TY - RPRT AN - 01472074 AU - Johnson, Erin A AU - Lechtenberg, Karla A AU - Reid, John D AU - Sicking, Dean L AU - Faller, Ronald K AU - Bielenberg, Robert W AU - Rohde, John R AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Approach Slope for Midwest Guardrail System PY - 2008/12/04/Final Report SP - 124p AB - AASHTO’s Roadside Design Guide recommends that W-beam guardrails should not be placed on roadside slopes of 8:1 or steeper. This restriction often controls barrier placement decisions. Due to the slope limitations, designers are often faced with placing the guardrails near the edge of the shoulder. The long lengths of guardrail placed in close proximity to the edge of the shoulder greatly increases accident frequency with the guardrail. However, with the development of the Midwest Guardrail System, the mounting height and deeper blockout may provide improved performance to relax the recommendations provided in AASHTO’s Roadside Design Guide. An LS-DYNA simulation study was conducted in order to determine the critical slope and associated offset for placement of the Midwest Guardrail System. An 8:1 slope was identified as the critical slope for the pickup truck impact condition, and the front face of the Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) was placed 1.5 m (5 ft) down from the slope break point. Two full-scale vehicle crash tests were performed on the system. The first was with a ¾-ton pickup truck, impacting the system at a speed and angle of 100.4 km/h (62.4 mph) and 25.9 degrees, respectively. The second crash test was performed using a small car, impacting the system with a speed and angle of 99.6 km/h (61.9 mph) and 21.6 degrees, respectively. Both tests were conducted and reported in accordance with requirements specified in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report No. 350, Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features and were determined to be acceptable according to the Test Level 3 (TL-3) evaluation criteria. KW - Guardrails KW - Highway safety KW - Impact tests KW - Location KW - Midwest Guardrail System KW - Simulation KW - Slopes UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19439960902735212 UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19439960902735212#.VCxKH2ddXng UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1239503 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01124568 AU - Cherrington, Linda K AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Nationwide Examples of State and Local Funds for Mass Transit PY - 2008/12/04/Final Report SP - 209p AB - One of the transportation challenges facing Texas is the identification of adequate funding for mobility projects. During the 80th Texas Legislature, several proposals were made to address mass transit funding for the metropolitan areas of the state. The chairman of the Texas Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security requested the Texas Transportation Institute to update previous research on national examples for funding regional transit and to provide additional information on regional rail projects. The research is presented in this paper documenting nationwide examples for funding mass transit and regional rail. The research findings provide background information for members of the Senate Committee as they consider and make decisions for funding mass transit in Texas. KW - Federal aid KW - Financing KW - Public transit KW - Rail transit KW - State aid KW - Texas UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Cherrington_08-00-19.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885833 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01464522 TI - Evaluation of the Use of Electronic Shipping Papers for Hazardous Materials Shipments AB - When offering hazardous material (HM) for transportation, a shipper is required to create a shipping paper that is intended to inform the carrier of the inherent risks involved in the handling and transport of the material. Shipping papers also contain specific hazard information, standardized so that emergency responders may identify appropriate measures to be taken in the event of a HM incident. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires carriers to have a shipping paper with the HM shipment at all times, and both the shipper and carrier must retain a copy of this shipping paper for a period of time after the shipment has reached its final destination. HM shipping papers have some drawbacks: the current paper documents may not be interchangeable between modes; a paper system is labor intensive; and paper is perishable to the extent that in some HM incidents, the shipping papers may be destroyed, removing vital emergency response information. Organizations representing shippers and carriers have expressed the need to improve the process by allowing the option of electronic shipping papers as an important tool for enhancing productivity and efficiency in HM transport. The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code and the International Civil Aviation Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (ICAO Technical Instructions) permit the use of electronic data processing (EDP) and electronic data interchange (EDI) transmission techniques. Nevertheless, carriers still usually require HM shippers to generate HM shipping papers prior to accepting cargo, partly because no shipment can move only by aircraft or vessel, and regulations governing other modes may not facilitate the use of EDI for hazardous materials. The use of internationally compatible electronic data sharing technologies could significantly improve the exchange of hazard information among shippers, carriers, regulatory agencies, and emergency responders, especially for time-sensitive cargo and containerized cargo. Timely access to accurate hazardous materials information will likely reduce errors in information exchange, improve efficiency, enhance security, and improve the response efforts in the event of an HM incident. Research is needed to identify the capability within the transport sector to use an electronic means of documentation as a complementary alternative to a paper-based system. The objective of this research is to develop a roadmap for the use of electronic shipping papers as an alternative to the current paper-based hazardous materials communication system. The roadmap will address the electronic transfer of safety, operational, regulatory compliance, and emergency response data and documentation, for and amongst all transport modes. KW - Carriers KW - Electronic data interchange KW - Freight documents KW - Hazardous materials KW - Intermodal terminals KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Safety and security KW - Shipping UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2425 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232753 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467993 TI - Extraction of Truck Traffic Data Using Video Based Vehicle Detection (Video Detection Based Truck Traffic Data Collection) AB - Planning and Design of efficient freight transportation infrastructure is critical for the growth of the state and national economy. Planning and Design of efficient freight transportation facilities and networks should consider current and near-future traffic flows and demands to-and-from seaports, airports and adjacent roadway networks. To facilitate this, accurate and comprehensive traffic data extraction of freight (Truck) data on major roadways at macroscopic and microscopic levels are essential. The current data collection systems employed by Regional Trans. Comm. and the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) around the Las Vegas valley do not meet the current practical needs of advanced traffic management systems. Therefore, this project targets at developing a video based (freight) truck data extraction system to determine traffic flow characteristics like volume, average speed, density and classification of trucks with respect to lanes, time, day, month, etc. The extracted data will be used in computer simulation modeling that can be used to analyze the existing infrastructure to determine where inefficiencies are or where they may occur in the near future. A typical video based vehicle detection system consists of camera, video processing system, and/or a communication module or a storage module. The video based vehicle detector system (VVDS) is configured to collect various vehicle flow characteristics based on the application of the system. The virtual detectors and reference layouts are imaginary lines and boxes that are drawn on the snap shot acquired by the camera. The configuration parameters of the VDS include: 1) Height of the camera, 2) Dimensions and reference lines on the view of the camera, 3) Placement of virtual sensors, 4) Modeling of detector functions which combines the normal outputs of two or more detectors into one customized output, etc. There exist various freight transportation data from local, federal and private industries. However, this data is less coherent and adhoc raw data that is difficult for analysis. The research team will assemble such data into a unified data model for the purpose of identifying locations of video data collection and for validation of extracted freight data. KW - Data collection KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Infrastructure KW - Nevada KW - Planning and design KW - Sensors KW - Traffic data KW - Truck traffic KW - Vehicle detectors KW - Video cameras UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236229 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467991 TI - Development of Tools to Integrate GPS, GIS, Cartegraph Data Conversion and Asset Data for All Traffic Infrastructure Management System (Development of Tools for Data Creation, Maintenance, and Conversion for Traffic Management) AB - The rapid growth in the population of Clark County, Nevada during the last two decades has had a direct impact on the travel demand and transportation system performance. The growth and its associated infrastructure maintenance costs in the county, have led Clark County Department of Public Works (CCDPW) to look for innovative solutions and strategies to better maintain, manage, and allocate its resources. The success of these strategies will have significant impacts on the business and economy of the region. Access to data is vital in the design of these strategies. In public works, such data relate to the traffic, construction, and development services. Traffic related data includes crosswalks, speed limits, streetlight poles, school flashers, signalized intersection data, street signs, truck routes, etc. Other data of interest include work order information, traffic volumes, proximate population, demographic characteristics, land use characteristics, etc. Data collection, storage and retrieval plays a key role in the operation and management of systems developed to support resource allocation. The accuracy and timeliness of the data are critical for managing resource allocation support systems. Here the term management includes planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the system. Agencies such as CCDPW that have jurisdictional responsibilities over regional transportation systems/networks are required to account for their infrastructure and develop a maintenance management system. The practice has been to use the "traditional" paper based mechanisms for this purpose. However, there has been a move to adapt computerized tools and systems such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Geographical Positioning Systems (GPS) for transportation infrastructure management. Advancements in technology have led to new ways of collecting, analyzing, managing and disseminating data. GPS is one such technology used to collect data based on the geographic location of a point of interest. GIS is commonly used software to manage and analyze spatial data, and to disseminate such information. Adoption and incorporation of such technologies can help improve the effectiveness of CCDPW's activities related to data collection, storage and display. CCDPW-Traffic division receives data related to traffic studies for various locations in the county. The data received are typically in hardcopy/paper format. Hence, it is tedious and labor intensive and time consuming to analyze such information either on a location specific or on a regional basis. Converting such data into digital format provides the user better access to the information for further analysis. Also, the possibilities of using such digitized traffic volume data as inputs for traffic simulation software would be valuable. KW - Clark County (Nevada) KW - Geographic information systems KW - Global Positioning System KW - Integrated systems KW - Land use planning KW - Regional transportation KW - Resource allocation KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic volume UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236227 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467989 TI - Traffic Safety Information Depot AB - The University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Transportation Research Center (UNLV-TRC) has conducted several traffic safety related research projects. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsored Pedestrian Safety Project, RTC sponsored Development of A Safety Analysis System, Nevada Department of Transportation sponsored Safety Analysis of Rumble Strips Project, and Nevada Office of Traffic Safety Sponsored Occupant Protection Surveys, to name a few. UNLV Safe Community Partnership conduct several education and enforcement campaigns, aimed at occupant protection for children and teenagers, alternate mode transportation for elderly, safe driving, etc. Some of these programs were great success, whereas some others were not as effective. The purpose of this project is to initiate an effort to document details of these programs, success/failure of these programs, and lessons learned from these. This would help other organizations/agencies across the nation and globe to learn from our experiences. KW - Aged KW - Information systems KW - Lessons learned KW - Nevada KW - Occupant protection KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Rumble strips KW - Safety Analyst KW - Safety campaigns KW - Traffic safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236225 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01464253 TI - Quick Response for Special Needs. Task 11. How Proposed Firefighting Standards Would Impact Airports AB -
Part 139 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, requires airports that serve: 1) scheduled passenger-carrying operations of an air carrier operating aircraft designed for more than 9 passenger seats; and 2) unscheduled passenger-carrying operations of an air carrier operating aircraft designed for at least 31 passenger seats, to receive operating certificates from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Operators of Part 139 airports are also required to meet certain aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) standards. In March 2001, the FAA tasked the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) to develop a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to identity ARFF requirements that should be added, modified or deleted. Despite the ongoing rulemaking process, some aviation stakeholders are recommending that airports comply with certain National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and other NFPA-related requirements or International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) fire fighting standards.
KW - Aircraft rescue and firefighting services KW - Airport operations KW - Airport terminals KW - Civil aviation KW - Firefighters KW - Regulations KW - Research projects UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2690 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232482 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462022 TI - National Training for Concrete Pavement Preservation AB - The primary objectives of this 12-month project are to provide national training on the Concrete Pavement Preservation Manual including printing and distributing 2,000 Concrete Pavement Preservation Participants and Reference Manuals and 20 copies of the Instructor's Guide, to conduct 1 ½ to 2-day workshops in six regionally diverse states, and to develop Webinar training modules based on the Concrete Pavement Preservation workshop modules. KW - Concrete pavements KW - Manuals KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement preservation KW - Research projects KW - Training programs KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/research/detail.cfm?projectID=1236710025 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230242 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01137209 AU - Kim, Sungyop AU - Anton, Karen R AU - Shearer, Richard AU - University of Missouri, Kansas City AU - Missouri Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Impacts of Public Policy on Safety - Graduated Driver’s License PY - 2008/12/01/Final Report SP - 66p AB - This study evaluated the effectiveness of Missouri’s graduated driver licensing (GDL) policy. This study found a substantial decrease in crash involvement rates among drivers aged 15-18 in Missouri while drivers aged 19 or older have a moderate decrease in the rates. This study also found Missouri teenage drivers aged 16-18 had a small but steady decrease in their fatality rates while the drivers in neighboring states with weaker GDL provisions experienced either increase or fluctuation. This study examined how teenage drivers aged 15-18 with instruction permits or intermediate licenses comply with GDL restrictions or requirements. The percent of crash-involved drivers aged 15 having a qualified front seat passenger improved substantially over the years. However, the compliance rate on the not-driving-alone restriction in early morning (1:00 a.m.- 5:00 a.m.) has been low. This study found there have been significant variations among counties in terms of crash rates among drivers aged 15-18. The teenage drivers in urban counties with major cities and higher median household income had a more pronounced decrease in crash involvement and at-fault crashes compared to rural counties with lower median household income after the implementation of GDL. KW - Compliance KW - Crash rates KW - Fatalities KW - Graduated licensing KW - Missouri KW - Public policy KW - Rural areas KW - State laws KW - Teenage drivers KW - Traffic safety KW - Urban areas UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/Ri07044/RI07044FinalReport030109.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30900/30951/RI07044FinalReport030109.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/897498 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01603528 AU - Mohammad, Louay N AU - Wu, Zhong AU - Raghavendra, Amar AU - Louisiana Transportation Research Center AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Performance Evaluation of Louisiana Superpave Mixtures PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 164p AB - This report documents the performance of Louisiana Superpave mixtures through laboratory mechanistic tests, mixture volumetric properties, gradation analysis, and early field performance. Thirty Superpave mixtures were evaluated in this study. Fourteen of them were designed for high volume traffic (> 30 million ESALs), twelve for intermediate-volume traffic (between 3 and 30 million ESALs), and four for low volume traffic (< 3 million ESALs). Four aggregate types: limestone, sandstone, novaculite, and granite and five binder types: AC-30, PAC-30, PAC-40, PG 70-22M, and PG 76- 22M were included in the mixtures. Four MTS tests: the indirect tensile (IT) strength, IT resilient modulus, IT creep, and axial creep, three Superpave Shear Tester (SST) tests: frequency sweep at constant height (FSCH), repeated shear at constant height (RSCH), and simple shear at constant height (SSCH), and the Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA) rut test were included in the testing program of this study. The test results showed that high volume mixtures appeared to have higher IT strengths, lower IT and axial creep slopes, and higher shear stiffnesses when compared to those of low volume mixtures. This indicates that high volume mixtures generally possessed better rut resistance than the low volume mixtures considered. The compaction efforts (the N-design levels), dust/AC ratio, film thickness, and the percent of aggregate passing the 0.075 mm sieve were observed to have certain relations with the rut susceptibility of Superpave mixtures. The Power-law gradation analysis indicated that all four Power-law gradation parameters (aCA, nCA, aFA, and nFA) were sensitive to the mixture mechanistic properties evaluated. This implies that the proposed Power-law gradation analysis could be used as the bridge between aggregate gradation design and mixture performance evaluation. Finally, the early field performance of those Superpave mixtures was studied and compared to their laboratory performance test results. KW - Aggregates KW - Binders KW - Evaluation KW - Field studies KW - Laboratory tests KW - Louisiana KW - Mechanical tests KW - Mix design KW - Pavement performance KW - Ruts (Pavements) KW - Superpave UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2016/FR_410.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/59000/59200/59215/FR_410.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1411149 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529771 AU - Scott, Ernie AU - Inter-Mountain Laboratories, Incorporated AU - Wyoming Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Practical Operational Implementation and Evaluation of Teton Pass Avalanche Monitoring Infrasound System PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Highway snow avalanche forecasting programs typically rely on weather and field observations to make road closure and hazard evaluations. Recently, infrasonic avalanche monitoring technology has been developed for practical use near Teton Pass, Wyoming to provide another tool for Wyoming State Highway 22 technicians in their operational forecasting and decision making. The technology detects low frequency sound waves produced by avalanches with automated near real-time processing provided to facilitate an alarm. Monitoring system operation provides information to confirm results from avalanche control work, notification of natural avalanche events, and verification of explosive detonations. The ability to monitor avalanche activity in poor visibility and confirm avalanche control work results are powerful tools for assessing highway avalanche hazard and has changed the way Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) operates in its mission to provide a safe and efficient transportation route. KW - Acoustic detectors KW - Avalanches KW - Forecasting KW - Infrasound KW - Monitoring KW - Real time information KW - Sensors KW - Teton Pass KW - Wyoming UR - http://www.dot.state.wy.us/files/live/sites/wydot/files/shared/Planning/Research/RS06206_0902F.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44900/44940/RS06206_0902F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312758 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01529400 AU - McCarthy, Paul AU - Haskins, Keith AU - PMPC AU - Wyoming Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Snow Snake Performance Monitoring PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 62p AB - A recent study, “Three-Dimensional Roughness Elements for Snow Retention” (FHWA-WY-06/04F) (Tabler 2006), demonstrated positive evidence for the effectiveness of Snow Snakes, a new type of snow fence suitable for use within the highway right-of-way. Snow Snakes are wire frames covered with a continuous extruded plastic fabric and aptly named for their reptilian appearance. This study evaluates the effectiveness of using Snow Snakes as a viable means to reduce road ice formed by blowing snow originating within the highway right-of-way. The study was initially scheduled for completion by the fall of 2007. Mild winter conditions necessitated a contract extension through the fall of 2008. Mild conditions continued allowing only three site observations with blowing snow observed only during the February 6, 2008 observation. Snow drift depths and lengths were measured along transects intersecting various snow fence types and configuration; this data was used to calculate trapped snow volumes and water equivalents. During the December 31, 2007 to February 6, 2008 observation period, Snow Snakes trapped and prevented approximately 622 tons of snow from potentially interacting with the roadway surface to form slush and ice. Due to insufficient field data, obtaining conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of using Snow Snakes as a viable means to reduce road ice formed by blowing snow originating within the highway right-of-way will require additional study. KW - Highways KW - Performance measurement KW - Snow and ice control KW - Snow fences KW - Wyoming UR - http://www.dot.state.wy.us/files/live/sites/wydot/files/shared/Planning/Research/Completed%20Projects%20for%202009/RS02207_0901F.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45500/45543/Snow_Snake_Performance_Monitoring.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312759 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523709 AU - McAnulty, D Michael AU - Sollenberger, Randy AU - Koros, Anton AU - Hale, Mark AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Human Factors Assessment of the En Route Information Display System. PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 55p AB - The Federal Aviation Administration is modernizing its en route air traffic control automation system, including an En Route Information Display System (ERIDS). ERIDS provides controllers with multiple types of information electronically via a 15-inch touchscreen display at each airspace radar sector. It replaces paper documents that were shared by controllers at multiple sectors in an operations area. Researchers from the Human Factors Team – Atlantic City conducted the current study to assess the benefits of the fielded ERIDS and to identify any potential usability issues. The researchers collected questionnaire, simulation, interview, and observation data at three Air Route Traffic Control Centers using paper documents and, again, at one of the centers after ERIDS was fielded. All of the assessments of ERIDS indicate that controllers do not regularly obtain and use relatively static aeronautical information, whether it is available in paper or electronic format. The study confirmed that ERIDS eliminates the problem of paper documents not being readily available, which is the most time consuming part of the information acquisition process. With ERIDS, the information is always available at the sector position. In addition, accessing Approach Plates, which is the most frequently sought and highest rated type of information for safety and efficiency, is easy to do with ERIDS, unless the controller needs to switch between two or more plates. The researchers recommend modifications to make ERIDS easier to use and suggest that a more thorough human factors evaluation be conducted to identify and prioritize other issues and to recommend possible solutions. KW - Air route traffic control centers KW - Air traffic control KW - Approach control KW - En Route Automation Modernization KW - Human factors KW - Information display systems KW - Surveys KW - Touchscreen displays KW - Usability UR - http://hf.tc.faa.gov/publications/2008-human-factors-assessment/full_text.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307223 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01523704 AU - Friedman-Berg, Ferne AU - Allendoerfer, Kenneth AU - Pai, Shantanu AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Moving Toward an Air Traffic Control Display Standard: Creating a Standardized Color Palette for Terminal Situation Displays PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 66p AB - As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moves toward the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, there is a need to increase commonality and standardization across Air Traffic Control (ATC) displays. Increased standardization will reduce development costs and training requirements, as well as ensure that new ATC systems follow human factors guidelines and best practices. The FAA is currently conducting research and development activities that will contribute to the creation of a future Air Traffic Control Display Standard (ATCDS). The future standard will provide specific design standards for ATC displays that will be grounded in human factors research and lessons learned from the field. This report describes an initial ATCDS development activity that created a standardized color palette for ATC situation displays in the terminal domain. Existing guidelines regarding the use of color are not specific enough for eventual incorporation into the ATCDS and are difficult for system developers to implement. For this activity, the authors developed a standardized terminal color palette by measuring the colors on existing systems and determining whether those colors met human factors guidelines for attention, identification, segmentation, and text legibility. When existing colors did not follow the guidelines, the authors developed alternatives. The standardized palette contains sufficient detail to be included in a system specification. It lists individual display elements (e.g., datablocks, radar targets), as well as lists standardized color names and coordinates for each element. This report also provides guidance for system developers and vendors to help them implement a standardized color palette on their systems. KW - Air traffic control KW - Color KW - Design standards KW - Human factors KW - Information display systems KW - Standardization UR - http://hf.tc.faa.gov/publications/2008-moving-toward-an-air-traffic-control-display-standard/full_text.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307218 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522393 AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - 2007 Large Truck Crash Overview PY - 2008/12 SP - 6p AB - The mission of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is to promote the safe operation of commercial vehicles on the Nation’s highways. Of the 41,059 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2007, 12% (4,808) died in crashes that involved a large truck. Another 101,000 people were injured in crashes involving large trucks. Only about 17% of those killed and 22% of those injured in large truck crashes were occupants of large trucks. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crash characteristics KW - Crash rates KW - Fatalities KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucks KW - United States UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51200/51262/2007LargeTruckCrashOverview.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303883 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01477166 AU - Boselly, S Edward AU - Weather Solutions Group AU - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) AU - National Cooperative Highway Research Program AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Update of the AASHTO Guide for Snow and Ice Control PY - 2008/12 SP - 97p AB - In 1997 the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) initiated a project, NCHRP 2-7 (83) to develop an American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide for Snow and Ice Control. AASHTO published The Guide for Snow and Ice Control in 1998. After 10 years, this Guide became outdated in many areas, especially equipment, materials and weather information. This report provides updated chapters covering these three elements of snow and ice control. The first chapter, which is chapter four of the Guide, Equipment, describes the latest in equipment technologies. The second chapter, chapter five of the Guide, Materials, describes the availability of various chemicals and mixtures and background research into their use for the prevention of ice bonding to pavement (anti-icing) and ice melting and removal. Finally, the third chapter, chapter six of the Guide, Weather Information, describes the latest weather forecast and observation capabilities, and the advances in Road Weather Information System and Environmental Sensor Station development to assist in the provision of tailored support to highway maintenance snow and ice control personnel. KW - Equipment KW - Guidelines KW - Materials KW - Road weather information systems KW - Snow and ice control KW - State departments of transportation KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://maintenance.transportation.org/Documents/Final%20Report%2020-07%20Task%20250.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1246275 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01473291 AU - Napper, Carolyn AU - San Dimas Technology and Development Center AU - Department of Agriculture AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Soil and Water Road-Condition Index - Field Guide PY - 2008/12 SP - 104p AB - The San Dimas Technology and Development Center (SDTDC) of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, developed the soil and water road-condition index (SWRCI) to provide a road-condition assessment tool for watershed- and project-scale analysis. SWRCI is intended to be a rapid-assessment tool for soil scientists and hydrologists to identify effects of roads on soil quality and function, as well as impacts to water quality and downstream values. The road-condition rating uses key indicators to identify potential soil and water problems on a road or road segment (a portion of a road with similar characteristics, such as surface shape, road gradient, hillslope position, or surface condition). This field guide incorporates photographs of road conditions that illustrate both functional and at risk indicators. KW - Erosion control KW - Forest roads KW - Highway maintenance KW - Surface course (Pavements) KW - Surface drainage KW - Water quality UR - http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdf/08771806.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243805 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01473099 AU - Utah Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - UDOT Research Division Annual Work Program: Fiscal Year 2009 PY - 2008/12 SP - 81p AB - The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Research Division is charged with promoting, executing, and implementing research activities within the Utah Department of Transportation, to further the mission of the Department and increase the Department's use of new products and techniques. Aided by the Federal Highway Administration, the Research Division manages a program funded by federal and state money toward these goals. This Annual Work Program document outlines the goals, objectives, structure and programs of the Research Division, presents the budget for FY2009, lists the projects which will be undertaken during the year, and provides a summary of progress on on-going efforts. This information satisfies the Federal requirement for reporting the allocation and use of Federal funds in a state transportation research program. A certification of compliance with Federal regulation is included in this report. KW - Budgeting KW - Federal aid KW - Financing KW - Research projects KW - State aid KW - Utah Department of Transportation UR - http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=27002 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243878 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454630 AU - Li, Wei AU - Tarko, Andrew P AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Methods of Safety Improvements at Coordinated Signals PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 176p AB - In this research, the safety impact of arterial signal coordination is investigated. Based on the findings, procedures are proposed to incorporate safety considerations into signal coordination design. In addition, a software tool is developed to facilitate the use of the research findings. Signal coordination has been extensively employed as a tool to optimize an arterial system’s mobility performance, commonly measured by the total number of vehicle stops and the time of delays. Although vehicle crashes at signalized intersections have long been recognized as a major safety threat, studies to date have been limited locally to non-coordinated signals or the noncoordinated features of signal timings. Disaggregate statistical models are developed to identify the influential crash likelihood factors of rear-end and right-angle crashes, the two most frequent types of intersection crashes. To capture the severity factors, the outcomes are further classified into property-damage-only (PDO) and injury-fatal (IF) crashes. The crash likelihoods for each 15-minute interval are used as the response variables of the models. For each 15-minute interval, predictive variables are collected or derived from available data, including the volume, signal timings, and traffic patterns. A traffic pattern characterization is designed to represent each 15-minute interval’s arrival pattern. Various discrete outcome econometric models are used and compared, including multinomial logit model (MNL), multinomial probit model (MNP), nested logit model (NL), and sequential logit model (SL). A SL framework is proposed as the main model. At the first stage, a MNL models crash likelihoods; at the second stage, a logit model models severity. The key findings are as follows: First, signal coordination significantly affects crash likelihood. Certain traffic arrival patterns are associated with significantly lower crash likelihoods. Second, the dilemma zone contributes in a limited way to the crash likelihoods. Third, adjusted volumes, based on the presented models, were found to be better predictors of crash likelihoods, which indicates that only a portion of all vehicles are highly susceptible to crashes. Fourth, shorter distances from upstream intersection and shorter cycle lengths are associated with lower risk levels of crashes. KW - Arterial highways KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - High risk locations KW - Highway safety KW - Signalized intersections KW - Statistical analysis KW - Traffic signal control systems UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314327 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218798 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454629 AU - Seo, Hoyoung AU - Prezzi, Monica AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Use of Micropiles for Foundations of Transportation Structures Final Report PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 130p AB - In pile design, piles must be able to sustain axial loads from the superstructure without bearing capacity failure or structural damage. In addition, piles must not settle or deflect excessively in order for the serviceability of the superstructures to be maintained. In general, settlement controls the design of piles in most cases because, by the time a pile has failed in terms of bearing capacity, it is very likely that serviceability will have already been compromised. Therefore, realistic estimation of settlement for a given load is very important in design of axially loaded piles. This notwithstanding, pile design has relied on calculations of ultimate resistances reduced by factors of safety that would indirectly prevent settlement-based limit states. This is in part due to the lack of accessible realistic analysis tools for estimation of settlement, especially for piles installed in layered soil. Micropiles have been increasingly used, not only as underpinning foundation elements but also as foundations of new structures. Prevalent design methods for micropiles are adaptations of methods originally developed for drilled shafts. However, the installation of micropiles differs considerably from that of drilled shafts, and micropiles have higher pile length to diameter ratios than those of drilled shafts. Improved understanding of the load-transfer characteristics of micropiles and the development of pile settlement estimation tools consistent with the load-transfer response of these foundation elements are the main goals of the proposed research. A rigorous analysis tool for assessment of the load-settlement response of an axially loaded pile was developed in this study. The authors obtained explicit analytical solutions for an axially loaded pile in a multilayered soil or rock. The soil was assumed to behave as a linear elastic material. The governing differential equations were derived based on energy principles and calculus of variations. In addition, solutions for a pile embedded in a multilayered soil with the base resting on a rigid material were obtained by changing the boundary conditions of the problem. The authors also obtained solutions for a pile embedded in a multilayered soil subjected to tensile loading. They then compared the solutions with the results from FEA and also with other solutions available in the literature. Finally, they compared the results of a pile load test from the literature with the results obtained using the solutions proposed in this study. Using the obtained elastic solutions, extensive parametric studies on the load-transfer and load-settlement response of rock-socketed piles were also performed. The effects of geometry of rock socket, rock mass deformation modulus, and in situ rock mass quality were investigated. To facilitate the use of the analysis, a user-friendly spreadsheet program ALPAXL was developed. This program is based on the elastic solution obtained in this study and uses built-in functions of Microsoft Excel. ALPAXL provides the results of the analysis, the deformed configuration of the pile-soil system and the load-settlement curve in seconds. It can be downloaded at http://cobweb.ecn.purdue.edu/~mprezzi. In the context of an INDOT project, a fully instrumented load test was performed on a rock-socketed micropile. The results of this micropile load test, on a pile with high slenderness ratio and high stiffness of surrounding rock, confirmed that most of the applied load was carried by the pile shaft. The shaft capacity of hard limestone obtained from the load test at the final loading step was 1.4 times larger than the shaft capacity that is obtained using the highest value of limit unit shaft resistance suggested by FHWA. Using pile and soil properties, predictions were also made using ALPAXL. The results from ALPAXL were in good agreement with the measured data at the design load level. KW - Axial loads KW - Design load KW - Design methods KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Micropiles KW - Parametric analysis KW - Pile foundations KW - Settlement (Structures) KW - Structural analysis KW - Structural design UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314318 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218789 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454506 AU - Arribas-Colon, Maria del Mar AU - Radlinski, Mateusz AU - Olek, Jan AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Investigation of Premature Distress Around Joints in PCC Pavements PY - 2008/12 SP - 424p AB - Some of the Indiana concrete pavements that have been constructed within the last 10 years have shown signs of premature deterioration, especially in the areas adjacent to the longitudinal joints. This deterioration typically manifests itself as cracking and spalling of concrete combined with the loss of joint sealant. These processes create a cavity in the joint area that traps water and, as a consequence, accelerates further deterioration of concrete during the freezing and thawing cycles. The objective of this study was to examine in details the microstructural and chemical changes in concrete extracted form the affected areas in an attempt to determine the cause of this premature deterioration. The investigation started with a detailed inventory of selected areas of affected pavements in order to identify and classify the existing types of distresses and select locations for collection of the cores. The cores have been collected from the following four locations: NB lines of I-65 near downtown Indianapolis, SR 933 near South Bend, Intersection of 86th Street and Payne Road in Indianapolis and a ramp from US67 to I-465E, also in Indianapolis. A total of thirty six 6-in. diameter cores were removed from pavements at these locations and transported to the laboratory where they were subjected to eight different tests: air-void system determination, Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, sorptivity test, freeze-thaw & resonance frequency test, resistance to chloride ion penetration (RCP) test and chloride profile (concentration) determination. The test results identified several cases of in-filling of the air voids (especially smaller air bubbles) with secondary deposits. These deposits were most likely the result of the repetitive saturation of air voids with water and substantially reduced the effectiveness of the air voids system with respect to providing an adequate level of freeze-thaw protection. In addition, the affected concrete often developed an extensive network of microcracks, showed higher rates of absorption and reduced ability to resist chloride ions penetration. KW - Air voids KW - Chlorides KW - Cracking of concrete pavements KW - Deterioration KW - Freeze thaw durability KW - Indiana KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement joints KW - Portland cement concrete UR - http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/dissertations/AAI1469622/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218703 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454504 AU - Koh, Huei AU - Fricker, Jon D AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Alternative Land Use Patterns to Minimize Congestion (Volume 2: Evaluating the Feasibility of New Urbanism in an Existing Neighborhood) PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 134p AB - Urban sprawl creates serious traffic congestion. Alternative land use patterns may be the best solution. New Urbanists claim that, by placing frequently-visited sites within walking distance of homes and creating a pleasant walking environment, people are more willing to choose non-motorized transportation mode to do such activities. Part I of this study investigated the ability of travel demand models to estimate the impacts of alternative land use patterns. Part II conducted an economic viability analysis for a mixed land use neighborhood and collected land use preferences at meetings of neighborhood associations. The objective in Part III was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing mixed land use neighborhood, based upon public acceptance, actual impacts on travel behavior and observed trip making patterns. Surveys were conducted and analyzed for this report. A brief summary of the principal findings of this study will be posted on a website – either JTRP or INDOT. The findings will include brief numerical examples of the analyses that led to the report’s conclusions. Figures and photos will be used to illustrate the alternatives and performance measures that support the project’s findings. KW - Congestion management systems KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Lafayette (Indiana) KW - Land use planning KW - Neighborhoods KW - New urbanism KW - Smart growth KW - Urban design UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314316 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218787 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454502 AU - Bai, Qiang AU - Labi, Samuel AU - Li, Zongzhi AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Trade-off Analysis Methodology for Asset Management PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 165p AB - In an era that is characterized by funding limitations, increased stakeholder participation, and the need for increased accountability and transparency, transportation agencies seek to ensure that comprehensive evaluation processes are identified and used for decision-making. Consistent with such processes is the incorporation of multiple performance criteria from different program areas, optimization of decisions under constrained budgets, and investigation of trade-offs between program areas, performance measures, budgetary levels, risk levels, and performance thresholds. To help INDOT carry out these processes, this study developed theoretical constructs for scaling and amalgamation of the different performance measures, and for analyzing the different kinds of trade-offs. The scaling of performance measures yields a consistent or dimensionless unit to make them comparable. Amalgamation combines the weighted and scaled performance measures to yield a single utility value that represents the overall desirability of a candidate project. This report documents, with examples, a number of alternative methods for scaling and amalgamation. Also, recognizing that project outcomes are not always known with certainty, the analysis was done for the deterministic (certainty) as well as the probabilistic (uncertainty) scenarios. For the uncertainty scenario, the report addressed two cases: the risk case, where the project outcomes (in terms of the performance measures) have a known probability distribution; and the pure uncertainty case, where the probability distributions of project outcomes are unknown. For risk case, the report presents a method that utilizes the mathematical expectation of the project impacts derived from the probability distribution of the performance measures. For the uncertainty case, the report describes, with numerical examples, Shackle’s model that can be used in addressing the problem. Finally, the report describes how INDOT can carry out an investigation of trade-offs such as changing the performance threshold and shifting budgets from one program area to another. To facilitate implementation, the report includes a set of spreadsheets that are based on hypothetical project data. KW - Asset management KW - Indiana Department of Transportation KW - Multiple criteria decision making KW - Performance measurement KW - Programming (Planning) KW - Project management KW - Trade-off analysis KW - Weighting UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314305 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218776 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454501 AU - Jin, Li AU - Fricker, Jon D AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Alternative Land Use Patterns to Minimize Congestion (Volume 3: Empirical Study of Mixed Land Use Traditional Neighborhoods) PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 101p AB - Urban sprawl creates serious traffic congestion. Alternative land use patterns may be the best solution. New Urbanists claim that, by placing frequently-visited sites within walking distance of homes and creating a pleasant walking environment, people are more willing to choose non-motorized transportation mode to do such activities. Part I of this study investigated the ability of travel demand models to estimate the impacts of alternative land use patterns. Part II conducted an economic viability analysis for a mixed land use neighborhood and collected land use preferences at meetings of neighborhood associations. The objective in Part III was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing mixed land use neighborhood, based upon public acceptance, actual impacts on travel behavior and observed trip making patterns. Surveys were conducted and analyzed for this report. A brief summary of the principal findings of this study will be posted on a website – either JTRP or INDOT. The findings will include brief numerical examples of the analyses that led to the report’s conclusions. Figures and photos will be used to illustrate the alternatives and performance measures that support the project’s findings. KW - Congestion management systems KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Indianapolis (Indiana) KW - Land use planning KW - Mixed use development KW - Neighborhoods KW - New urbanism KW - Smart growth KW - Urban design UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314315 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218786 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454500 AU - Frosch, Robert J AU - Aldridge, Timothy S AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - High-Performance Concrete Bridge Decks: A Fast-Track Implementation Study, Volume 1: Structural Behavior PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 178p AB - Transverse cracking of concrete bridge decks is problematic in numerous states. Cracking has been identified in the negative and positive moment regions of bridges and can appear shortly after opening the structure to live loads. To improve the service life of the bridge deck as well as decrease maintenance costs, changes to current construction practices in Indiana are being considered. A typical bridge deck was instrumented which incorporated the following: increased reinforcement amounts, decreasing reinforcement spacing, and high-performance, low-shrinkage concrete. The low shrinkage concrete was achieved using a ternary concrete mix. The objective of this research was to determine the performance, particularly in terms of transverse cracking and shrinkage, of a bridge incorporating design details meant to reduce cracking. Based on measurements from the bridge, it was determined that maximum tensile strains experienced in the concrete were not sufficient to initiate cracking. An on-site inspection was performed to confirm that cracking had not initiated. The data was analyzed and compared with the behavior of a similarly constructed bridge built with nearly identical reinforcing details, but with a more conventional concrete to evaluate the effect of the HPC. Based on this study, it was observed that full-depth transverse cracks did not occur in the structure and that the use of HPC lowered the magnitude of restrained shrinkage strains and resulting tensile stresses. KW - Bridge construction KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge design KW - High performance concrete KW - Indiana KW - Shrinkage KW - Structural analysis KW - Transverse cracking UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314308 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218779 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454498 AU - Tarko, Andrew P AU - Inerowicz, Mike AU - Lang, Brandon AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Safety and Operational Impacts of Alternative Intersections PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 326p AB - As the degradation of service at some conventional intersections increases, there becomes a need for alternative solutions other than expensive interchanges. Many alternative intersections have been proposed in the past. Under certain traffic and local conditions some solutions are more promising than others. In some cases, the conventional intersection may still be the optimal choice. The presented research focused on developing guidelines that would help planners and designers identify the most promising solutions for further analysis. This objective has been addressed in two ways. Firstly, the existing knowledge on alternative intersections has been identified. Secondly, the performance of conventional and alternative intersections under a range of Indiana traffic conditions has been evaluated using micro-simulation model - VISSIM. Although a large number of sources could be found on the research subject, the existing knowledge about performance of alternative intersection design is incomplete. Only a few designs proposed in the past have been applied at a considerable number of locations including roundabouts, median U-turns, and jag-handle intersections. Other types still await implementation. The available sources are not comprehensive and deal with conditions that might be different from Indiana. The knowledge of the safety impact of these intersections is very limited. A large number of more than 1,300 scenarios were simulated runs performed with VISSIM calibrated to Indiana conditions. The simulated types of intersections included: conventional, roundabouts, jag-handle near-sided and far-sided, median U-turns, and continuous-flow intersection. Except roundabouts, all other intersections were signalized to test their capacity limits and delay-based performance. Although the roundabouts were the lowest delays at low volumes they also reached the capacity before others did. The most promising solutions for heavy volumes are median U-turns and continuous-flow intersections. The presented research developed guidelines for using alternative intersection designs. The guidelines compile the existing knowledge found in existing publications and research reports with the simulation experiments performed with VISSIM. The guidelines are ready to use and will help planners and designers determine which intersection types are the most promising under considered conditions and should be considered in a detailed way. The simulation results have been summarized in an easy to use format of graphs. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Guidelines KW - Highway design KW - Indiana KW - Intersections KW - Microsimulation KW - Performance measurement KW - Roundabouts KW - VISSIM (Computer model) UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314313 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218784 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454497 AU - McCullouch, Bob AU - Stevens, Brandon AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Investigation of the Effective Use of Warning Lights on Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Vehicles and Equipment PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 26p AB - This study was requested by Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to determine if current lighting packages used on INDOT maintenance vehicles, specifically snow plow vehicles, can be improved with other commercially available products. Different light products were obtained from various vendors, mounted on INDOT vehicles, and visual comparisons were performed under various lighting and weather conditions by a team of observers. The comparison evaluations were performed revealing that other light packages, LED models for most options, were brighter and certain colors more visible. The preferred light models are recommended. These recommendations were forwarded to appropriate individuals that make these decisions at INDOT. Implementation is dependent on purchasing decisions made at the Central Office and at each of the Districts. KW - Best practices KW - Indiana Department of Transportation KW - Light emitting diodes KW - Maintenance equipment KW - Snowplows KW - State departments of transportation KW - Vehicle lighting systems KW - Vehicle safety KW - Visibility UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314302 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218768 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01454496 AU - Bose, Amica AU - Fricker, Jon D AU - Purdue University AU - Indiana Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Alternative Land Use Patterns to Minimize Congestion (Volume 1: Comparative Analysis of Mixed Land Use and Separated Land Use Neighborhoods) PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 145p AB - Urban sprawl creates serious traffic congestion. Alternative land use patterns may be the best solution. New Urbanists claim that, by placing frequently-visited sites within walking distance of homes and creating a pleasant walking environment, people are more willing to choose non-motorized transportation mode to do such activities. Part I of this study investigated the ability of travel demand models to estimate the impacts of alternative land use patterns. Part II conducted an economic viability analysis for a mixed land use neighborhood and collected land use preferences at meetings of neighborhood associations. The objective in Part III was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing mixed land use neighborhood, based upon public acceptance, actual impacts on travel behavior and observed trip making patterns. Surveys were conducted and analyzed for this report. A brief summary of the principal findings of this study will be posted on a website – either JTRP or INDOT. The findings will include brief numerical examples of the analyses that led to the report’s conclusions. Figures and photos will be used to illustrate the alternatives and performance measures that support the project’s findings. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Congestion management systems KW - Land use planning KW - Mixed use development KW - Neighborhoods KW - New urbanism KW - Smart growth KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban design UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314317 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218788 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449500 AU - Chang, Mark AU - Wiegmann, John AU - Bilotto, Claudia AU - Booz Allen Hamilton, Incorporated AU - HNTB Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Compendium of Existing HOV Lane Facilities in the United States PY - 2008/12//Study Product/Deliverable SP - 67p AB - The compendium provides an assembly of available information on existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane facilities in the United States. While it is comprehensive and thought to include virtually all existing facilities at this time, it is possible that there are isolated instances of facility information that had been omitted from sources used for this document. The compendium is intended as a reference resource for an audience of transportation professionals responsible for planning, designing, funding, operating, enforcing, monitoring, and managing HOV and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, and other stakeholders in policy decisions for improving HOV lane and highway mainline operations through conversion to HOT lanes. KW - Compendium KW - High occupancy toll lanes KW - High occupancy vehicle lane to high occupancy toll lane conversion KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Managed lanes KW - Stakeholders KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation policy KW - Transportation professionals KW - United States UR - http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09030/fhwahop09030.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1216937 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449498 AU - Chang, Mark AU - Wiegmann, John AU - Smith, Andrew AU - Bilotto, Claudia AU - Booz Allen Hamilton, Incorporated AU - HNTB Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - A Review of HOV Lane Performance and Policy Options in the United States PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 48p AB - The report provides an assessment of performance of existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane facilities in the United States, and explores policy alternatives and effects related to conversion of existing HOV lanes to high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane operations. The report includes sketch planning tools for exploring policy alternatives, and is intended for an audience of transportation professionals responsible for planning, designing, funding, operating, enforcing, monitoring, and managing HOV and HOT lanes, and other stakeholders in policy decisions for improving HOV lane and highway mainline operations through conversion to HOT lanes. KW - High occupancy toll lanes KW - High occupancy vehicle lane to high occupancy toll lane conversion KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Managed lanes KW - Sketch planning KW - Stakeholders KW - Transportation policy KW - Transportation professionals KW - United States UR - http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09029/fhwahop09029.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1216993 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449494 AU - Smith, Andrew AU - Bilotto, Claudia AU - Chang, Mark AU - Booz Allen Hamilton, Incorporated AU - HNTB Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Policy Options Evaluation Tool for Managed Lanes (POET-ML) Users Guide and Methodology Description PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 27p AB - This is a user’s guide for a sketch planning tool for exploring policy alternatives. It is intended for an audience of transportation professionals responsible for planning, designing, funding, operating, enforcing, monitoring, and managing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, and considering conversion of HOV to HOT lanes. KW - High occupancy toll lanes KW - High occupancy vehicle lane to high occupancy toll lane conversion KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Managed lanes KW - Sketch planning KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation policy KW - Transportation professionals KW - Users guide UR - http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09031/fhwahop09031.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1216853 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357429 AU - Standridge, Charles R AU - Choudhuri, Shabbir AU - Zeitler, David AU - Khasnabis, Snehamay AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Grand Valley State University AU - Wayne State University AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Congestion Relief by Travel Time Minimization in Near Real Time – Detroit Area I-75 Corridor Study PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 27p AB - This project was motivated by the premise that congestion due to traffic accidents and other incidents can be avoided by using computer re-routing models combined with the analysis of voluminous data collected by intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Congestion avoidance reduces travel time and fuel consumption as well as the need for additional roadways and infrastructure, making the transportation system more efficient. The results of this project are targeted at ITS that seek to reduce congestion by better routing large volumes of traffic at a small time interval as opposed to personal travel assistants (PTAs) that route one vehicle at a time. One potential downside of rerouting large volumes of traffic in a small time interval is to simply move the congestion to a different place in the traffic corridor. This requirement is addressed. KW - Data collection KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Personal digital assistants KW - Real time information KW - Routing KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic data KW - Travel time UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545E_364055_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-01/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS1_projects_2-3_2008-Final_Report_Congestion_Relief_by_Travel_Time_Minimization_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120957 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342265 AU - Pei, Jin-Song AU - Martin, Randy D AU - Sandburg, Colby J AU - Kang, Thomas H-K AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Rating Precast Prestressed Concrete Bridges for Shear PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 120p AB - Shear capacity of real-world prestressed concrete girders designed in the 1960’s and 1970’s is a concern because AASHTO Standard Specifications (AASHTO-STD) employed the quarter-point rule for shear design, which is less conservative for shear demands than today's AASHTO LRFD. Shear tests were conducted on two full sized AASHTO Type II girders, one of which had been in service for nearly forty years before being replaced due to irreparable damage. The comparison of nominal shear capacities according to the 11th Edition AASHTO-STD (1973), AASHTO LRFD (2004), ACI 318-08 including provisions for strut and tie models is carried out. By examining the ratios of nominal shear capacity to demands for each code, considering all load and resistance factors, these code-to-code comparisons are better able to identify girders that may be deficient according to today's standards than a direct comparison of nominal capacities alone. Experimental results for shear capacity of real-world girders are compared with the codes' nominal capacities to check if the girders are structurally sufficient. Additionally, LRFR is used to check the statistical safety for AASHTO inventory and legal loads. Preliminary results are presented on the estimation of effective prestressing force using static test data. Nominal shear capacity is particularly sensitive to effective prestressing force under current design codes, so it's important to have accurate values when making calculations. In attempt to get more accurate results for effective prestressing force, span varying flexural stiffness is assumed. This assumption reflects that girders with long histories may be damaged, obvious or otherwise. Inverse problems are formulated where input and output are measured to determine system properties. Key challenges are discussed, and future work is identified. For a given girder, the ratio of nominal shear capacity to demands has generally decreased with newer codes. Girders having this ratio near one for the 11th Edition AASHTO-STD may be structurally deficient according to newer codes, however, LRFR results show that the girders in this study are safe for all AASHTO legal loads. Experimental results indicate that the girders’ actual capacity exceeds nominal capacity of current codes. Additional shear capacity tests should be performed on more real-world girders to get a more definitive conclusion. KW - Bridge design KW - Girders KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Precast concrete KW - Prestressed concrete bridges KW - Shear capacity KW - Shear design UR - http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/spr-rip/library/reports/fhwa-ok0808.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104032 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01162954 AU - Mishra, S AU - Schweiger, C AU - TranSystems Corporation AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Monterey Salinas Transit ITS Augmentation Project-Phase II Evaluation Report PY - 2008/12 SP - 93p AB - The purpose of this document is to present the findings from the Phase II Evaluation of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Augmentation Project that was implemented at the Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) in Monterey, California. This project, implemented using the Federal Fiscal Year 2003 ITS Integration Program Funds, originally included automated passenger counting (APC) technology, digital video surveillance, on-board automated vehicle annunciation (AVA), smart-card based fare payment, web-based trip planning, and real-time information systems. Although many of these systems were already implemented as of August 2008, deployment of some of these technologies has been delayed for institutional or technical reasons. The goal of the evaluation was to determine the impacts of these technologies in performing daily functions such as operations, scheduling, service planning, and maintenance, and to gather and document any lessons learned by the MST throughout the process of the deployment and operation of the technologies. This report discusses impacts to date of the technologies that have been in place for at least one year as of August 2008. Findings from customer satisfaction interviews and impacts of real-time information, transit signal priority and web-based trip planning on MST operations will be documented in the Phase III report. KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - Computer aided dispatch (CAD) KW - Customer satisfaction KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Passenger counting KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Technological innovations KW - Transit operating agencies UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920687 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159760 AU - Pollock, David G AU - Dupuis, Kenneth J AU - Lacour, Benjamin AU - Olsen, Karl R AU - Washington State University, Pullman AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Detection of Voids in Prestressed Concrete Bridges Using Thermal Imaging and Ground-Penetrating Radar PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 77p AB - Thermal imaging and ground-penetrating radar was conducted on concrete specimens with simulated air voids. For the thermal imaging inspections, six concrete specimens were constructed during the month of June 2007 to simulate the walls of post-tensioned box girder bridges. The objective was to detect simulated air voids within grouted post-tensioning ducts, thus locating areas where the post-tensioning steel strands are vulnerable to corrosion. The most important deduction taken from these inspections was that PT-ducts and simulated voids were more detectable in the 20 cm (8 in.) thick specimens than in the 30 cm (12 in.) thick specimens. While inspections of the 20 cm (8 in.) thick specimens revealed the majority of their simulated voids, only one thicker specimen inspection (12c) indicated the presence of simulated voids (four voids in two ducts). Also, PT-ducts were much clearer and visible in the thermal images of the thinner specimens. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) inspection was conducted on fourteen concrete specimens between August and October 2007. Based on the GPR surveys conducted in this study, it is apparent that the detection of post-tensioning strands and simulated voids within grouted ducts embedded in concrete is possible with a 1.5 GHz GPR system. The layout of the top layer of steel reinforcement in each concrete specimen was evident in the GPR images, but the bottom layer of reinforcement was not clearly detected since it was effectively “hidden” beneath the top layer of rebar. Although none of the post-tensioning strands and simulated air voids within the grouted steel ducts was detectable, simulated voids within plastic ducts were generally detectable in GPR images. The high dielectric constant of the steel ducts did not allow the microwaves to transmit through the surface of the duct and reach the simulated voids. However, the general location of the duct, its orientation and its depth in the concrete were accurately determined using GPR. Thus it can be inferred that the void orientation is critical for detection in GPR images. KW - Air voids KW - Flaw detection KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Inspection KW - Prestressed concrete bridges KW - Thermal imagery UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/717.1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56100/56170/WA-717.1.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920187 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159759 AU - Endeshaw, Mesay A AU - ElGawady, Mohamed A AU - Sack, Ronald L AU - McLean, David I AU - Washington State University, Pullman AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Retrofit of Rectangular Bridge Columns Using CFRP Wrapping PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 75p AB - This study investigated retrofitting measures for improving the seismic performance of rectangular columns in existing bridges. Experimental tests were conducted on 0.4-scale column specimens which incorporated details that were selected to represent deficiencies present in older bridges in Washington State. Two unretrofitted specimens were tested to examine the performance of the as-built columns incorporating lap splices at the base of the columns and deficient transverse reinforcement. Five columns were retrofitted with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite wrapping and one specimen was retrofitted with a steel jacket. The specimens were subjected to increasing levels of cycled lateral displacements under constant axial load. Specimen performance was evaluated based on failure mode, displacement ductility capacity and hysteretic behavior. For retrofitting of rectangular columns, it is recommended that oval-shaped jackets be used whenever possible. Column specimens with oval-shaped jackets of steel and CFRP composite material performed similarly, both producing ductile column performance. Failure in these specimens was due to flexural hinging in the gap region between the footing and retrofit jacket, leading to eventual low-cycle fatigue fracture of the longitudinal reinforcement. Details and procedures for the design of oval-shaped steel jackets are provided in FHWA Seismic Retrofitting Manual for Highway Bridges (2006). Design guidelines for oval-shaped CFRP jackets are given in ACTT-95/08 (Seible et al., 1995). Oval-shaped jackets designed according to these recommendations can be expected to prevent slippage of lapped bars within the retrofitted region. Design guidelines for rectangular-shaped retrofitting using CFRP composite materials are proposed for application to columns with cross-section aspect ratios of 2 or less. While no slippage of the lap splice was observed, it is conservatively recommended that rectangular-shaped CFRP wrapping be used only for the situation where controlled debonding of the lap splice is acceptable. KW - Bridges KW - Carbon fibers KW - Columns KW - Earthquake resistant structures KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Retrofitting UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/716.1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56100/56169/WA-716.1.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920189 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01158864 AU - Jewell, John AU - Peter, Rich AU - Whitesel, David AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Compliance Crash Testing of the Type 60K Terminus PY - 2008/12 SP - 35p AB - Crash testing for compliance with NCHRP Report 350 was performed on a Type 60K terminus. The Type 60K terminus was comprised of Type 60K portable concrete barrier (TL-3 approved) anchored to Type 60 concrete barrier at one end but free at the other. The Type 60K is a concrete barrier made up of 4-m long segments, which are connected together by pins. The barrier is freestanding and has a profile to match the Caltrans Type 60 median barrier. 9 segments (approximately 36 m) were pinned together with restraining stakes placed against the back edges of the last two segments of the arrier. For testing purposes, it was not necessary to anchor one end to Type 60 concrete barrier. One crash test was performed under Report 350 Test Level 3 with a 2000-kg pickup truck. The results of the test were within the limits of the Report 350 guidelines. The Type 60K Terminus is recommended for approval on California highways requiring a down-stream end treatment to the Type 60k barrier with the following limitations: First, there must be a need to be able to remove the barrier. Second, because a blunt end is exposed, it may not used in locations where a reverse hit is possible. Third, because it is restrained from lateral movement in one direction only, it cannot be placed where impact can occur on the unrestrained side. KW - Barriers (Roads) KW - California KW - Concrete KW - Guardrail terminals KW - Impact tests UR - http://www.dot.ca.gov/newtech/researchreports/reports/2008/60k_terminus_final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/918388 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01158417 AU - Decker, Dale S AU - Dale S Decker, LLC AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Critical Review of ADOT's Hot Mix Asphalt Specifications PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 37p AB - The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has developed specifications and procedures to ensure the quality of the hot mix asphalt materials purchased by the Department. The document recording these specifications and procedures is the "Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction." The 2008 Standard Specifications is the reference used throughout this document. Specifications, however, are constantly changing as technology advances, materials change, and mix design criteria change. The objectives of this project are to: review the state-of-the-industry in Arizona with a focus on equipment and technologies currently being used; review ADOT’s construction operations conformance history reports to identify probable causes of non-conformance; perform a critical review of the asphaltic concrete sections of the current standard specifications; recommend asphaltic concrete specification changes; and prepare a report of the activities. These objectives were met by holding a series of workshops in Arizona with both ADOT and contractor personnel participating. The workshops gave participants an opportunity to discuss issues and concerns with details of the existing specifications. Based on this input, a critical review of the existing specifications was prepared and recommendations for revising the specifications to national state-of-the-practice were made. In addition, recommendations were made for revisions to ADOT’s construction operations conformance history reporting system. KW - Arizona KW - Arizona Department of Transportation KW - Asphalt concrete KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Revisions KW - Road construction KW - Specifications KW - State of the practice KW - Workshops UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ657.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/919072 ER - TY - SER AN - 01156918 JO - Research Results PB - Federal Railroad Administration AU - Allen, Leonard AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Preliminary Results of Prototype Insulated Joint Tests at the Facility for Accelerated Service Test PY - 2008/12 SP - 4p AB - As part of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives Program, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the AAR, in Pueblo, Colorado, is working with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), suppliers, and railroad companies to improve the service life of bonded insulated joints (IJs) in a heavy axle load environment at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). Twenty-eight prototype IJs are being tested at FAST. Prototype IJs were installed in-track by TTCI to examine the extent of improvement in IJ performance and service life using improved conventional and miter cut designs. While long-term performance of these joints remains to be determined, preliminary conclusions made are favorable. Component durability: Flexible material in and around the end post area may reduce adhesive cracking. No significant difference in the performance of bolted versus Huck® fasteners was observed. Higher metal flow was observed at the ends of lower hardness rails. Improved foundations and reduced deflections: Wider wood ties, wood frame ties, and closely spaced wood ties appear to have reduced ballast surfacing requirements under IJs. IJ deflections may be reduced by up to 30 percent by doubling the modulus of current joint bars. Higher modulus bars will also increase fatigue strength of joint bars. Reduced impacts: Due to a smoother wheel transition across the end post, miter cut joints imparted 50 percent lower dynamic loads to rail as compared to conventional IJs. These dynamic loads are comparable to open track. A 3/16-inch rail gap for conventional butt joints is optimal for reducing impacts and metal flow. Solid sawn wood ties provide greater damping as compared to composite wood ties and concrete ties with rubber pads. Reduced longitudinal stresses: Miter cut joints have 40 percent higher resistance to longitudinal loads than conventional IJs. KW - Axle loads KW - Deflection KW - Durability KW - Facility for Accelerated Service Testing KW - Impact KW - Insulated joints KW - Rail components KW - Rail joints KW - Stresses UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42800/42892/rr0811.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917711 ER - TY - SER AN - 01156886 JO - Research Results PB - Federal Railroad Administration AU - Allen, Leonard AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Update on Bridge Deck Fastener Performance on the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing Steel Bridge PY - 2008/12 SP - 4p AB - The performance of several bridge deck fastening systems is being evaluated on the steel bridge at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) at the Transportation Technology Center, in Pueblo, Colorado. Fastening systems tested to date include several variations using hook bolts, as well as spring clips. Results to date indicate that minor, inexpensive installation details can lead to significant increases in time required between maintenance. Details, such as the use of double nuts and threaded fastener adhesive, have proven to be particularly effective. At FAST, more than 500 million gross tons (MGT) of traffic passed over the bridge after this retrofit was applied before tightening was required. Other hardware details, such as the use of locking clips, can also increase time between maintenance, particularly in high-impact areas near rail joints. Locking clips have proven to extend maintenance cycles at FAST. But, some other hardware variations offered little or no benefit under the heavy axle load (HAL) traffic at FAST. Results for eight different deck fastener combinations are presented in this paper. Advantages and drawbacks, as well as failure modes, are noted based on the test experience at FAST. The bridge deck at FAST is a Conrail open-deck design with dapped oak ties. The open deck has carried over 1,300 MGT of 315,000-pound (lb) HAL traffic since installation in late 1997. KW - Bridge decks KW - Facility for Accelerated Service Testing KW - Fasteners KW - Railroad bridges KW - Steel bridges UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42800/42898/rr0818.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917701 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154180 AU - Schneider, Gary AU - Fish, Chuck AU - R&S Consulting, LLC AU - Wyoming Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Interstate-80 Freight Corridor Analysis: Current Freight Traffic, Trends and Projections in Special Consideration of Wyoming Policy-makers in Planning, Engineering, Highway Safety and Enforcement PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 198p AB - This report is the result of a two-part study intended to provide input to the Wyoming Department of Transportation's (WYDOT’s) long-term planning process for the I-80 facility. The first phase of the study involved an on-the-ground freight survey of over 2,000 truckers traveling eastbound and westbound on Interstate 80. The second phase involved analysis of macro-trends that will influence future freight volumes along the I-80 corridor through Wyoming. The study uses a scenario analysis framework to combine data and insight from these two phases to yield useful input and a potential freight planning framework for WYDOT planners and decision makers. KW - Decision making KW - Forecasting KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Interstate 80 KW - Long range planning KW - Surveys KW - Truck drivers KW - Wyoming UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44300/44320/R_S_I-80_Freight_Analysis_-_Final_Report_101009_-_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915753 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153261 AU - Douma, Frank AU - Deckenbach, Jordan AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Implications of Current and Emerging Privacy Law for ITS PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 42p AB - As Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) incorporate data-gathering and compiling systems into the transportation infrastructure, questions about privacy implications stemming from the potential misallocation or abuse of collected data have started to arise. The United States has no comprehensive national regulatory structure for privacy, leaving answers to these privacy questions to be found through a consideration of variety of sources of federal and state privacy law. In this paper, the authors examine a number of the areas where privacy law could impact ITS projects. To address these concerns, developers and planners of ITS technologies have to navigate a myriad of legal considerations and consequences that correspond with the ways in which they utilize the technologies and the information they collect. In an attempt to assist in that endeavor, the final part of this paper suggests tools for ITS developers and planners that explain the level of restrictions that correspond with different kinds of information being collected. KW - Data collection KW - Federal laws KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Legal factors KW - Privacy KW - State laws KW - United States UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1280 UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=1864 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914850 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142762 AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Wireless Passenger Communications System PY - 2008/12 SP - 4p AB - The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funds research for the enhancement of safety on passenger trains. Utilizing the Department of Transportation Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, FRA funded a research project to investigate the feasibility of equipping passenger trains with a back-up communication system that would be used when the trainline communication network is compromised. DFuzion, Inc. conducted the research and developed the concept of the Wireless Passenger Communication System (WPCS) that would allow the train crew and emergency responders to keep the passengers informed in emergencies and provide guidance to all passengers in the event that the train needs to be evacuated. KW - Emergency communication systems KW - Passenger trains KW - Railroad cars KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad transportation KW - Train crews KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0001 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902899 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142761 AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Update of Heavy Axle Load Revenue Service Testing at Mega Sites in Revenue Service PY - 2008/12//Research Results SP - 4p AB - In 2007, most revenue service experiments at the eastern and western mega sites continued. These two sites were established by the Association of American Railroads and the Federal Railroad Administration in late 2004 to consolidate various field experiments, which are designed to determine the effects of heavy axle load (HAL) traffic on track infrastructure and monitor new technologies intended to mitigate detrimental effects of HAL on the track structure and improve train operation safety. Premium test rails at both mega sites continue to show excellent wear resistance. Without preventive grinding, rolling contact fatigue (RCF) developed after 300-350 MGT on the low rails in the 2-degree test curves at the western mega site. Corrective grinding was required at 375 MGT to remove RCF. At the eastern mega site, wide gap welds continue to show good performance with no surface or internal defects identified for 123 MGT of traffic. KW - Axle loads KW - Durability KW - Heavy axle loads KW - Rail grinding KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad tracks KW - Rolling contact KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2013 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902898 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142752 AU - Lee, Mary T AU - Multer, Jordan AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Visualizing Railroad Operations: A Tool for Planning and Monitoring Railroad Traffic PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 45p AB - This report provides an overview of the development and technology transfer of the Railroad Traffic Planner application, a visualization tool with string line diagrams that show train positions over time. The Railroad Traffic Planner provides support for scheduling activities and also includes near-real-time position information for trains and maintenance vehicles with associated global positioning system tracking devices installed. One objective of this project was to research the potential for this type of visualization tool to improve safety and productivity in the railroad industry. Another objective was to demonstrate the process of technology transfer by bringing this tool to additional railroads and other interested parties in the railroad industry. While some challenges were encountered during this project, many potential benefits of string line tools were identified. Recommendations for people interested in developing, transferring, and using systems like the Railroad Traffic Planner are offered. KW - Automatic train location KW - Car operations (Railroads) KW - Global Positioning System KW - Human factors KW - Railroad transportation KW - Real time information KW - Software KW - Straight line diagrams KW - Technology transfer UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33709/33709.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/903032 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142530 AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Safe Practices, Operating Rule Compliance, and Derailment Rates Improve at Union Pacific Yards with STEEL Process A Risk Reduction Approach to Safety PY - 2008/12 SP - 4p AB - After the success of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Human Factors Program demonstration project at Union Pacific (UP) Railroads San Antonio Service Unit (SASU), which focused on managers and road crews with a proactive safety risk reduction method called Clear Signal for Action (CSA), the Livonia Service Unit (LVSU) applied the same method to managers and switching-yard crews in Spring 2006, hoping to improve safety and safety culture. The LVSU project, entitled Safety Through Employees Exercising Leadership (STEEL), has focused mostly on the Avondale Yard. CSA combines behavior-based safety, continuous improvement, and safety leadership. With sponsorship from FRA, Behavioral Science Technology Inc. is instructing and advising on the implementation of STEEL. In addition to sponsoring the CSA implementation, FRA is sponsoring a lessons-learned team (LLT) to examine what is necessary to implement CSA successfully, the impact on safety, and what factors help to sustain it. The impact of STEEL on switching-yard crew practices is evaluated in this paper from four sources of data: (1) sampling data collected by workers as part of STEEL, (2) field training exercise (FTX) test results, (3) perceptions of workers and managers as reported in interviews, and (4) human factor derailments. KW - Compliance KW - Derailments KW - Railroad crashes KW - Railroad safety KW - Risk assessment KW - Safety Through Employees Exercising Leadership KW - Training KW - Union Pacific Railroad UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2840 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902892 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142526 AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Remote Coupling and Uncoupling of Freight Cars PY - 2008/12 SP - 4p AB - To increase the safety of freight railroad operations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has been funding research into three distinct freight car components that can be used together to couple and uncouple freight cars remotely. These three components are tri-coupler, remote-controlled angle cock (RCAC), and remote-controlled cut-lever (RCCL). FRA funded Sharma & Associates, Inc.(SA) to research, develop and demonstrate the three items mentioned above. These components are planned for demonstration on another FRA-sponsored project, the Advanced Concept Train (ACT). The RCACs are installed on the train. The RCCLs will be installed at the same time as the tri-couplers. The tri-coupler is undergoing field-testing and will be installed on the ACT train as soon as the field operation is verified. u0926 KW - Automatic train control KW - Brakes KW - Couplers KW - Field tests KW - Freight traffic KW - Railroad cars KW - Railroad safety KW - Remote control KW - Vehicle track coupling (Railroads) UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2016 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902890 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142510 AU - Association of American Railroads AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Gas Pressure Welds and Hollink Slot Welds Testing at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing PY - 2008/12//Research Results SP - 4p AB - In 2006, two new weld tests were installed in the High Tonnage Loop (HTL) at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) located at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado. Two rail strings containing a total of 10 gas pressure welds (GPWs) were installed in Section 3 at FAST in January, and in June, the Holland Company sent one of its Hollink slot weld vehicles to make several robotic gas-metal-arc railhead repair welds for in-track testing in a 5-degree curve with a 4-inch superelevation. A total of 14 slot welds were installed in Section 3 at FAST for testing. The primary objective of these tests was to improve field weld performance under heavy axle load cars. As of June 2007, the GPW test accumulated 263 million gross tons (MGT). Three of the welds required maintenance at 84 MGT due to weld batter (approximately 0.065 inch). Rails adjacent to the welds were taper-ground to minimize impacts on the welds. Three additional welds failed due to subsurface shells that broke out on the gage face at 150, 193, and 216 MGT. Another weld failed at 165 MGT due to web cracking which originated at a rail manufacturers stamp located in the weld heat affected zone. The GPW test outlived both the first and second generation of thermite welds used for the test in track. The heat-treated process needs to be improved further. Currently, the Jinzhou Institute in China is improving and automating a welding process to produce a product suitable for North American railroads. The Hollink slot weld equipment was not capable of performing slot welds in a 5-degree curve with a 6-inch superelevation because of the physical limitations of the weld dam consumables. One plant weld was successfully slot welded. Two welds experienced horizontal fractures that originated at the weld fusion line in the railhead at 124 and 127 MGT. A third weld failed due to shelling of the gage corner at 171 MGT. As of June 2007, the slot weld test accumulated 192 MGT. KW - Gas pressure welding KW - Heavy axle loads KW - Million gross tons KW - Railroad tracks KW - Railroad transportation KW - Slot welding KW - Superelevation KW - Test tracks UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902724 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142494 AU - Association of American Railroads AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Evaluation of Tie Plate Cracking on Composite Ties PY - 2008/12//Research Results SP - 4p AB - Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), in Pueblo, Colorado, conducted a study to determine the effect of tie stiffness on the durability of tie plates mounted on plastic and wood ties on the High Tonnage Loop (HTL) at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). Recently, several tie plates mounted to plastic ties have failed under normal operating conditions at FAST, while no tie plate failures were observed in wood tie sections in the same conditions. TTCI completed a metallurgical analysis, a field test, and a laboratory test to examine possible causes of the tie plate failures. Three tie test zones were studied, two plastic tie zones and one wood tie zone. Two zones experienced over 900 million gross tons (MGT) of heavy axle load (HAL) traffic, while one zone had over 420 MGT of traffic. The work discussed here provides evidence that the lower stiffness of plastic/composite ties adversely affected the service life of the tie plates under loading conditions at FAST. Review of laboratory testing and testing at FAST shows that there is a direct relationship between tie stiffness and stress recorded in the tie plate. Test results suggest that plastic ties allow the tie plates to flex more than those mounted on timber ties, which have a higher stiffness, and therefore subject the plate to a higher stress environment. This high-stress, high-cycle load environment caused early fatigue failure in plates supported by plastic ties. A direct comparison of tie plate performance was made between wood ties and plastic ties in a 6-degree curve on the HTL using three separate 100-tie test zones. Approximately 16 percent of the tie plates mounted on one type of plastic tie on the high rail of the curve cracked on the field side of the rail under 39,000-pound (lb) wheel loads during 900 MGT of traffic. In a nearby plastic tie zone, with over 420 MGT, 3 percent of the high rail tie plates experienced identical failures. None of the tie plates on wood ties cracked during 900 MGT of traffic. Because plastic ties are an alternative for wood ties, TTCI recommends continued investigation into broken plates in revenue service. KW - Failure KW - Heavy axle loads KW - Plastic composite ties KW - Railroad ties KW - Railroad transportation KW - Stiffness KW - Tie plates KW - Wood ties UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42900/42901/rr0821.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902721 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142470 AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Confidential Close Call Reporting System: Preliminary Evaluation Findings. Research Results PY - 2008/12 SP - 4p AB - The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is implementing a collaborative problem-solving approach to improving safety. The Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) is a human factors-based approach that is designed to reduce the accident rate more quickly--a rate that declined markedly until 1985, but which has remained stable since then. The assumption driving C3RS is that technology and process innovations are approaching the limits of their capacity to improve safety, and that human factors-based solutions need to be added to the technology/process mix if substantial safety improvement is to occur in the future. C3RS-like programs have proved themselves in other industrial sectors, but their use in the railroad industry is novel. KW - Close calls KW - Crash rates KW - Crash reports KW - Human factors engineering KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad traffic KW - Railroad transportation KW - Technological innovations UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2841 UR - http://www.utu.org/worksite/PDFs/close_call_reporting_rr0833.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902712 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01142463 AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Development of Rail Neutral Temperature Monitoring Device PY - 2008/12//Research Results SP - 4p AB - With the increased use of continuously welded rail (CWR), interest in accurately, reliably, and cost-effectively monitoring rail neutral temperature (the temperature at which the rail has no longitudinal stress) has continually grown. One cannot safely assume that the rail neutral temperature remains fixed at the installation temperature, as experience has shown that it, in fact, varies with time because of the dynamic loads that the track structure experiences. As a result, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research and Development has initiated a research project to develop a cost-effective rail neutral temperature monitoring device. KW - Buckling KW - Continuous welded rail KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Monitoring KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad tracks KW - Sensors KW - Temperature KW - Thermal fatigue KW - Welded joints UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2014 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902716 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01141688 AU - Siegesmund, Peter AU - Kruse, Carl James AU - Prozzi, Jolanda P AU - Alsup, Rene AU - Harrison, Robert AU - Lorente, Paula AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Guide to the Economic Value of Texas Ports PY - 2008/12 SP - 73p AB - When policymakers make public investments, they are frequently interested in the economic impacts associated with their actions. Stakeholders are usually interested in a policy’s economic impact. Common ways of measuring economic impact are the quantity of jobs, sales, and tax receipts associated with an activity. These metrics are often reported as evidence that the welfare of a community will be (or is being) enhanced by a policy decision. This guide summarizes the findings of a Center for Transportation Research/Texas Transportation Institute (CTR/TTI) study team investigating the value of Texas ports for the Texas Department of Transportation found in Technical Report 0-5538-1, An Analysis of the Value of Texas Seaports in an Environment of Increasing Global Trade. The methods used to derive data reported in this document are detailed in that report, together with more substantive discussions and data on associated topics. KW - Economic impacts KW - Market value KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Ports KW - Seaports KW - Texas KW - Transportation policy UR - http://ctr.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/pubs/0_5538_P1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/902265 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01139459 AU - Eggers, John AU - Rupnow, Tyson D AU - Louisiana Transportation Research Center AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Flexural Strength and Fatigue of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (2004 Hale Boggs Deck) PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 37p AB - Through its history, a variety of wearing surface systems for the orthotropic steel deck of the Luling Bridge (aka Hale Boggs Bridge) have been built and studied. The main problem with these systems was they did not last the expected service life (20+ years). In 1999, a short test section was installed using steel reinforced concrete, and even though the reinforcing steel was not optimally designed and exhibited cracks, it is still serviceable. Based on the performance of this test section installed in 1999, a new test section was installed in 2004. This new test section is a steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) deck. The composition of the deck system is ½ in. of bridge deck steel, a thin (approximately ⅛ in.) layer of epoxy with impregnated aggregate and 3½ in. of SFRC. This study focused on the evaluation of the steel fiber reinforced concrete that was used in the new test section on the Luling Bridge. Test specimens of the same material that was to be used in construction of the wearing surface test section were produced. The specimens were then subjected to various test procedures, including flexure strength and fatigue, flexural toughness, and chloride ion penetration among others. One unexpected consequence discovered upon initial testing was that the bending failure mechanism of the composite deck system was not in the SFRC, as projected, but in the epoxy layer. Furthermore, repeated load fatigue testing of the specimens was inconclusive, but did reinforce the failure mechanism shown in previous results. That being said, no inference to projected fatigue life can be made from the laboratory results to the field results. KW - Bridge decks KW - Chloride permeability KW - Epoxy coatings KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Fatigue tests KW - Fiber reinforced concrete KW - Flexural strength KW - Laboratory tests KW - Luling Bridge (Louisiana) KW - Repeated loads KW - Steel fibers KW - Test sections KW - Toughness KW - Wearing course (Bridges) UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2009/fr_438.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31100/31158/fr_438.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/899786 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01138546 AU - Adams, Teresa M AU - Juni, Emil AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Compass 2007 Data Analysis and Reporting – Operational Report PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 97p AB - The “Compass” program collects rating data each year to help the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) understand current infrastructure conditions and trends. The data also helps WisDOT managers set reasonable maintenance targets that reflect department priorities and respond to limited resources. To ensure that maintenance targets are consistently reflected in work programs around the state, these priorities are shared with the WisDOT regions to help structure the Routine Maintenance Agreements with counties. To evaluate the maintenance target setting process, existing conditions are compared to their target levels to see if the annual goals were met or exceeded. KW - Compass program (Wisconsin) KW - Data analysis KW - Data reporting KW - Maintenance management KW - Strategic planning KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - Wisconsin Department of Transportation UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/01-06_CFIRE_FR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/898949 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01138317 AU - Johns Hopkins University, Laurel AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN)/Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM). Combination Implementation: Guidance for States. (White Paper) PY - 2008/12 SP - 15p AB - The Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) Program and the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) Program are closely related programs managed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). While both programs seek to improve motor carrier safety through information exchange, they have distinct objectives. They have similar, but not identical, requirements for the exchange of interstate registration credential data with the states but different processing methodologies for updating and processing that data. The two programs share the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) commercial vehicle information exchange system as their common data repository, which is more formally called the SAFER/PRISM Central Site (SPCS). This paper provides background on each program and discusses options for operational implementation of both programs. The intended audience includes state Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) program managers who have implemented or may decide to implement both CVISN and PRISM in their states, and would like more information on the relationship of the two programs and practical options to integrated deployment. KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - CVISN (Program) KW - Data quality KW - Guidelines KW - Information systems KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Management KW - Registrations KW - States KW - Traffic safety KW - Trucking UR - http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/cvisn/white-papers/CVISN-PRISM-V1-White-Paper.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/898491 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01138296 AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Large Truck Crash Overview, 2007 PY - 2008/12 SP - 6p AB - The mission of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is to promote the safe operation of commercial vehicles on our Nation's highways. Of the 41,059 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2007, 12% (4,808) died in crashes that involved a large truck. Another 101,000 people were injured in crashes involving large trucks. Only about 17% of those killed and 22% of those injured in large truck crashes were occupants of large trucks. KW - Bus crashes KW - Crash injuries KW - Crash investigation KW - Fatalities KW - Heavy duty vehicles KW - Motor carriers KW - Traffic safety KW - Truck crashes KW - U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/898546 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01137611 AU - Chaudhary, Neil K AU - Tison, Julie AU - Preusser Research Group, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Estimated Medical Cost Savings in Massachusetts by Implemention of a Primary Seat Belt Law PY - 2008/12 SP - 12p AB - This report examines 2006 hospital discharge data reporting cases where the external cause of injury to a vehicle occupant was a motor vehicle crash to predict the estimated savings to Massachusetts if a primary seat belt law is implemented. The savings are calculated using costs based on the report "Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes" (DOT HS 809 446). In Massachusetts, there is an expectation of a primary law reducing the burden of insurance companies by about $55.8 million from crashes occurring in a single year alone. The crash victims in Massachusetts would benefit by a reduction of about $3.9 million while the Federal Government would also reduce its costs by about $3.9 million before reimbursing Massachusetts for a portion of Medicaid Expenditures. Massachusetts would also reduce its spending by $5.7 million ($3.6 million after reimbursement). KW - Costs KW - Crash injuries KW - Economic impacts KW - Injury costs KW - Massachusetts KW - Medical costs KW - Primary enforcement laws KW - Primary seat belt laws KW - Seat belts UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30400/30473/811067.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/897743 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01135873 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Use of Advanced In-Vehicle Technology by Young and Older Early Adopters: Survey Results on Headlamp Systems. Traffic Safety Facts PY - 2008/12 SP - 3p AB - High intensity discharge (HID) headlamps and especially directionally adaptive headlamps are still relatively new technologies in the U.S. passenger vehicle fleet. Many drivers limit their nighttime driving as they get older. Driving at night may be especially difficult for some older drivers who experience reduced ability to see under low-light levels or are bothered by glare. One in eight Americans is 65 or older now, and this concern will continue to grow as the American population ages. It is possible that new technologies such as HID headlamps can assist older drivers to drive safer with less stress, thus extending their safe driving years. It is also possible that advanced headlamps may cause unintended consequences such as over-reliance on the technology or unsafe levels of glare for other drivers. The research reported here was conducted as one part of a broader study to learn more about driver experience with several new and emerging in-vehicle technologies, with focus on how these technologies are being used and how well their capabilities and limitations are understood, and with particular emphasis on the experience of older drivers. KW - Aged drivers KW - Driver information systems KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Glare KW - Headlamps KW - High intensity discharge headlamps KW - In vehicle sensors KW - Night driving KW - Technology assessment KW - Teenage drivers KW - Traffic safety KW - Travel surveys KW - Vehicle design UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash%20Avoidance/2008/811071.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/896169 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01135869 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Use of Advanced In-Vehicle Technology by Young and Older Early Adopters: Survey Results on Adaptive Cruise Control Systems. Traffic Safety Facts PY - 2008/12 SP - 3p AB - Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is an in-vehicle convenience feature designed to maintain a set speed and, when applicable, adjust the set speed to maintain a specified distance from a lead vehicle. When following another vehicle, the ACC system will automatically slow down or speed up in responses to changes in the lead vehicles speed. Adaptive Cruise Control systems are still relatively new technologies and are not widely available within the U.S. passenger vehicle fleet. One in eight Americans is 65 or older, and this proportion will continue to grow as the American population ages. It is possible that new technologies such as ACC can assist older drivers to drive more safely with less stress, thus extending their safe driving years. It is also possible that ACC may cause unintended consequences such as over-reliance on the technology. The research reported here was conducted as part of a broader study to learn more about driver experience with several emerging in-vehicle technologies. The focus of this study is on how these technologies are being used and how well their function and limitations are understood, with a particular emphasis on the experiences of older drivers. KW - Aged drivers KW - Autonomous intelligent cruise control KW - Driver information systems KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - High risk drivers KW - In vehicle sensors KW - Sensors KW - Teenage drivers KW - Traffic safety KW - Travel behavior KW - Vehicle design UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash%20Avoidance/2008/811070.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/896165 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01135863 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Use of Advanced In-Vehicle Technology by Young and Older Early Adopters: Survey Results on Sensor-Based Backing Aid Systems and Rear-View Video Cameras. Traffic Safety Facts PY - 2008/12 SP - 3p AB - Many large vehicles such as sport utility vhicles (SUV)s have been added to the U.S. passenger vehicle fleet in recent years, and drivers of these vehicles may not appreciate the full extent of blind spots to the rear of their vehicles. Often there is a substantial blind spot to the rear of a smaller vehicle as well. Backing may be especially difficult for some older drivers who develop reduced flexibility and reduced mobility of the head and neck. One in eight Americans is 65 or older now, and this concern will continue to grow as the American population ages. Many new vehicles are equipped with convenience systems designed to make backing easier. These systems include rear-view cameras and sensor-based backing aids. Although these systems were not developed as safety systems, this study explores several of the safety implications of the technologies. The research reported here was conducted as one part of a broader study to learn more about driver experience with several new in-vehicle technologies. The focus of this study is on how both types of backing aides are being used and how well their capability and limitations are understood, with particular emphasis on the experiences of older drivers. KW - Aged drivers KW - Driver information systems KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - In vehicle sensors KW - Rearview cameras KW - Technology assessment KW - Teenage drivers KW - Traffic safety KW - Travel surveys KW - Vehicle design KW - Video cameras UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash%20Avoidance/2008/811069.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/896173 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01135862 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Use of Advanced In-Vehicle Technology by Young and Older Early Adopters: Survey Results on Navigation Systems. Traffic Safety Facts PY - 2008/12 SP - 3p AB - Built-in vehicle navigation systems are proliferating in the United States. Navigation systems use GPS signals and map databases to display maps and turn-by-turn driving directions. Routing functions are also being integrated within larger driver information systems (radio, CD player, HVAC, etc.), and the use of voice recognition technology is becoming more common as a means to interact with and control system functions. One in eight Americans is 65 or older, and this proportion will continue to grow in the coming years. It is possible that new technologies such as navigation systems can assist older drivers to drive safer with less stress, thus extending their safe driving years. It is also possible that navigation systems may cause unintended consequences, such as over-reliance on the technology or increased levels of distraction. The research reported here was conducted as one part of a broader study to learn more about driver experience with several new and emerging in-vehicle technologies. The focus of this study is on how these technologies are being used and how well their capabilities and limitations are understood, with a particular emphasis on the experiences of older drivers. KW - Aged drivers KW - Driver information systems KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Geographic information systems KW - Global Positioning System KW - High risk drivers KW - In vehicle sensors KW - Navigation systems KW - Route guidance KW - Technology assessment KW - Teenage drivers KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash%20Avoidance/2008/811072.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/896170 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01135756 AU - List, George F AU - Falcocchio, John C AU - Ozbay, Kaan AU - Mouskos, Kyriacos C AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Quantifying Non-Recurring Delay on New York City’s Arterial Highways PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 321p AB - This research project was undertaken to provide a better understanding of the impacts of traffic incidents/accidents on traffic delays on New York City’s Arterial Highways, and to better quantify and predict non-recurring traffic delay for the city’s arterial highways. The project had two basic goals: (1) the development of New York City input data for the New York City’s application of the New York State Department of Transportation’s delay prediction model “CNAM” (Congestion Needs Analysis Model), and (2) investigation of the published literature to identify models/methods that could improve the CNAM approach for estimating non-recurring delay. The research activities consisted of six basic tasks as follows. Task 1 developed the goals and objectives for the research project, and identified the performance measures to be used in the collection and analysis of traffic incident data for New York City. Task 2 contains a review of the models that have been developed for predicting non-recurring delay. Task 3 was started by searching for potential data sources that could used to identify non-recurring incident characteristics and performance metrics. The task focused on agencies that are involved in highway incident management/monitoring as well as those that collect roadway attributes data, such as physical roadway and traffic flow characteristics. Task 4 was on look-up tables. In this task, the look-up tables for CNAM’s application in New York City were updated, consistent with data availability. Task 5 described how the new look-up tables will change the structure of CNAM and alter its predictions of non-recurring delay. A new set of look-up tables are recommended. KW - Arterial highways KW - Data collection KW - Forecasting KW - Literature reviews KW - New York (New York) KW - Nonrecurrent congestion KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic incidents KW - Traffic models UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/91/NRD_FinalRpt1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31000/31060/NRD_FinalRpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/895950 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01135287 AU - Clark, S AU - Ostrom, C B AU - Clark, S C AU - Boeing Aerospace Company AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Engine Damage-Related Propulsion System Malfunctions PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 220p AB - This document describes the research conducted as part of FAA contract DTFACT-03-C-00O33. The purpose was to research the operational effects and causes of engine damage and develop damage detection strategies using combinations of existing sensors (sensor fusion). The research included a comprehensive study of engine damage causes and effects from in-service data, an assessment of how and why engine damage should be annunciated to the flight crew, development of high-level sensor fusion-based damage detection strategies, and an assessment of the benefits and implementation considerations. KW - Aircraft KW - Damage detection KW - Detection and identification KW - Engine failure KW - Engines KW - Flight crews KW - Jet engines KW - Mechanical failure KW - Propulsion systems KW - Sensors UR - http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar0824.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/892200 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01135259 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities from January to October 2008 PY - 2008/12 SP - 2p AB - A statistical projection of traffic fatalities for the first ten months of 2008 shows a significant decline of about 10 percent as compared to fatalities from the same period in 2007. Preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) declined by 3.5 percent for the first nine months of the year. KW - Crash data KW - Fatalities KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811054.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/891721 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01135250 AU - Monsere, Christopher M AU - Bertini, Robert Lawrence AU - Ahn, Soyoung AU - Eshel, Oren AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium TI - Using Archived ITS Data to Measure the Operational Benefits of a System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering System PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 295p AB - A System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering (SWARM) system has been implemented in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, replacing the previous pre-timed ramp-metering system that had been in operation since 1981. SWARM has been deployed on six major corridors and operates during the morning and afternoon peak hours. This report presents results of a before and after evaluation of the performance of two freeway corridors as part of ongoing efforts to measure the benefits of the new SWARM system, as compared to the pre-timed system. The study benefited from using the existing regional data, surveillance and communications infrastructure in addition to a regional data archive system. The evaluation revealed that the operation of the SWARM system, as currently configured in the Portland metropolitan region, produced mixed results when comparing the selected performance metrics to pre-timed operation. For the I-205 corridor, the results were generally positive. In the morning peak period, SWARM operation resulted in an 18.1% decrease in mainline delay and decreased variability in the delay. For the afternoon peak period, improvements were also found (a 7.9 % decrease in mainline delay) with the exception of moderately congested days which saw an 4.7% increase in mainline delay. On the OR-217, however, significant increases were found in overall average delay. In the morning peak period, delay increased 34.9% while in the afternoon period delay increased 55.0%. These conclusions, however, must be tempered because of lack of ramp demand data. KW - Adaptive control KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Peak hour traffic KW - Performance evaluations KW - Portland (Oregon) KW - Ramp metering KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic control devices KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic flow UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31600/31690/OTREC-RR-08-04_Bertini_SWARM_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/894634 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01134953 AU - Surface Transportation Board TI - Proposed Canadian National Railway Company acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company : environmental impact statement PY - 2008/12//Volumes held: Draft(5v), Dsum, Final(5v),Fsum, Letters from the public B1 KW - Environmental impact statements UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/895703 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01134885 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC), Wayne County : environmental impact statement PY - 2008/12//Volumes held: Draft, F, technical reports B1 (2 discs) KW - Environmental impact statements KW - Michigan UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/895635 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01134863 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - I-295/I-76/Route 42 direct connection project : environmental impact statement PY - 2008/12//Volumes held: D, F(fol), Air quality technical environmental study B1, Hazardous waste screening technical environmental study B2, Historic architectural resources technical environmental study B3(3v), Natural ecosystems technical environmental study B4, KW - Environmental impact statements KW - New Jersey UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/895613 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01134851 AU - Chaudhary, Neil K AU - Tison, Julie AU - Preusser Research Group, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Estimated Medical Cost Savings in Nevada by Implementation of a Primary Seat Belt Law PY - 2008/12 SP - 12p AB - This report examines 2007 hospital discharge data reporting cases where the external cause of injury to a vehicle occupant was a motor vehicle crash to predict the estimated savings to Nevada if a primary seat belt law is implemented. The savings are calculated using costs based on the report "Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes" (DOT HS 809 446). In Nevada, there is an expectation of a primary law reducing the burden of insurance companies by about $4.2 million from crashes occurring in a single year alone. The crash victims in Nevada would benefit by a reduction of more than $503,000 while the Federal Government would reduce its costs by about $543,000 before reimbursing Nevada for a portion of Medicaid expenditures. Nevada would also reduce its spending by $1.6 million ($930,000 after reimbursement). KW - Costs KW - Crash injuries KW - Economic impacts KW - Injury costs KW - Medical costs KW - Nevada KW - Primary enforcement laws KW - Primary seat belt laws KW - Seat belts UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30500/30567/811068.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/894602 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01134794 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Kosciuszko Bridge project, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278) from Morgan Avenue in Brooklyn to the Long Island Expressway (I-495) in Queens, Kings and Queens counties : environmental impact statement PY - 2008/12//Volumes held: Draft, DappA-S, Final, Final AppendixA-L, Final AppendixM-T KW - Environmental impact statements UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/895554 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01133894 AU - Suh, Chul AU - Ha, Soojun AU - Won, Moon C AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Optimized Design of Concrete Curb under Off Tracking Loads PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 65p AB - Most research studies in the portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement area focused on addressing distresses related to pavement structure itself. As a result, the design and construction of other structural elements of the concrete curb and curb and gutter (CCCG) system have been overlooked and not much research has been done in this area. Visual inspection of damaged CCCG systems was conducted in the field. All damaged CCCG systems were the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Type II system and almost all damaged CCCG systems were found at U-turn curbs due to excessive off tracking of traffic. Although geometric changes of the curb design are the fundamental solutions for the off tracking failure, such changes are not feasible in most cases due to economic and space limitations. Extensive finite element analysis was performed based on the new U-turn curb design of the TxDOT Houston district. The horizontal loading is the most critical loading condition to evaluate the structural adequacy of a CCCG system. The structural capacity of CCCG can be enhanced by increasing the curb width and/or by inserting the curb dowel further from the traffic face of CCCG. The use of the new U-turn curb design from the TxDOT Houston district is highly recommended for areas affected by the off tracking of heavy vehicles. It is recommended to position the curb dowel further from the traffic face of a CCCG system for better performance when the new U-turn curb design is applied. The use of an epoxy-grouted curb dowel is also recommended instead of a manually inserted straight dowel bar to ensure better bond performance between dowel bar and concrete in a CCCG system. KW - Bond strength (Materials) KW - Curbs KW - Design KW - Dowels (Fasteners) KW - Epoxy resins KW - Grouting KW - Gutters KW - Offtracking KW - U turns UR - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/0_5830_1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/894557 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01132439 AU - Maher, Ali AU - Aktan, Emin AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Performance Based Integrated Asset Management (PBIAM) PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 8p AB - This investigation covered the following broad objectives: the state-of-the-art in asset management of highway infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad; and research needs for demonstrating a network-level implementation of asset management to a regional highway infrastructure system. The investigation and this report will serve as a foundation for a proposal to establish a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research center on infrastructure asset management. This proposal will be submitted by the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) and its partners to agencies including the National Science Foundation and the Federal Highway Administration. KW - Asset management KW - Highways KW - Implementation KW - State of the art KW - Transportation infrastructure UR - http://cait.rutgers.edu/files/PBIAM-RU4474.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/892783 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01131890 AU - Schnittker, Brian AU - Bayrak, Oguzhan AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Allowable Compressive Stress at Prestress Transfer PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 206p AB - In 2004, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) initiated Project 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 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 as well as conventional concrete. For all specimens, measured cracking loads were compared to predicted cracking loads. The data from the 45 Type-C beams and 10 box beams were added to the 36 beams investigated by Birrcher and Bayrak (2007) to compile a comprehensive set of data from 91 specimens. An appropriate maximum compressive stress limit was determined from the ability to accurately predict the load at which cracking occurred. As the maximum compressive stress at prestress transfer was increased, a decline in cracking load prediction accuracy was observed. For the specimens subjected to high compressive stresses at release (greater than 0.65f’ci), the concrete in the pre-compressed tensile zone was subjected to the non-linear inelastic range causing microcracking to occur. This non-linear behavior (due to microcracking) was unaccounted for in prestress losses or standard design equations (P/A±Mc/I). Based on the analysis of the results, an increase of the allowable compressive stress limit at prestress transfer to 0.65f’ci is justified. Additionally, the use of self consolidating concrete with a maximum compressive stress of 0.65f’ci is not recommended. KW - Beams KW - Box beams KW - Compressive stress KW - Cracking KW - Microcracking KW - Prestress transfer KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Self compacting concrete UR - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/0_5197_4.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/892069 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01131609 AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - McAvoy, Deborah S AU - Lynch, Jim AU - Vandeputte, Laurel AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of the SCATS Control System PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 114p AB - The purpose of this research study was to determine the effectiveness of Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) in reducing traffic congestion by examining traffic delay, queue length and other characteristics as measures of effectiveness (MOEs). Similar to many urban areas across the nation, Oakland County, one of the largest counties in the State of Michigan has been experiencing congestion for the past two decades. Looking for innovative and cost effective ways to improve road user mobility and safety, the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) began investigating innovative traffic control strategies associated with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). As a part of this effort, the county has gradually converted its signalized traffic network from optimized fixed-time to SCATS control starting from year 1992. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of SCATS signal system, a comparative parallel evaluation methodology was used, which compared the SCATS signal system with the pre-timed signal system. Student's t-test and Paired t-test were used as a part of the statistical analysis. Among the findings were the following: (1) The performance of the SCATS system was found to be superior for several of the MOEs for each of the peak periods generally for the eastbound travel direction; (2) A statistical difference was found between the two signal systems based upon the number of stopped vehicles for the minor roadways during the Saturday peak period - the number of stopped vehicles under the pre-timed system was fewer than under the SCATS signal system; and (3) A statistical difference was found between the two signal systems based upon the number of stopped vehicles for M-59 during the weekday PM peak period - the number of stopped vehicles under the SCATS signal system was fewer than under the pre-timed signal system. KW - Measures of effectiveness KW - Oakland County (Michigan) KW - Queue length KW - SCATS (Computer program) KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Traffic signal control systems KW - Travel time UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545F_364058_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-04/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS4_2008-Final_Report_Evaluation_of_SCATS_Control_System.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/891744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01130735 AU - Winick, Robert M AU - Matherly, Deborah AU - Ismart, Dane AU - Louis Berger Group, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Examining the Speed-Flow-Delay Paradox in the Washington, DC Region: Potential Impacts of Reduced Traffic on Congestion Delay and Potential for Reductions in Discretionary Travel during Peak Periods PY - 2008/12//Research Report SP - 80p AB - Traffic congestion in the Washington, DC area, especially congestion on our freeways, costs our residents every day in terms of wasted time, fuel, and increased air pollution. Highway studies have determined that once traffic volumes exceed the capacity of the roadway, the system can rapidly “break down” to the point where all traffic slows markedly, and the capacity and throughput of the roadway drops precipitously. The Federal Highway Administration commissioned this study to specifically evaluate speed, volume and delay for congested versus uncongested travel on some of the major roadways in the metropolitan Washington region, in order to identify the specific “tipping point(s)” at which free-flow traffic “breaks down”, and conversely, the volume of traffic that would have to be reduced in peak periods to keep traffic free-flowing. The study also analyzed survey data to estimate the number and percent of trips that people take in peak hours on our freeways that are discretionary trips. Finally, the study briefly reviewed empirical findings on experiences with congestion pricing in the US and abroad. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Discretionary trips KW - Free flow (Traffic) KW - Highway capacity KW - Peak periods KW - Throughput (Traffic) KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic speed KW - Washington Metropolitan Area UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09017/fhwahop09017.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30800/30837/fhwahop09017.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/891055 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01130690 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Summary Report: Peer Workshop on Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts PY - 2008/12 SP - v.p. AB - Recent research suggests that relatively little has occurred across the nation to proactively develop strategies and implement actions to adapt the transportation system to the various predicted impacts of climate change. Further, there is no "one size fits all" approach to adaptation since each region of the country (or state or locality) is likely to experience different levels and types of effects over time. There can be little doubt, however, that climate change will have impacts, both direct and indirect, on the transportation system. Indeed, some effects may already be being felt in some regions. Thus, there is a need to be proactive about maintaining the nation's mobility in a changing environment. To facilitate progress in addressing this issue, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), with the support of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), convened a peer exchange on current transportation system adaptation practices and strategic needs in Washington D.C. on December 11, 2008. This session included senior officials of state departments of transportation (DOTs), FHWA headquarters and division offices and AASHTO, who spent the day discussing existing and potential strategies and approaches for adapting the nation's transportation system to the impacts of climate change. This report summarizes the results of this session, and is one of series of FHWA reports documenting the results of national peer exchanges on integrating climate change considerations into the transportation planning process. FHWA developed this report to summarize the peer exchange results for the use and benefit of DOTs and their stakeholders across the country. The report summarizes participant presentations and the key issues that emerged during the event. To help support state DOT and other transportation agency efforts to adapt to climate change impacts, this report identifies suggestions from the peer exchange participants for potential elements of guidance, research and policy at the national level. KW - Adaptation planning (Climate change) KW - Climate change KW - Global warming KW - Peer exchange KW - State departments of transportation KW - Strategic planning KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation policy KW - Transportation system management KW - Workshops UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/statewide/pwsacci.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/891009 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01129898 AU - Ozbay, Kaan AU - Bartin, Bekir AU - Rathi, Neha AU - List, George F AU - Demers, Alixandra AU - Wojtowicz, Jeffrey M AU - Rutgers University, Piscataway AU - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Operational Improvements at Traffic Circles PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 101p AB - This study deals with the development of a credible and valid simulation model of the Collingwood, Brooklawn, and Asbury traffic circles in New Jersey. These simulation models are used to evaluate various geometric and operational improvement alternatives. An extensive review of the available simulation packages is presented. PARAMICS microscopic simulation software was selected due to its capability of modeling and simulating complex roadway structures and driver behavior. The simulation models of these circles were developed using PARAMICS. These models were validated and calibrated using the extensive field data collected as part of this project. The specifics of the collected data, and the extraction procedure are also explained in the report. The development of the simulation models and the validation and calibration steps are presented in detail. The study observed that the efficiency of these traffic circles is directly related to the gap acceptance/rejection of vehicles at yield-controlled or stop-controlled intersections, and the interarrival time of vehicles at the approaches. Therefore, at each selected location, gap acceptance/rejection models are developed based on the extracted data. The Application Programming Interface (API) of PARAMICS is used to incorporate site specific gap acceptance/rejection models. Also, to model realistic interarrival times at the approaches, the traffic signals at the vicinity of the circles are modeled using actual signal timing parameters. KW - Application software KW - Calibration KW - Field data KW - Gap acceptance KW - Improvements KW - Microsimulation KW - New Jersey KW - Paramics (Computer program) KW - Traffic circles KW - Traffic simulation KW - Validation KW - Vehicle interarrival time UR - http://www.nj.gov/transportation/refdata/research/reports/FHWA-NJ-2008-012.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/890117 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01129895 AU - List, George F AU - Demers, Alixandra AU - Wojtowicz, Jeffrey M AU - Ozbay, Kaan AU - Bartin, Bekir Oguz AU - Rathi, Neha AU - Rutgers University, Piscataway AU - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Operational Improvements at Traffic Circles: Safety Analysis PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 223p AB - The purpose of this study was to improve the safety and operation at three traffic circles in New Jersey. To do this, data were collected at the traffic circles to allow researchers to model the circles using the PARAMICS software simulation package. Once operational and safety factors were evaluated at the circles, alternatives for improvement were developed. The PARAMICS model was then utilized to evaluate the costs and benefits of each alternative. To augment the simulation work, empirical analysis was also performed using two model forms. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Improvements KW - Paramics (Computer program) KW - Traffic circles KW - Traffic safety KW - Traffic simulation UR - http://www.nj.gov/transportation/refdata/research/reports/FHWA-NJ-2008-011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/890115 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01129881 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Income-Based Equity Impacts of Congestion Pricing: A Primer PY - 2008/12 SP - 24p AB - There are three principal types of equity considerations that relate to the distribution of benefits and burdens of toll or congestion-pricing projects: income equity, geographic equity, and modal equity. This primer focuses on the first type of equity—income equity. Equity concerns with regard to income have often been raised about congestion pricing. The benefits of congestion pricing may not be distributed equally among all users. High-income users are more likely to remain on the highway, pay the congestion fee, and benefit from a faster trip. Low-income users may be worse off if they choose other less-expensive times, routes, or modes. When public use of infrastructure assets is deliberately made more expensive at certain times, low-income people and those concerned about their welfare may raise legitimate concerns about equity. Toll roads impact environmental justice in at least two ways: impacts from the alignment and impacts from the ability to take advantage of better service. This primer focuses on the second impact—the ability to take advantage of better service—because the focus is on congestion pricing as applied to existing facilities. This primer presents information on the low-income equity issue in three sections as follows: (1) An overview of what is known about the low-income equity issue on the basis of current literature; (2) Results from studies conducted under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT's) Value Pricing Pilot (VPP) Program; and (3) What is known about the issue, at this point in time, from DOT’s urban partners funded under the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) Program and the Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) Program. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Environmental justice KW - Equity (Finance) KW - Income KW - Literature reviews KW - Low income groups KW - Toll roads KW - Upper income groups KW - Urban Partnership Agreements KW - Value Pricing Pilot Program UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop08040/fhwahop08040.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30800/30888/FHWA-HOP-08-040.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/890006 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01128980 AU - Chen, Stuart S AU - Lamanna, Michael F AU - State University of New York, Buffalo AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Control of Blowing Snow using SnowMan (Snow Management): User Manual PY - 2008/12//User Manual SP - 80p AB - Properly engineered passive snow control measures can significantly reduce the safety hazards and winter maintenance costs associated with the problem of blowing and drifting snow. There are two possible mitigation strategies: roadway (cross section) design and snow fencing. This project developed and deployed a software application, named SnowMan (for Snow Management), to run within the New York State Department of Transportation's (NYSDOT’s) MicroStation-based CAD environment to assist highway designers and maintenance users in the design of such passive control measures. This effort thus extends the applicability of the earlier PASCON expert system software (Kaminski and Mohan 1991) and incorporates well-established knowledge regarding snow transport and deposition, evaluating roadway cross sections for drift susceptibility, design of passive and living snow fences, and earthwork modification for reducing drifting (Tabler 2003). The SnowMan software brings the science of engineered mitigation of blowing and drifting snow to the desktop. This manual describes the usage of this software tool for mitigation of blowing and drifting snow problems, while also providing an overview of the relevant data and principal output results produced by the software for blowing and drifting snow mitigation. Benefits of the use of this software include reducing maintenance costs and closure times and improving crash incidence by improving visibility, preventing drifting on the road, and reducing road icing. KW - Computer program documentation KW - Highway design KW - Snow and ice control KW - Snow fences KW - Snowdrifts KW - Software UR - https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C-01-67_user%20manual.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/889201 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01128972 AU - Lamanna, Michael F AU - Chen, Stuart S AU - State University of New York, Buffalo AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Control of Blowing Snow using SnowMan: Developer’s Manual PY - 2008/12//Developers Manual SP - 118p AB - Properly engineered passive snow control measures can significantly reduce the safety hazards and winter maintenance costs associated with the problem of blowing and drifting snow. There are two possible mitigation strategies: roadway (cross section) design and snow fencing. This project developed and deployed a software application, named SnowMan (for Snow Management), to run within the New York State Department of Transportation's (NYSDOT’s) MicroStation-based CAD environment to assist highway designers and maintenance users in the design of such passive control measures. This effort thus extends the applicability of the earlier PASCON expert system software (Kaminski and Mohan 1991) and incorporates well-established knowledge regarding snow transport and deposition, evaluating roadway cross sections for drift susceptibility, design of passive and living snow fences, and earthwork modification for reducing drifting (Tabler 2003). The SnowMan software brings the science of engineered mitigation of blowing and drifting snow to the desktop. This manual documents information relevant to programmers charged with maintaining and/or extending the software capabilities. Benefits of the use of this software include reducing maintenance costs and closure times and improving crash incidence by improving visibility, preventing drifting on the road, and reducing road icing. KW - Computer program documentation KW - Highway design KW - Snow and ice control KW - Snow fences KW - Snowdrifts KW - Software UR - https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C-01-67_developers%20manual.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/889200 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01127430 AU - Sayer, James R AU - LeBlanc, David J AU - Bogard, Scott E AU - Hagan, Michael R AU - Sardar, H AU - Buonarosa, Mary Lynn AU - Barnes, Michelle AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Department of Transportation TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems: Field Operational Test Plan PY - 2008/12 SP - 97p AB - This document presents the plan for conducting a field operational test (FOT) of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The plan describes the work that will be performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute using 16 passenger cars and 10 commercial trucks equipped with an integrated crash avoidance system. The goal of the IVBSS program is to conduct a field test to collect data to objectively assess the potential safety benefits and driver acceptance associated with prototype integrated crash warning systems. Both platforms have three integrated crash-warning subsystem systems (forward crash, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge warnings); the light-vehicle platform also has a fourth subsystem, curve-speed warning. For the light-vehicle portion of the FOT, 108 lay drivers will operate test vehicles in place of their own personal cars for a period of six weeks. Forty commercial-truck drivers from a commercial fleet will operate heavy trucks in place of the Class 8 tractors they normally use as their work vehicles for a period of five months. All vehicles will be instrumented to capture information regarding the driving environment, driver activity, system behavior, and vehicle kinematics. Driver information will be captured through a series of subjective questionnaires, focus groups, and debriefing sessions to determine driver acceptance and to gain insight for improving future versions of integrated crash warning systems. KW - Automobiles KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Field tests KW - Instrumented vehicles KW - Integrated Vehicle Based Safety Systems (Initiative) KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Prototypes KW - Trucks UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/62108 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/887960 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01126560 AU - Saber, Aziz AU - Roberts, Freddy L AU - Zhou, Xiang AU - Louisiana Tech University, Ruston AU - Louisiana Transportation Research Center AU - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Monitoring System to Determine the Impact of Sugarcane Truckloads on Non-Interstate Bridges PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 231p AB - The study included in this report assessed the strength, serviceability, and economic impact caused by overweight trucks hauling sugar cane on Louisiana bridges. Researchers identified the highway routes and bridges being used to haul this commodity and statistically chose samples to use in the analysis. Approximately 84 bridges were involved in this study. Four different scenarios of load configuration were examined: 1) GVW = 100,000 lb, with a maximum tandem load of 48,000 lb; 2) GVW = 100,000 lb, with a maximum tridem load of 60,000 lb; 3) Uniformly distributed tandem and tridem loads; and 4) GVW = 120,000 lb, with maximum tandem of 48,000 lb, and maximum tridem of 60,000 lb. It is to be noted that a GVW of 120,000 lb for sugarcane haulers was the highest level currently considered in this investigation. The methodology used to evaluate the fatigue cost of bridges was based on the following procedures: 1) determine the shear, moment, and deflection induced on each bridge type and span, and 2) develop a fatigue cost for each truck crossing with a) a maximum GVW of 120,000 lb, and b) a GVW of 100,000 lb with a uniformly distributed load. Through the use of a field calibrated finite element model, Structure 03234240405451 was analyzed and load rated for loading vehicles HS-20, 3S2 and 3S3 (sugar cane loading cases 1 through 4). The structure had adequate strength to resist both bending and shear forces for all six loading vehicles. It should be noted that all of the rating factors were acceptable for all 17 spans as long as the construction and the structural condition of each span were the same. Results indicate that among the four cases of loading configurations, Case 4, which was a GVW=120,000 lb with maximum tandem and tridem loads, generated the worst strength and serviceability conditions in bridges. Therefore, Case 4 is the loading configuration that controls the strength analysis and evaluation of fatigue cost for bridge girders. Based on the controlling load configuration, Case 4 with a GVW=120,000 lb, the estimated fatigue cost is $11.75 per trip per bridge. In Case 3, which was a GVW=100,000 lb uniformly distributed load; the estimated cost is $0.90 per trip per bridge. The results from the bridge deck analyses indicate that the bridge deck is under a stable stress state, whether the stresses are in the tension zone or the compression zone. Moreover, the decks of bridges with spans longer than 30 ft may experience cracks in the longitudinal direction under 3S3 trucks. Such cracks will require additional inspections along with early and frequent maintenance. Based on the results of the studies presented in this report, it is recommended that truck configuration 3S3 be used to haul sugar cane with a GVW of 100,000 lb uniformly distributed. This will result in the lowest fatigue cost on the network. It is recommended that truck configuration 3S3 not be used to haul sugar cane with GVW of 120,000 lb. This will result in high fatigue cost on the network and could cause failure in bridge girders and bridge decks. KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridges KW - Cracking KW - Economic impacts KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Finite element method KW - Girders KW - Gross vehicle weight KW - Load rating (Bridges) KW - Louisiana KW - Monitoring KW - Overweight loads KW - Sugar cane KW - Tandem axle loads KW - Tridem axle loads UR - http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/pdf/2009/fr_418.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/887641 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01126431 AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Federal Highway Administration Finding of No Significant Impact For the NW 100 Street Improvements between NW 54th Avenue and Brookview Drive, Urbandale, Iowa PY - 2008/12 SP - v.p. AB - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has determined that this project will not have any significant impact on the human and natural environment. This finding is based on the Environmental Assessment included with the document, which as been evaluated by the FHWA. It provides sufficient evidence and analysis for determining that an Environmental Impact Statement is not required. The proposed action for the project consisted of the following: a four-lane urban cross section with a curb and gutter, including a bicycle/pedestrian trail; and a replacement bridge. KW - Environmental assessments KW - Environmental impacts KW - Environmental streamlining KW - Iowa UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/887315 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01126422 AU - Maritime Administration TI - Public Port Finance Survey for FY 2006 PY - 2008/12 SP - 30p AB - This report is the result of a cooperative effort between the Maritime Administration and the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). This is the only report of its kind in the port industry that covers U.S. and Canadian ports. It has been compiled for 28 years, first by AAPA or a member port and now, for the ninth year, by the Maritime Administration. The report contains financial data on maritime activities at ports, including the income statement, balance sheet, outstanding bonds, debt service, sales offices, and cargo tonnage. Two additional sections cover data on ratio analyses and contributions, donations, and grants received in fiscal year 2006. KW - Debt KW - Financing KW - Grant aid KW - Income KW - Ports KW - Surveys KW - Tonnage UR - http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/REVISED_1-13-09___2006_Port_Finance_Survey_(final)_-_PRINT_ON_LEGAL_PAPER.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33200/33250/REVISED_1-13-09___2006_Port_Finance_Survey__final__-_PRINT_ON_LEGAL_PAPER.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/886632 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01126405 AU - Akashi, Y AU - Hu, Fei AU - Bullough, J D AU - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Sensitivity Analysis of Headlamp Parameters Affecting Visibility and Glare PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 59p AB - Computer-simulated evaluations were conducted to identify the extent to which driver visibility and glare are affected by headlamp light source type (e.g., tungsten-halogen or high-intensity discharge), mounting height, optical system type, alignment type, and mis-aim. Based on the results of these simulation evaluations, this study also addressed whether further limits might be considered in photometric standards for headlamps that are addressed by Federal regulations. While there appears to be an inherent conflict between visibility and glare in the photometric design of headlamps, the analyses performed here do indicate that current photometric specifications for headlamps do not always trade off visibility and glare equally (e.g., headlamps that provide equivalent forward visibility as characterized here can result in different levels of disability or discomfort glare). The findings imply that advanced (dynamic) forward-lighting systems (AFS), if they can be made practical, might be of benefit in adjusting headlamp luminous intensity distributions in various situations to maximize visibility while controlling glare within acceptable limits. KW - Glare KW - Headlamp aim KW - Headlamp mounting height KW - Headlamps KW - High intensity discharge lamps KW - Optical systems KW - Photometry KW - Sensitivity analysis KW - Tungsten-halogen lamps KW - Visibility UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30900/30958/811055_1_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/886695 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01125372 AU - Blower, Daniel AU - Matteson, Anne AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Evaluation of 2007 Arkansas Crash Data Reported to the MCMIS Crash File PY - 2008/12//Special Report SP - 39p 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 Arkansas. MCMIS Crash File records were matched to the Arkansas Crash file to determine the reporting rate and factors that affect the reporting rate. Only crashes with K, A, or B injuries could be evaluated directly for completeness of reporting. Within this group, 72.5 percent of reportable cases were reported. Two independent means were developed to estimate the overall reporting rate. These resulted in estimated overall reporting rates from 48 percent to 68 percent. Reporting rates were related to crash severity, with fatal involvements most likely to be reported, than less serious crash involvements. The involvements of large trucks were more likely to be reported than those of smaller trucks or buses. Reporting rates also varied by the type of investigation agency (state police, county sheriff, or city police). Missing data rates are low for most variables. Data on hazardous materials in the crash is only available from the supplemental form, and missing data is high for the hazmat materials name and the 4-digit hazmat class. KW - Arkansas KW - Crash data KW - Crash rates KW - Crash reports KW - Crash severity KW - Hazardous materials KW - Motor Carrier Management Information System Crash File KW - Motor carriers KW - Underreporting KW - Vehicle size UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61929 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885762 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01125370 AU - Woodrooffe, J F AU - Page, O AU - Blower, D AU - Green, P E AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Commercial Medium Tire Debris Study PY - 2008/12 SP - 236p AB - Trucking fleets and owners of commercial vehicles utilize both new and retread tires on their vehicles in the United States. Retread tires are used primarily for the cost advantage they provide over a similar new tire. Despite the advantages that retreaded tires may bring, public perception is that retread tires are less safe than new tires as evidenced by the amount of tire debris frequently found on the sides of U.S. Interstate highways. During summer 2007, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) under a subcontract from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) collected and studied truck tire debris and discarded tire casings from five sites in the United States. A random sample (totaling 1,496 items) of the tire debris/casings collected was analyzed to determine the probable cause of failure and its original equipment or retread status. This report presents the methodology and results from this investigation into the underlying causes of truck tire failures and gives an overview of the crash safety problem associated with heavy-truck tire failures. Also, background information on the manufacture of a truck tire, the truck tire retread industry, tire failure modes, industry stakeholder perspectives, an overview of other previous tire debris studies, conclusions, and recommendations for topics for further research are given. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Debris KW - Failure KW - Retreaded tires KW - Tire treads KW - Tires KW - Trucking safety KW - Trucks UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61517 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885765 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01124738 AU - Chehab, Ghassan R AU - Medeiros, Marcelo AU - Solaimanian, Mansour AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Bond Performance of FastTack® Emulsion for Tack Coat Applications PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 46p AB - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bond performance of FastTack® relative to that of AET through a host of laboratory tests. FastTack® is a proprietary, rapid-setting emulsion used as a bituminous tack coat for pavement applications. The product, produced by Whitaker Roads Corporation, is touted to exhibit a very fast set time feature that distinguishes it from regular rapid-setting emulsions. This is achieved by the introduction of certain additives, a process referred to as Colnet®. The rapid set time is beneficial for fast-track paving projects and hence could prove to be highly cost effective. However, the adoption of FastTack® as an approved replacement to typical tack coats used by PennDOT is contingent on it exhibiting bond characteristics similar to those exhibited by other rapid-setting emulsions such as AET. KW - Adhesion KW - Bituminous materials KW - Bond strength (Materials) KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Laboratory tests KW - Rapid set materials KW - Tack coats UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/886048 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01124331 AU - Trejo, David AU - Hite, Monique C AU - Mander, John B AU - Mander, Thomas AU - Henley, Mathew AU - Scott, Reece AU - Ley, Tyler AU - Patil, Siddharth AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of a Precast Bridge Deck Overhang System for the Rock Creek Bridge PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 132p AB - Precast, prestressed panels are commonly used at interior beams for bridges in Texas. The use of these panels provides ease of construction, sufficient capacity, and good economy for the construction of bridges in Texas. Current practice for the overhang deck sections requires that formwork be constructed. The cost of constructing the bridge overhang is significantly higher than that of the interior sections where precast panels are used. The development of a precast overhang system has the potential to improve economy and safety in bridge construction. This research investigated the overhang and shear capacity of a precast overhang system for potential use in the Rock Creek Bridge in Parker County, Texas. Grout material characteristics for the haunch and constructability issues were also addressed. Results indicate that the capacity of the precast overhang system is sufficient to carry factored AASHTO loads with no or very limited cracking. Results from the shear study indicate that the shear capacity of threaded rods and threaded rods with couplers is lower than the conventional R-bar system. However, modifications of the initial design and layout for the end panels should provide sufficient capacity. A commercial grout has been identified for use in the haunch zone. A recommendation for the haunch form system for use on the bridge is also provided. KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridges KW - Construction KW - Grout KW - Overhangs KW - Precast concrete KW - Prefabricated structures KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Shear capacity KW - Texas UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6100-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885755 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01124329 AU - Brydia, Robert E AU - Mattingly, Stephen P AU - Sattler, Melanie L AU - Upayokin, Auttawit AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Operations-Oriented Performance Measures for Freeway Management Systems: Final Report PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 98p AB - This report describes the second and final year activities of the project titled “Using Operations-Oriented Performance Measures to Support Freeway Management Systems.” Work activities included developing a prototype system architecture for testing the use of performance measures in real-time. Outputs from this effort included operator’s screens, a prototype database, and a concept of operations for using the real-time measures. Additional work showcased the application of a multi-criterion screening approach to the selection of competing performance measures. KW - Databases KW - Freeway management systems KW - Freeway operations KW - Performance measurement KW - Prototypes KW - Real time information KW - System architecture UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5292-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885779 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01124313 AU - Sperry, Robert AU - Latterell, Jack AU - McDonald, Thomas J AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Best Practices for Low-Cost Safety Improvements on Iowa’s Local Roads PY - 2008/12 SP - 109p AB - Many good maintenance practices are done routinely to ensure safe travel on low-volume local roads. In addition, there are many specific treatments that may go beyond the point of routine maintenance and in fact provide additional safety benefits with a relatively low price tag. The purpose of this publication is to try to assemble many of these treatments that are currently practiced in Iowa by local agencies into one, easy-to-reference handbook that not only provides some clarity to each treatment with photos and narrative, but also features references to agencies currently using that technique. Some strategies that are utilized by Iowa, other states, and are topics of research have also been included to allow the user more information about possible options. Even though some areas overlap, the strategies presented have been grouped together in the following areas: Signing and Delineation, Traffic "Calming," Pavement Marking and Rumble Strips/Stripes, Roadside and Clear Zone, Guardrail and Barriers, Lighting, Pavements and Shoulders, Intersections, Railroad Crossings, Bridges and Culverts, and Miscellaneous. The intention is to make this a “living” document, which will continue to be updated and expanded periodically as other existing practices are recognized or new practices come into being. KW - Barriers (Roads) KW - Best practices KW - Bridges and culverts KW - Clear zones KW - Flashing beacons KW - Guardrails KW - Handbooks KW - Highway safety KW - Improvements KW - Intersections KW - Iowa KW - Lighting KW - Low volume roads KW - Maintenance practices KW - Pavements KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Road markings KW - Road shoulders KW - Rumble strips KW - Traffic calming KW - Traffic signs UR - http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/reports/low-cost-safety-practices.pdf UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/low-cost-safety-practices.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885605 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01124312 AU - Shuler, Scott AU - Schmidt, Christopher AU - Colorado State University, Fort Collins AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Performance Evaluation of Various HMA Rehabilitation Strategies PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 140p AB - This study evaluates the performance of eight hot mix asphalt (HMA) rehabilitation strategies utilized by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The rehabilitation strategies are: 2 to 4-inch overlay without pretreatment; cold planing and overlay; stone matrix asphalt overlay; full-depth reclamation and overlay; heater scarification and overlay; heater remix and overlay; heater repaving and overlay; and cold-in-place recycling and overlay. Performance was evaluated with respect to six independent variables: (1) Performance Grade (PG) binder temperature range, (2) traffic volume, (3) highway classification, (4) maximum aggregate size, (5) CDOT region, and (6) climate. Data analyzed in the study were obtained from the CDOT Pavement Management System Program. Results of this analysis indicate that the cold planing and overlay strategy outperforms the other rehabilitation methods with 2 to 4-inch overlays performing second best. The heater scarification and overlay strategy performed poorest of the eight strategies. The average time required for these pavements to reach the pre-rehabilitation condition was from six to fourteen years based on a linear regression model. However, this model may overestimate rehabilitation life span since it is likely that a linear relationship is not valid for the entire rehabilitation strategy life cycle. Pavements were rehabilitated before reaching the zero service life threshold except when fatigue cracking was present. In the case of fatigue cracking, four rehabilitation strategies studied exceeded the zero service life threshold. This indicates that rehabilitation would have been warranted earlier in the life of these pavements. As a result, the expected life of the rehabilitation strategies utilized on these pavements may be shorter than could be expected had rehabilitation been done before distress reached this high level. This may explain why the heater scarification and overlay strategy performed poorer than other techniques since fatigue distress prior to rehabilitation on these projects exceeded the zero remaining service life threshold by nearly 20%. Continued transfer of pavement performance data from the CDOT Pavement Management System Program database is recommended to strengthen the validity of the data analysis. KW - Aggregate gradation KW - Bituminous binders KW - Climate KW - Cold in-place recycling KW - Full-depth reclamation KW - Highway classification KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Nominal maximum aggregate size KW - Overlays (Pavements) KW - Pavement cracking KW - Pavement management systems KW - Pavement performance KW - Planing KW - Regional analysis KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Resurfacing KW - Scarification KW - Service life KW - Stone matrix asphalt KW - Traffic volume UR - http://www.dot.state.co.us/publications/PDFFiles/hmarehab.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885623 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01124209 AU - Monsere, Christopher M AU - Bertini, Robert Lawrence AU - Ahn, Soyoung AU - Eshel, Oren AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Using Archived ITS Data to Measure Operational Benefits of a System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering (SWARM) System PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 132p AB - A System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering (SWARM) system has been implemented in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, replacing the previous pre-timed ramp-metering system that had been in operation since 1981. SWARM has been deployed on six major corridors and operates during the morning and afternoon peak hours. This report presents results of a “before” and “after” evaluation of the performance of two freeway corridors as part of ongoing efforts to measure the benefits of the new SWARM system, as compared to the pre-timed system. The study benefited from using the existing regional data, surveillance and communications infrastructure in addition to a regional data archive system. The evaluation revealed that the operation of the SWARM system, as currently configured in the Portland metropolitan region, produced mixed results when comparing the selected performance metrics to pre-timed operation. For the I-205 corridor, the results were generally positive. In the morning peak period, SWARM operation resulted in an 18.1% decrease in mainline delay and decreased variability in the delay. For the afternoon peak period, improvements were also found (a 7.9 % decrease in mainline delay) with the exception of moderately congested days which saw an 4.7% increase in mainline delay. On the OR-217, however, significant increases were found in overall average delay. In the morning peak period, delay increased 34.9% while in the afternoon period delay increased 55.0%. These conclusions, however, must be tempered because of lack of ramp demand data. If an assumption is made that ramp demand changes correspond with the measured freeway VMT changes, it is likely that ramp delay decreased under SWARM operation (i.e. more vehicles were allowed on the freeway which would equate to lower delay for vehicles on the ramps). Another important finding of this evaluation was that implementation of the SWARM algorithm resulted in significantly more data communication failures in the traffic management system. While this outcome is specific to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) communication infrastructure and hardware, it was not anticipated. These communication failures have the potential to impact other traveler information programs that depend on the freeway surveillance data as well as the SWARM algorithm. Finally, one of the intentions of this research project was to encourage ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement of the ramp metering system and, in general, the overall freeway management system. It is clear from the analysis that meter activation times and rates are necessary to evaluate system performance. Incorporating additional logging capabilities into the SWARM system would make it easier to evaluate system operations on an on-going automated basis. KW - Before and after studies KW - Data banks KW - Data communication failures KW - Freeway management systems KW - Highway corridors KW - Peak hour traffic KW - Portland Metropolitan Area (Oregon) KW - Ramp metering KW - Systemwide adaptive ramp metering KW - Traffic delays KW - Travel demand KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.otrec.us/main/document.php?doc_id=976 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885567 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01123421 AU - Price, Richard L AU - Puckett, Jay A AU - Barker, Michael G AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Use of Wind Power Maps to Establish Fatigue Design Criteria for Traffic Signal and High-Mast Structures PY - 2008/12 SP - 104p AB - Recent design requirements for traffic signal and sign structures incorporated fatigue load criteria related to wind that are producing significant increases in size and cost. The Fourth Edition of the AASHTO Luminaire and Traffic Signal Specification (2002 with interims) is a significant change to past practice and often results in much larger and more costly structures. The revised specification applies conservative principles (envelope wind demands and infinite fatigue life) for design at increased cost even for those regions not adversely affected by wind-induced fatigue. The states that do not have steady, sustained winds and have not experienced significant fatigue failures have concerns with the larger and more costly structures. A rationale basis for lowering the fatigue design loads may be appropriate. This study compares fatigue failures with respect to wind power (expressed as a function of average wind velocity). Inspection reports for approximate 2500 cantilevered traffic structures and 700 high-mast luminaires were collected and analyzed for suspected fatigue cracking. Each structure was located spatially and the associated wind power classification for that location was noted. (Wind power classifications are used to site wind generators.) This paper is limited to traffic signal structures. The inspected structures were classified as cracked or non-cracked and then categorized by their wind power classification and ambient average wind velocity. The probability of a structure having fatigue cracks increases with greater wind power classifications. Structure orientation, pole diameter, mast-arm length, in-service age, along with other details were also studied for their roles in in-service fatigue performance. Structures in low wind power classes have a lower probability of having fatigue developing cracks. The converse is true. KW - Aerodynamic force KW - Cracking KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - High mast lighting KW - High mast signal structures KW - Poles (Supports) KW - Structural design KW - Traffic signals KW - Wind resistant design UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC08-207.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884416 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01123022 AU - Kramer, Steven L AU - Washington State Transportation Center AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Liquefaction Hazards in Washington State PY - 2008/12//Final Research Report SP - 329p AB - This report describes the results of a detailed investigation of improved procedures for evaluation of liquefaction hazards in Washington State, and describes the development and use of a computer program, WSliq, that allows rapid and convenient performance of improved analyses. The report introduces performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) concepts to liquefaction hazard evaluation. PBEE procedures have been developed and implemented for evaluation of liquefaction potential, lateral spreading displacement, and post-liquefaction settlement. A new model for estimation of the residual strength of liquefied soil was also developed. The WSliq code was developed to have broad capabilities for evaluation of liquefaction susceptibility, liquefaction potential, and the effects of liquefaction. It provides new methods for dealing with the magnitude-dependence inherent in current procedures, and makes the common “magnitude selection” problem moot via a new multiple-scenario approach and through the use of PBEE procedures. KW - Computer programs KW - Earthquake engineering KW - Ground settlement KW - Hazard evaluation KW - Lateral spreading (Soil foundations) KW - Liquefaction KW - Liquefied soils KW - Performance analysis KW - Residual strength KW - Washington (State) UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/668.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884758 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01123012 AU - Carson, Jodi L AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Traffic Incident Management Quick Clearance Laws: A National Review of Best Practices PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 57p AB - Constituting “Quick Clearance Laws”, three types of general legislation – Move Over, Driver Removal, and Authority Removal laws - support concurrent Quick Clearance operations intended to enhance motorist and responder safety, as well as reduce congestion and delay. Although a number of States currently have one or more of these laws in place, observed variability in the existence, wording, and coverage of Quick Clearance Laws challenges further implementation. The intent of this investigation was to better support Quick Clearance Law implementation efforts by better preparing States to respond to questions regarding the necessity of Quick Clearance legislation and identifying examples from existing State Move Over, Driver Removal, and Authority Removal legislation that serve to both support and challenge successful incident management operations. Through this investigation, carefully crafted statutory content and language that best support Quick Clearance objectives, and agency/industry partnerships that provide demonstrated, united support for safe, Quick Clearance objectives and related legislation were observed to be key factors supporting implementation of Quick Clearance Laws. This report includes: (1) a description of the role and relevance of Quick Clearance Laws in the broader traffic incident management context; (2) a detailed review of the purpose and intent, model language, observed content trends and anomalies, and implementation challenges and resolutions for Move Over, Driver Removal, and Authority Removal laws including specific examples from State legislation; and (3) concluding remarks and proposed strategies for implementation, including beneficial synergy resulting from combined Quick Clearance Laws implementation. KW - Best practices KW - Clearance time (Traffic incidents) KW - Implementation KW - Incident management KW - State laws KW - Strategic planning KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic incident clearance KW - Traffic incidents KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09005/quick_clear_laws.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30800/30818/quick_clear_laws.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884743 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01123008 AU - Fratta, Dante AU - Pincheira, Jose A AU - Kim, Kyu-Sun AU - University of Wisconsin, Madison AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of Fiberglass Wrapped Concrete Bridge Columns PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 114p AB - The main purpose of this project was to assess the effectiveness of fiberglass wrappings in reducing the corrosion degradation rate of concrete bridge columns. To evaluate the effectiveness of the technique, the research team used both nondestructive and destructive test methods. The results of the study show that the wrappings, while protecting the columns from further ingress of chloride ions, do not help deter corrosion activity when it is already present. Recommendations for the future use of fiber wraps, complemented with other remediation techniques and maintenance practices, are provided. KW - Bridge substructures KW - Chlorides KW - Columns KW - Corrosion KW - Corrosion protection KW - Destructive tests KW - External wraps (Concrete columns) KW - Fiberglass KW - Jacketing (Strengthening) KW - Maintenance practices KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Reinforced concrete UR - http://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/53077/Final%25200092-07-07.pdf UR - http://wisdotresearch.wi.gov/wp-content/uploads/07-07wrappedbridgecolumns-f.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884750 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01123005 AU - Foley, Christopher M AU - Wan, Baolin AU - Weglarz, Mathew AU - Hellenthal, Matthew AU - Komp, Jordan AU - Smith, Andrew AU - Schmidt, Joseph P AU - Marquette University AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Fatigue Risks in the Connections of Sign Support Structures: Phase 1 PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 214p AB - Wisconsin sought to assess the risk of fatigue-induced fracture in its existing sign support structures designed before the latest AASHTO specifications that included fatigue design. A framework for assessing fatigue-induced fracture risk is developed and detailed synthesis of fatigue testing of connections is conducted. Statistical analysis of tests conducted since 1970 is made and models for characterizing uncertainty in the fatigue life of these connections are proposed. Recommendations regarding further fatigue testing (specimen configuration, number and stress range) are given. Statistical models for wind speed and direction are developed using historical records obtained through the National Climatic Data Center for eight cities within the state of Wisconsin. Nonlinear finite element analysis of a typical mast-arm-to-plate connection with octagonal mast arm is conducted using various configurations of bolt pretension. Recommendations regarding the impact of loose bolts on the distribution of normal stress within octagonal mast arms are provided and comparison to AASHTO design specification procedures is made. KW - Bolts KW - Cracking KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Fatigue life KW - Fatigue tests KW - Finite element method KW - Mast arm connections KW - Mathematical models KW - Pretensioning KW - Sign supports KW - Specifications KW - Statistical analysis KW - Structural connection KW - Uncertainty KW - Wind KW - Wind direction KW - Wind speed KW - Wisconsin UR - http://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/53081/Final_08_14_Phase_1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884753 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122994 AU - Renault, John W AU - Sime, James M AU - Romano, Frank J AU - Connecticut Department of Transportation AU - Connecticut Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Continued Evaluation of Nickel Cadmium Battery-Electric Subcompact Automobile in Connecticut as an Alternative for Work-trips and Commutes PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 89p AB - This research report presents the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s (ConnDOT’s) evaluation of preproduction prototype nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) as an alternative-fuel (alt-fuel) option for local trips averaging less than 70 miles. If feasible as an alt-fuel vehicle, the BEV could be used to help lower overall energy consumption, reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and reduce dependence on foreign oil. This report was intended to highlight the findings of the study as well as illustrate some of the problems associated with current BEV technology. ConnDOT partnered with The Rideshare Company of Greater Hartford (Rideshare) to retrofit three subcompact BEVs with nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries to conduct the two-phase study. The vehicles used were 1995 General Motors Geo Metro(s) retrofitted by the Solectria Corporation. For Phase 2, thin-film photovoltaic laminates were integrated in the NiCd BEVs in order to provide power to offset the small power losses experienced while parked and unplugged. The study accumulated data from more than 550 individual trips, spanning a distance of nearly 35,000 miles over an eight year period. While researchers were able to attain the 70 mile range in Phase 1, they were unable to replicate the results in Phase 2, as the nominal range of the retrofitted vehicles was approximately 57 miles. KW - Connecticut KW - Electric vehicles KW - Energy consumption KW - Field tests KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Nickel cadmium batteries KW - Photovoltaic laminates KW - Prototypes KW - Subcompact automobiles KW - Technology assessment UR - http://www.ct.gov/dot/LIB/dot/documents/dresearch/CT-2223-F-08-8.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30700/30778/CT-2223-F-08-8.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884669 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122990 AU - Lownes, Nicholas E AU - Zofka, Adam AU - University of Connecticut, Storrs AU - Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering AU - Connecticut Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Applying Transportation Asset Management in Connecticut PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 66p AB - The study consists primarily of a detailed review of those states that utilize transportation asset management (TAM) systems that may be applicable for Connecticut’s consideration, and includes as well the identification of a comprehensive pavement life-cycle analysis tool. The primary conclusion of this study is that, across the United States, states are finding the shift to TAM Systems worthwhile and productive as they are steadily seeing the condition of their assets improve and their resource allocation decisions galvanizing around an increasingly coherent vision for their transportation infrastructure. The findings indicate that the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) should consider utilizing five concepts (Clarity, Communication, Champion, Consistency, and Comprehensive), the 5Cs, as a strategy for TAM implementation. The 5Cs provide a focus for ConnDOT’s development of a sustainable TAM program to guide the state’s investment in the acquisition, construction, repair, and preservation of the state’s transportation assets. KW - Asset management KW - Case studies KW - Connecticut KW - Connecticut Department of Transportation KW - Implementation KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Strategic planning KW - Transportation infrastructure UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30700/30781/CT-2258-F-08-9.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884640 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122978 AU - Environmental Protection Agency AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Guidance for the Use of Latest Planning Assumptions in Transportation Conformity Determinations: Revision to January 18, 2001 Guidance Memorandum PY - 2008/12 SP - 23p AB - The Clean Air Act requires that transportation investments be based on the most recent information that is available in order to protect public health over the long-term. As such, conformity determinations must be based upon the most recent planning assumptions in force at the time the conformity analysis begins (40 CFR 93.110(a)). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) encourage state and local agencies to review and update their planning assumptions regularly. Areas are strongly encouraged to review and update planning assumptions at least every five years, especially population, employment, and vehicle registration assumptions. Areas with network-based travel models should review their assumptions and data used in model validation through the consultation process, and newer assumptions and data must be used whenever available. Conformity determinations that are based on assumptions that are older than five years should include written justification for not reviewing and updating assumptions at least every five years. For areas where updates are appropriate, the conformity determination should include an anticipated schedule for updating assumptions for future conformity determinations. Air quality and transportation agencies should use the consultation process to ensure that the latest available planning assumptions are used in conformity determinations and state implementation plan (SIP) development. KW - Air quality KW - Clean Air Act KW - Conformity KW - Employment KW - Population KW - Registrations KW - State implementation plans KW - Transportation departments KW - Transportation planning KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/conformity/lpa_guid08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884564 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122953 AU - Battaglia, Irene K AU - Whited, Gary AU - Swank, Ryan AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Eclipse® Shrinkage Reducing Admixture Product Evaluation PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 18p AB - The use of Eclipse® Shrinkage Reducing Admixture was investigated in this study in concrete mixtures for bridge deck parapets. Based upon in-service performance results, Eclipse® reduced concrete shrinkage cracking in both the short and long term. Many shrinkage cracks that extended the full height of the parapet were noted in control sections, while only three such cracks were recorded in the Eclipse® test section. Laboratory test results indicated that Eclipse® concrete had approximately 14 percent less length change due to shrinkage at 56 days. There was little difference in compressive strength between mixes with and without Eclipse®. Problems were encountered achieving air void levels in the concrete at the batch plant. The air content for the constructed Eclipse® test section was 5.4 percent, on the lower side of the 6.0 ± 1.5 percent target. Two subsequent batches were discarded due to inability to achieve acceptable air contents in the concrete when the Eclipse® product was incorporated into the mix. Because of this difficulty, several other planned test sections were abandoned. Due to its tendencies to destabilize air void contents in the concrete mix, Eclipse® Shrinkage Reducing Admixture is not recommended for use in reduction of shrinkage cracking in Wisconsin Department of Transportation concrete construction. KW - Admixtures KW - Air voids KW - Compressive strength KW - Concrete KW - Field tests KW - Laboratory tests KW - New products KW - Parapets KW - Product evaluation KW - Shrinkage cracking KW - Shrinkage reducing admixtures UR - http://wisdotresearch.wi.gov/wp-content/uploads/fep-01-08eclipse.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884555 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122951 AU - Hernandez, Bruce AU - Behavior Research Center, Incorporated AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Restraint Use (Seat Belt and Child Passenger Seat) Survey PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 34p AB - In Arizona, lack of restraint usage (seat belts and child passenger seats) was a contributing factor to an average of 687 fatalities per year which is nearly 60% of total fatalities. These tragic statistics could be dramatically decreased if effective strategies and educational messages encouraged more people to buckle up. Due to the great opportunity to save lives, increasing restraint usage has been identified as one of five key emphasis areas of Arizona’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Arizona has seen a restraint usage rate of approximately 80% for the last several years as reported through the annual National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS). Although there is a good understanding of the reported seat belt usage, there is not a good understanding of who is not using seat belts and why. To develop effective strategies and education messages to improve seat belt usage, there needs to be a better understanding of these factors. The objectives of this research were to 1) conduct a survey to identify why (or why not) people in Arizona use seat belts and 2) develop criteria and provide recommendations on the most effective means to get drivers to buckle up. KW - Arizona KW - Child restraint systems KW - Fatalities KW - National Occupant Protection Use Survey KW - Recommendations KW - Seat belt use KW - Seat belts KW - Strategic planning KW - Surveys KW - Traffic safety education UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ670.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884435 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122949 AU - Finley, Melisa D AU - Theiss, LuAnn AU - Trout, Nada D AU - Ullman, Gerald L AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Studies to Improve the Management of Regulatory Speed Limits in Texas Work Zones PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 172p AB - This report describes the methodology and results of analyses performed to (1) improve existing procedures on establishing and managing work zone speed limits, and (2) evaluate new technologies and strategies that can be used to better manage work zone speed limits. Field studies indicated that motorists reduce their speed adjacent to most of the work zone conditions currently used in Texas to justify reduced work zone speed limits; however, the amount of the speed reduction is dependent upon the normal non-work zone operating speed of the roadway. Based on the field study findings, researchers recommended a 5 mph maximum speed reduction for shoulder activity and lane encroachment conditions. A 10 mph maximum speed reduction is still warranted for lane closures and temporary diversions. Speed limit reductions should be discouraged on roadways with existing speed limits less than 65 mph for all conditions except lane closures when workers are in a closed lane unprotected by barrier and only a single travel lane remains open. Short term work zone speed limits are reduced speed limits that are posted only when work activity is present. When the work activity is not present, the short term work zone speed limit signs should be removed or covered; thereby allowing the legal speed limit for that segment to revert back to the normal non-work zone speed limit. The major challenge with short term work zone speed limits is the daily install/remove or uncover/cover process. Field studies and motorist surveys verified that electronic speed limit (ESL) signs and static flexible roll-up work zone speed limit signs are easily implemented, effective at reducing speeds, and understood by motorists. Based on these results, researchers recommended the use of ESL signs and static flexible roll-up work zone speed limit signs. Additional findings from all of the studies and detailed recommendations are discussed in the report. KW - Electronic speed limit signs KW - Field studies KW - Recommendations KW - Roll-up signs KW - Speed control KW - Speed limits KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5561-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884543 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122659 AU - Austin, Rory AU - O'Neil, Morrie AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) System: NiTS 2007: Nontraffic Crash Database User's Manual PY - 2008/12 SP - 20p AB - The Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) system is a virtual data collection system designed to provide counts and details regarding fatalities and injuries that occur in nontraffic crashes and in noncrash incidents. The NiTS 2007 system provided information about an estimated 1,159 fatalities and 98,000 injuries that occurred in nontraffic crashes on private roads, on driveways and in parking facilities. The NiTS 2007 system also provided information about an annual average of 588 fatalities and 743,000 injuries in noncrash incidents that occurred inside of or otherwise involved a passenger vehicle. This document describes the creation of the nontraffic crash database using police reports and other sources obtained through the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and National Automotive Sampling System data collection infrastructures in 2007. The database contains 19 variables that describe the crash, vehicles, and persons involved in nontraffic crashes. The database also contains an adjustment factor to produce national estimates of the number of injuries and fatalities that occur in nontraffic crashes. This database was used for the Report to Congress, “Fatalities and Injuries in Motor Vehicle Backing Crashes.” The nontraffic crash database is available as a SAS and Microsoft Excel file. KW - Backing (Driving) KW - Computer program documentation KW - Databases KW - Driveways KW - Fatalities KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - Injuries KW - Microsoft Excel (Software) KW - National Automotive Sampling System KW - Nontraffic accidents KW - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance System KW - Parking facilities KW - Private roads UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811064.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884352 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122658 AU - Austin, Rory AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) System: NiTS 2007: Noncrash Fatality Database User's Manual PY - 2008/12 SP - 16p AB - The Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) system is a virtual data collection system designed to provide counts and details regarding fatalities and injuries that occur in nontraffic crashes and in noncrash incidents. The NiTS 2007 system provided information about an estimated 1,159 fatalities and 98,000 injuries that occurred in nontraffic crashes on private roads, on driveways and in parking facilities. The NiTS 2007 system also provided information about an annual average of 588 fatalities and 743,000 injuries in noncrash incidents that occurred inside of or otherwise involved a passenger vehicle. This document describes the creation of the noncrash fatality database using a special death certificate file containing information on all accidental deaths that occurred in 2003 and 2004. The file was provided by the Centers for Disease Control’s National Vital Statistics System. More than half of the noncrash fatalities occurred when a vehicle fell on a person who was usually working under it or from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. Other frequent categories included falls from vehicles, vehicle fires, struck by an object while in a vehicle or by a part of vehicle such as a door, and hyperthermia inside the vehicle. This document also describes the noncrash fatality database, which is available as a Microsoft Excel file. KW - Computer program documentation KW - Databases KW - Fatalities KW - Microsoft Excel (Software) KW - Noncrash incidents KW - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance System UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811065.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884350 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122657 AU - Austin, Rory AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) System: NiTS 2007: Noncrash Injury Database User's Manual PY - 2008/12 SP - 20p AB - The Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) system is a virtual data collection system designed to provide counts and details regarding fatalities and injuries that occur in nontraffic crashes and in noncrash incidents. The NiTS 2007 system provided information about an estimated 1,159 fatalities and 98,000 injuries that occurred in nontraffic crashes on private roads, on driveways and in parking facilities. The NiTS 2007 system also provided information about an annual average of 588 fatalities and 743,000 injuries in noncrash incidents that occurred inside of or otherwise involved a passenger vehicle. This document describes the creation of the noncrash injury database using a special file of medical records containing information on a statistical sample of injuries seen in emergency departments in 2003 through 2006. The file was provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program. Frequent types of noncrash injury incidents included injuries while entering or exiting vehicles (boarding or alighting), injuries from closing doors, overexertion while unloading cargo from a vehicle or pushing a disabled vehicle, cuts from parts of the vehicle, striking a vehicle or struck by a part of the vehicle, falls from or against vehicles, incidents involving jacks or hoists, and radiator or antifreeze burns. This document also describes the noncrash injury database, which is available as a Microsoft Excel file. KW - Computer program documentation KW - Databases KW - Injuries KW - Microsoft Excel (Software) KW - Noncrash incidents KW - Not-in-Traffic Surveillance System UR - http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811066.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884351 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122655 AU - Pullen-Seufert, Nancy C AU - Hall, William L AU - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - The Art of Appropriate Evaluation: A Guide for Highway Safety Program Managers PY - 2008/12 SP - 80p AB - The guide, updated from its original release in 1999, is intended for project managers who will oversee the evaluation of traffic safety programs. It describes the benefits of evaluation and provides an overview of the steps involved. The guide includes case examples to illustrate the described concepts and discusses what to look for when hiring a professional evaluator for large or complex evaluations. KW - Case studies KW - Evaluation KW - Guidelines KW - Highway safety KW - Safety programs KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/ArtofAppEvWeb/images/ArtofAppEvalCOLOR.pdf UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/ArtofAppEvWeb/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30500/30513/811061.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884354 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122650 AU - Boyle, John M AU - Lampkin, Cheryl AU - Schulman, Ronca and Bucuvalas, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - 2007 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey. Volume 4: Crash Injury and Emergency Medical Services Report PY - 2008/12 SP - 80p AB - The 2007 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey was the sixth in a series of periodic national telephone surveys on occupant protection issues conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data collection was conducted by Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas, Inc., a national survey research organization. The survey used two questionnaires, each administered to a randomly selected national sample of about 6,000 persons 16 or older. Interviewing began January 9, 2007, and ended April 30, 2007. This report presents the survey findings pertaining to crash injury and emergency medical services, including trend data. Detailed information on the survey methodology, as well as copies of the questionnaires, are contained in a separate NHTSA report (“2007 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey. Volume 1. Methodology Report”). About one-in-four persons 16 and older (26%) reported having been injured in a vehicle crash where they required medical attention. Fifteen percent of the total population, 16 and older, has received injuries from motor vehicle crashes severe enough to prevent them from performing some of their normal activities for at least a week. Persons not wearing seat belts at the time of the (most recent) crash were much more likely to be hospitalized from the crash-related injuries compared to those wearing seat belts. The proportion of drivers who have a wireless phone with them when they drive has continued to increase, reaching 81% in 2007. About one-in-three carriers of wireless phones (33%) reported talking on the phone while driving during half or more of their trips. Most people (69%) believed that if there was a medical emergency in the neighborhood and an ambulance was called, it would arrive within 10 minutes. Most were confident the responders would know what to do. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Crash injuries KW - Emergency medical services KW - Hospitalization KW - Interviewing KW - Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey KW - Questionnaires KW - Seat belts KW - Surveys UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Traffic%20Injury%20Control/Articles/Associated%20Files/810977.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30500/30533/810977.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884355 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122648 AU - van de Lindt, John W AU - Stone, Alexander J AU - Chen, Suren AU - Colorado State University, Fort Collins AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Development of Steel Design Details and Selection Criteria for Cost-Effective and Innovative Steel Bridges in Colorado PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 167p AB - In recent years, prestressed concrete bridges have dominated the bridge type selection processes in Colorado. This can be attributed to a lack of steel mills combined with a strong presence of precast fabricators in the region. In addition, a lack of readily available economical and innovative procedures to design and construct steel bridges has hindered the industry in certain areas such as Colorado. During this research it was identified that designing steel girders as simply supported for the non composite dead loads and continuous for composite dead loads and live loads would provide economy. A preliminary girder selection software was created using this design procedure. The software takes user inputted data, such as span length, width, number of girders along with various other design inputs, and displays the lightest wide flange beam size that would support the loads using AASHTO Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Specifications. Using the girder selection software, design charts and tables were created to outline structural steel weight to span length and number of girders. The design charts will aid the bridge type selection process by giving designers an accurate measurement of minimum steel requirements for numerous one, two, and three span steel bridges. This research has provided the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and others who will use the software or design charts a tool that will facilitate the construction of innovative steel girder bridges. KW - Colorado KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Design charts KW - Girders KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Software KW - Steel bridges KW - Steel girders KW - Structural steel UR - http://www.dot.state.co.us/Publications/PDFFiles/steelbridges.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884303 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122641 AU - Klop, Jeremy AU - Guderian, Erik AU - Fehr & Peers AU - Colorado Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Linking of Mobility Performance Measures to Resource Allocation: Survey of State DOTs and MPOs PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 115p AB - The objective of this study is to provide a summary of the best practices of state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) throughout the country regarding the linkage between mobility performance measures and resource allocation. The only mobility performance measure currently authorized for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to denote congestion is volume to capacity (V/C) ratio. Currently, the V/C is used to identify the segments with V/C ratio of .85 and above which are considered congested. Because a universal policy linking mobility funding to performance measures among the agencies surveyed and interviewed was not identified, the research team recommends the following process in determining a resource allocation policy suitable to the needs of CDOT. The policy must address the following areas to be effective: (1) System Performance - One or more benchmark performance measures need to be determined as the best measures of mobility in Colorado for resource allocation. Based on the survey responses, agencies around the country set their mobility performance measure benchmarks on capacity-based performance measures (V/C ratio) or travel flow-based performance measures (travel time or travel speed). (2) Critical Deficiencies/Needs - Once the system performance benchmark measures have been established, critical locations within the roadway network that have mobility issues will be identified. (3) Prioritization - CDOT will be able to prioritize the critical locations identified in the previous step based on the severity of the problem and the volume of vehicles or people being served at each location. (4) Resource Allocation/Investment - Based on the annual mobility enhancement budget, the highest priority mobility projects will be funded and constructed based on need. (5) Measure Effectiveness/Return on Investment - It is important to conduct before/after studies at project implementation locations in order to quantify the return on investment for specific mobility enhancement projects. The findings from these studies, based on empirical data collected from performance measures, are critical to review in order to make better decisions about the prioritization list and resource funding. KW - Best practices KW - Colorado KW - Colorado Department of Transportation KW - Measures of effectiveness KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Mobility KW - Performance measurement KW - Policy KW - Resource allocation KW - Return on investment KW - State departments of transportation KW - Strategic planning KW - Surveys KW - Traffic congestion KW - Volume to capacity ratio UR - http://www.dot.state.co.us/Publications/PDFFiles/resourceallocation.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884304 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122624 AU - Zhou, Fujie AU - Scullion, Tom AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Mix Design, Construction, and Performance of a Thin HMA Overlay on Pumphrey Drive, Fort Worth, TX PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 34p AB - A thin (1 in.–1.5 in.) hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay was constructed on Pumphrey Drive in Tarrant County, Fort Worth from July 30, 2007, to August 3, 2007. This report documents the mix design, construction, and field performance of this overlay project. Two Type F mixes were designed for this project following the new proposed balanced mix design procedure. These two mixes had the same original PG64-22 binder, aggregates, and gradation but different binder modifiers. One mix was modified with 7% crumb rubber and the other modified with 3% SBR latex. After construction, three visual site inspections on this thin overlay project were conducted on December 14, 2007, April 2, 2008, and July 30, 2008. The overall performance of this thin HMA overlay project is very good and has been considered successful by the Texas Department of Transportation and Tarrant County. Almost no rutting was observed on the main traffic lanes, except at a stop condition intersection on the south end of the project. Only a few transverse reflective cracks occurred on the ramps and a few longitudinal cracks occurred on the main traffic lanes. Additionally, the pavement still looks dark after 1 year of being subject to traffic and the sun’s UV rays. Some reflective cracking was seen at the on- and off-ramps and main traffic lanes but those cracks stayed mostly tightly closed and did not get worse since the first field visit on December 14, 2007. The early reflective cracking on the ramps was due to poor load transfer efficiency at the joints and on the main traffic lanes due to continual differential settlement of the foundation. The cracks were observed in the July 30 visit to be minimized from previous visits. Therefore, these thin overlays are not recommended to be used on any PCC pavements with poor load transfer efficiency (< 70%). Otherwise, the early reflective cracking will be a potential problem. KW - Bituminous overlays KW - Concrete pavements KW - Crumb rubber KW - Fort Worth (Texas) KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Latex KW - Load transfer KW - Longitudinal cracking KW - Mix design KW - Pavement performance KW - Reflection cracking KW - Road construction KW - Rutting KW - Styrene butadiene rubber KW - Thin overlays UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/5-5123-01-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884271 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122622 AU - Michalopoulos, Panos G AU - Xin, Wuping AU - Hourdos, John AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Real-Time Traffic Adaptive Crash Reduction Measures for the Westbound I-94/35W Commons Section PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 119p AB - Much research has been conducted in the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies aiming to improve traffic operations and driving safety. An earlier project succeeded in supporting the hypothesis that certain traffic conditions are favorable to crashes and in developing real-time algorithms for the estimation of crash probability from detector measurements. Following this accomplishment a natural question is “how can this help prevent crashes?” This project has the ambitious plan of not only answering this question but also providing a multifaceted approach that can offer different types of solutions to an agency aimed at reducing crashes in this and other similar locations. This project has two major objectives; first it aimed at utilizing a cutting edge 3D virtual reality system to design and visualize different driver warning systems specifically for the I-94 westbound high crash location in Minneapolis, MN. Second, in view of the desire of local engineers for a more traditional approach, this project explored the use of existing micro-simulation models in the evaluation of safety improvements for the aforementioned high crash area. This report describes the results of these investigations but more importantly describes the lessons learned in the process of the research. These lessons are important because they highlight gaps of technology and knowledge that hampered this and other research projects with similar objectives. KW - Car following models KW - Crash prevention KW - High risk locations KW - Highway operations KW - Highway safety KW - Improvements KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Lessons learned KW - Microsimulation KW - Minneapolis (Minnesota) KW - Rear end crashes KW - Vehicle trajectories KW - Virtual reality KW - Visualization KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1066 UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=1720 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884273 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122621 AU - Trejo, David AU - Hueste, Mary Beth D AU - Kim, Young Hoon AU - Atahan, Hakan AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Characterization of Self-Consolidating Concrete for Design of Precast, Prestressed Bridge Girders PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 384p AB - This report documents the findings of a Texas Department of Transportation sponsored research project to study self-consolidating concrete (SCC) for precast concrete structural applications. Self-consolidating concrete is a new, innovative construction material that can be placed into forms without the need for mechanical vibration. The mixture proportions are critical for producing quality SCC and require an optimized combination of coarse and fine aggregates, cement, water, and chemical and mineral admixtures. The required mixture constituents and proportions may affect the mechanical properties, bond characteristics, and long-term behavior, and SCC may not provide the same in-service performance as conventional concrete (CC). Different SCC mixture constituents and proportions were evaluated for mechanical properties, shear characteristics, bond characteristics, creep, and durability. Variables evaluated included mixture type (CC or SCC), coarse aggregate type (river gravel or limestone), and coarse aggregate volume. To correlate these results with full-scale samples and investigate structural behavior related to strand bond properties, four girder-deck systems, 40 ft (12 m) long, with CC and SCC pretensioned girders were fabricated and tested. Results from the research indicate that the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials Load and Resistance Factor Design (AASHTO LRFD) Specifications can be used to estimate the mechanical properties of SCC for a concrete compressive strength range of 5 to 10 ksi (34 to 70 MPa). In addition, the research team developed prediction equations for concrete compressive strength ranges from 5 to 16 ksi (34 to 110 MPa). With respect to shear characteristics, a more appropriate expression is proposed to estimate the concrete shear strength for CC and SCC girders with a compressive strength greater than 10 ksi (70 MPa). The researchers found that girder-deck systems with Type A SCC girders exhibit similar flexural performance as deck systems with CC girders. The AASHTO LRFD (2006) equations for computing the cracking moment, nominal moment, transfer length, development length, and prestress losses may be used for SCC girder-deck systems similar to those tested in this study. For environments exhibiting freeze-thaw cycles, a minimum 16-hour release strength of 7 ksi (48 MPa) is recommended for SCC mixtures. KW - Bond strength (Materials) KW - Coarse aggregates KW - Compressive strength KW - Creep KW - Durability KW - Equations KW - Girders KW - Laboratory tests KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Mechanical properties KW - Mix design KW - Precast concrete KW - Self compacting concrete KW - Shear strength UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5134-2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884290 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122619 AU - Dill, Jennifer AU - Gliebe, John P AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Understanding and Measuring Bicycling Behavior: A Focus on Travel Time and Route Choice PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 73p AB - With rates of obesity, heart disease, and related health problems increasing in the U.S. , many policy makers are looking for ways to increase physical activity in everyday life. Using a bicycle instead of a motor vehicle for a portion of everyday travel could help address these problems. This research aims to fill a gap in the existing literature on the effect of different types of infrastructure, such as bicycle lanes or paths, on bicycling. The project used global positioning system (GPS) technology to record where a sample of 164 adults in the Portland, OR region rode their bicycles. Data were collected from March through November 2007. The participants in this study were primarily regular bicyclists who usually rode more than one day per week, year-round. This report uses those data to address the four primary sets of research questions: (1) How often, why, when, and where do cyclists ride? How does this vary based upon rider characteristics? (2) How do cyclists’ routes differ from the shortest network distance? (3) What factors influence cyclists’ route choice decisions? How do personal attributes influence these decisions? (4) What is the difference in travel time between bicycling and driving? KW - Behavior KW - Bicycle facilities KW - Bicycle lanes KW - Bicycle travel KW - Bicycling KW - Bikeways KW - Cyclists KW - Data collection KW - Global Positioning System KW - Portland (Oregon) KW - Route choice KW - Travel time UR - http://otrec.us/main/document.php?doc_id=966 UR - http://otrec.us/project/33 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884287 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122618 AU - Bryson, John M AU - Crosby, Barbara C AU - Stone, Melissa M AU - Mortensen, J Clare AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Collaboration in Fighting Traffic Congestion: A Study of Minnesota’s Urban Partnership Agreement PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 48p AB - The Twin Cities metropolitan area was selected to participate in a federal transportation initiative called the Urban Partnership program. This required the formation of a multi-agency collaboration of transportation-focused groups in the Twin Cities area. This collaboration – including the external forces affecting it, the internal processes, structures, and competencies that allowed it to operate, and its accountability mechanisms – is the focus of this analysis. Confirming lessons found in the collaboration literature, the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) is a complex assembly of human (individuals and relationships) and non-human (technologies, artifacts, laws, and procedures) elements; therefore, it is not an easy answer to hard problems but a hard answer to hard problems. The research highlights some new findings. Most notably: the role of technology; linkages connecting high-level federal policymaking to local, operational implementation details; emphasis on multiple roles played by sponsors, champions, neutral conveners, process designers, and technical experts; importance of specific competencies; the role of rules and routines as drivers of collaboration; and the importance of spatial and temporal organizational ambidexterity. It is important to note that the work of this collaboration thus far has been virtually invisible to the public, but that will change in the upcoming stages of UPA implementation. KW - Cooperation KW - Partnerships KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Transportation planning KW - Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minnesota) UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=1714 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884274 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122566 AU - Bligh, Roger P AU - Abu-Odeh, Akram Y AU - Williams, William Frederick AU - Menges, Wanda L AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Analysis of a Flexible Bridge Rail System for High-Speed Roadways PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 96p AB - The T6 tubular W-beam bridge rail has seen widespread use across the state of Texas. However, because it was unable to satisfy Test Level 3 (TL-3) impact performance requirements of NCHRP Report 350, it is no longer eligible for use on high-speed roadways. A new flexible bridge rail system, referred to herein as the T8 rail, has been designed for use on culverts and thin deck structures as a replacement for the T6 rail in high-speed applications. The T8 rail incorporates a tubular thrie beam rail element. Use of a tubular thrie beam provides additional rail height to improve stability for light truck vehicles, reduced clear opening to minimize the potential for vehicle underride, and a standard rail shape for ease of transitioning to approach guardrail. The anchor bolt pattern or “footprint” for the T8 post is the same as that used for the T6 post. This facilitates upgrade of existing T6 installations. Finite element impact simulations were conducted to evaluate the performance of the new tubular thrie beam bridge rail. The simulations indicated that the T8 rail should be capable of meeting TL-3 impact conditions of NCHRP Report 350. It is recommended that full-scale crash testing be conducted to verify the impact performance of the T8 bridge rail. Details of the recommended T8 bridge rail system are included in the report. KW - Anchor bolts KW - Bridge railings KW - Finite element method KW - High speed roads KW - Impact tests KW - NCHRP Report 350 KW - Simulation KW - Thrie beams UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5210-4.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884260 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01122558 AU - Li, Ming-Han AU - Schutt, James R AU - McFalls, Jett AU - Bardenhagen, Eric K AU - Sung, Chan Yong AU - Wheelock, Lee AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Successional Establishment, Mowing Response, and Erosion Control Characteristics of Roadside Vegetation in Texas PY - 2008/12//Technical Report SP - 106p AB - The purpose of this project was to investigate whether the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT’s) standard seed mix needs modifications to better address the issue of invasive species while the primary goal of erosion control can still be well achieved. The research objectives were to investigate: (1) the successional process of roadside grasses using TxDOT’s seed mix and seeding procedure on field laboratory test plots and actual roadsides, (2) erosion control properties of vegetation on 12 new plots seeded with TxDOT’s standard seed mix and 10 existing plots originally seeded with a non-TxDOT seed mix, and (3) the impacts of mowing on establishing and established grass communities. To achieve these objectives, the researchers conducted field laboratory experiments and actual highway roadside surveys. The results indicate that roadsides as maintained and mowed environments cannot be easily adapted by tall grass species (native or introduced). Short, sod-forming grasses, however, could grow better on roadsides. It was found that grass species in TxDOT's standard seed mixes did not show invasiveness on investigated laboratory plots and actual roadsides. The researchers also found little connection between original seeded grass species and observed grass species several years after seeding. This implies that volunteer species either from adjacent lands or from seed banks in the soil tend to dominate roadsides in the long term. All field laboratory plots controlled erosion very well. Yielded sediments were much below the TxDOT’s minimum performance standards. Little literature was found on cost and benefit analysis about roadside management as a result of a lack of consistent cost database data held by state DOTs, which suggests future research on creating a database for comparing cost-benefit between the uses of natives and introduced grasses. KW - Erosion control KW - Grasses KW - Invasive plants KW - Mowing KW - Native plants KW - Roadside flora KW - Seeding KW - Texas KW - Vegetation control KW - Vegetation establishment UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-4949-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/884258 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01121752 AU - Brown, Vi AU - Prophecy Consulting Group, LLC AU - Arizona Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Survey of Traffic Noise Reduction Products, Materials, and Technologies PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 86p AB - Noise is one of the most pervasive forms of environmental pollution. It is everywhere and affects our lives at home, work and play. By definition, noise is any unwanted or excessive sound. Highway traffic noise is a major issue for transportation agencies. The objective of this study was to identify noise reduction products, materials, and technologies currently available and that may have potential as noise mitigation alternatives. The literature review and survey identified measures that are being used by U.S. transportation organizations as well as international efforts. Some key findings from the literature review show the following best practices: (1) Pavement Noise Reduction Products – noise or sound walls dominate this category and have been used for decades in the U.S. Findings from the literature revealed a variety of materials to choose from that are both aesthetically attractive, and effective in reducing sound from tire pavement noise. The cost of installing products will need to be evaluated on a case by case basis with the vendor or for each applicable product. (2) Pavement Noise Reduction Materials – The operating speed of the roadway should be factored into the roadway design for quiet pavements. European studies show that higher porous mixtures tend to clog under slower speeds. Two layer-porous mixes have been found to be effective in Europe and the US. An important attribute for consideration in two layer-porous mix design and placement is aggregate size. (3) Pavement Noise Reduction Technologies - use of thin-textured surfacings with a negative pavement depression are recommended for urban or low-speed roadway sections. Diamond grinding enhances noise reduction on concrete surfaces in sensitive locations. (4) Other Pavement Noise Reduction Measures – looking forward, transportation officials are encouraged to develop an integrated approach to roadway noise reduction. Instead of relying on a single measure, the recommended forward strategy is to develop the ability to model the effectiveness of a number of different measures to achieve greater noise reduction. KW - Materials KW - Noise control KW - Products KW - Technology KW - Traffic noise UR - http://apps.azdot.gov/ADOTLibrary/publications/project_reports/PDF/AZ584.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/882524 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01121748 AU - Phanomchoeng, Gridsada AU - Rajamani, Rajesh AU - Hourdos, John AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Directional Sound for Long Distance Auditory Warnings from a Highway Construction Work Zone PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 60p AB - Directional sound can be used as a warning signal to denote that failure to follow an indicated action could result in serious accidents. In some applications such as to alert a vehicle that is likely to intrude into a highway construction work zone, long distance auditory warnings are necessary. In such cases, directed sound could be utilized to warn the specific vehicle without disturbing other vehicles on the highway. This report reviews the currently available scientific technologies that can potentially be used to develop a long distance auditory warning system for highway work zone applications. Of these, ultrasound based parameter arrays and time delay controlled arrays of compact ordinary speakers are taken up for detailed analysis and experimental evaluation. An ultrasound based parametric array is the most appropriate technology for generating highly directional sound. However, if cost, installation, maintenance, and price are considered, the most suitable technology is found to be arrays of flat panel loudspeakers with time delay control. Such a system can be used to generate directional sound effectively for long distance auditory warnings. KW - Audible warning devices KW - Auditory warnings KW - Directional audio KW - Road construction KW - Warning devices KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zones UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1058 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/883691 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01121714 AU - Wang, Yinhai AU - Perrine, Kenneth A AU - Lao, Yunteng AU - TransNow, Transportation Northwest AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Developing an Area-Wide System for Coordinated Ramp Meter Control PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 89p AB - Ramp metering has been broadly accepted and deployed as an effective countermeasure against both recurrent and non-recurrent congestion on freeways. However, many current ramp metering algorithms tend to improve only freeway travels using local detectors’ inputs and overlook the negative impacts on local streets. This may generate two problems: 1) the optimal local settings may not result in a system-wide optimum in terms of traffic operations; and 2) the increased congestion on local streets due to on-ramp overflow may counteract the gains in freeway operations. To address these problems, the authors propose an area-wide ramp metering system to improve the coordination of ramp meters for system-wide optimization and on-ramp overflow minimization. Their experimental results show that their method can offer improved performance in ramp metering operations under tested scenarios and also reduce the likelihood of on-ramp overflow. This novel strategy for active ramp metering is inspired by the principles of a computer network congestion control strategy. In this strategy, certain types of congestion at a targeted freeway location can be significantly reduced by limiting on-ramp vehicle flows to a fraction of ramp demand and then additively increasing rates to avoid ramp queue spillover onto city streets. This approach can be actively used to immediately curb the growth of traffic congestion and therefore shorten travel delays. The effectiveness of this ramp metering approach has been evaluated by microscopic simulation experiments. The authors' experimental results show that their method can reduce system-wide travel delays in the tested scenarios by as much as 28.2% when compared with the Fuzzy Logic ramp metering algorithm, and also reduce the frequency and severity of on-ramp overflow. This indicates that this area-wide algorithm can provide benefit when applied to urban freeway corridors for congestion mitigation. KW - Algorithms KW - Demand KW - Freeways KW - Highway traffic control KW - Microscopic traffic flow KW - Ramp metering KW - Simulation KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic coordination KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic flow UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/31000/31700/31731/TNW2008-11_Wang_Ramp_Meter_Control_61-6023.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/883803 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01121699 AU - Sullivan, Sean AU - Roberts-Wollmann, Carin L AU - Virginia Transportation Research Council AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Experimental and Analytical Investigation of Full-Depth Precast Deck Panels on Prestressed I-Girders PY - 2008/12//Final Contract Report SP - 84p AB - A bridge with precast bridge deck panels was built at the Virginia Tech Structures Laboratory to examine constructability issues, creep and shrinkage behavior, and strength and fatigue performance of transverse joints, different types of shear connectors, and different shear pocket spacings. The bridge consisted of two AASHTO type II girders, 40 ft long and simply supported, and five precast bridge deck panels. Two of the transverse joints were epoxied male-female joints and the other two transverse joints were grouted female-female joints. Two different pocket spacings were studied: 4 ft pocket spacing and 2 ft pocket spacing. Two different shear connector types were studied: hooked reinforcing bars and a new shear stud detail that can be used with concrete girders. The construction process was well documented. The changes in strain in the girders and deck were examined and compared to a finite element model to examine the effects of differential creep and shrinkage. After the finite element model verification study, the model was used to predict the long term stresses in the deck and determine if the initial level of post-tensioning was adequate to keep the transverse joints in compression throughout the estimated service life of the bridge. Cyclic loading tests and flexural strength tests were performed to examine performance of the different pocket spacings, shear connector types and transverse joint configurations. A finite element study examined the performance of the AASHTO LRFD shear friction equation for the design of the horizontal shear connectors. The initial level of post-tensioning in the bridge was adequate to keep the transverse joints in compression throughout the service life of the bridge. Both types of pocket spacings and shear connectors performed exceptionally well. The AASHTO LRFD shear friction equation was shown to be applicable to deck panel systems and was conservative for determining the number of shear connectors required in each pocket. A recommended design and detailing procedure was developed for the shear connectors and shear pockets. KW - Bridge decks KW - Construction KW - Creep KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Girders KW - Panels KW - Precast concrete KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Shear strength KW - Shrinkage KW - Stresses KW - Structural connection KW - Transverse joints UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/09-cr4.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37600/37688/09-cr4.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/883744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01121690 AU - Diefenderfer, Stacey AU - Hearon, Amy AU - Virginia Transportation Research Council AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Laboratory Evaluation of a Warm Asphalt Technology for Use in Virginia PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 44p AB - Rising energy costs and increased environmental awareness have brought attention to the potential benefits of warm asphalt in the United States. Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) is produced by incorporating additives into asphalt mixtures to allow production and placement of the mix when heated to temperatures well below the 300ºF+ temperatures of conventional hot-mix asphalt (HMA). Potential benefits such as reduced plant emissions, workability at lower temperatures, extension of the paving season into colder weather, and reduced energy consumption at the plant may be realized with different applications. Trial installations of WMA, including two sections using the Sasobit WMA additive, have been investigated in Virginia. This study presents the results of laboratory testing to evaluate the performance of the mixtures used in the two Sasobit trial sections. The evaluation included comparisons of compactibility, volumetric properties, moisture susceptibility, rutting resistance, and fatigue performance between the HMA and WMA mixtures used in each section. Mixtures produced in the laboratory under conditions of varying temperatures and aging periods were tested, and the effects of temperature and aging were evaluated. The long-term performance of the two test sections was also modeled using the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide. Few differences were found between the HMA and WMA mixtures evaluated. The performance of WMA and HMA was similar when evaluated for moisture susceptibility, rutting potential, and fatigue resistance. The MEPDG-predicted distresses supported these conclusions; the predicted long-term performance of WMA and HMA was comparable. From these results, the recommendation was made that the Virginia Department of Transportation develop a special provision for the use of WMA. Despite its benefits, direct cost savings from the use of WMA are unlikely to be seen by VDOT. Currently, one concern with the use of WMA is the initial cost, which varies depending on the technology used. The use of WMA technology requires either additives, a recurrent cost, or asphalt plant modifications, requiring capital investment. Over the long term, the use of WMA could save VDOT considerable dollars if the reduced aging of the mix translates into longer life; however, this has yet to be proven as WMA has not been employed for a sufficient time period to allow an evaluation of this benefit. KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Cracking KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Mechanistic-empirical pavement design KW - Moisture damage KW - Moisture susceptibility KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement performance KW - Rutting KW - Virginia KW - Warm mix paving mixtures UR - http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/09-r11.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37700/37704/09-r11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/883746 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01121689 AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - 2007 Large Truck Overview PY - 2008/12 SP - 6p AB - The mission of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is to promote the safe operation of commercial vehicles on our Nation’s highways. Of the 41,059 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2007, 12% (4,808) died in crashes that involved a large truck. Another 101,000 people were injured in crashes involving large trucks. Only about 17% of those killed and 22% of those injured in large truck crashes were occupants of large trucks. This overview presents trends, information on vehicle registration and drivers, and details regarding traffic accidents and truck accidents. KW - Automobile drivers KW - Fatalities KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Highway safety KW - Injuries KW - Large trucks KW - Registrations KW - Traffic crashes KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Truck crashes KW - Truck drivers KW - Trucking safety KW - Trucks by number of axles KW - Trucks by weight UR - http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/CarrierResearchResults/PDFs/2007LargeTruckCrashOverview.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/879888 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01120577 AU - Singh, Santokh AU - URC Enterprises, Incorporated AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS) Databook of NMVCCS Variables PY - 2008/12 SP - 528p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA’s) National Center for Statistics and Analysis has completed the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS). It was a Congressionally required nationwide survey of crashes involving light passenger vehicles, with a focus on the factors related to pre-crash events. A total of 6,949 crashes were investigated between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2007. Of these, 5,470 cases comprise a nationally representative sample. The remaining 1,479 cases are suitable for clinical study. The data collected through the investigated crashes will better assist NHTSA and other safety advocates in evaluating and developing vehicle-related crash avoidance technologies. Each investigated crash involved at least one light passenger vehicle that was towed due to damage. Data were collected on-scene for at least 600 data elements in the crash to capture information related to the drivers, vehicles, roadways, and environment. In addition, the NMVCCS database includes crash narratives, photographs, schematic diagrams, vehicle information, as well as event data recorder data when available. This manual provides frequency distributions and percentages (weighted and unweighted) for the data collected. KW - Automobiles KW - Crash causes KW - Crashes KW - Data collection KW - Frequency distributions KW - Manuals KW - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey KW - On the scene crash investigation KW - Precrash phase KW - Variables UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/nhtsa_static_file_downloader.jsp?file=/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NCSA/Content/NMVCCS/811052.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/880416 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01120575 AU - Bellis, Elizabeth AU - Page, Jim AU - Calspan Corporation AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS) SAS Analytical Users Manual PY - 2008/12 SP - 232p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA’s) National Center for Statistics and Analysis has completed the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS). It was a Congressionally required nationwide survey of crashes involving light passenger vehicles, with a focus on the factors related to pre-crash events. A total of 6,949 crashes were investigated between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2007. Of these, 5,470 cases comprise a nationally representative sample. The remaining 1,479 cases are suitable for clinical study. The data collected through the investigated crashes will better assist NHTSA and other safety advocates in evaluating and developing vehicle-related crash avoidance technologies. Each investigated crash involved at least one light passenger vehicle that was towed due to damage. Data were collected on-scene for at least 600 data elements in the crash to capture information related to the drivers, vehicles, roadways, and environment. In addition, the NMVCCS database includes crash narratives, photographs, schematic diagrams, vehicle information, as well as event data recorder data when available. This document describes the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) analysis file that is available. KW - Automobiles KW - Computer program documentation KW - Crash causes KW - Crashes KW - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey KW - On the scene crash investigation KW - Precrash phase KW - Statistical analysis UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/nhtsa_static_file_downloader.jsp?file=/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NCSA/Content/NMVCCS/811053.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/880411 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01120574 AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS) Field Coding Manual PY - 2008/12 SP - 500p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA’s) National Center for Statistics and Analysis has completed the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS). It is a Congressionally required nationwide survey of crashes involving light passenger vehicles, with a focus on the factors related to pre-crash events. A total of 6,949 crashes were investigated between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2007. Of these, 5,470 cases comprise a nationally representative sample. The remaining 1,479 cases are suitable for clinical study. The data collected through the investigated crashes will better assist NHTSA and other safety advocates in evaluating and developing vehicle-related crash avoidance technologies. Each investigated crash involved at least one light passenger vehicle that was towed due to damage. Data were collected on-scene for at least 600 data elements in the crash to capture information related to the drivers, vehicles, roadways, and environment. In addition, the NMVCCS database includes crash narratives, photographs, schematic diagrams, vehicle information, as well as event data recorder data when available. This document describes the coding protocol used in the field to document the crashes. KW - Automobiles KW - Coding systems KW - Crash causes KW - Crashes KW - Data collection KW - Manuals KW - National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey KW - On the scene crash investigation KW - Precrash phase UR - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/nhtsa_static_file_downloader.jsp?file=/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NCSA/Content/NMVCCS/811051.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/880414 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01118677 AU - Patterson, Tyler M AU - Munnich, Lee W AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Five-County Minnesota Case Study: Rural Roadway Fatal Crash Characteristics and Select Safety Improvement Programs PY - 2008/12//Final Report SP - 32p AB - This second in a series of CERS research reports summarizes the characteristics of the fatal rural roadway crashes within five Minnesota counties and describes some of the safety improvement programs or campaigns being used in this five-county area. Past research has shown that some of the many characteristics of fatal rural roadway crashes include younger drivers, alcohol involvement, lack of seat belt use, and speeding. The crash data summarized in this report were generally obtained from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Several recommendations have been proposed as a result of this case study project that focus on improving rural roadway safety data and analyses. Evaluations of safety improvement programs/campaigns are also proposed. Recommendations include: 1) Examine more rural roadway crash factors and combinations of factors for additional clarification. 2) Improve the metrics used to describe or define rural roadways in the United States. 3) Use the primary characteristics of rural roadway crashes as the basis for safety improvement measures and programs implemented in rural areas. 4) Include measures and strategies that improve driver decision-making as one of the focus or emphasis areas of a comprehensive safety program. 5) Fund projects that continue to help upgrade and apply GIS tools to plot and evaluate safety data with respect to driver behavior and roadway conditions. 6) Scientifically evaluate the impacts of the safety improvement programs described in this report. KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash characteristics KW - Decision making KW - Drivers KW - Fatalities KW - Highway safety KW - Rural highways KW - Safety programs KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1038 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/877788 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01612996 TI - Evaluation of a Rural Seat Belt Demonstration Project in Kansas and Missouri AB - Fatality rates are consistently higher in rural areas of the country. Seat belts are remarkably effective in reducing fatalities and injuries, but many drivers in rural areas buckle up at rates consistently below other areas of America. Kansas and Missouri are conducting innovative demonstration programs using a high visibility enforcement model, to increase seat belt use in the rural areas of their states. Working with each State's evaluators, the evaluation will document the progress and successes of the innovative programs. Measures include observed safety belt use in targeted and control counties, public perception of risk, law enforcement activity and citation data, paid and earned media activity, and belted/unbelted fatality data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). KW - Demonstration projects KW - Fatalities KW - Fatality Analysis Reporting System KW - Kansas KW - Missouri KW - Rural areas KW - Seat belt use UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1425759 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462671 TI - Operation of Light Rail Transit through Ungated Crossings at Speeds over 35 MPH AB - Current practice as defined in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Part X requires use of crossing gates for operation of light rail transit (LRT) trains through intersections at speeds of greater than 35 mph. Where LRT operates on-street or immediately adjacent to a street, there are segments where the parallel roadway traffic operates through the same intersections at significantly higher speeds. This puts public transport at a disadvantage in attracting ridership and in providing efficient utilization of investments. This project will address the next steps identified as a result of the successful conclusion of TCRP Project J-6/Task 65. The objective of this research is to identify the safety and operational factors involved in traffic control using crossing gates versus traffic signals, possibly in conjunction with supplemental safety measures, and to define traffic control treatments that would potentially allow for faster than 35-mph operation without use of crossing gates. Finally, with the active participation of a sponsoring agency, the ultimate objective is to test higher-speed operation using identified traffic control provisions and to recommend potential revisions to MUTCD Part X. KW - Intersections KW - Light rail transit KW - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Research projects KW - Ridership KW - Safety UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2356 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230893 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01144531 AU - Zimmerman, Carol AU - Burt, Matt AU - Shao, Gang AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Ungemah, David AU - Cain, Alasdair AU - Schreffler, Eric AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Urban Partnership Agreement and Congestion Reduction Demonstration: National Evaluation Framework PY - 2008/11/21 SP - 73p AB - This report provides an analytical framework for evaluating six deployments under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) and Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) Programs. The six UPA/CRD sites are Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Minnesota, San Francisco, and Seattle. Those sites are seeking to reduce congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. The national evaluation framework identifies the major questions to be answered through the evaluation; the approach to be used to address those questions; and risks to the evaluation and how they will be mitigated. Four objective questions posed by U.S. DOT serve as a starting point for the evaluation framework: how much congestion was reduced; what contributed to the reduction and what were the associated impacts; what lessons were learned about nontechnical factors for success; and what were the overall cost and benefit of the congestion reduction strategies. The four objective questions were translated into twelve evaluation analyses, which in turn consist of hypotheses and questions, measures of effectiveness (MOEs), and data required for the MOEs. This document explains each of the twelve analyses and discusses the major data requirements and data collection methods that will be needed. Next steps include development of site-specific evaluation plans and test plans. KW - Congestion management systems KW - Congestion pricing KW - Evaluation KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Telecommuting KW - Tolls KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban transit KW - Urban transportation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/30000/30700/30764/14446.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/904385 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01120435 AU - Barnes, Philip AU - Anderson, Noel AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - City of Waterloo, Iowa TI - U.S. 63 from Franklin Street to Donald Street in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa: Environmental Assessment and Draft Section 4(f) Statement PY - 2008/11/21 SP - v.p. AB - The purpose of the proposed U.S. 63 improvements is to safely accommodate future traffic and access needs in the corridor, to correct the major deficiencies of the existing highway, and to improve the transportation infrastructure needed to support planned economic development. This report is the environmental impact assessment for this improvement project. KW - Aging infrastructure KW - Economic development KW - Environmental impact analysis KW - High risk locations KW - Highway capacity KW - Improvements KW - Infrastructure KW - Road construction KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic safety KW - Traffic volume KW - Transportation planning KW - Waterloo (Iowa) UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/878583 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01603506 AU - Jovanis, Paul P AU - Aguero, Jonathan AU - Wu, Kun-Feng AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Statewide Crash Analysis and Forcasting PY - 2008/11/20/Final Report SP - 38p AB - There is a need for the development of safety analysis tools to allow the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to better assess the safety performance of road segments in the Commonwealth. The project utilized a safety management system database at PennDOT that integrates crash, occupant, vehicle and traffic information in an integrated searchable format (i.e., C-DART). The analyses conducted and models produced in this research should enhance PennDOT's ability to conduct safety analyses, particularly those using C-DART. The list of sites with promise contains a rank ordering of road segments offering the greatest potential for safety improvement. The model containing crash severity levels should give PennDOT additional confidence when combining fatal and severe injury crashes in needed analyses. Lastly, the models including census data have explored the feasibility of using that approach to safety modeling (although additional testing is needed). KW - Crash analysis KW - Crash data KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Crash severity KW - Demographics KW - High risk locations KW - Highway safety KW - Pennsylvania KW - Safety Performance Functions UR - http://www.dot7.state.pa.us/BPR_PDF_FILES/Documents/Research/Complete%20Projects/Operations/Statewide%20Crash%20Analysis%20and%20Forecasting.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1410756 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01121734 AU - Jovanis, Paul P AU - Aguero, Jonathan AU - Wu, Kun-Feng AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Statewide Crash Analysis and Forecasting PY - 2008/11/20/Final Report SP - 37p AB - There is a need for the development of safety analysis tools to allow PennDOT to better assess the safety performance of road segments in the Commonwealth. The project utilized a safety management system database at PennDOT that integrates crash, occupant, vehicle and traffic information in an integrated searchable format (i.e., C-DART). The analyses conducted and models produced in this research should enhance PennDOT's ability to conduct safety analyses, particularly those using C-DART. The list of sites with promise contains a rank ordering of road segments offering the greatest potential for safety improvement. The model containing crash severity levels should give PennDOT additional confidence when combining fatal and severe injury crashes in needed analyses. Lastly, the models including census data have explored the feasibility of using that approach to safety modeling (although additional testing is needed). KW - Crash analysis KW - Crash data KW - Crash models KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Crash severity KW - Highway factors in crashes KW - Highway safety KW - Pennsylvania KW - Safety assessment KW - Traffic safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/883663 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01140578 AU - Mian, Zack AU - International Electronic Machines Corporation AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Wheel Inspection System Environment PY - 2008/11/18/Final Report SP - 19p AB - International Electronic Machines Corporation (IEM) has developed and is now marketing a state-of-the-art Wheel Inspection System Environment (WISE). WISE provides wheel profile and dimensional measurements, i.e. rim thickness, flange height, flange thickness, flange angle, diameter, reference groove; brake pad thickness measurements; and flags out-of-round wheels and flat spots. WISE provides modules for: wheel profile, crack detection, flat spot detection and brake pad management system. It easily integrates with existing way-side equipment and works seamlessly with existing railroad rolling stock management systems. During this project, IEM has completed the successful installation of the WISE modules for wheel profile, crack detection and brake pad management at the CSX Transportation hump yard in Selkirk, NY. This report details the thorough testing and validation of these modules through the project that was funded jointly by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). IEM is in advanced talks with Class I railroads regarding WISE, and has been selected to install WISE in the new transit system in Sydney, Australia. KW - Brake pads KW - Car wheels (Railroads) KW - Class I railroads KW - Crack detection KW - CSX Transportation KW - Hump yards KW - Inspection equipment KW - Wheel Inspection System Environment UR - http://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/WISE%20Final%20Report%20for%20NYSDOT.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/900951 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01125396 AU - Department of Transportation TI - U.S. Department of Transportation’s FY 2009 Top Management Challenges PY - 2008/11/17 SP - 57p AB - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) Office of Inspector General has released its annual report on the top management challenges facing the DOT during fiscal year 2009. The study identified nine top management challenges for the Department, including: enhancing aviation safety and maintaining confidence in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s ability to provide effective oversight of a rapidly changing industry; enhancing mobility and reducing congestion in America's transportation system; developing a plan to address projected highway and transit funding shortfalls; maximizing return on current highway and transit infrastructure investments; enhancing and deploying programs for reducing the serious consequences of surface transportation crashes, and more. KW - Aviation safety KW - Countermeasures KW - Financing KW - Highway safety KW - Highways KW - Management KW - Mobility KW - Public transit KW - Return on investment KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic mitigation KW - U.S. Department of Transportation UR - http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/pdfdocs/FINAL_for_508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/885695 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354509 AU - O'Connor, Jerome S AU - McAnany, Paul E AU - Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Damage to Bridges from Wind, Storm Surge and Debris in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina PY - 2008/11/16/Volume 5 SP - 158p AB - This report, the fifth in a series detailing post-Katrina field investigations by the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) team, focuses on the structural performance of bridges based on findings from reconnaissance trips to the coast of Mississippi and the adjoining parts of Louisiana and Alabama. The first investigation took place September 6-11, 2005, about a week after the event, with the second following a month later, in October 2005. It is hoped that findings from these field investigations will lead to improvements in coastal bridge design standards, similar to the way post-earthquake investigations have led to a better understanding of seismic loadings and an improved performance-based seismic design specification. KW - Alabama KW - Bridge design KW - Bridges KW - Coastal engineering KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Field studies KW - Hurricane Katrina, 2005 KW - Louisiana KW - Mississippi Gulf Coast KW - Seismic loading KW - Storm surges KW - Structural analysis KW - Wind UR - http://mceer.buffalo.edu/publications/Katrina/08-SP05.asp UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118986 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01464315 TI - Design Guidance for Freeway Mainline Ramp Terminals AB - The objective of this research is to develop improved design guidance for freeway mainline ramp terminals suitable for inclusion in the AASHTO Green Book. As appropriate, the guidance should also address issues related to the design of the gore area and any transitional area to the ramp proper. KW - Acceleration lanes KW - Deceleration lanes KW - Freeways KW - Highway design KW - National Cooperative Highway Research Program KW - Ramps (Interchanges) KW - Traffic control UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2568 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232544 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462631 TI - Methodology for Determining the Economic Development Impacts of Transit Investments AB - The importance of economic development linked to transit investments is well recognized, and that importance is reflected in the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA's) project approval process. As a result of recent legislation, Congress requires FTA to evaluate the economic development benefits (among other criteria) of proposed transit projects to determine their merits and impacts. To comply with this requirement, a methodology is needed that project sponsors can use to generate reliable estimates of development impacts and associated benefits for New Starts, Small Starts, and major investments in more mature transit systems. While much work has been done describing the relationship between transit system investment and economic development, it is not clear how an approach to prepare a reliable forecast of economic development benefits of transit projects can be applied systematically to all proposed projects. In preparing project evaluations, FTA and others have traditionally identified and measured mobility benefits. Economic benefits can be more inclusive, however, and defining and measuring a broader class of benefits has been the subject of numerous studies. Adding broader economic development impact measures--in the form of land prices, occupancy rates, development densities, relocated jobs and residences, or similar measures--to those associated with mobility and accessibility can increase the risk of double-counting. Therefore, the challenge in all of these efforts is to identify where double counting might occur and eliminate it to the extent possible. KW - Accessibility KW - Capital investments KW - Economic development KW - Investments KW - Mobility KW - Public transit KW - Research projects KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2364 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230852 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01459762 TI - One-Coat Systems Applicable to Steel Bridges AB - The Coatings and Corrosion Laboratory at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of Federal Highway Administration has been evaluating eight one-coat systems plus two control systems; a 3-coat and a 2-coat. Test materials were applied over near-white steel test panels (SSPC-SP10). This study was launched in November 2006, as part of a congressionally mandated high performance steel research program, and will be completed in December 2008. A total of 168 test panels were prepared and tested through accelerated laboratory testing and outdoor weathering testing at two exposure sites. Performance of the coating systems has been evaluated using Electrochemical Impedance Spectrosocpy (EIS), surface failure characterizations, rust creepage at intentional scribes, pull-off adhesion, and changes of color and gloss. KW - Adhesion KW - Coatings KW - Corrosion KW - Corrosion protection KW - Creep KW - Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy KW - Performance evaluations KW - Research projects KW - Steel bridges UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1227977 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01464735 TI - Research for the AASHTO Standing Committee on the Environment. Task 52. Informational Requirements for Jurisdictional Determinations to be Issued by the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Under the Clean Water Act (CWA) AB -In 2006, the Supreme Court again addressed the jurisdictional scope of Section 404, specifically the term "waters of the
Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ATCS), also known as real-time traffic control systems, have been used broadly since early 1980s. Although there are more than 30 ATCS deployments in the
TCRP Synthesis 29, published in 1998, summarized information from selected transit agencies about benefits and problems associated with various passenger counting technologies, as reported by users. It provided advice for agencies considering APC systems. Much has changed since then. An information update is needed. Better technology for counting boardings and alightings, improved reliability for location detection (e.g. GPS), together with improved processing technology have entered the passenger counting marketplace since the last synthesis. These improvements have occurred in APCs, fare collection systems, GIS, etc. Over the past ten years, the usefulness of the data has become more important to the agency as a whole. A synthesis documenting current analytical tools and technologies for measuring transit ridership and other subsidiary data is needed. It will document the state-of-the-practice, focusing on successful examples of non-manual passenger counting systems.
KW - Data collection KW - Fare collection KW - Geographic information systems KW - Passenger counting KW - Public transit KW - Ridership KW - Technological innovations UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1677 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230976 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462586 TI - Legal Aspects of Airport Programs. Topic 2-03. Case Studies on Community Challenges to Airport Development AB - Airports are under pressure to accommodate increasing demand for airport facilities. Indeed, some particularly congested airports are considering methods for managing aircraft demand for their runways or facing a shift in their air traffic to less congested regional airports. Various measures can be used to accommodate this demand for limited airport resources, but the likely response is airport expansion and development. Recent development activities at airports have resulted in a number of challenges by community groups. There has been, for example, challenges to the expansion at Chicago's O'Hare Airport and the ongoing challenges to California's Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport. These challenges may use various legal theories to modify or, in some cases, to prevent airport development. Some of the theories that have been used to challenge airport development are predicated on environmental issues: the EIS did not fully address the impact Endangered Species Act, or that the EIS failed to properly address the requirements of RIFRA, the Historic Preservation Act [4(f)], the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act. Other theories have included challenges to the funding of the airport expansion using PFCs. Challengers have also made use of the imposition of zoning laws on airport property located in multiple jurisdictions. In addition to challenging airport development, communities have occasionally challenged various aspects of ongoing airport operations. For example, a recent case involves a challenge based on the FAA's change in the approach/or approval of runway for an expanded use at Ft Lauderdale. This research project should address both federal and state cases brought in opposition to airport expansion or the development or operations at airports. The researcher should summarize these judicial decisions and explain the basis of the challenge, the defense to that challenge, and the outcome of the case. The collected cases should be organized in a manner that conveys the strategies used by airport proprietors to address these challenges and identify which strategies have succeeded, which have failed, and the reasons. The results of the research should be organized by the type or category of the challenge and must include a cross referenced index for those cases that involved challenges using multiple theories. KW - Airport control towers KW - Airport operations KW - Airport planning KW - Airport traffic KW - Airports KW - Airspace (Aeronautics) KW - Obstructions (Navigation) KW - Ordinances KW - Research projects KW - Restrictions UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2548 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230807 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462442 TI - Investigation of Nitrogen Oxides Emissions from a Major Roadway AB - The objective of the proposed research is to develop a model to predict pollutant concentrations near major roadways and validate the model with real-time pollutant concentration, traffic and meteorological data. Despite recent advances in the automobile industry in reducing emissions from individual vehicles, because of the regional increases in the traffic volumes, air pollution in those localities still persist at problematic levels. Vehicular emissions are the major contributors to atmospheric NOx constituting about half of all anthropogenic emissions. The secondary species formed in the atmosphere as the result of the reactions of NOx with other species, are known to cause a wide variety of health and environmental problems. Measurements done at the air pollution monitoring stations provide regional data with some temporal resolution but their numbers are too few to provide a detailed spatial resolution. Air pollutant concentrations can be significantly higher close to major roadways. This makes the local pollutant concentration measurements and finding ways to predict concentrations with a much higher spatial resolution essential in making decisions about locating buildings that will house sensitive populations, such as hospitals, day care centers, elementary schools, retirement homes and assisted living facilities. Therefore, there is a need for more data on NOx concentrations especially near major roadways, and for models, which can predict NOx concentrations with more accuracy and more spatial resolution. Therefore, to address these issues, this research project is proposing to (1) build a mobile NO and NO2 measurement unit with the associated weather monitoring instrumentation; (2) obtain coordinated measurements of NO and NO2 concentrations and meteorological conditions at varying distances from the roadway, together with the traffic volume and vehicle type data; (3) use CALINE4 to estimate the NO2 concentrations at receptors located at the measurement points; and (4) analyze the data obtained to elucidate the adequacy of CALINE4 in predicting the local NO2 concentrations near roadways and perform a sensitivity analysis on the input variables, which are not directly measured, to suggest possible improvements. KW - Air pollution KW - Air quality management KW - Exhaust gases KW - Pollutants KW - Research projects KW - Traffic volume UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230663 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462441 TI - Non-Destructive Bridge Testing with Acoustic Emission (AE) Sensor AB - The utilization of non-destructive test and monitoring technologies for bridge safety is one of the research focus areas of Hampton University's Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center (ESITAC). The objective of the proposed research is to utilize non-destructive testing technology (NDT), in collaboration with Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT's) District Structure and Bridge Engineering Department, for accurate, reliable and durable methods of structural health monitoring of highway bridges and to help prevent spread of structural failures. Two bridges have been identified as potential test candidates. The bridge on I-164 at the Coast Guard Blvd. in the City of Portsmouth was built in 1991. According to the 2004 data, the average daily traffic on the bridge is 11,337 with 4% truck traffic. The other bridge is in the city of Williamsburg (VDOT Display structure 018 - 1917). This bridge was built in 1939 and has an average daily traffic of 2230 but with 5% daily average of truck traffic. Metal and non-metal bridge structure components will be investigated using NDT of acoustic emission (AE). The major deliverables from the proposed research will include the following: (1) Establish inspection procedures and methodology based on the studies during lean and peak traffic intervals. Investigate the role of thermal factors and incorporate them in the inspection procedures. (2) Provide analysis and research procedures including simple bridge health grading criteria. (3) Simplify the AE technology application for Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) data review and decision making such that if problems are identified with AE, a dedicated system could be put into place for online monitoring. KW - Acoustic emission tests KW - Bridge design KW - Inspection KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Research projects KW - Structural deterioration and defects UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230662 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462361 TI - An Assessment of Habitat Connectivity and Fracture Zones for Carnivores Within and Between the I-90 and US2 Corridors - UTC AB - The purpose of this project is to assess carnivore habitat connectivity and the impact of landscape fracture zones on carnivores within and between the I-90 and US Route 2 transportation corridors. KW - Carnivores KW - Connectivity KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Habitat (Ecology) KW - Montana KW - Research projects KW - Wildlife UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4w2397.aspx UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230582 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461831 TI - Legal Aspects of Airport Programs. Topic 2-04. Analysis of Federal Laws, Regulations and Case Law Regarding Airport Proprietary Rights AB - Airport owners and operators have certain proprietary rights to manage and control access to their facilities under the Airline Deregulation Act and federal case law. The owner's proprietary rights are circumscribed by federal laws and regulations such as federal grant assurances, ANCA and other federal statutes. The scope of airport proprietary rights are difficult to ascertain and it would be useful to have an analysis of the rights currently recognized by the courts as being within the purview of airport owners and those that have been determined to exceed that authority. This project would analyze the relevant federal statutes, regulation and case law with regard to airport proprietary rights including regulation of noise and other environmental matters, safety restrictions, leasing practices, congestion management, and other airport access limitations. The analysis should result in a compilation of relevant statutes, regulations, and case decisions determining the scope of airport proprietary rights and a discussion of the rights within the owner's purview and those which have been determined to exceed the owner's authority. The final report is due in January 2010.KW - Air traffic control facilities KW - Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 KW - Airport access KW - Airport congestion KW - Airport control towers KW - Airport operations KW - Congestion management systems KW - Deregulation KW - Property rights KW - Research projects UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2549 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230051 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461684 TI - Deicer Interaction with Portland Cement Concrete AB - The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effect of chloride-based deicers on reinforced concrete structures, such as roadways and bridges, operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation; and to determine whether or not reducing deicer corrosiveness helps preserve the transportation infrastructure. KW - Concrete structures KW - Corrosion KW - Deicers (Equipment) KW - Infrastructure KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Reinforced concrete KW - Reinforced concrete bridges KW - Research projects UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4w2379.aspx UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229904 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461603 TI - Evaluation of Polymer-Modified Pervious Concrete to Traffic Safety AB - Environmentally friendly pervious concrete has been traditionally limited to low speed, light traffic roads and parking lot due to durability concerns. A recently proposed research to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) will make it possible to apply pervious concrete to heavily trafficked major highway as well. This proposed STC matching research will analyze the improved safety benefit of applying pervious concrete to major highways. Additional safety related testing will be conducted in the laboratory. Through a comprehensive literature review, international survey, and analyses of the materials' safety parameters, the safety benefit of pervious concrete in highway applications will be quantified. Based on the results from this study, safety considerations will be incorporated into the future GDOT material and design specifications for pervious concrete pavements KW - Georgia KW - Highway design KW - Parking facilities KW - Pavement performance KW - Polymer modification KW - Road construction KW - Traffic loads KW - Traffic safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229822 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01460064 TI - Synthesis of Short Sea Shipping in North America AB -