resistance
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314282
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218748
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01454123
AU  - Varma, Amit H
AU  - Seo, Jungil
AU  - Purdue University
AU  - Indiana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Verification of LRFD Bridge Design and Analysis Software for INDOT
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 162p
AB  - NCHRP Process 12-50 was implemented to evaluate and verify composite steel I-girder bridge design software used commonly in Indiana. A test-bed of twenty one bridges was developed with the guidance from an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) appointed research advisory panel (RAP). The test-bed included five simple-span and sixteen multi-span bridge superstructures. More than 80 parameters were required to define a bridge and they include bridge span, girder spacing, number of beams, section type, steel strength, girder sections, and other required bridge parameters. Some of these parameters were initially selected by INDOT and practitioners. An indigenous computer program PURDUE CSBD was developed to implement the bridge design calculations specified in the AASHTO Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) specifications, which is currently endorsed by the INDOT bridge design manual. Both MERLIN-DASH and PURDUE CSBD were used to generate design calculation results for the complete test-bed of bridges. The output from both computer programs is compared to identify assumptions and discrepancies between MERLIN-DASH and the AASHTO LRFD specifications. These comparisons indicate excellent agreement between the results from both programs for: (1) moments, (2) shears, (3) stresses, (4) deflections, (5) flexural strength and all relevant parameters, (6) shear strength and all relevant parameters, and (7) shear connector related parameters. The test-bed of bridge structures and the PURDUE CSBD program are recommended for evaluating and verifying other bridge design software.
KW  - AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Indiana
KW  - Load and resistance factor design
KW  - NCHRP Project 12-50
KW  - Software
KW  - Validation
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314279
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218745
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01366669
AU  - Jenness, James W
AU  - Singer, Jeremiah
AU  - Walrath, Jeremy
AU  - Lubar, Elisha
AU  - Westat, Incorporated
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Fuel Economy Driver Interfaces: Design Range and Driver Opinions (Report on Task 1 and Task 2)
PY  - 2009/08
SP  - 90p
AB  - Fuel economy driver interfaces (FEDIs) provide information to drivers about their fuel efficiency. FEDIs have become more prevalent and complicated in recent years, yet designs differ widely between vehicle makes and models and little is known about how to design FEDIs to maximize benefits while minimizing risks of distraction or unsafe driving. The purpose of Task 1 was to document the range of FEDI designs that have been used or proposed. The primary purpose was to identify features of FEDIs on late-model passenger vehicles, but this task also addresses past and current trends in FEDIs, displays in commercial and fleet vehicles, aftermarket devices and applications, and device patents. Nearly every major automotive manufacturer that sells vehicles in the United States offers at least one model with a FEDI. The most common features include current fuel economy, average fuel economy, and fuel range until empty. Some vehicles also have features that intend to guide drivers to improve their fuel economy by providing direct feedback or vehicle adaptations in response to inefficient driving behaviors. While gasoline vehicles generally have basic alphanumeric or analog gauge displays, many gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles have more complex displays that use large, full-color LCD displays and present more detailed information. As more hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles enter the market, and the cost of in-vehicle displays and sensors decreases, it is likely that increasingly complex and novel displays will be introduced in new vehicle models. The purpose of Task 2 was to collect information about vehicle owners’ driving habits and opinions about FEDI designs. Focus groups were conducted with members of the general driving public and with owners of vehicles with FEDIs to assess their opinions regarding the usefulness and potential for distraction of several different FEDI designs.
KW  - Automobiles
KW  - Distraction
KW  - Fuel consumption
KW  - Fuel efficiency
KW  - Hybrid vehicles
KW  - Information display systems
KW  - Liquid crystal displays
KW  - Vehicle design
UR  - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash%20Avoidance/2009/811092.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1135367
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01354580
AU  - Fern, Kevin
AU  - Pausch, Chris
AU  - KnowledgeBase Consulting Group, LLC
AU  - Arizona Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Feasibility Test of CADD Webmenus
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 16p
AB  - The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) initiated SPR Project 683: CADD Webmenus Feasibility Study to conduct a proof-of-concept test of Web-based CADD menus for ADOT agency-wide CADD applications. ADOT is currently interested in the feasibility of using Webmenus to solve various problems associated with its current CADD menu system. This research gives ADOT the necessary testing results and information it needs to incorporate Webmenus into the workflow of its CADD drafting and design staff, while also disseminating the Webmenus to the consultant community’s CADD users who are required to use ADOT CADD standards. To present CADD standards in an easily accessible and simplified format, it is necessary to use CADD menus. ADOT’s current menu system is a challenge for ADOT support staff to effectively support and maintain. This has led to development of multiple menus in multiple locations, which compounds the difficulty of maintaining them. Additionally, the current ADOT CADD menu system was developed in a proprietary programming language (MDL™) which is version specific and requires compilation from various source files to be executed. The successful development of Webmenus for use by ADOT staff and consultants would provide them a single, readily accessible menu system that had a single point of reference for all ADOT CADD standards. The basic challenge of developing and implementing a Web-based menu system is company firewall policies that restrict Web site activity and “back door” file transfer. This challenge can be overcome with adjustments to the CADD Webmenus that facilitate commands that do not require back door file transfer. CADD Webmenus may also offer a solution to the current ADOT problem of multiple menus developed in outdated code and distributed without ensuring the latest revision of the menu system. With the amount of design drafting work being sub-contracted out (approx. 90%), simplifying and distributing a single menu system via the Internet is a logical solution.
KW  - Computer aided design
KW  - Drafting
KW  - Internet
KW  - Standards
KW  - Web applications
KW  - Webmenus
UR  - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ683.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119050
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01352919
AU  - Kyle, Deirdre D
AU  - Griffin, Debbie
AU  - Ling, Jeff
AU  - Robinson, Charlotte
AU  - D. Wilson Consulting Group, LLC
AU  - Montana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Disparity/Availability Study for the Montana Department of Transportation
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 288p
AB  - The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) issued an RFP to conduct a Disparity Study in response to the guidelines issued by US Department of Transportation (USDOT) following the Western States Paving Co. v. Washington Department of Transportation decision. The purpose of the study was to determine to what extent Disadvantaged Businesses (DBE) participate in the procurement of USDOT federally funded contracts within Montana. The study was conducted through the completion of 10 tasks: Analyze Relevant Case Law; Review Policies, Procedures and DBE Program; Determine the Relevant Market Area; Determine the Utilization of DBE firms; Determine the Availability of DBE firms; Conduct Disparity Analysis; Determine the Utilization of DBE firms in the Private Sector; Conduct a Multivariate Regression Analysis; Conduct Anecdotal Analysis; and Develop Finding and Recommendations. Based on the data analyzed for the study period, the MDT should continue operating in a race-neutral environment and implement a small business program. Additional recommendations include setting goals on professional services contracts and developing a stronger compliance section within the DBE programs office.
KW  - Compliance
KW  - Contracting
KW  - Contracts
KW  - Disadvantaged business enterprises
KW  - Discrimination
KW  - Disparity
KW  - Federal aid
KW  - Legal documents
KW  - Montana
KW  - Montana Department of Transportation
KW  - Policy
KW  - Procurement
KW  - Women owned business enterprises
UR  - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/research/external/docs/research_proj/disparity/final_report.pdf
UR  - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/webdata/external/research/docs/research_proj/disparity/final_report.pdf
UR  - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/research/projects/admin/disparity.shtml
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117515
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01352918
AU  - Kyle, Deirdre D
AU  - Griffin, Debbie
AU  - Ling, Jeff
AU  - Robinson, Charlotte
AU  - D. Wilson Consulting Group, LLC
AU  - Montana Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Disparity/Availability Study for the Montana Department of Transportation: Appendices
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 497p
AB  - The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) issued an RFP to conduct a Disparity Study in response to the guidelines issued by US Department of Transportation (USDOT) following the Western States Paving Co. v. Washington Department of Transportation decision. The purpose of the study was to determine to what extent Disadvantaged Businesses (DBE) participate in the procurement of USDOT federally funded contracts within Montana.  This report provides, in six appendices, the tables, figures and supporting documentation for the final report, FHWA/MT-09-004/8190-1.
KW  - Compliance
KW  - Contracting
KW  - Contracts
KW  - Disadvantaged business enterprises
KW  - Discrimination
KW  - Disparity
KW  - Federal aid
KW  - Legal documents
KW  - Montana
KW  - Montana Department of Transportation
KW  - Policy
KW  - Procurement
KW  - Women owned business enterprises
UR  - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/research/external/docs/research_proj/disparity/final_appendices.pdf
UR  - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/research/projects/admin/disparity.shtml
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117523
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01344712
AU  - Schlossberg, Marc
AU  - Larco, Nico
AU  - University of Oregon, Eugene
AU  - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Transferring Community-Based, Active Transportation GIS Assessment Tools Nationwide
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 44p
AB  - “Livability” has recently been declared one of four top priorities by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), and the USDOT, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have entered into an historic partnership to address the issue. Ultimately, this term refers to the quality of life within one’s community and the ease, comfort, and joy with which one can access places he or she wants to go. For most Americans, their neighborhoods have been designed to predominantly accommodate the automobile, and more active forms of transportation such as walking and biking have been neglected. Previous and current Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) work has developed a suite of geographic informaiton system (GIS) tools focused on assessing these environments in a fine-scaled, field-based, geo-referenced format so that local communities can better identify gaps in their networks and work to make appropriate improvements. This work explicitly focuses on the role and capacity of a general citizenry to conduct built environment active transportation audits and engage in facilitated discussions about the data and maps resulting from their community data collection.
KW  - Bicycling
KW  - Built environment
KW  - Communities
KW  - Community livability
KW  - Geographic information systems
KW  - Georeferencing
KW  - Neighborhoods
KW  - Quality of life
KW  - Transportation audits
KW  - Walking
UR  - http://otrec.us/project/214
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106556
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01342253
AU  - Prevedouros, Panos D
AU  - University of Hawaii, Manoa
AU  - Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization
AU  - Hawaii Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Simulation of Westbound Interstate H-1 Freeway between the Airport and Waikele during Weekday Afternoon Peak
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 52p
AB  - The objective of this project was the development and analysis with traffic simulation of alternative scenarios for the improvement of traffic conditions on the 8.8 mile segment of the H-1 Freeway between the airport viaduct and Waikele.  This segment is heavily congested during the afternoon peak period on normal weekdays.  While the study was being conducted, one of the scenarios was actually being built.  The Waimalu widening project added one lane (from 5 to 6) at a critical bottleneck along the freeway segment under investigation.  The added lane was opened in June 2006.  Limited before/after evaluation of this actual bottleneck remediation is presented.  Various models were used for the initial assessments.  Eventually all scenarios were run with KRONOS and specific conclusions were reached concerning the potential benefits of an afternoon contraflow operation (PM Zipper deployment).
KW  - Alternatives analysis
KW  - Bottlenecks
KW  - Contraflow lanes
KW  - Freeways
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Oahu (Hawaii)
KW  - Peak hour traffic
KW  - Traffic congestion
KW  - Traffic mitigation
KW  - Traffic simulation
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104345
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01337358
AU  - Prozzi, Jolanda
AU  - Rutzen, Beatriz
AU  - Robertson, Chris
AU  - Prozzi, Jorge
AU  - Walton, C Michael
AU  - University of Texas, Austin
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Characteristics of the Truck Users and Non-Users of Texas Toll Roads
PY  - 2009/08//Technical Report
SP  - 120p
AB  - As the use of toll roads increases to finance new road infrastructure or add capacity to existing road infrastructure, the question of who use and do not use toll roads becomes increasingly important to toll road developers, financiers, Traffic and Revenue consultants, and investors, among others. The latter pertains specifically to truck usage of toll facilities. Given the high revenue margin brought in by trucks – i.e., truckers often pay between two and five times the toll rate levied on cars – it is critically important to have robust data and information about truckers’ potential usage of toll facilities. This research study thus attempted to characterize truck toll road users and non-users of Texas toll roads. Trucking company respondents (108) to an internet and telephone survey that was conducted in the Summer and Spring of 2009 were categorized as truck users and non-users of Texas toll roads and statistical analysis was conducted to provide insight into the characteristics and differences between truckers that choose to use toll roads and those that choose to avoid toll roads. The report also includes a detailed analysis of actual transaction data from the Central Texas Turnpike System. The actual data coupled with the information and perceptions expressed in the surveys provide considerable insight into the characteristics of the truck users and non-users of Texas toll roads.
KW  - Central Texas Turnpike
KW  - Commercial vehicles
KW  - Motor carriers
KW  - Statistical analysis
KW  - Surveys
KW  - Texas
KW  - Toll road avoidance
KW  - Toll roads
KW  - Trucks
UR  - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/0_6044_2v2.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100347
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01333189
AU  - Pollard, John K
AU  - Markos, Stephanie H
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Human Factors Issues in Motorcoach Emergency Egress
PY  - 2009/08//Interim Report
SP  - 201p
AB  - FMVSS 217, Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release specifies a series of dimensional and physical requirements for emergency exits. The intent of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is “to minimize the likelihood of occupants being ejected from the bus and to provide a means of readily accessible emergency egress” for those occupants under crash and other emergency scenarios. These scenarios can include catastrophic bus accident situations, such as a vehicle fire, rollover, or water immersion where immediate emergency evacuation is necessary under life-threatening and difficult conditions. In 2007, NHTSA issued a research plan to address priority actions specifically related to motorcoach emergency egress. This interim report describes the preliminary findings of the first year of a two-year NHTSA-funded study which focused on three topics: 1) emergency exits, 2) interior and exterior emergency exit marking, and 3) emergency exit lighting. A literature search was completed; several field visits were conducted, which included emergency window and roof exit hatch operation; and two sets of motorcoach egress experiments were conducted. Potential motorcoach design changes identified and discussed in this interim report include: redesign of the wheelchair access door and / or installation of another side door for use as an emergency exit; redesign of emergency window exit opening and release systems; additional and larger emergency roof exit hatches; and increased conspicuity of emergency exits, either by use of high performance photoluminescent marking material or crashworthy emergency exit lighting, or dual-mode systems, which combine both technologies.
KW  - Bus crashes
KW  - Bus transportation
KW  - Buses
KW  - Egress
KW  - Emergency exits
KW  - Emergency lighting
KW  - Evacuation
KW  - Human factors in crashes
KW  - Vehicle design
KW  - Vehicle safety
KW  - Windows (Vehicles)
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35400/35489/MotorcoachEgressYr1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097259
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01332892
AU  - Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
AU  - Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority
AU  - Transport Canada
AU  - Kije Sipi Limited
AU  - Fleet Technology Limited
TI  - Seaway Shoreline Icebreaking Impacts Between Snell Lock and Lake St-Francis. Joint Observational Study (JOS)
PY  - 2009/08
SP  - 71p
AB  - The Joint Observational Study (JOS) was completed as a commitment by all signatory parties to the May 29, 2006 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to observe and document potential physical impacts arising from icebreaking activities in support of commercial navigation in the Saint Lawrence Seaway. In particular, this was articulated in the General Provision Clause 7.01 in the referenced MOU which indicates the purpose of the study is to observe physical effects arising from the opening of the navigation season in the area from Snell Lock to the middle of Lake Saint-Francis when ice is present in that area.
KW  - Coasts
KW  - Great Lakes
KW  - Icebreakers
KW  - Monitoring
KW  - Navigation systems
KW  - Saint Lawrence Seaway
KW  - Ship pilotage
KW  - Water transportation
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094837
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01328118
AU  - Eksioglu, Burak
AU  - Eksioglu, Sandra D
AU  - Allen, Albert
AU  - Myles, Al
AU  - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State
AU  - National Center for Intermodal Transportation
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - A Simulation Model to Analyze the Impact of Crisis Conditions on the Performance of
Port Operations
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 18p
AB  - The authors consider the supply chain for containerized items that arrive at a port in the U.S. whose final destination is also in the U.S. Ports are important entities in global supply chains. As such, when a port cannot operate because of a crisis, such as a natural or man-made disaster, it is critical that freight flow is not disrupted. The authors develop a simulation model that can be used to make effective re-routing decisions so that the time for freight to reach its final destination is not significantly increased in a crisis. The simulation model will evaluate and report the performance of the supply chain under different re-routing strategies. The output can be analyzed to find the best rerouting strategy that minimizes congestion and delays during crisis conditions. The model can also be used by various decision makers such as port managers, ocean carriers, or transportation companies for strategic decision making.
KW  - Crisis management
KW  - Freight traffic
KW  - Port operations
KW  - Port traffic
KW  - Routing
KW  - Simulation
KW  - Supply chain management
UR  - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089311
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01325029
AU  - Damnjanovic, Ivan
AU  - Waller, S Travis
AU  - Vajdic, Nevena
AU  - Suescun, David R
AU  - Texas Transportation Institute
AU  - University of Texas, Austin
AU  - Southwest Region University Transportation Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Network-based Decision Support Tool for Toll Roads
PY  - 2009/08//Technical Report
SP  - 109p
AB  - Development, delivery, and operation of public infrastructure are becoming increasingly dependent on participation of the private sector. While revenue generating projects, such as toll roads, were traditionally developed and funded from the public sources, in recent years, as the public demand for new projects have exceeded the ability of the public sector to deliver them, the private investors have started to fulfill the gap between the needed and the available infrastructure. The objective of this research was to develop a network-based method that allows an assessment of the effect of the public sector’s decisions regarding network improvements on the financial value of toll road projects.
KW  - Decision support systems
KW  - Feasibility analysis
KW  - Financing
KW  - Networks
KW  - Toll roads
UR  - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/0-5881-1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086146
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01220471
AU  - Cavell, Anthony
AU  - Dokka, Roy
AU  - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
AU  - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
AU  - Louisiana Transportation Research Center
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Reference Measurements of Pavement Management System Roadway Elevations
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 182p
AB  - New, more efficient methods of measuring road surfaces, including using moving vehicles, are being developed and deployed. Testing the veracity of such data presents its own problems. Busy, heavily traveled highways do not lend themselves to easy occupation for careful measurements by conventional means. The advent of GULFNet by the Louisiana State University (LSU) Center for Geoinformatics (C4G) provides the ability to get highly precise, accurate positions anywhere within the state tied to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), which enabled the establishment of benchmark sections of roadway against which the performance of new methods may be tested. The LSU C4G with the cooperation of Louisiana Department of Transportation (LADOTD) personnel accessed and measured the elevations and locations of points, quickly and safely, along test sections of highways in each LADOTD district. The precisions of the measurements, as reported by the Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) engine, averaged better than 3 cm at three standard deviations (3σ). Recommendations are made for using the measurements at the sites for testing the Moving Vehicle Rapid Mapping (MVRM) systems to assess the precisions reasonably to be expected by these systems under a variety of circumstances.
KW  - Elevation
KW  - Linear referencing systems
KW  - Measurement
KW  - Pavement management systems
KW  - Pavements
UR  - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2010/fr_459.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34100/34168/fr_459.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/981318
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01165315
AU  - Beauchamp, David
AU  - Warren, Robert
AU  - Edwards, Geoff
AU  - Jiang, Olivia
AU  - University of Delaware, Newark
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Transportation Policy and Governance in the Northeast Corridor: An Overview of Major Public Agencies
PY  - 2009/08
SP  - 86p
AB  - The lack of systematic planning and policy-making to optimize the Northeast Corridor's (NEC’s) overall transportation infrastructure is obviously not due to an absence of agencies and organizations that focus on the Corridor and its subareas. The opposite is true. A mosaic exists, and the intent of this report is to provide an overview of the array of public entities that, in addition to those of the national government and state departments of transportation, have formal responsibility for planning and policy-making for some portion of the NEC’s primary transportation infrastructure and service operations.
KW  - Governance
KW  - Government agencies
KW  - Metropolitan planning organizations
KW  - Northeast Corridor
KW  - Transportation planning
KW  - Transportation policy
UR  - http://www.ce.udel.edu/UTC/Warren_2009.pdf
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33400/33443/NECagencies_report.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/925024
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01164230
AU  - Liu, Sirui
AU  - Murray-Tuite, Pamela
AU  - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
AU  - Virginia Transportation Research Council
AU  - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Facilitating No-Notice Evacuation through Optimal Pick-up Location Selection
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 42p
AB  - Under no-notice disasters, dependents in facilities such as schools and daycare centers usually wait for their families to pick them up. This family pickup behavior could increase individual evacuation time and cause extra delay to other vehicles in the network. Relocating the dependents to other pickup sites may facilitate no-notice evacuation. This study developed an optimization model to determine optimal pickup locations, assuming that all evacuating families have personal vehicles; the objective is to maximize the number of evacuees who can successfully pick up dependents and then escape from the dangerous zones within a safe evacuation time threshold. The optimization model was based on anticipated travel time output from the simulation model (VISSIM in this study); iteration between the two models was performed. The methodology was applied to a case study based on a simplified version of Chicago Heights, Illinois. The case study involved three facilities with 492 dependents and three safe time thresholds (i.e., 30, 45 and 60 minutes). Improvements in total travel time, average speed, total delay time and average delay time per vehicle and increases in the number of successful evacuations of dependents were used to evaluate the performance of the relocation strategy. This study also examined the sensitivity of the strategy to parents’ arrival time, number of dependents, and safe time. Finally, relocation sites were recommended based on the results of all scenarios. The results found that the relocation strategy was sensitive to safe evacuation time and number of pickup evacuees (pickup evacuees refer to those persons with a need to pick up their dependents inside the dangerous zones). The relocation strategy was prominently effective when safe evacuation time fell into a moderate range or the number of pickup evacuees was fairly high. Application of the proposed methodology to a certain area can assist local decision-makers to take effective measures during no-notice evacuation and the relocation sites could be part of local evacuation management plans.
KW  - Disasters and emergency operations
KW  - Evacuation
KW  - Location
KW  - Optimization
KW  - Passenger pickup
KW  - Traffic simulation
KW  - Travel time
UR  - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2007-01.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/921357
ER  - 

TY  - SER
AN  - 01164213
JO  - Civil Engineering Studies, Illinois Center for Transportation Series
PB  - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
AU  - Olson, Scott M
AU  - Long, James H
AU  - Hansen, James R
AU  - Renekis, Dzuigas
AU  - LaFave, James M
AU  - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
AU  - Illinois Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Modification of IDOT Integral Abutment Design Limitations and Details
PY  - 2009/08//Research Report
SP  - 69p
AB  - The use of integral abutment bridges (IABs) is growing rapidly in the U.S., primarily because of lower maintenance costs compared to conventional bridges. However, current length and skew limitations employed by IDOT are not based on rigorous engineering analysis. To potentially expand the use of IABs in Illinois, the project team performed extensive 2-D and 3-D analyses to examine a wide range of IAB parameters in addition to length and skew. The numerical analyses yielded the following findings when the bridge structures were subjected to extreme thermal loading: (1) The presence of the backfill and development of full passive pressures against the abutment backwall have a negligible effect on the pile foundation performance. (2) The use of wingwalls that are parallel to the bridge deck (rather than parallel to the abutment backwall) has little effect on the abutment or pile foundation performance, and does not significantly reduce backfill settlement when the backfill is uncompacted. In addition, use of uncompacted backfill reduces the vertical support of the approach slab and results in greater stresses and moments in the approach slab. (3) Soil type (when the soil is reasonably competent) has only a secondary effect on the abutment and pile foundation performance. (4) Use of steel vs. concrete girders (within the limited number of girder types and sizes considered) also has only a secondary effect on the abutment and pile foundation performance. (5) Acceptable IAB length and skew combinations that induce stresses in the foundation piles that do not exceed the pile yield stress are summarized in the report. Several moment-reducing options are available to increase these limitations, including: (a) predrilling pile locations to 8 feet, (b) reducing pile embedment into the pile cap to 6 inches (creating a hinge at the pile/pile cap interface), and (c) incorporating a mechanical hinge such as that used by the Virginia DOT at the cold joint between the pile cap and the abutment. (6) Instrumenting and monitoring one or more IABs in Illinois is essential to validate the numerical modeling described in this report, and to potentially investigate the effectiveness of one or more moment-reducing options.
KW  - Bridge design
KW  - Illinois
KW  - Instrumentation
KW  - Jointless bridges
KW  - Length
KW  - Limitations
KW  - Numerical analysis
KW  - Skew angle
KW  - Ultimate load design
UR  - https://apps.ict.illinois.edu/projects/getfile.asp?id=3013
UR  - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55700/55775/FHWA-ICT-09-054.PDF
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923578
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01164203
AU  - Britanyak, Peter
AU  - Dixon, Dylan
AU  - Fuhrman, Alex
AU  - Harker, Nicholas
AU  - Braven, Karen Den
AU  - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology
AU  - Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TI  - Flex-Fuel Two-Stroke Snowmobile
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 33p
AB  - The University of Idaho’s entry into the 2009 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) was a semi-direct-injection (SDI) two-stroke powered REV-XP snowmobile modified to use flex fuel. The flex fuel engine produces stock engine power on any blend of ethanol and gasoline from E10 to E85. The emissions output was reduced using an oxidation catalyst located after the exhaust silencer. Noise from the engine compartment was reduced by custom-carbon fiber hood and side panels, which allowed placement of extra sound absorbing materials. The UI snowmobile achieved Third Place in the competition, while producing the best fuel economy and winning several other awards.
KW  - Competition
KW  - Environmental impacts
KW  - Exhaust gases
KW  - Fuel consumption
KW  - Noise control
KW  - Recreational vehicles
KW  - Snowmobiles
UR  - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK753_N09-07.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/921394
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01162093
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Geneva Road, Center Street/1600 West (Provo) to Geneva Road/SR-89 (Pleasant Grove), Utah County : environmental impact statement
PY  - 2009/08//Volumes held: Draft(2v), Final(2v)(v.2 folio), Final Appendix
KW  - Environmental impact statements
KW  - Utah
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923077
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01162073
AU  - Federal Transit Administration
TI  - Gold Line corridor project, Denver, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Adams and Jefferson counties : environmental impact statement
PY  - 2009/08//Volumes held: Draft(3v), Final(3v), Final AppendixC, Final AppendixFsup
KW  - Colorado
KW  - Environmental impact statements
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/923057
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01159283
AU  - Gerber, Travis M
AU  - Cummins, Colin R
AU  - Brigham Young University
AU  - Utah State University, Logan
AU  - Utah Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Modeling and Analysis to Quantify MSE Wall Behavior and Performance
PY  - 2009/08//Final Report
SP  - 46p
AB  - To better understand potential sources of adverse performance of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls, a suite of analytical models was studied using the computer program FLAC, a numerical modeling computer program widely used in geotechnical engineering. The suite of models represents different MSE wall configurations, focusing on differences in overall height, underlying ground slope, wall setback, and wall embedment. From these models, the distributions of relative deformation along both the vertical face and horizontal top surface of MSE walls were quantified, as were factors of safety with respect to shear strength. Limit equilibrium slope stability analyses and bearing capacity analyses were also performed to complement the FLAC results. By doing this work, the relative impacts that wall characteristics such as sloping foundation soils, wall setback and embedment, and differential compaction of the MSE wall fill have on wall behavior and performance is now better understood and quantified.
KW  - Bearing capacity
KW  - Computer models
KW  - Deformation
KW  - Earth walls
KW  - FLAC (Computer program)
KW  - Geotechnical engineering
KW  - Limit equilibrium
KW  - Mechanically stabilized earth
KW  - Shear strength
KW  - Slope stability
UR  - http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=31874
UR  - http://www.udot.utah.gov/main//uconowner.gf?n=14152026874638942
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919853
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158466
AU  - Walton, C Michael
AU  - Persad, Khali
AU  - Wang, Zhong
AU  - Svicarovich, Kristen
AU  - Conway, Alison
AU  - Zhang, Guohui
AU  - University of Texas, Austin
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Arterial Intelligent Transportation Systems—Infrastructure Elements and Traveler Information Requirements
PY  - 2009/08//Technical Report
SP  - 271p
AB  - Applying Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to arterial systems allows the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to significantly enhance transportation system operation efficiency and improve traffic mobility. However, no guidelines are available to assist TxDOT staff in selecting the most beneficial arterial ITS elements and desirable ITS technologies. To address these gaps, this study was initiated by TxDOT to investigate the arterial ITS elements, technologies, arterial performance measures, information dissemination technologies, and financial considerations for arterial ITS deployments and to enhance the arterial traffic operation efficiency. A variety of techniques are available to monitor and manage the traffic on arterial roadways, and ITS applications can support many of these strategies. Evaluation of these ITS strategies and available technologies to meet TxDOT needs is the essence of this research project. The research addresses two TxDOT goals: making the current transportation system more efficient through innovative arterial ITS deployments, and maximizing the benefits of existing ITS infrastructure and new arterial ITS deployments. The research team first synthesized the state-of-the-art in arterial ITS technologies and management strategies. Then critical performance measures were investigated and identified through a survey study. Next, the most beneficial ITS elements were examined and desirable ITS technologies and solutions were identified for arterial management enhancement. Various traveler information dissemination modes were studied and evaluated, and the guideline was developed to prioritize arterials suitable for ITS implementations. Finally, a case study was conducted to demonstrate representative arterial ITS applications. It was found deploying ITS technologies can significantly improve arterial system operation efficiency. The study findings provide new knowledge and practical guidance to help TxDOT better utilize existing ITS infrastructure elements and to make wise investments in future arterial ITS applications.
KW  - Arterial highways
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Highway traffic control
KW  - Intelligent transportation systems
KW  - Operational efficiency
KW  - Performance measurement
KW  - State of the art
KW  - Texas
KW  - Texas Department of Transportation
KW  - Traveler information and communication systems
UR  - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/0_5865_1.pdf
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919220
ER  - 

TY  - RPRT
AN  - 01158460
AU  - Lawson, William D
AU  - Wood, Timothy A
AU  - Newhouse, Charles D
AU  - Jayawickrama, Priyantha W
AU  - Texas Tech University, Lubbock
AU  - Texas Department of Transportation
AU  - Federal Highway Administration
TI  - Culvert Rating Guide
PY  - 2009/08
SP  - 265p
AB  - The purpose of this Culvert Rating Guide is to present a clear, repeatable and valid procedure for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) engineers and their consultants to use for load rating culverts in the TxDOT roadway system. It is the intent of this Culvert Rating Guide to assemble, summarize and clarify the necessary information for culvert load rating, both that portion specifically addressed by policy and that portion which is not, for each of the four levels of analysis. The chapters are as follows: Chapter I provides an introduction and background to culvert load rating at TxDOT. Chapter II is devoted to culvert rating policy. This chapter identifies the governing policy associated with culvert load rating, and summarizes applicable policy guidance. Chapter III outlines the culvert rating procedure. Whereas the first two chapters provide pertinent background information, this chapter lays out how culverts should be load rated at TxDOT. This includes a flow chart which summarizes the culvert rating process. Chapter IV presents the initial step for load rating a culvert. Beginning with culvert plans, construction details, and related documentation, this chapter shows how to obtain the necessary dimensional and material property data needed for culvert load rating. Chapter V discusses culvert capacity calculations. For culvert load rating, capacity is based on equations and approaches specified in AASHTO policy. This chapter presents both the policy and a straightforward approach for determining culvert capacity to facilitate the load rating calculation. Chapter VI presents the Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 analytical modeling approaches recommended for determining demand loads associated with culvert load rating. The discussion addresses the assumptions associated with each modeling level, specification of the analytical model, assigning boundary conditions, and defining and applying dead load and live loads. This chapter also discusses available structural analysis software packages, and identifies the most common software package used in TxDOT for each level. Finally, this chapter presents a detailed, step‐by‐step procedure for calculating demand loads using the representative software package. Chapter VII discusses Level 4 modeling. This includes generalized guidance about applications, modeling approaches, software selection, and analytical procedures. Chapter VIII discusses limitations associated with use of this Guide. These include culvert type, deep fill culverts, submerged culverts, saturated soils and backfill soil modulus values. This Guide includes six appendices. Appendix A presents an example of how to accomplish the first step in culvert rating; that is, obtaining the structural rating parameters from the design drawings. Appendix B continues this example, explaining how to calculate the culvert capacity. Appendices C through E continue the example by presenting how to perform demand load calculations and culvert load rating based on Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 modeling approaches. Appendix F presents the policy source documents for culvert load rating.
KW  - Culvert capacity
KW  - Culverts
KW  - Guidelines
KW  - Handbooks
KW  - Load factor
KW  - Load rating (Culverts)
KW  - Mathematical models
KW  - Policy
KW  - Software packages
KW  - Texas
KW  - Texas Department of Transportation
UR  - https://trid.trb.org/view/919217
ER  -