TY - ABST AN - 01576036 TI - Life Cycle and Techno-Financial Analysis of Biomass Pretreatment for Thermochemical Process AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Financial analysis KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Thermochemistry UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1369878 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575930 TI - Predictive Relationships for Assessing Quality of Densified Biomass Using Fundamental Mechanical Properties of Granular Bio-Feedstock AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Densification KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Mechanical properties KW - Quality control UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368935 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575913 TI - Production and Life-Cycle Assessment of Switchgrass Across the Heterogeneous Landscape of the Northeast AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Grasses KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Northeastern United States KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368839 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575911 TI - Production of Lipids for Biofuels through Mixotrophic Growth of a Mixed Microalgae-Cyanobacteria Culture AB - No summary provided. KW - Algae KW - Bacteria KW - Biomass fuels KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368835 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575844 TI - Tapping into Lignin Potential For High-End Co-Products Using Bionanocatalysts with Enhanced Depolymerizing Activities AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Lignin KW - Polymerization UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368767 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575719 TI - Use of Alternative Water Sources for Bioenergy Crops Production in Arid Regions of the US AB - No summary provided. KW - Arid land KW - Biomass fuels KW - Crops KW - Irrigation KW - Production KW - Renewable energy sources KW - United States KW - Water UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368402 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575657 TI - Assessment of Production and Transportation Practices for Sweet Sorghum AB - The desired short term benchmarks/outcomes of this project are to: (1) Demonstrate the maximal amount of sugar that can be produced assessed through multiple crop production sequencing; (2) Select appropriate cultivars to utilize in this sequencing in the semi arid Southwest; (3) Minimize or avoid the addition of preservatives to the juice while assuring high ethanol productivity; (4) Complete mass (water and nutrients), and energy balances for growth and production of sweet sorghum in arid climates; (5) Update estimates of costs and returns of using sweet sorghum to produce ethanol; (6) Improve the efficiency of juice fermentation; and (7) Transfer technology to Pinal Energy by aiding in updating standard operating procedures for dual feedstock facilities. The long term outcomes are to: (1) Provide best cultivation practices to and discuss market potential of growing sweet sorghum with Tribal nations and regional farmers; (2) Evaluate scale up to full production size at a commercial ethanol plant; (3) Identify which phases of the production process have the greatest scope for cost reductions; and (4) Determine economic feasibility of additional production facilities that operate in a sustainable manner in the Southwestern United States (SW). KW - Biomass fuels KW - Cultivation KW - Ethanol KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Fermentation KW - Grasses KW - Markets KW - Production KW - Southwestern States KW - Sugar UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368340 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575543 TI - Lesquerella: A Low-water Use Crop as a Source of Biofuel Performance Enhancement for the Western United States AB - This grant will help overcome the final hurdles to bringing lesquerella into agricultural production, and the goal of diversifying biofuel feedstocks for the arid/semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States. This work will give growers the necessary weed management strategies necessary for large scale production, data needed for herbicide registrations by the chemical industry, and information on interactions of irrigation and fertilization for best growth under the conditions of the arid/semi-arid Southwest. Finally, by performing the second year’s work on growers’ fields, the research team will generate actual production data from which realistic economic and life cycle analyses can be made. KW - Agriculture KW - Arid land KW - Biomass fuels KW - Crops KW - Economic analysis KW - Fertilization (Horticulture) KW - Herbicides KW - Irrigation KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Plants KW - Production KW - Southwestern States KW - United States KW - Water consumption KW - Weed control UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368007 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575508 TI - Overcoming Crop Production Hurdles to Develop Russian Dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz, TKS) as a Renewable Domestic Source of Natural Rubber and Ethanol AB - The objectives of this research project are as follows: 1) Publish guidelines describing proper seed harvest, processing, storage, and planting methods to ensure dependable germination and stand establishment from direct seeding. (2) Publish guidelines describing how to adjust environment and crop management to optimize flowering timing and resultant seed yield. (3) Publish guidelines describing improved methods of weed control, soil moisture, agronomic management, and harvest timing to optimize root biomass, rubber, and inulin yield. (4) Document advances in germplasm under Oregon environmental conditions, including improvements from collaborator breeding efforts and selection of superior wild types. (5) Disseminate research results and crop production information to potential Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS) (commonly known as Russian Dandelion) growers through field day presentations, extension publications, and the media. KW - Crops KW - Ethanol KW - Natural rubber KW - Production methods KW - Renewable energy sources UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367893 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572200 TI - Hydrogen Fuel Production from Microalgae AB - Critical residues for O₂ sensitivity will be determined that will allow the design of potential mutations for improving enzyme tolerance to O₂. The system for inducible production of hydrogenases in microalgae will be optimized. This system will be used in the future to introduce the best engineered hydrogenase variants into microalgae for developing a strain for light induced H₂ production. H₂ utilization by use of a fuel cell will be determined, and knowledge of any required gas conditioning established. These outcomes will enable to probe for mutations minimizing inactivation of hydrogenases by O₂ and to achieve the overall goal. Further, prospective hydrogenase variants for improving resistance to the presence of O₂ will be created within two years. Improved strains of microalgae capable of producing H₂ in the presence of O₂ will be developed in next three years. The economical and scalable process for algae cultivation and H₂ utilization and a microalgae/H₂ /fuel cell system will be developed simultaneously. Design of a hydrogenase with increased resistance to O₂ will greatly improve the process of H₂ production in microalgae. Production of lowcost H₂ biofuels will accelerate the transition to a hydrogen economy and help to eliminate US dependence on foreign oil and create many new jobs. The project team will develop industrial scale production of microalgae through utilization of cheap pond-based systems. Therefore, there will be no competition between "biofuels crops" and food crops. First, pond-based systems can utilize marginal soils. Second, use of microalgae for biofuels will remove social controversy caused by use of corn and similar food grains that divert these commodities from food for humans and livestock. Moreover, H₂ can be also converted locally into electricity or used to produce ammonia fertilizer which is required in hundreds of millions of tons. KW - Algae KW - Biomass fuels KW - Economic impacts KW - Fuel cells KW - Hydrogen fuels KW - Microalgae KW - Oxygen KW - Production methods UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363818 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572198 TI - Online Courses on Biorenewable Resources and on Engineering Sustainability AB - The two courses to be developed will directly impact the Biobased Products and Bioenergy graduate certificate program at Kansas State University. The core course will provide a coordinated interdisciplinary overview of the field. The course on engineering sustainability will quantitatively address the sustainability issues necessary for informed engineering decisions. These courses and the graduate certificate program as a whole will have significant value to industrial practitioners. Online delivery will be particularly valuable for those individuals who are not located near a college or university. With the mix of these two courses and the coursework at Kansas State University already available via distance education, the potential exists for individuals to complete the graduate certificate through the Division of Continuing Education. Thus, all of the opportunities above would be available to the entire South Central Sun Grant region. In addition to the courses that will be developed, the outcomes will also be communicated at a national professional conference. Publication of at least three papers, one on each course as well as part of a graduate capstone course, are anticipated in engineering education journals. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Curricula KW - Distance learning KW - Graduate study KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Self guided training courses KW - Sustainable development UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363816 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569166 TI - Signature Project Support: Emissions, Rural Travel Behavior and Efficiency AB - This grant supports several distinct activities which are part of the University Transportation Center (UTC) Signature research projects at the University of Vermont. New tasks had originally been proposed by faculty who left the program. These tasks will be completed by the Aultman-Hall team. For second by second driving style and emissions tasks involve improving the understanding of the interface between traffic simulation models and tailpipe emissions models. For tourism travel demand a modeling framework for tourism travel and/or leisure demand will be defined. The goal is to have a framework appropriate for inclusion in a travel demand model such as the Vermont Department of Transportation (VTrans) statewide planning modeling. The approach should allow output to be sensitive to different energy costs. The team will work with National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) and other travel data to assess travel patterns of rural residents and determine how this impacts the design and operation of more sustainable transportation systems. This may require improvements to the typical measures of travel, as well as the measures of urban/rural landscapes, both of which have been defined to serve metropolitan transportation planning scenarios. This includes measuring how travel and electricity demand overlap spatially given different levels of electric vehicle adoption. This project will include work started to assess the impact of land use patterns on pedestrian volumes as well as creation of a method to estimate total county-wide pedestrian miles of travel. KW - Air quality management KW - Electric vehicles KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Pedestrian traffic KW - Pollutants KW - Traffic simulation KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel demand KW - Travel patterns UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/rural-travel-behavior-and-accessibility/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359721 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569117 TI - Modeling Vehicle Choice to Assess Potential GHG Emission Gains AB - Achieving increased transportation efficiency and minimizing transportation greenhouse gas emissions in a rural state is challenging. Trip lengths are most often too long for biking or walking modes. Land use patterns create challenges for fixed route transit services. Realizing transportation efficiency will require different system changes, including changes to private household vehicle fleets. This project is a joint endeavor with the New England Transportation Institute (NETI) funded jointly by the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and the University of Vermont's (UVM's) U.s Department of Transportation University Transportation Center (USDOT UTC) grant. The overall goal is to document ways that the greenhouse gas emissions from rural commuters could be reduced including through employer and government-based incentive programs. UVM's portion of the project will document potential gains from vehicle choice including use of Environmental Protection Agency's Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (EPA's MOVES) model for emissions estimates. KW - Bicycling KW - Choice models KW - Commuters KW - Exhaust gases KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Land use planning KW - Passenger transportation KW - Pollutants KW - Simulation KW - Transportation KW - Vermont KW - Walking UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/modeling-vehicle-choice-to-assess-potential-ghg-emission-gains/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359628 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01566204 TI - A Study of Driver Idling Behavior AB - This project will assess the benefits of reducing or eliminating idling by privately-owned vehicles (POVs) in Vermont by seeking data on the extent and seasonal variation of idling. The objectives of this project are to answer the following: (1) How much do Vermonters idle their privately-owned motor vehicles? (2) Are there seasonal variations in this idling behavior? (3) If there are seasonal variations in idling behavior, what are they? To support finding answers to these questions, the research team will instrument 20 POVs for two weeks in the winter months and gather second-by-second driving data to develop a comprehensive assessment of winter idling by POVs in Vermont. Summer idling has been measured in a separate project. A framework will be developed for understanding the types and locations of idling within routine travel and use this framework to measure the amount of idling by type in the dataset. Once collected, the data will be analyzed to determine how much efficiency can be gained by reducing or eliminating idling by POVs. KW - Automobile ownership KW - Data collection KW - Engine idling KW - Private transportation KW - Seasonal variations KW - Traffic congestion KW - Vermont KW - Winter UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1357375 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01549346 TI - Economic Evaluation of Arkansas Inland Waterways and Potential Disruption Impacts AB - Arkansas is one of twenty-four states with an inland waterway transportation system. Over one thousand miles of Arkansas navigable waterways have the potential to attract industries by offering low-cost transportation in a strategic location with links to domestic markets including Chicago, Houston, and Pittsburgh and coastal ports in the Gulf of Mexico. A decade ago, prior research indicated that Arkansas ports directly and indirectly contributed to the economic growth of this state including economic value, earnings, and employment. There is a need for current information on the economic impacts of Arkansas' inland waterway transportation system and what impact disruptions to the this system may have. This information may spur investment in port development, which can in turn increase Arkansas' competitive advantage over neighboring states while continuing to offer social and environmental transportation benefits. KW - Arkansas KW - Competition KW - Economic benefits KW - Economic growth KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Inland water transportation KW - Marine terminals KW - Port operations KW - Waterways UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1339687 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01549345 TI - Site-Specific Ground Motion Analyses for Transportation Infrastructure in the New Madrid Seismic Zone AB - Only a few states in the nation have areas with higher earthquake design ground motions than northeast Arkansas. These extreme seismic forces directly control the exceedingly high costs for bridges, retaining walls, and pile foundations in this area. The main objective of this study is to develop guidelines that design engineers can use to perform high-quality, site-specific ground motion response analyses for transportation infrastructure in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). This research will focus on developing guidelines for conducting nonlinear, effective stress analyses with particular attention given to providing recommendations for: (1) proper dynamic soil properties (i.e., small-strain shear wave velocity profiles, and strain-Dependant modulus and damping curves) for typical NMSZ soils, (2) selecting and scaling ground motion time histories, and (3) appropriate, cheap or freely-available software to conduct the analyses. This research has the potential to benefit not only those involved in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure in the state of Arkansas, but also those from other states within the NMSZ (e.g., Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky). From a technical perspective, further research is needed in this area to fully understand how these unique soil conditions will affect seismic forces transferred to structures during a large earthquake. From an economic perspective, it is very beneficial to investigate something that would allow one to potentially save a great deal of money on seismic design. The fact is that among all possible load combinations, seismic forces govern the design of transportation infrastructure within the NMSZ. These seismic forces are large (i.e., expensive to design for), but also uncertain. The code allows these seismic forces to be reduced by up to 33% if detailed site-specific ground response analyses reveal it is possible. The proposed research is highly applicable and valuable to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and all state departments of transportation (DOT's) in the NMSZ. KW - Arkansas KW - Bridges KW - Earthquake engineering KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Guidelines KW - Infrastructure KW - New Madrid Seismic Zone KW - Pile foundations KW - Retaining walls KW - Seismicity UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1339686 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01527948 TI - Sinkhole Detection & Bridge/Landslide Monitoring for Transportation Infrastructure by Automated Analysis of Interferometric SAR Images AB - The project is aimed at developing software tools that can be used to automatically detect and monitor potential sinkholes, bridge settlement and landslide movement from satellite imagery. KW - Landslides KW - Monitoring KW - Satellite imagery KW - Settlement (Structures) KW - Sinkholes UR - http://viva.ee.virginia.edu/research_remotesensing.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1312228 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01522822 TI - Experimental Study of Various Techniques to Protect Ice-Rich Cut Slopes AB - Permafrost underlies most areas of Alaska. Cuts are usually required to achieve design grades in these ice-rich permafrost areas. However, excavation and exposure of a cut slope will destroy the existing thermal balance and result in degradation of the ice-rich permafrost. Uncontrolled erosion and runoff as well as slope failures on a cut slope resulted from thawed ice-rich permafrost cause environmental distress, project delays, change orders, and claims. The problem had been documented for more than fifty years and still exists. Solutions that are environmentally acceptable, legal, and economically viable are still rare at present, while new and strict environmental laws continue the increasing trend to make long accepted Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (AKDOT&PF) methods for dealing with ice-rich permafrost either undesirable or completely unacceptable. It is proposed in this research to study several potential thermal erosion mitigation techniques that address the regulatory concerns raised by the current practices and will be particularly effective in controlling erosion from the cut face in the first thaw season. Several test sections will be constructed in the experimental study and monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of different mitigation techniques. Recommendations and guidelines for design, construction, and maintenance will be provided to insure proper application of successfully tested mitigation approaches on future construction projects that require cuts in ice-rich permafrost. KW - Alaska KW - Embankments KW - Environment KW - Erosion KW - Freeze thaw durability KW - Ice KW - Maintenance KW - Permafrost KW - Pipelines KW - Runoff KW - Slope failure UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/projects/experimental-study-of-various-techniques-to-protect-ice-rich-cut-slopes/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307042 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01522816 TI - Frozen Soil Lateral Resistance for the Seismic Design of Highway Bridge Foundations AB - With recent seismic activity and earthquakes in Alaska and throughout the Pacific Rim, seismic design is becoming an increasingly important public safety concern for highway bridge designers. Hoping to generate knowledge that can improve the seismic design of highway bridges in Alaska, researchers from the University of Alaska plan to test a fixity depth approach and a lateral resistance (p-y) approach in seismic bridge design. Currently, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) utilizes soil lateral resistance in the seismic design of bridge pile foundations. Knowledge about lateral resistance of frozen soils, particularly seasonally frozen soils at shallow depths, will help improve pile foundation design in cold regions such as Alaska. Researchers Zhaohui Yang and Anthony Paris are conducting laboratory experiments to examine key mechanical parameters for the frozen soils used to construct the p-y curve for modeling frozen soils. Although there have been studies on the mechanical properties of frozen soils, existing studies were based on remolded, artificially frozen soil samples, which do not necessarily represent the soil in the field. How much impact these disturbances have on the frozen soil strength and stress-strain behavior is not clear. Additionally there is a lack of studies of the stress-strain behavior at small strains based on naturally frozen samples. Yang and Paris hope to fill this knowledge gap by providing key frozen soil parameters for typical Alaska soils. These key soil parameters, Yang and Paris claim, are needed for predicting the formation and location of plastic hinges, and internal loads in bridge pilings embedded in frozen soils during seismic loading. The team will use this developing knowledge to conduct a bridge design engineers workshop to discuss their findings and how to apply them in the seismic design of bridges. KW - Alaska KW - Bridge foundations KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Frozen soils KW - Highway bridges KW - Mechanical properties KW - Seismicity UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/projects/frozen-soil-lateral-resistance-for-the-seismic-design-of-highway-bridge-foundations/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307036 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01522815 TI - Impact of the Embedded Carbon Fiber Heating Panel on the Structural/Mechanical Performance of Roadway Pavement AB - An ongoing collaborative research project is helping find more cost-effective and sustainable de-icing solutions to benefit a wide variety of transportation infrastructure users. Partnering with the Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) and the University of Houston, researcher Zhaohui Yang of the University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA) plans to test a carbon fiber tape (CFT) based de-icing technology in hopes of offering an environmentally-friendly, anti-corrosive, cost-effective de-icing technology that can improve transportation safety. This new de-icing technology is potentially applicable to bridge decks, road sections susceptible to icing, airport runways, street crossings and frequently used sidewalks in urban areas in Alaska and other cold regions. Cold regions like Alaska suffer serious transportation system safety problems in the winter months. South central Alaska--Anchorage in particular--is susceptible to a large number of icing events due to frequent freeze/thaw cycles in the winter season. This creates ice on sidewalks, pavement and bridge decks that poses a significant safety risk to pedestrians, travelers/commuters, and commercial drivers alike. Black ice, a thin shiny layer of ice with a slick surface, is of particular concern because of its near invisibility to drivers, pilots and pedestrians. Researchers conducted a series of de-icing and anti-icing experiments. Preliminary results showed a considerable cost reduction for de-icing and anti-icing compared to other electrical resistance heating type technologies. Researchers found that the new technology demonstrates excellent de-icing capability and shows great potential for application in the transportation industry. Continuing the research, Yang and his team aim to address three important areas of question that arose during the pilot testing: (1) The impact of heating panel embedment to structural integrity of pavement/bridge decks; (2) The impact of coupled thermal cycling (from de-icing operation) and freeze/thaw cycling (due to ambient temperature fluctuations) to the mechanical properties of pavement; and (3) The impact of electromagnetic field generated by the de-icing operation on the corrosion of steel reinforcement in the pavement/bridge deck. Combined lab and field work will address these issues. Field experiments, such as structure member testing, will assess the impact of the heating panel embedment to structural integrity of Portland cement concrete pavement. Laboratory testing of samples obtained from the outdoor pilot experiment facility will help evaluate the impact of coupled heating/cooling and freeze/thaw cycles upon concrete pavement. Findings from the test sidewalk laboratory test will be incorporated into a sidewalk to be constructed on the UAA campus to evaluate the field performance of this new technology. KW - Bridge decks KW - Carbon fibers KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Deicing chemicals KW - Freeze thaw durability KW - Heating KW - Mechanical properties KW - Pavements UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/projects/impact-of-the-embedded-carbon-fiber-heating-panel-on-the-structuralmechanical-performance-of-roadway-pavement/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307035 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01522814 TI - Over-height Vehicle Collision Protection and Detection System for Cold Region Highway Bridges AB - Highway bridge safety is a concern nationwide, and of particular concern in northern states like Alaska and Washington where over-height trucks damage the bottom corner or edges of girders. Beyond these states, research estimates that nearly one-third of the nation's 600,000 highway bridges are currently in need of repair or replacements, making applications for innovative bridge concepts and construction methods vital to both traffic safety and cost-effective maintenance. Because of this pressure issue, researches are addressing a growing need for over-height impact protection and detection systems. This collaborative research team, led by Dr. Pizhong Qiao of Washington State University (WSU) and J. Leroy Hulsey of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), will examine novel use of high energy absorbing materials and smart sensors in cold regions to help protect against this costly bridge damage. Qiao and Hulsey are developing a system using lightweight and high-energy absorbing honeycomb sandwich materials. The team will integrate the system with smart impact sensors for over-height detecting and remote sensing to protect bridge girders from localized impact damages in cold regions. The over-height project will address the Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) theme of "transportation safety, security and innovation in cold regions" by exploring this novel use of materials. The project is also: (1) Developing integrated remote detection and monitoring technology in difficulty-accessible areas during cold weather; (2) Improving rapid construction and installation techniques through lightweight honeycomb sandwich materials and modular units in cold climates and enhancing safety and security through early warning, online remote monitoring, load-rerouting impact damage preventing. Bringing together the collective insight of researchers and bridge safety experts from UAF, WSU, Washington State Department of Transportation, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Ohio Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. KW - Alaska KW - Crashes KW - Frigid regions KW - Girders KW - Highway bridges KW - Overweight loads KW - Traffic safety KW - Trucks KW - Washington (State) UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/projects/over-height-vehicle-collision-protection-and-detection-system-for-cold-region-highway-bridges/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307034 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494576 TI - Data Collection via CRS&SI Technology to Determine When to Impose SLR AB - The project will apply commercial remote sensing and spatial information (CRS&SI) technology to remotely monitor roadway subsurface conditions in real time. The system will modify current data collection procedures from onsite manual downloading to real time data transfer via satellite. A Decision Support System (DSS), complemented by a project website, will be developed to wirelessly collect roadside subsurface temperature data, and determine the depth of frost and thaw penetration. This assists State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to control road damage by properly applying seasonal load restrictions (SLR), which restrict heavy trucks from road usage for a period of time during spring thaw. The DSS will consist of a user-friendly geographic user interface (GUI) or map, a data evaluation tool or SLR Interpolator (SLRI), a frost-thaw predictive model and a centralized database that will house the new as well as historical data. Proper SLR timing by State DOTs minimizes unnecessary road damage, thus lowering maintenance costs. It also results in minimizing inconvenience to drivers and saves fuel costs to the commercial vehicle industry. The DSS will primarily be used as a monitoring tool for roadway subsurface conditions during the critical spring thaw and recovery period, but the transportation agencies and the commercial vehicle industry are expected to expand the DSS with other applications. KW - Data collection KW - Decision support systems KW - Pavement damage prevention KW - Real time data processing KW - Remote sensing KW - Roadway conditions KW - Spring load restrictions KW - Spring thaw KW - Subsurface drainage KW - Trucks UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263745 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01494507 AU - Materer, Nicholas AU - Apblett, Allen AU - Ley, Tyler AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Passive, Wireless Corrosion Sensors for Transportation Infrastructure PY - 2011/07/01/Final Report SP - 44p AB - Many industrial segments including utilities, manufacturing, government and infrastructure have an urgent need for a means to detect corrosion before significant damage occurs. Transportation infrastructure, such as bridges and roads, rely on reinforced and prestressed concrete for structural reliability but corrosion of the reinforcing steel in structural concrete can significantly lower the structural capacity. This proposal aims to develop an inexpensive wireless corrosion sensor that does not require any external power supply. Such a sensor would be very useful tool in evaluating the structural health of the nation’s infrastructure and in turn make our highway travel safer. These sensors will be based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that are used to track consumer goods and are extremely low-cost. The ubiquity of RFID tags in the consumer market allows for the use of proven, off-the-shelf technology and translates into a lower per unit deployment cost. These sensors would be situated on the steel rebar either directly on the metal or over the epoxy coating. They could be fixed to the rebar in the field using a plastic ring that snaps onto the rebar or supplied pre-affixed to the rebar using an adhesive such as epoxy glue. Alternatively, they could be placed at different depths in the structure allowing the monitoring of the diffusion or seepage of corrosive salts into the concrete and provide early detection of potential structural problems. The location and degree of corrosion may be used to intelligently schedule maintenance to optimize resources or to modify the current uses of the structure to prolong the life. The development of such a sensor will allow the engineers to employ “best maintenance practices” that are estimated to save 46 percent of the annual corrosion cost of a black steel rebar bridge deck, or $2,000 per bridge per year. KW - Best practices KW - Corrosion KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Infrastructure KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Reinforced concrete KW - Reinforcing bars KW - Sensors KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-34-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1262827 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01471230 TI - Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for Pavement Utilization (Supplement) AB - In the near future the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Pavement Management System (PMS) will utilize a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) to collect network level pavement structural data to aid in predicting performance of pavement sections. One of the drawbacks to running the FWD is that pavement thickness is required for the tested pavement section. The standard method for obtaining pavement thickness information is coring. Coring for a network level survey would be cost prohibitive. Coring costs can run between $3,000 and $3,600 per day with a typical collection distance of 20 miles per day. The Department manages over 16,000 centerline miles of highways. Previous research has shown Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a proven and reliable technology that can be used as a feasible alternative to provide pavement thickness data. GPR data collection can be costly as well; contract services for pavement thickness can cost between $50 and $100 per mile from a reputable service provider. GPR equipment has become less cumbersome, more user-friendly and more affordable in the last few years. There are GPR technologies that employ multiple antennas to provide pavement layer thickness for network level surveys. These newer technologies could provide the pavement layer thicknesses required for network level FWD data collection in a timely and cost-effective manner. KW - Falling weight deflectometers KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Pavement layers KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement management systems KW - Road construction KW - Thickness UR - http://transportation.mst.edu/research/r287/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1239629 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01468639 TI - Robust Routing for Hazardous Materials Transportation with Conditional Value-at-Risk on Time-Dependent Networks AB - The objective of this research is to investigate how conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) models mitigate risk in hazardous materials (hazmat) transportation on time-dependent vehicular networks. Accidents involving hazmat bring significant damage to society and often require long-term efforts to clear. Routing of hazmat transportation must consider accident probabilities and accident consequences that depend on the hazmat types and route choices. This research project proposes new methods for mitigating risk in hazmat transportation, based on CVaR measure. While CVaR models are popularly used in financial portfolio optimization problems, its application in hazmat is new. Recently, the principal investigator (PI) proposed value-at-risk (VaR) models for routing hazmat transportation considering equity between areas. The VaR models are shown to be flexible and general routing models for hazmat transportation, and be solved efficiently. This research project will extend the previous research by considering CVaR for hazmat transportation on time-dependent networks under data uncertainty. The risk along the same route can become significantly different depending on the time of travel. For example, we do not want hazmat trucks traveling on very congested roads, even though they may be the safest route in uncongested time periods. To consider this important issue of time-dependent risk factors in hazmat transportation, the PI proposes the use of CVaR on time-dependent networks to determine the safest timing of travel as well as the safest route. In addition, this project will develop an algorithmic framework for solving CVaR-optimal routing problems on time-dependent networks. The algorithm will consists of a line search problem with shortest-path problems on time-dependent networks as subproblems. The proposed CVaR method is based on two basic data: accident probability and accident consequences. These data are in general subject to large uncertainty, or hard to estimate, because hazmat accidents are rare events and hazmat accident consequences may vary depending on the weather conditions and the characteristics of accidents that are highly stochastic. To address such data uncertainty, a robust optimization method is proposed in combination with CVaR optimization, which provides a mixed integer linear programming problem. The PI will show that the proposed problem can be solved by a numerically tractable algorithm. Further, the CVaR optimization framework will be extended to consider the total travel time. While the total travel time is a second-hand issue in hazmat transportation due to the importance of safety, in certain cases, consideration of travel time may lead to a much efficient solution with little impact on the safety. The proposed CVaR optimization may provide a very circuitous path solution, while there may exist some paths which take much shorter time to travel and are almost as safe as the optimal route. In this case, the proposed CVaR models can be combined with total travel time constraints to optimize route choices with reasonable travel time from the origin to the destination. However, the computational complexity quickly increases with the travel time constraint; we need to solve constrained shortest-path problems on time-dependent networks as sub-problems, which are NP-hard. The PI will propose an approximate method based on Lagrangian relaxation. The proposed models and algorithms will be studied in a realistic case of Albany, NY for various scenario tests. The city of Albany, New York is a key junction of major highways and is a hub of hazmat transportation activities. There are altogether seven interstate and US routes that transverse Albany area and its neighborhoods, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Montgomery: I-90, I-890, I-87, I-787, US-20, US-9 and US-9W. These exhibit a highly variant population density among those areas and dense transportation network along those routes; hence it will provide a good exemplary case study.

KW - Albany (New York) KW - Algorithms KW - Hazardous materials KW - Networks KW - Optimization KW - Routes and routing KW - Time dependence UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/robust-routing-hazardous-materials-transportation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236982 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467918 TI - Prototype Development of the Open Mode Integrated Transit System AB - The open mode integrated transit system (OMITS) is proposed to use state of the art technologies in wireless communication, global positioning system (GPS), data exchange and management system to combine availability of public transit system, taxi system, a carpool system, and emergency service system to provide dynamic, efficient, economic, and reliable transportation service in metropolitan areas. A novel device, namely cPhone, will communicate between riders, drivers, and the database server so as to exchange realtime and accurate transit information while serving as a GPS to give routing direction for a driver. A routing and dispatching system will match a driver and riders timely to enable dynamic carpooling, trace and confirm the success or failure of a carpooling match, and provide a consistent algorithm for GPS and the database servers to define the best/shortest route for drivers. A well designed membership management system and user operation system will ensure the security, credibility, and operational reliability of the whole system. The advantages of the OMITS are clear when compared with static transit systems (such as traditional car-pools and scheduled buses and trains) because it allows for dynamic matching of riders with transit options that best suit their needs and incorporates routing information that is adaptable to existing traffic conditions. Furthermore, the OMITS provides benefits over even dynamic ride-share programs because it incorporates multiple modes of transportation thus allowing users to transfer between transit modes when advantageous. In total, the OMITS will integrate a dynamic car-pooling system with public transportation systems and private transportation systems to provide a robust, stable, reliable, and economical solution for the current overloaded and inefficient urban metropolitan transportation system. It will result in new understanding of the critical urban transportation system currently and unsustainably over congested. The success of this system will greatly increase ridership in public and private vehicles, significantly reduce the number of cars in traffic peak time, and thus help to alleviate traffic and parking problems in metropolitan areas. Broad impacts will be produced on gas saving, greenhouse gas emission and transit cost reduction. For demonstration, this proposed project would develop a small prototype system for about 100 residents in northern Bergen County, New Jersey, who are working in New York City. Once the concept of this system is proved, the technology will be immediately transferred to industry partners and transit agencies and be extended to the other parts of New York metropolitan area and other cities. KW - Advanced driver information systems KW - Carpools KW - Communication devices KW - Global Positioning System KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Transportation information UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/open-mode-integrated-transit-system UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236154 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467917 TI - Financing Rail Capital Projects: Historical Lessons; Contemporary Cases AB - This research analyzes historical and contemporary case material from France and the United States in order to specify methods to attract capital investment to intercity passenger rail projects in Region II. It builds upon the researchers' previous research comparing French and American transportation prior to World War II. (Cohen, 2011; 2009; bibliography attached) Post-war France provides evidence relevant to Region II for two reasons: first, French high speed railways (hsr) were constructed over the past 30 years to complement a well-developed network of air and highway transport, a modal situation similar to the one that currently exists in Region II; second, France recently became the first European country to implement a true public-private partnership (PPP) for rail, through the LISEA Consortium's successful bid to design, build, operate and maintain the South East Atlantic Line (LGVSEA) from Tours to Bordeaux. PPP is a proven business model that can be used to implement high capital cost rail projects within Region II. The researchers will compare France and the LGVSEA case to American attempts, dating from the 1980s, to implement high speed rail in states such as Florida, Texas and California. California's currently proposed line from San Francisco to Los Angeles will receive special attention because it is based on a PPP that includes value capture in its business model. For both California and France, interviews with relevant officials (e.g., the project managers: SYSTRA/California; RFF/France-LGVSEA; the regulators: California High Speed Rail Authority and SNCF/France; and the private developers and investors) will supplement analysis of reports and financial plans in providing relevant information. Having previously studied French and American transportation systems, the researchers possess the requisite language skills, knowledge and contacts to carry out this research. Most current research on financing high speed rail is deductive and present or future oriented, relating econometric variables, such as ridership, pricing and cost to projected revenue, in order to estimate the success of a project. The researchers' proposal, by way of contrast, contributes an inductive, historical approach to the literature. Questions the researchers ask include: 1) Why did France, having previously developed hsr lines based largely on public funding, decide to utilize a PPP for its newest line?; 2) What financial and governance factors were involved?; 3) Are those factors also present in America's hsr history?; and 4) Is California using a DBOM model similar to the one for the new French line? Specifying factors relevant to successful PPP's only occurs after examining the historical record. Unlike France and California, rail projects in Region II may develop incrementally, not jump directly to high speed. Nonetheless, French and U.S. high speed rail history remains relevant because the underlying financial factors are the same for both upgrading an existing corridor or constructing dedicated hsr tracks. In both instances, for example, public subsidies and incentives can be used to attract private investors by reducing their initial investment and/or increasing operating revenue. Thus, through analysis of rail financial history and specific cases, the author will provide policy-relevant, technology-transferable information on how to successfully finance projects in Region II. KW - California High-Speed Rail Project KW - Capital projects KW - Case studies KW - Financing KW - France KW - High speed rail KW - Intercity passenger rail KW - Intercity transportation KW - Public private partnerships KW - Railroads KW - United States UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/financing-rail-capital-projects UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236153 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467916 TI - Modern Low Cost Maintenance of Concrete Bridges Using Effective NDT Test Data AB - According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, as of December 2008, of the 600,905 bridges 72,868 (12.1%) were categorized as structurally deficient (SD) and 89,024 (14.8%) were categorized as functionally obsolete (FO). Despite a healthy economy during the period 1999- 2005, the numbers of SD and FO bridges were on the rise. It is very clear that bridge evaluation and maintenance policies are not working efficiently. The high numbers of SD and FO bridges should not be allowed to continue to rise. Given the current state of the US economy, smarter bridge management policies should be adopted, as we cannot afford the high cost of proper maintenance of our huge transportation civil infrastructure. Regardless of age and condition, current practice requires bi-annual inspection of highway bridges, which results in costly inspection caused by unnecessary frequent inspections of newer bridges and lack of frequent inspection of older bridges. There is a need for a more rational approach for setting bridge inspection frequency based on safety, condition, design, age of the structure, and engineering judgment. In addition, there should be a clearer differentiation between maintenance and repair. The cost of major repairs is much higher than timely preventive maintenance measures. There are many cases where minor maintenance activity is delayed until it becomes a structural deficiency, which resulted in high number of bridges categorized as structurally deficient. Practical experience coupled with non-destructive test (NDT) data produce good assessment of bridge condition. The question is how to utilize NDT data to develop a cost-effective maintenance policy for bridges. NDT data should not only be used for assessing current condition of bridges, but also to predict its deterioration rate and its future maintenance needs. NDT data of the likelihood of corrosion in a bridge component is a very good indication of its future deterioration rate in the following few years. If implemented, low cost maintenance measures would stop or slow the deterioration rate resulting in lower maintenance cost over the service life of the bridge. This paper will present smart use of NDT data to predict the near future service life of concrete bridge components, and its utilization for cost-effective maintenance policy, in a limited financial resources environment. The impact of this study will enhance the following: (1) development of a better rational for setting maintenance frequency based on condition, (2) development of low-cost maintenance measures for better control of deterioration rate, (3) understanding of financial consequences of delayed maintenance, and (4) reduction of the number of structurally deficient bridges. KW - Concrete bridges KW - Condition surveys KW - Highway bridges KW - Infrastructure KW - Inspection KW - Maintenance KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Preventive maintenance KW - Service life KW - Structural deterioration and defects UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/low-cost-maintenance-of-concrete-bridges UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236152 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467853 TI - A Simulation‐based Assessment Approach to Increase Safety among Senior Drivers AB - The primary goal of this study is to develop driving simulation strategies for the assessment of senior aged drivers, targeting those with known/suspected cognitive impairment. These simulation strategies will supplement, not replace, existing protocols for driver assessment. A driving simulator can be used to: define driving tasks that are likely to be affected by stages of dementia, and to capture vital driver performance metrics. Such a controlled and measurable environment can be used to implement scenarios that sufficiently challenge suspect drivers in a way that, due to safety concerns, could not be accomplished within an actual vehicle. Drivers will be evaluated in a driving simulator located at the University at Buffalo (UB), and subsequently evaluated conventionally: in-clinic (to measure cognitive state) and in-vehicle (to measure mechanical ability to operate a vehicle). In the simulator, drivers will face 3 historically problematic scenarios: 1) Traffic Sign Management, 2) Intersection Management, and 3) Left Turn Management. The road course will be driven twice: with and without evaluator navigation it is hypothesized that patients with dementia will exhibit a marked decrease in driver performance in the absence of evaluator navigation. In an effort to validate the proposed protocol, a small pilot study will be performed. Approximately 15 "well elderly" drivers and 15 drivers with dementia will be recruited and the samples compared subsequent to all evaluations. KW - Aged drivers KW - Cognitive impairment KW - Dementia KW - Driver performance KW - Driving simulators UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/simulation-based-assessment-approach UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236089 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465992 TI - Value Pricing and Traffic Reduction Incentives AB -

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

KW - Congestion management systems KW - Congestion pricing KW - Incentives KW - Off peak periods KW - Peak hour traffic KW - Ramp metering KW - Road pricing KW - Smart cards KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects.php?viewid=228 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234227 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485992 AU - Andrews, Stephen AU - Madanat, Samer AU - Ragland, David AU - West, Thomas AU - California Center for Innovative Transportation AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Promoting Research Results and New Technologies: Making the Case for Accelerated Deployment PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 63p AB - Deploying innovations in transportation products and services to Stage 5 of the product development process represents a growing challenge for the California Department of Transportation's (Caltrans) Division of Research and Innovation. This technical agreement focused on communicating the promise of select products and services through outreach and promotion in an effort to gain broader knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the innovations leading to their adoption by Caltrans and the transportation community at-large. Attention is given to outreach and promotion of ROSA-CRP (Roadway Safety Anaysis - Continuous Risk Profile) which addresses Integration of traffic collision data packaged in a web-based analysis tool utilizing the Continuous Risk Profile approach to improve identification of high collision concentration locations, and the California Center for Innovative Transportation's (CCIT) portfolio of Caltrans-sponsored projects including the Mobile Century and Mobile Millennium projects that opened the door to the use of GPS smart phones as traffic probes for determining real-time traffic flows. KW - California Department of Transportation KW - Crash data KW - Crashes KW - High risk locations KW - Public private partnerships KW - Research KW - Risk assessment KW - Safety engineering KW - Technological innovations UR - http://www.dot.ca.gov/newtech/researchreports/reports/2011/final_report_task_2036.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5930xxg/1/CA11-2036.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1247835 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01477127 AU - McCarthy, Patrick AU - Georgia Transportation Institute University Transportation Center (GTI-UTC) AU - Georgia Department of Transportation AU - Federal Aviation Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Airport Costs and Production Technology: A Translog Cost Function Analysis with Implications for Economic Development Update PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 40p AB - Based upon 50 large and medium hub airports over a 13 year period, this research estimates one and two output translog models of airport short run operating costs. Output is passengers transported on non-stop segments and pounds of cargo shipped. The number of runways is a quasi-fixed factor of production. Statistical tests reject the null hypothesis that airport production technology is homothetic and homogeneous, exhibits constant returns to scale, or reflects a Cobb-Douglas production technology. From the analysis, airports operate under increasing return s to runways utilization and increasing ray economies of scale for the two output model. Airport operating costs were 2% higher after the September 1, 2001 terrorist attacks. The input demand for general airport operations is price elastic and Morishima substitution elasticities indicate that Personnel, Repair-Maintenance-Contractual services, and General Airport Operations are substitutes in production. Based upon a one output passenger cost function model, an exploratory analysis identifies a relationship be tween the average cost of airport operations and indicators economic development. All else constant, a decrease in an airport’s real average operating costs is associated with increasing metropolitan employment , the number of establishments, and real gross metropolitan and state products. KW - Airport capacity KW - Airport runways KW - Economic development KW - Economies of scale KW - Infrastructure KW - Operating costs KW - Translog models UR - http://www.utc.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/projects/reports/mccarthy_110718_airport_costs_and_production_technology_tl_finalreport_draft_v2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1246692 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01475259 AU - Rakha, Hesham AU - Park, Sangjun AU - Guo, Feng AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Virginia Transportation Research Council AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Travel Time Reliability Modeling PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 55p AB - This report includes three papers as follows: 1. Guo F., Rakha H., and Park S. (2010), "A Multi-state Travel Time Reliability Model," Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, n 2188, pp. 46-54. 2. Park S., Rakha H., and Guo F. (2010), "Multistate Travel Time Reliability Model: Model Calibration Issues," Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, n 2188, pp. 74-84. 3. Park S., Rakha H., and Guo F. (2011), “Multi-state Travel Time Reliability Model: Impact of Incidents on Travel Time Reliability,” 14th International IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Washington D.C., October 5 - 7, 2011. KW - Calibration KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic incidents KW - Traffic models KW - Travel time KW - Travel time reliability UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2008-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1244170 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01469948 AU - Han, Jie AU - Acharya, Bhagaban AU - Thakur, Jitendra K AU - Parsons, Robert L AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Onsite Use of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Materials and Geocells to Reconstruct Pavements Damaged by Heavy Trucks PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 121p AB - Asphalt pavements deteriorate with traffic (especially heavy trucks) and time. Maintenance and overlaying may solve minor to medium pavement distress problems. When the condition of a pavement becomes badly deteriorated, reconstruction of the pavement may become an economic and feasible solution. Reconstruction of a pavement requires removal of pavement surfaces. On-site use of recycled asphalt pavement materials has obvious benefits from economic, to environmental, to sustainability points of view. One attractive option is to use recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) materials as base courses with a thin new overlay. However, RAP has its limitations; for example, it creeps under a sustained load due to the presence of asphalt binder. A preliminary study conducted by the principal investigators has shown that the use of geocell to confine RAP minimizes creep of RAP under a sustained load. However, the performance of geocell-reinforced RAP as a base course overlaid by an asphalt surface is unknown. This research will utilize the geotechnical test box available at the University of Kansas to simulate the reconstruction of damaged asphalt pavements by geocell-reinforced RAP bases overlaid by a thin asphalt layer and evaluate their performance under cyclic loading. The main objectives of this research are to confirm the concept of using RAPs with geocells to reconstruct damaged pavements by heavy trucks and examine the benefit of geocells to the pavement life as compared with unreinforced base courses. In this research, at least four test sections will be constructed in the geotechnical test box including control sections and geocell-reinforced sections. The properties of RAP including asphalt binder content and viscosity, aggregate properties, compaction curve, and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) will be evaluated in the laboratory. The subgrade will be prepared using an artificial soil by mixing Kansas River sand with Kaolin and compacted at an intermediate strength (i.e., 5% CBR). The pavement sections will be tested under cyclic loading up to 25-mm rut depth. KW - Aggregate tests KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Binder content KW - California bearing ratio KW - Compaction KW - Creep KW - Geocell KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements KW - Reconstruction KW - Recycled materials KW - Repeated loads KW - Viscosity UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46600/46678/Han_462_RAP_Geocells_COMBINED_FINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1225950 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01456869 AU - Bill, Andrea AU - Serrano, Francisco AU - Noyce, David AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - University of Wisconsin, Madison AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Wisconsin Large Truck Safety and Enforcement Study PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 108p AB - The Wisconsin Large Truck Safety and Enforcement Study (LTS&E) focused on a system-wide evaluation of large truck safety in the state of Wisconsin. This study analyzes crash data related to large trucks that are close to the following criteria: greater than or equal to 13 ft 6 in. in height, greater than or equal to 8 ft 6 in. in width, greater than 80,000 pounds and any truck at or longer than legal limits as allowed by Wisconsin Statutes chapter 348 for any and all legal length based on semi-tractor trailer combinations, that are operating with or without a permit in the state of Wisconsin and with or without exceptions as provided in either state statues or regulations. The crash data used during the development of this study is extracted from the WisTransPortal database of MV-4000 crash reports and additional MV-4000 data from the Wisconsin Truck and Bus data between 2004 and 2009. Part of this study includes the identification and analysis of the targeted large truck data in order to refine the amplitude of the project and to describe potential safety issues reflected by the historical crash data. Roadway characteristics and driver behavior seem to be the most significant variable in determining the severity of crash incidents. Certain features of roadway condition as well as driver factor might lead to an increase of certain type of crashes. Most harmful event was chosen over first harmful event as a potential predictor of crash severity, however, further analysis reveals that there is no striking difference in crash severity across different levels of most harmful event. Vehicle factors and highway factors were dropped from the model early in the analysis process as their composition does not seem to vary across different levels of crash severity. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crash data KW - Crash severity KW - Heavy duty vehicles KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucking safety KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_CFIRE0424.2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224991 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01455147 AU - Hulsey, J Leroy AU - Qiao, Pizhong AU - Fan, Wei AU - McLean, David AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Washington State University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Smart FRP Composite Sandwich Bridge Decks in Cold Regions PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 251p AB - What if every time a bridge on a lonely road got icy, it automatically notified the local department of transportation (DOT) to begin ice-control safety measures? What if a bridge could tell someone every time an overloaded truck hit the decking, or when the trusses under it began to weaken? This project, a partnership of Washington State University, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Kansas Structural Composites, Incorporated takes the first steps to develop, manufacture, test, and implement Smart Honeycomb Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (S-FRP) sandwich materials for transportation projects. This material integrates advanced composite materials with sensors and actuators. So far, researchers have tested an S-FRP sandwich deck panel, evaluated several S-FRP sandwich beams in cold temperatures, and developed effective structural-health monitoring strategies. Dynamic tests of the S-FRP sandwich deck panel with and without damage continue, and structural-health monitoring strategies for cold temperature exposures will be developed. A combined experimental, theoretical, and numerical approach will result in new techniques for structural-health monitoring and damage identification of thick sandwich deck panels. It is anticipated that, with wireless communication technologies, the developed structural-health monitoring strategies will be capable of remotely monitoring and assessing the structural integrity of sandwich bridge decks in cold regions. KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge design KW - Cold weather construction KW - Fiber composites KW - Frigid regions KW - Sandwich construction KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/07/Final_Report_107018.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46000/46001/P.Qaio-autc-107018-Final-Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46400/46467/Final_Report_107018.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1223446 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446056 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Parker River National Wildlife Refuge AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Transit Planning Study PY - 2011/07 SP - 99p AB - Approximately 250,000 visitors come to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) annually for a range of Refuge-based activities. The Refuge has a mission of protecting species and their habitat, and sensitive areas often dictate the type and location of visitor infrastructure. The Refuge experiences parking and road congestion, leading to Refuge closures, on a daily basis during peak visitation periods. Vehicles associated with refuge visitors negatively impact the Refuge’s natural resources, occupy the Refuge’s limited parking spaces, and may prevent other visitors from participating in wildlife observation and education activities during peak visitation periods. The Refuge is considering the acquisition of a transit vehicle that can address these challenges. The Refuge believes that a transit vehicle could significantly enhance its programmatic offerings and help its partners to decrease vehicle miles traveled (VMT) associated with their programs. Through connecting more visitors to interpretation and environmental education programs with the use of a transit vehicle, Refuge staff believes that they could better accommodate wildlife-oriented visitors during peak periods. A transit vehicle may also reduce congestion on refuge roads and parking lots. A key goal of this report is to explore whether a transit vehicle can address these challenges and meet the Refuge’s goals. KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Financial analysis KW - Parker River National Wildlife Refuge KW - Parking KW - Shuttle buses KW - Traffic congestion KW - Transit buses KW - Transportation planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/41000/41800/41851/DOT-VNTSC-FWS-11-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212588 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380284 AU - Li, Yue AU - Bai, Yong AU - Schrock, Steven D AU - Mulinazzi, Thomas E AU - University of Kansas, Lawrence AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Modeling Truck Speed in the Upstream of One-lane Two-way Highway Work Zones: Implications on Reducing Truck-Related Crashes in Work Zones PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 83p AB - Truck-related crashes constitute a major safety concern for government agencies, the construction industry, and the traveling public. Due to the rising needs in highway maintenance and construction, the number of work zones is increasing throughout the United States, while at the same time freight movement using trucks is also increasing nationwide. Developing effective safety countermeasures to reduce the truck-related crashes is a major challenge in front of the government agencies and the construction industry. The main objectives of this research project are to discover truck-related crash characteristics and to model the truck speeds in the upstream of one-lane two-way rural highway work zones. Work zones on two-lane highway are particularly hazardous for trucks due to the disruption of regular traffic flow and restrictive geometry. The developed models can be utilized to discover possible associations between work zone design variables and truck speeds with the purpose of reducing truck-related crash risks. As a result, government agencies and the construction industry can apply the findings of this project to improve work zone design and mitigate the crash risks in work zones. KW - Crash characteristics KW - Rural highways KW - Speed KW - Truck crashes KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucking safety KW - Two lane highways KW - Work zone safety UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Bai_ModelingtruckspeedintheupstreamoftwolanehighwayworkzonesImplicationsonreducingtruckrelatedcrashesinwork.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147596 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367799 AU - Brewer, John AU - Koopmann, Jonathan AU - Najm, Wassim G AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - System Capability Assessment of Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) PY - 2011/07 SP - 46p AB - This report describes the system capability assessment for the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) based on data collected from objective tests and a pilot test. The CICAS-V is a vehicle-to-infrastructure system that provides visual, audio, and haptic (brake pulse) warnings when a vehicle is in danger of violating a traffic signal or stop sign at an intersection. A series of objective tests were conducted at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Each test was defined by an initial geometry, a set of validity constraints [such as the sufficient Global Positioning System (GPS) accuracy], and a set of pass/fail criteria. The test series investigated the ability to appropriately warn or not warn at various speeds, in appropriately discerned lanes, under dynamic lane changes, under changing signal conditions, and in the presence of multiple equipped intersections. A pilot test was run with nearly 100 naïve drivers on a two-hour prescribed course in the Blacksburg, VA area. During the pilot test, drivers were appropriately warned when in danger of violating an obscured stop sign and when intentionally distracted. An algorithm was found to produce occasional nuisance warnings and remedied. An erroneous lane location in a geographical intersection description and a de-synchronized set of roadside equipment also produced some nuisance warnings and were also remedied. KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Global Positioning System KW - Testing KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811499.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136504 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367798 AU - Stearns, Mary AU - Vega, Lisandra-Garay AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Independent Evaluation of the Driver Acceptance of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) Pilot Test PY - 2011/07 SP - 36p AB - This report documents the results of the independent evaluation’s assessment of the driver acceptance of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System limited to Stop Sign and Traffic Signal Violations (CICAS-V) system as tested during a pilot test in 2008. The purpose of this pilot test was to use naïve participants in on-road and test-track environments to assess the readiness and maturity of the CICAS-V for a large-scale field operational test. Data were evaluated from 87 naive drivers who were placed into equipped vehicles to navigate a two-hour prescribed route through ten stop-controlled and three signal-controlled equipped intersections. To ensure the data were sufficient to understand drivers’ impressions of the warning, 18 drivers followed the on-road study with a test-track study. Overall, subjects were neutral to slightly satisfied with the CICAS-V. A similar trend was observed for their assessment of whether the system will increase their driving safety. The data suggest that subjects need to experience the system to be able to assess it fairly. This assessment of driver acceptance was limited by the scope of the pilot test as well as the expected low frequency of intersection violations. KW - Acceptance KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Data collection KW - Driver satisfaction KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Testing KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811497.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136508 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367795 AU - Sampath, Raman AU - Koopmann, Jonathan AU - Najm, Wassim G AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) - Database Structure PY - 2011/07 SP - 32p AB - This report documents the process required for data exchange between a conductor of a field operational test (FOT) and an independent evaluator based on the experience of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) FOT project. This report also describes lessons learned from the data exchange in this project and proposes improvements to the process going forward. The main implementation of these improvements will be to design and maintain a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). It is imperative that all future FOT conductors coordinate with the independent evaluator on the design of the RDBMS using software that will support storing, organizing, and analyzing data. The requirement should also streamline data collection, data exchange, and evaluation analyses to save resources for both the FOT conductor and the independent evaluator. KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System for Violations (CICAS-V) KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Data collection KW - Database management systems KW - Electronic data interchange KW - Field tests KW - Relational databases UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811498.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136507 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01363335 AU - Lee, Earl AU - Ngo, Dung AU - Delaware Center for Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Impact of Disruptions along the I‐95 Corridor on Congestion and Air Quality PY - 2011/07 SP - 60p AB - Interstate 95 is a major corridor for vehicles and freight for the eastern United States. Extensive planning and review is needed to keep this corridor running as efficiently as possible, minimizing the impacts of construction or disruptions. The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has established re-routing plans for portions of I-95 in Delaware. These plans provide guidance to system managers and law enforcement as to how to re-direct traffic in case sections of the interstate are closed. These plans are based on the knowledge and experience of the DelDOT Traffic Management Team. However, it is difficult to evaluate these plans since complete closures are thankfully rare events. There does exist a capability to evaluate these plans, without disrupting traffic, by using a simulation model. Using the DelDOT regional transportation planning model, which covers the entire DelMarVa Peninsula, a series of scenarios were developed and tested to evaluate the existing plans and suggest alternatives. Each scenario was compared to the un-disrupted condition and impact to drivers was measured by computing additional vehicle-miles travelled and vehicle-hours travelled and looking at the impact on the environment by the increased emissions. Recommendations and conclusions were developed as well as opportunities for future work. KW - Air quality KW - Environmental impacts KW - Interstate 95 KW - Regional transportation KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic diversion KW - Traffic simulation KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.ce.udel.edu/UTC/Lee_Ngo_Final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1131929 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361625 AU - Chambers, Matthew AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Making Sense of Passenger Vessel Data PY - 2011/07//Special Report SP - 4p AB - The absence of legal definitions to describe waterborne passenger vessels, such as cruise ships and ferries, may pose a challenge for researchers attempting to collect, sort, and analyze passenger data. A variety of definitions are used to describe waterborne passenger vessels and the port and terminal infrastructures that support them. Lacking common definitions, identical terminology may cause confusion, particularly when the data are linked to a Federal regulatory or statistical program. For instance, across-the-board definitions that would define a cruise ship by tonnage, passengers, accommodations, and route do not exist. This report characterizes identical or similar terminology that may have different meanings to different users or yield different results for researchers. Further, this report briefly describes the two leading types of passenger vessels and their unique capabilities. In addition, it presents distinct challenges faced by the supporting port and terminal infrastructure unique to each vessel type. KW - Analysis KW - Data collection KW - Data quality KW - Definitions KW - Passenger ships UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2011_07_11/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127348 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358016 AU - Wodalski, Michael J AU - Thompson, Benjamin P AU - Whited, Gary AU - Hanna, Awad S AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Applying Lean Techniques in the Delivery of Transportation Infrastructure Construction Projects PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 102p AB - It is well documented that construction productivity has been declining since the 1960’s. Additionally, studies have shown that only 40% of construction workers’ time is considered to be value-added work. Interest in the use of Lean techniques for the delivery of large complex capital projects is quickly growing throughout the country. Manufacturing and vertical construction have shown that a project using Lean techniques can be delivered in less time, at lower costs, and with improved quality. However, Lean techniques are not currently being used by State Transportation Agencies (STAs). The implementation of Lean techniques with a Lean Project Delivery (LPD) can be a way for future projects to achieve higher quality, faster completion, and more efficient delivery. To attain this goal, the transportation industry, as a whole, needs to work closely together using non-traditional approaches to achieve the necessary improvement. This study looks at the benefits of Lean techniques in the delivery of transportation projects, along with potential impediments to adoption. Case studies are provided which document the successful use of Lean techniques in the infrastructure industry. The transportation industry provides unique challenges in implementing Lean techniques due to public sector constraints. Special care is needed in identifying obstacles to implementation when going forward with Lean. Once promising techniques and barriers are properly identified, a successful management plan can be created to help STA’s begin their Lean journey. KW - Construction management KW - Lean construction KW - Productivity KW - Road construction UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-11_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122387 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357998 AU - Welch, Austin AU - Fuhrman, Alex AU - Lord, Ty AU - Braven, Karen Den AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Low-Speed Two-Stroke Direct-Injection Snowmobile for Use in the Clean Snowmobile Challenge and National Parks: University of Idaho’s Direct-Injected Two-Stroke Snowmobile Using E-22 Fuel PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 29p AB - The University of Idaho’s entry into the 2011 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) was a direct-injection (DI) two-stroke powered snowmobile modified to use blended ethanol fuel. The exact composition was unknown prior to the competition. The modulated and battery-less direct-injection system used to decrease exhaust emissions and improve fuel economy maintained near stock power output of the engine. Noise from the engine compartment was reduced by custom placement of sound absorbing materials. A muffler was designed to reduce exhaust noise but proved to limit engine performance and was not used. To further reduce exhaust emissions a catalyst was incorporated into the stock muffler. Pre-competition testing had the snowmobile entering the 2011 SAE CSC competition weighing 535 lbs (243 kg) wet, achieving 21.00 mpg (8.93 km/L) running on blended ethanol fuel, with an EPA five mode emissions test score of 177, and a J-192 sound magnitude score of 80 dBA. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Direct injection system KW - Ethanol KW - Exhaust gases KW - Fuel consumption KW - Fuel mixtures KW - Noise control KW - Snowmobiles UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK763_N11-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122785 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357993 AU - He, B Brian AU - Maglinao, Randy AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Continuous-Flow Reactor System for Improved Catalytic Glycerol Conversion PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 17p AB - The authors' previous research showed improved ethanol yields from catalytic conversion of glycerol by applying the Raney nickel catalyst. The purpose of this project was to investigate increasing the process productivity using a continuous-flow mode. A continuous-flow reactor system was modified from the existing batch reactors and used. A fed-batch system composed of the same batch reactors was also designed and tested. Aqueous glycerol was fed continuously using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pump and the product was collected in a pressure vessel. Under the conditions of 220°C, 1:1 water-to-glycerol mass ratio and 30 mL/min feeding rate, liquid product was successfully collected. However, analysis of the liquid product showed small amounts of methanol and ethanol were produced despite the high glycerol conversion rate. A slight improved ethanol yield, approximately 3.5%mol, was observed using the fed-batch system. In summary, the continuous-flow reactor converted from the batch reactor vessels failed to produce alcohols with high yields as expected. Having a relatively large head space in the reactor may have caused the reaction to be less favorable for liquid products. Further investigation using a different design such as a tubular reactor is recommended on the applicability of a continuous-flow reactor system for this process. KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Ethanol KW - Glycerol KW - Thermochemical conversion UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK765_N11-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122783 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357657 AU - Khoo, I-Hung AU - Nguyen, Tang-Hung AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Study of the Noise Pollution at Container Terminals and the Surroundings PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Noise emissions from various transportation modes including seaports have become a major concern to environmental and governmental agencies in recent years due to the impact they have on the community. The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex is the nation’s largest ocean freight hub and its busiest container port complex. As the container sector has the highest growth potential, the levels of noise generated by activities at the container terminals may affect the port personnel as well as the residential neighbors. In this research effort, the noise distribution at the port of Long Beach was evaluated. The level of noise generated by the cargo handling and transport activities at the container terminals was determined using noise mapping. A noise model of the port and its surroundings was created, and validated with field measurements. The noise level in any area was assessed as to whether it exceeds relevant noise regulations or guidelines, and the key noise source in the area was identified. The noise and activity variations during the period of study were determined. The developed noise model will be a very valuable tool for the city and port authorities in making planning decisions as it allows the prediction of the noise impact of future development projects on the port and the surroundings. KW - Container terminals KW - Mathematical models KW - Noise KW - Noise control KW - Port authorities KW - Port of Long Beach KW - Port of Los Angeles KW - Port operations KW - Regulations UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/09-09_Khoo_METRANS_final_report_0_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117002 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357203 AU - Martin, June AU - Giusti, Cecilia AU - Dumbaugh, Eric AU - Cherrington, Linda AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Examining Challenges, Opportunities and Best Practices for Addressing Rural Mobility and Economic Development under SAFETEA-LU’s Coordinated Planning and Human Services Framework PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 76p AB - In response to changes in federal requirements for rural transit planning, the Texas State Legislature and the Texas Department of Transportation have recently developed coordinated transit and human services plans for the 24 planning regions in the state of Texas. This study evaluates both the processes that have been adopted throughout the state as well as the types of outcomes that have emerged. Having engaged in perhaps the most comprehensive approach to meeting the revised federal requirements in the United States, the Texas experience in developing coordinated transit and human service plans is particularly useful for identifying opportunities, barriers, and best practices for coordinated rural transit planning, and thus for filling a major gap in the available professional guidance. KW - Coordination KW - Economic development KW - Interagency relations KW - Mobility KW - Public transit KW - Rural areas KW - Rural transit KW - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users KW - Social service agencies KW - Texas KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Transportation planning UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Martin_08-17-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120906 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356097 AU - Kang, Dong Hun AU - Ochoa, Cesar AU - Rajbhandari, Rajat AU - Garcia, Francisco AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Statistical Models to Forecast Crossing Times of Commercial Vehicles PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 90p AB - Border crossing time measurement systems for commercial vehicles are being implemented throughout the U.S.-Mexico border. These systems are based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. With funding from the Federal Highway Administration, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI)/Battelle team installed an RFID-based system at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) in El Paso, Texas, to measure and archive crossing times of commercial vehicles. The RFID system at BOTA is already operational, and current truck crossing time information is relayed and archived in a centralized repository. In addition, with funding from the Texas Department of Transportation, TTI deployed RFID systems on the Pharr-Reynosa Bridge. These systems measure the current crossing time and provide the information to users; however, there is no system in place to predict the crossing times of trucks. In fact, there are no systems in place at the U.S.-Mexico border to predict traffic conditions including crossing times of trucks. In this project, statistical models were developed to predict crossing times of trucks over a short range of time. The statistical prediction models use historic data and take into account empirical relationships between border-crossing-related parameters and truck crossing times. KW - Border regions KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crossing times KW - Freight traffic KW - International borders KW - Mathematical models KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Real time information KW - Traffic forecasting KW - Travel time KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucks KW - United States-Mexico Border UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Rajbhandari_10-09-60.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354611 AU - Morales, Reinaldo AU - Ettema, Robert AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Insights from Depth-Averaged Numerical Simulation of Flow at Bridge Abutments in Compound Channels PY - 2011/07 SP - 123p AB - Two-dimensional, depth-averaged flow models are used to study the distribution of flow around spill-through abutments situated on floodplains in compound channels and rectangular channels (flow on very wide floodplains may be treated as rectangular channels). The study leads to useful insights regarding distributions of flow velocity, unit discharge, and boundary shear stress at spill-through abutments. It also presents insights from extensive assessment of uncertainty associated with the use of depth-averaged modeling of flow at abutments. Of substantial use for design determination of abutment scour at bridge waterways is estimation of the magnitude of peak values of flow velocity, boundary shear stress, and unit discharge in the region where scour develops. The study, by showing how abutment flow fields adjust in response to variations of abutment length, floodplain width, and main channel dimensions, yields important trends regarding the magnitude of amplification factors for depth-averaged velocity, unit discharge, bed shear stress, and distance to peak unit discharge. Early studies are shown to provide rather limited and inadequate amplification values associated only with a narrow range of abutment and channel geometries examined. The present study comprises a much broader range of abutment lengths, channel shapes, and floodplain dimensions than heretofore reported in the literature. The study’s insights, from its assessment of uncertainty associated with the use of depth-averaged modeling of flow at abutments, yield a relationship for estimating the optimum mesh size for use with depth-averaged models. The relationship is applicable to other subsequent studies using depth-averaged models of flow around abutments or similar hydraulic structures. Prior studies addressing the effect of mesh size on numerical error have not provided a recommendation for an average optimum mesh size. The study also gives focused recommendations for topics requiring further investigation. KW - Bridge abutments KW - Channel flow KW - Flood plains KW - Hydraulic structures KW - Numerical analysis KW - Simulation UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC11-237.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118639 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354595 AU - Dzotepe, George Abraham AU - Ksaibati, Khaled AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Effect of Environmental Factors on the Implementation of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) PY - 2011/07 SP - 191p AB - Current pavement design based on the AASHTO Design Guide uses an empirical approach from the results of the AASHO Road Test conducted in 1958. To address some of the limitations of the original design guide, AASHTO developed a new guide: Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). This guide combines the mechanistic and empirical methodology by making use of calculations of pavement responses such as stress, strains, and deformations using site specific inputs from climate, material, and traffic properties. With the new guide, various implementation challenges need to be overcome by agencies wanting to facilitate its use. In this respect, the MEPDG is currently undergoing several validation and calibration research studies, which are in the areas of materials, climate and traffic characteristics. It is anticipated that the findings from the various research studies will facilitate the implementation of the MEPDG nationwide. This study summarizes the challenges that are likely to impede implementation of the MEPDG within the Northwest Region and how these can be overcome. The study also investigates the effects of climate variables on the predicted pavement performance indicators and, in addition, evaluates the adequacy of using interpolated climate data on pavement performance in the state of Wyoming. KW - Climate KW - Deformation KW - Environment KW - Implementation KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Northwestern United States KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement performance KW - Paving materials KW - Strain (Mechanics) KW - Stresses KW - Traffic characteristics KW - Wyoming UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-225B.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42300/42311/MPC10-225B.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118650 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354564 AU - Wiechert, Ethan P AU - Carraro, J Antonio H AU - Colorado State University, Fort Collins AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Beneficial Use of Off-Specification Fly Ashes to Increase the Shear Strength and Stiffness of Expansive Soil-Rubber (ESR) Mixtures PY - 2011/07 SP - 108p AB - The use of off-specification fly ashes to increase the shear strength and stiffness of an expansive soil-rubber (ESR) mixture is investigated systematically in this study. The off-specification fly ashes used include a high-sulfur content and a high-carbon content fly ash. A class C fly ash is used as a control to develop a basis for comparison. The ESR mixture consists of high-plasticity clay blended with 20% 6.7-mm granulated rubber. The fly ash content necessary to develop pozzolanic reactions is determined based on the concept of lime fixation point and kept constant for all ESR-fly ash mixtures. Specimens are prepared at a single relative compaction level and curing times of 7 and 14 days. Unconfined compression testing was performed to validate the fly ash content selected and assess the development of pozzolanic reactions. Undrained triaxial compression tests are performed to evaluate the effect of the fly ash type and curing time at mean effective stress levels of 50, 100 and 200 kPa. Stiffness is evaluated at large strains during undrained compression and at very small strains using bender elements. Results indicate shear strength and stiffness are improved by the addition of the fly ashes, with the off-specification fly ashes performing as well as or better than the standard class C fly ash. KW - Fly ash KW - Pozzolanic action KW - Rubber KW - Shear strength KW - Soil stabilization KW - Stiffness KW - Swelling soils KW - Triaxial compression UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC11-235.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44100/44180/MPC11-235.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118653 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354140 AU - Sicotte, Richard AU - Glitman, Karen AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Is There a Link Between Highway Funding, Construction Costs and Employment? PY - 2011/07 SP - 20p AB - The challenges facing the U.S. highway system are immense. First, there has been a marked deterioration in the existing infrastructure due to delayed maintenance. Second, transportation demands are much greater than before and the cost of congestion has increased accordingly. Third, the economic crisis has led to large budget deficits, and despite the recent burst of stimulus-related budget increases, the prognosis for future funding is uncertain. Perhaps at no other time since the inception of the interstate system has there been such a keen interest to maximize the effectiveness of government highway spending. This study contributes to this interest by examining the relationship between government highway expenditures and construction costs. If, for example, an increase in government highway spending leads to an increase in construction costs, will this diminish the effectiveness of the spending in maintaining or improving infrastructure? Knowledge of the spending-cost relationship can assist policy makers with the design and implementation of capital and maintenance programs. In the current economic environment, an additional interest is in quantifying how effective highway spending is at creating employment. Estimates of that relationship are included herein. This research estimated the relationship between government spending on highways and construction costs using state-level panel data across the fifty states and the District of Columbia from 1980-2006. While controlling for local economic conditions and state and year fixed effects, it was found that a 1 % increase in highway expenditures is associated with at most a 0.10% increase in highway construction costs. The data indicate that the principal influences on construction costs are factors related to the general state of the economy. Examination of state-level data on individual construction inputs – excavation, asphalt, steel and concrete – provided even weaker evidence that highway expenditures affect construction costs. However, national-level data from 1972-2006 provide stronger indications that highway expenditures affect construction costs, particularly in markets for asphalt, steel and concrete. The difference in state-level and national-level results might be attributed to several factors: data quality, sample size or the existence of substantial spillovers. In regard to employment, this research estimated that a 1% increase in expenditures is associated with between a 0.12 and 0.18 % increase in construction industry employment. KW - Costs KW - Economic conditions KW - Economic impacts KW - Employment KW - Expenditures KW - Government funding KW - Highways KW - Road construction KW - States KW - United States UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-012.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1115920 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354137 AU - Miao, Qing AU - Wang, Bruce X AU - Adams, Teresa M AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessing the Value of Delay to Truckers and Carriers PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 44p AB - This project evaluates the value of delay (VOD) to commercial vehicle operators due to highway congestion. The VOD for congestion is a fundamental parameter driving the private sectors’ response to public freight projects and policies such as corridor construction and tolling. Factors affecting the commercial VOD include direct operational cost, travel length, travel time variation, inventory holding, and warehouse management. To approach the VOD, two methods are adopted in this project. One is the stated preference (SP) survey. The other is carrier fleet operational simulation. Simulation shows a range of VOD from $94/hr to $121/hr for the case of a central depot and $80/hr to $84/hr for the case of two depots. An SP survey is conducted for truckers and carriers in two scenarios, which results in a VOD range from $25/hr to $65/hr. A comparison between the survey and the simulation results shows that drivers perceive a significantly lower VOD than the simulated VOD in freight operation. KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Stated preferences KW - Surveys KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic simulation KW - Truck drivers KW - Value of time UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-15_Final_Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42000/42088/Wang_09-00-45.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116372 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352445 AU - Lewis, Carol Abel AU - Hall, Kadijah AU - Texas Southern University AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Another Look at the Question of Density and Rail Transit PY - 2011/07 SP - 32p AB - Long community discussions about rail often include whether a city’s spatial distribution of housing, employment and other trip generators is conducive to supporting rail transit. A city’s decision to construct rail transit is based on an array of variables, some of which may indirectly relate to density. Other variables considered important are number of new riders, operating costs and construction costs. Although density is not a direct variable in the list of criteria, numerous studies show a positive correlation with ridership, confirming density as an explanation for the number of riders a system will attract. For that reason, opponents of new rail systems often raise lack of density as reason not to pursue rail. This research compares density in a few select cities with the accepted transit efficiency performance measure of operating cost per passenger mile to determine whether this statistic is better in more dense cities. KW - Measures of effectiveness KW - Performance measurement KW - Population density KW - Public transit KW - Rail transit KW - Ridership KW - Traffic distribution KW - Trip generation UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/473700-00052-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42270/473700-00052-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116934 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352443 AU - Jaipuria, Sunny AU - Zhang, Zhanmin AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Performance Goals on the Needs of Highway Infrastructure Maintenance PY - 2011/07 SP - 53p AB - Although it is widely accepted that establishing suitable performance goals is critical for system maintenance and preservation, a framework that considers the inter-relationship between conflicting objectives of minimum maintenance and rehabilitation costs, deferred maintenance costs, and vehicle operating costs to the users does not exist. This report proposes a methodological framework that is aimed at assisting highway agencies with the problem of objectively analyzing policy decisions in terms of the performance goals for their highway networks that would minimize the total transport costs to the society. In a case study of the proposed framework, the highway network managed by the Texas Department of Transportation was examined for different performance goals. The results from the case study indicate that setting lower performance goals lead to savings in the M&R needs, but at the same time, they also significantly increase the exogenous costs such as deferred maintenance costs and the vehicle operating costs. KW - Case studies KW - Decision making KW - Highway maintenance KW - Infrastructure KW - Operating costs KW - Performance measurement KW - Policy making KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Strategic planning KW - Texas Department of Transportation UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/169208-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42279/169208-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116820 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352438 AU - Boske, Leigh B AU - Cho, Hee Deok AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - International Air Cargo Operations and Gateways: Their Emerging Importance to the State of Texas PY - 2011/07 SP - 81p AB - Air cargo transport has become particularly important in today’s expanding global economy for the movement of high-value goods such as electronics, computer components, precision equipment, medical supplies, auto parts, and perishables. Air cargo operations allow fast, frequent, and predictable transit as an increasing number of companies out-source manufacturing to remote locations of the world. Decreasing product cycles for high-value, high-technology goods have made fast delivery to markets essential. In addition, local industries have become global traders, who can reach consumers worldwide. This report examines the potential of Texas-based airports, especially Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport and the Houston Airport System, to emerge as international gateways for global trade in general and trans-Pacific trade in particular. The period covered is 2001 to 2006. The report is composed of four chapters. The first chapter examines global, U.S., and Texas air cargo trends. The second chapter addresses air freight performance and activities at Texas airports. The third chapter discusses the relationship between air cargo/passenger operations and their impacts on local economic development. The final chapter discusses the policy implications for the State of Texas. KW - Air cargo KW - Air cargo terminals KW - Airports KW - Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport KW - East Asia KW - Economic development KW - Economic impacts KW - Houston Airport System KW - Hubs KW - International trade KW - Performance measurement KW - Policy analysis KW - Texas UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/167261-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42274/167261-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116819 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352432 AU - Boske, Leigh B AU - Anazia, Larry K AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - U.S. and Texas International Trade and Transportation PY - 2011/07 SP - 69p AB - This report, funded by the Southwest Region University Transportation Center, examines various aspects of international trade, transportation, and foreign practices implemented to facilitate and fund transport-related infrastructure. The report is composed of six chapters. The first chapter provides an overview of the U.S. international trade outlook. The second chapter describes the roles played by air cargo transport, ports and ocean carriers, railroads, and the motor carrier industry in U.S. international trade. The third and fourth chapters focus on Texas-specific international trade and modal gateways. The fifth chapter reviews various transport funding mechanisms, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications, and forms of public-private partnerships adopted in various foreign countries. The final chapter describes the expansion of the Panama Canal and its likely Texas impacts. KW - Air cargo KW - Best practices KW - Forecasting KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - International trade KW - International transportation KW - Ocean shipping KW - Ports KW - Public private partnerships KW - Railroad transportation KW - Texas KW - Trucking UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161121-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42271/161121-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116932 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351909 AU - Guarino, Jenny AU - Weidman, Pheny AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Public Perceptions on Transportation Characteristics of Livable Communities: The 2009 Omnibus Household Survey PY - 2011/07//Special Report SP - 5p AB - The Omnibus Household Survey (OHS) is a national survey on attitudes about transportation that is administered annually by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to a sample of approximately 1,000 households. The 2009 OHS included a series of questions to gauge public perceptions on transportation-related characteristics of livable communities. Survey participants were asked to rate how important several transportation options or features were to have in their community, such as highway access, transit service, and bike lanes. Responses to the 2009 OHS suggest that a majority of the public considered it important to have a wide range of transportation alternatives. The majority also strongly supported the provision of facilities that permit continued reliance on the personal automobile in the community in which they live. This is illustrated by the following key findings from the OHS: 1. 75 percent stated that reliable local bus, rail, or ferry transportation that could be reached without driving was important; 2. 70 percent found importance in bike lanes or paths to shopping, work, or school; 3. 94 percent said that major roads or highways that served their community were important; and 4. 89 percent felt that adequate parking in the downtown or central business district was important. KW - Access KW - Attitudes KW - Bicycle lanes KW - Highways KW - Households KW - Livable communities KW - Parking KW - Public opinion KW - Public transit KW - Surveys UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2011_07_12/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1112966 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351895 AU - George, Linda AU - Figliozzi, Miguel AU - Monsere, Chris AU - Kendrick, Christine AU - Bigazzi, Alex AU - Moore, Adam AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Transportation Microenvironments Through Assessment of Cyclists' Exposure to Traffic-Related Particulate Matter PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 52p AB - This report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to more standard suburban developments. The authors compare survey results from residents of matched pairs of neighborhoods in seventeen U.S. cities and towns, with each pair comprised of one NTD and one typical suburban neighborhood of similar size, age, and socio-demographic composition. The study addresses salient themes in the transportation, planning and health literatures: a national study, surveying populations of diverse incomes, collecting resident information on preferences for and attitudes towards neighborhood qualities, and addressing transportation and health outcomes for diverse community designs. KW - Attitudes KW - Cyclists KW - Evaluation KW - Health KW - Lifestyle KW - Neotraditional neighborhoods KW - Particulates KW - Quality of life KW - Suburbs KW - Travel behavior KW - Urban design UR - http://otrec.us/main/document.php?doc_id=1999 UR - http://otrec.us/project/345 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114446 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01350108 AU - Dons, Joeri AU - Mariens, Jan AU - O'Callaghan, Gregory D AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Use of Third‐party Aircraft Performance Tools in the Development of the Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) PY - 2011/07//Final Report SP - 77p AB - This report documents work done to enhance terminal area aircraft performance modeling in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT). A commercially available aircraft performance software tool was used to develop data in a form usable by the AEDT. These data were compared to actual aircraft performance data measured by flight data recorder systems. The terminal area fuel consumption data were shown to average about 2% different from the measured fuel consumption for departures and about 5% different for arrivals. KW - Airport terminals KW - Arrivals and departures KW - Aviation KW - Aviation Environmental Design Tool KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fuel consumption UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39700/39745/DOT-VNTSC-FAA-11-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113094 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446012 AU - Hector-Hsu, Jessica AU - Ritter, Gary T AU - Sloan, Suzanne AU - Waldon, Laura AU - Thornton, Philip AU - Blythe, Katherine AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - SafeTrip-21: Federal ITS Field Tests to Transform the Traveler Experience PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 28p AB - SafeTrip-21 popularized transportation technology by making traffic and transit data available to the public via websites, smartphone apps, and other electronic media. Federal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) field tests were carried out between November 2008 and November 2010 in partnership with state government, private companies, and universities. The results showed that public ITS research can provide a conceptual foundation for real-world and commercial products. KW - Field tests KW - Highway safety KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Real time information KW - SafeTrip-21 KW - Smartphones KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic data KW - Websites (Information retrieval) KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/40000/40300/40353/FHWA-JPO-11-114.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212587 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01431188 AU - Elefteriadou, Lily AU - Martin, Barbara AU - Simmerman, Tom AU - Hale, David AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Using Microsimulation to Evaluate the Effects of Advanced Vehicle Technologies on Congestion PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 87p AB - Advanced driver assistance technologies are continuously being developed to enhance traffic safety. Evaluations of such technologies typically focus on safety and there has been limited research on the impacts of such technologies on traffic operations. Given the difficulty in observing such impacts in the real world, traffic simulation is used in this project to replicate such technologies under various demand and market penetration scenarios. The project focuses on Advanced Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Change Assist (LCA). These two systems were replicated in a microsimulator (CORSIM) and their impacts were reported separately and in combination along a test network. It was concluded that the ACC can significantly increase speeds for congested conditions, even at the lowest market penetration scenario tested (20% ACC in the traffic stream). However, when ACC is present, bottlenecks can be created at locations where a significant number of drivers are likely to turn their ACC off. When only the LCA was present the number of lane change maneuvers increased, the throughput (VMT) increased, and travel time was not significantly affected. When both LCA and ACC were present, conditions improved significantly, and similarly to when ACC was available by itself. KW - Autonomous intelligent cruise control KW - Bottlenecks KW - CORSIM (Traffic simulation model) KW - Driver support systems KW - Highway operations KW - Lane changing KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic simulation KW - Traffic speed KW - Travel time KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/elefteriadou_2009-006.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45645/elefteriadou_2009-006.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1188888 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362683 AU - Yohanan, David AU - Truelson, Shawn AU - Duensing, Jeremy AU - Chenevert, Doug AU - Willard, Frank AU - Forgang, Marc AU - Telvent, Incorporated AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrating Clarus Data with the 511 New York Traveler Information System PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - 42p AB - This document is the final report that describes the process and results of integrating Clarus and other weather alert data into the 511 New York Traveler Information System. This project involves the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of an intelligent transportation system that collects real-time Clarus Road Weather Information System data and other pertinent weather alert data from various sources on the Long Island Expressway (I-495) and I-87 in New York State and integrates the information for display to the end-user through a modified 511 New York (511NY) traveler information website. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of collecting, integrating, and disseminating various types of current and forecast location-specific weather alert data for use by traffic managers and motorists to help make better travel decisions, reduce congestion, and improve safety. KW - 511 (National Travel Information Number) KW - Advanced traveler information systems KW - Clarus KW - Data collection KW - Information dissemination KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - New York (State) KW - Real time information KW - Road weather information systems KW - Weather forecasting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43100/43159/FHWA_Clarus_Integration_Final_Rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127488 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357450 AU - Peterson, Karl R AU - Sutter, Lawrence L AU - Michigan Technological University, Houghton AU - Michigan Technological University AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Hydrated Cement Paste Quality and Entrained Air-Void System on the Durability of Concrete PY - 2011/06/30/Final Report SP - v.p. AB - This study is designed to examine whether traditional limits used to describe the air-void system still apply to concrete prepared with new admixtures and materials. For this research, the concrete mixtures prepared were characterized with traditional and emerging equipment and tests used to measure hydrated cement paste properties. All concrete mixtures were prepared using materials that meet current MDOT specifications. Modern cements and the use of supplementary cementitious materials lead to a hardened cement paste that can potentially have a higher tensile strength and lower permeability. The classic limitation of an airvoid system spacing factor less than or equal to 0.2 mm is still a safe value to ensure F-T durability, but evidence exists that concrete mixtures with a spacing factor greater than 0.2 mm can also be F-T durable. The durability of concretes produced with a reduced cementitious material content (CMC), in terms of the laboratory ASTM C666 testing conducted in this study, is superior to traditional 564 lbs/yd3 CMC concrete. There is general agreement between methods of measuring the total air content of a concrete mixture, although the AVA generally does not perform well for this task. Test results for water content by AASHTO T 318 compared well with the mixture designs when the measured water content is corrected for aggregate absorption. Test results for w/cm by the Cementometer™ were not as promising, but may be improved with further attention to the calibration process. Semi-adiabatic calorimetry proved to be useful tool for identifying delayed-set mixtures. KW - Admixtures KW - Air void analyzers KW - Air voids KW - Cement paste KW - Fly ash KW - Freeze thaw durability KW - Slag cement UR - http://michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9622_11045_24249-262753--,00.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120966 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351430 AU - Hitchcock, Wilbur A AU - Toutanji, Houssam AU - Richardson, James AU - Salama, Talat AU - Callahan, Dale AU - Jackson, Joshua AU - Zhao, Hua AU - University of Alabama, Birmingham AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Expanding Portable B-WIM Technology PY - 2011/06/28 SP - 56p AB - Advances in weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology over the past 15 years have led to successful field application of a commercial grade portable Bridge WIM system (B-WIM) in Europe. Under a previous UTCA Research Project No. 07212, the University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA) tested the state-of-the-art commercially available B-WIM technology on two interstate highway bridges. The equipment tested was developed by CESTEL, a Slovenian technology company, and is commercially referred to as the SiWIM system. Some technical difficulties occurred during the Project 07212 field tests; however, the SiWIM system was successfully installed, calibrated, and placed into a data gathering mode at both sites. The objective of the research described in this report was to develop a practical recommendation for installation of SiWIM technology at potentially multiple locations in the State of Alabama for the primary purpose of traffic enforcement. The researchers worked with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to select a bridge for instrumentation that has the potential for an excellent accuracy classification rating. The bridge selected is located on US Highway 78 East in Graysville, Alabama. The bridge structure consists of three 42-ft simply supported reinforced concrete T-beam spans with two traffic lanes in one direction. In addition, an ALDOT-operated Bending Plate Weigh-In-Motion System (BP-WIM) is located approximately four miles to the west also on US Highway 78. After installing the SiWiM system on the bridge, calibration and three in-service simulated enforcement test exercises were conducted. Over one hundred trucks were weighed by the SiWIM system and compared to their static weights. Many of the trucks were also weighed by the BP-WIM system. The accuracy classification established for the SiWIM system during the calibration and subsequent in-service tests varied between ±20% and ±44% of the static weight with a confidence level of 85%. This level of accuracy is not precise enough to be used with confidence to screen trucks for weight enforcement. The additional BP-WIM data collected during this program indicated that the SiWIM system may be as accurate as the nearby BP-WIM system tested. Lessons learned from the work reported here have been of benefit. In March, 2011, ALDOT personnel installed, calibrated, and operated a newer model of the SiWIM system on a shorter span bridge, achieving B(10), C(15), AND B(10) accuracy classification in random truck weighing for gross vehicle weight, group axles, and single axles, respectively. KW - Accuracy KW - Alabama KW - Calibration KW - Field tests KW - Gross vehicle weight KW - Highway bridges KW - Portable equipment KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Weigh in motion UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=08204 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116052 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380474 AU - Yelchuru, Balaji AU - Adams, Victoria AU - Hurley, Eric AU - Bonifera, Vincent AU - Booz Allen Hamilton AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - AERIS: State of-the-Practice Scan of Environmental Models PY - 2011/06/24/Final Report SP - 75p AB - This report has been developed under the Track 1 effort of Phase 1 of the Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis (AERIS) program and presents the findings of the state-of-the-practice scan of environmental models to estimate environmental impacts (emissions, fuel consumption, etc.) due to changes in traveler behavior and trip choices in response to implementation of intelligent transportation system (ITS) strategies. Several environmental models were examined to determine the sensitivity and validity of these models in estimating emissions impacts of ITS strategies. The report includes a detailed assessment of the suitability of Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES), Comprehensive Modal Emission Model (CMEM) and EMission FACtor (EMFAC) emissions models in evaluating emissions impacts of ITS strategies. KW - Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis KW - Comprehensive Modal Emissions Model KW - Environmental impacts KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Motor vehicle emission factor models KW - Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) KW - Pollutants UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45602/FHWA-JPO-11-135_AERIS_State_of_Practice_Scan_of_Environmental_Models_FINAL_508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147980 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345240 AU - McNeil, Sue AU - Mizusawa, Daisuke AU - Rahimian, Sekine AU - Bittner, Jason AU - University of Delaware, Newark AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Regional University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessing and Interpreting the Benefits Derived from Implementing and Using Asset Management Systems PY - 2011/06/23/Final Report SP - 104p AB - Interest in asset management has grown over the last two decades but agencies continue to be concerned about the cost to develop and implement asset management processes. While originally introduced as a tool for policy analysis, the Highway Economic Requirement System - State Version (HERS-ST) is free software that delivers several asset management functions. This report uses a generic methodology to document a strategy to assess the benefits to be gained using tools such as HERS-ST. The impact of decisions made using HERS-ST (referred to as “with HERS-ST”) are compared with decisions made using a naive worst first strategy (referred to as “without HERS-ST”) using common performance measures, net present value and benefit cost ratios. The methodology is applied to three different data sets. The data from New Mexico are used to explore strategies for communicating the results using charts, graphs and tables. Data from Kentucky and Delaware are used to develop more in-depth case studies. All three data sets demonstrate that significant benefits can be realized using HERS-ST. A Step-by-Step Guide for implementing the methodology and a training module are also developed. KW - Asset management KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Benefits KW - Case studies KW - Computer program documentation KW - Data files KW - Decision making KW - Delaware KW - HERS-ST (Computer model) KW - Kentucky KW - Net present value KW - New Mexico KW - Performance measurement KW - Software KW - Training UR - http://www.wistrans.org/mrutc/files/Training_110222.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107437 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362819 AU - Hill, Christopher J AU - Garrett, J Kyle AU - Mixon/Hill Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) TI - AASHTO Connected Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Analysis PY - 2011/06/17/Final Report SP - 104p AB - This report describes a deployment scenario for Connected Vehicle infrastructure by state and local transportation agencies, together with a series of strategies and actions to be performed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to support application development and deployment. KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - Deployment KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43500/43514/FHWA-JPO-11-090_AASHTO_CV_Deploy_Analysis_final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1131369 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494565 TI - A Remote Sensing and GIS-based Asset Management System (RS-GAMS) Phase 2 AB - The objective of this project is to integrate Commercial Remote Sensing & Spatial Information (CRS&SI) technologies, including emerging 3d line laser imaging, signal image processing, and global positioning system/geographic information system (GPS/GIS) technologies, into an intelligent sensing system to bring new capabilities to roadway asset inventory, condition assessment and management. KW - Asset management KW - Condition surveys KW - Geographic information systems KW - Global Positioning System KW - Remote sensing UR - http://rs-gams.gtsav.gatech.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263734 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463334 TI - A Remote Sensing and GIS-enabled Asset Management System (RS-GAMS) Phase 2 AB - The objective of this project is to validate a remote-sensing and geographic information system (GIS) enabled Asset Management System (RS-GAMS) integrating emerging 3D line laser imaging, signal/image processing, and global positioning system (GPS)/GIS technologies to bring the new capabilities to roadway asset inventory, condition assessment, and management with a special focus on network-level pavement surface/pavement marking condition assessment, and efficient inventory of cross slopes, roadway curvatures, and pavement width. Project development steps are to (1) refine and calibrate the integrated sensing system, (2) test and validate the sensing system using the real-world data, and (3) quantify the research benefits. The validated technologies and system targets asphalt and concrete highways, parking lots, and civilian and military airfield taxiways and runways. The United States Department of Transportation, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Transportation, North Carolina Department of Transportation, South Carolina Department of Transportation, and Chatham County - Savannah Metropolitan Commission have participated in this project by providing direct and in-kind support. KW - Airport runways KW - Asset management KW - Condition surveys KW - Florida KW - Geographic information systems KW - Georgia KW - Global Positioning System KW - North Carolina KW - Parking lots KW - Pavement performance KW - Remote sensing KW - South Carolina UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231560 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380506 AU - Haas, Robert AU - Bedsole, Elisabeth AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Results of the Clarus Demonstrations: Evaluation of Enhanced Road Weather Forecasting Enabled by Clarus PY - 2011/06/14/Final Report SP - 87p AB - This document is the final report of an evaluation of Clarus-enabled enhanced road weather forecasting used in the Clarus Demonstrations. This report examines the use of Clarus data to enhance four types of weather models and forecasts: (1) The Local Analysis and Predictions System (LAPS), used to estimate initial conditions for atmospheric weather forecast models. (2) The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) atmospheric weather forecast models. (3) The Model of the Environment and Temperature of Roads (METRo) road weather forecast model. (4) The Pavement Precipitation Accumulation Estimation System (PPAES) tool for enhancing radar-based precipitation estimates. The results demonstrate the benefit of the Clarus System to enhance weather and road weather forecast and estimation systems. While the Clarus data did not appreciably improve the atmospheric forecasts, it did improve the estimates for the initialization data that fed those forecasts. The Clarus data did result in improved road temperature forecasts, particularly during the first 24 hours of the forecast. And, when used with the PPAES model, the Clarus data helped improve on estimates of the locations where precipitation was present, particularly in the winter months and at locations further removed from NexRad weather radar stations. KW - Clarus KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - NEXRAD KW - Road weather information systems KW - Weather conditions KW - Weather forecasting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45600/Evaluation_of_the_Clarus_Regional_Demonstrations_Eval_of_Enhanced_Forecasting_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147991 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361079 AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstrations, Evaluation of Use Case #4: Multi-State Control Strategy Tool PY - 2011/06/10/Final Report SP - 66p AB - This report provides the results of an independent evaluation of the Clarus Use Case #4 Multi-State Control Strategy Tool (MSCST). This tool, developed for the Road Weather Management Program of the Federal Highway Administration by a private contractor under a separate contract, allows state DOTs to proactively manage traffic and coordinate their responses to developing significant weather events. The tool allows users to monitor weather conditions, receive alerts when weather conditions deteriorate beyond established thresholds, and communicate response decisions to other state and local agencies that may be impacted either by the weather conditions or the traffic management strategy. The tool was demonstrated in two states (Iowa and Illinois) as part of the Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstration Program. The evaluation consisted of deploying the tool for three months in each of these agencies and collecting statistics on how agencies used the tool to improve and coordinate responses during significant weather events, specifically potential frost conditions, precipitation on cold pavement events, slick road events, and blowing snow events. The study found that while agencies felt the concept of the MSCST was valid, the current tool needs significant expansion of its current utilities and sophistication before widespread acceptance and deployment can be expected. KW - Clarus KW - Highway traffic control KW - Illinois KW - Iowa KW - Road condition forecasting KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - Traveler information and communication systems KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43200/43200/FHWA-JPO-11-119_Eval_Report_UC_4_FINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126424 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353558 AU - Paaswell, Robert E AU - Eickemeyer, Penny AU - City College of New York of the City University of New York AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - NYSDOT Consideration of Potential Intermodal Sites for Long Island PY - 2011/06/09 SP - 60p AB - This study was prepared in response to the Governor's directive to conduct an extensive analysis of the feasibility of a truck/rail facility on Long Island. It was designed to answer three questions: Is an intermodal truck/rail transfer facility needed to respond to the current and anticipated volume of goods movement in Nassau and Suffolk County? Where should such a facility be located? What are the economic, social, and environmental effects of such a facility and can any adverse effects be mitigated? The research showed that there is a demand for increased freight delivery on Long Island as a result of population and employment gains and such increased delivery could reduce the number of trucks currently required to deliver freight to area businesses and industrial parks. Increased rail-freight deliveries would, in all likelihood, reduce the costs of these local freight deliveries. Industry experts consulted for this study agree that there is a likely market for delivery of freight by rail to Nassau and Suffolk Counties, but that the demand for bulk freight yards may be more immediate than is the demand for container yards and that the demand for containerized rail freight would be significantly increased if a cross-harbor tunnel were built. Experts generally agree that a significant demand for containerized freight will also depend upon the availability of conveniently accessible warehouse facilities. The study team identified potential sites for the facility and assessed the “pros” and “cons” of each and reviewed the previous work on the Long Island Truck Rail Intermodal (LITRIM) project. Some recommendations for future action included: The Pilgrim FEIS site evaluation should rigorously address a number of significant environmental, legal, public health, and environmental justice issues that were identified in the Study Team’s interviews with project stakeholders such as mitigating the potential adverse impacts of light and noise on the patients of Pilgrim State Hospital, some of whom live as close as 350 feet from the proposed site; the impact of the transfer facility site on the adjacent Edgewood State Preserve; and the site’s location within the Oak Brush Plains Special Groundwater Protection Area. The Study Team distinguished between the two major types of truck-rail transfer facilities, bulk and containerized, and found that: while there might be some short-term advantages to combining bulk and container operations, as rail-freight markets develop in the near-term, there is neither any compelling long-term need to combine these operations nor any significant near-term demand for container operations. There is a need for multiple yards on Long Island both for bulk traffic and (with the development of a doublestack cross-harbor rail-freight tunnel) for containers and there is an immediate demand for at least one major bulk transfer yard on Long Island. In addition, if a double-stack rail-freight tunnel is built across New York harbor, at least two major container (or bulk-and-container) yards will be required. KW - Bulk cargo KW - Container traffic KW - Demand KW - Economic impacts KW - Environmental impacts KW - Freight transportation KW - Intermodal yards KW - Long Island (New York) KW - New York State Department of Transportation KW - Social impacts UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/189/LI-Report-Final1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42526/LI-Report-Final1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118321 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554285 AU - San Diego Association of Governments AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - I-15 Integrated Corridor Management System Project Management Plan PY - 2011/06/06/Final Report SP - 81p AB - The Project Management Plan (PMP) assists the San Diego Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Team by defining a procedural framework for management and control of the I-15 Integrated Corridor Management Demonstration Project, and development and deployment of the ICM System. The PMP serves as a reference for information regarding project structure and procedures throughout the project life cycle. The PMP is a living document and will be updated at least twice in each year of the project. KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Project management KW - San Diego (California) KW - Transportation corridors UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54300/54342/I-15_San_Diego_ICMS_PMP__FHWA-JPO-11-057_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342206 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01489188 TI - Transit Connected Vehicle Support AB - No summary provided. KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Public transit KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Transit vehicle operations UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258199 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577998 TI - Biological Hydrogen and Succinic Acid Production AB - No summary provided. KW - Acids KW - Biomass fuels KW - Hydrogen KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371379 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575841 TI - Toward Development of Disease Resistant Varieties of Switchgrass AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Cultivation KW - Grasses UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368764 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575549 TI - Field Evaluation of Transgenic Switchgrass with Low-Lignin Content for Biomass Composition, Sugar Conversion Yield, and Disease Resistance AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Energy conversion KW - Grasses KW - Lignin KW - Sugar UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368087 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575538 TI - Modeling the Impact of the Emerging Bioeconomy on Transportation Network Flows with Simulation and Bayesian Inference AB - No summary provided. KW - Bayes' theorem KW - Biomass fuels KW - Economic impacts KW - Networks KW - Simulation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367960 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494567 TI - Smart Rocks & Wireless Communications System for Real Time Monitoring and Mitigation of Bridge Scour AB - The objective of this research project is to develop an innovative, real-time bridge scour management system with remote sensing and communication technologies for integrated monitoring and mitigation of foundation scour. KW - Bridge foundations KW - Monitoring KW - Real time data processing KW - Remote sensing KW - Scour KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://web.mst.edu/~gchen/ProjectWebsite/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263736 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01489162 TI - Reliable Routing in Transit Networks AB - The purpose of this project is to develop routing algorithms that help travelers hedge against uncertainties in transit networks, to measure and analyze the reliability performance of transit services using these algorithms, and to implement a prototype reliability-based transit route planning tool and test it on real-world problems. The research team plans to leverage on the collaboration with Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Google Inc. to deploy and evaluate the proposed methods and tools. Travel reliability is a critical dimension in user experience of public transportation services. A recent survey of commuters from the Chicago metropolitan area (Nie, Wu, Zissman, Lee & Haynes 2010) reveals that reliability is the second most important factor that affects commuters' route choice, next only to travel time. Transit systems are affected by uncertainties of various sorts, ranging from extreme weather conditions, serious traffic accidents to unforeseeable mechanical failures and human errors. While these uncertainties could adversely disrupt transit services, their overall impacts are rarely documented and understood in existing systems. As a result, neither transit operators nor transit users are able to make proactive decisions to ensure travel reliability. Ignoring the impacts of uncertainties often result in misallocation of limited resources in the transit system. From the user point of view, the lack of reliability either encourages overly conservative risk-averse behavior or leads to uncomfortable, sometimes disastrous, disruptions. Not surprisingly, almost half of the commuters in the aforementioned survey describe their transit service as "unreliable". KW - Chicago (Illinois) KW - Networks KW - Public transit KW - Route choice KW - Service disruption KW - Service reliability UR - http://www.ccitt.northwestern.edu/research/projects/Nie_Y5-03.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258156 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01466748 TI - Signal Timing Based on Traffic AB - Current practice on signal timing and coordination is to develop and operate a limited number of timing plans throughout the year and time of day. For example, it is common that coordination plans are developed only for and based on weekday a.m., midday, p.m., off-peak and weekend peak periods. Timing plans are developed in a way that would fit the specific traffic pattern and speed profile during these periods. During the remaining time periods, signals are either operate with a fully-actuated mode or a coordination plan selected based on an engineer's judgment. While the majority of the motorists can benefit from signal coordination during the specific time periods that the coordination plans are developed for, others may experience unsatisfactory travel when no coordination plan is running or the timing plan does not fit the specific traffic pattern. Under inclement weather conditions such as snow, travel speeds would be significantly lower, thus the expected progression would not be achieved. One of the reasons for operating with such limited number of coordination plans is due to resource constraints on signal timing developments. The other reason is perhaps due to limitations of the signal control hardware which only handles a certain number of timing plans. Furthermore, it is unknown whether there will actually be any benefit or whether the benefit will outweigh the cost if additional timing plans are developed and implemented. This proposed research will specifically address these signal timing related issues. Another issue related to signal timing practice is methodologies for determining yellow change and all-red clearance intervals. Current guidelines were developed primarily based on through movements. Left-turn movements have very different characteristics so the current guidelines need to be evaluated for its applicability to left-turn movements. KW - Speed profiles KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic patterns KW - Traffic signal timing KW - Traffic simulation KW - Traffic volume KW - Weather conditions UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234983 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463394 TI - Smart Rocks and Wireless Communication System for Real-Time Monitoring and Mitigation of Bridge Scour AB - The current practice in bridge maintenance is to visually inspect bridge foundation scour by divers every other year. This practice is both uneconomical when a bridge is in good condition and risky missing occurrence of bridge scour in between two inspections. It has at least one additional major shortcoming: visual inspections are qualitative and subjective. Foundation scour has also been monitored with instruments but only in normal operations of bridges. During floods, neither visual inspection by divers nor existing instrumentation provide useful foundation scour data in real time, which is critical for a timely warning, response, and prevention of scour-induced collapsing of bridges in a time window of hours or days during a flood event. The long-term goal of the proposed study is to develop a pragmatic but highly innovative, real-time bridge scour management system with remote sensing and communication technologies for integrated monitoring and mitigation of foundation scour. The short-term objectives of this study are (1) to integrate several alternative commercial measurement and communication technologies into a scour monitoring system with passive and active sensors embedded in 'smart rocks', (2) evaluate the comparative effectiveness of these communication technologies in laboratory and field conditions and improve them for better performances and/or reduced costs in bridge applications, and (3) analyze the movement of smart rocks during testing for determination of scour depth. Smart rocks function as spatially-distributed field agents that can be deployed around a bridge foundation to register both temporal and spatial information on scour process and transmit critical data in real time for an engineering evaluation of scour depth and area. Scour vulnerability of multiple bridges affected by a flood event can then be reported anytime to engineer-in-charge and first responders through a cellular network as needed. The key challenges to develop a real-time scour monitoring system lie in three aspects: (1) accurate sensing of scour process with spatially-distributed smart rocks, (2) wireless transmission of mission-critical data from underwater to a remote station (e.g. engineer office or mobile vehicle parked near a bridge), and (3) real-time engineering evaluation and prediction of bridge scour using temporal and spatial information derived from smart rocks and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The monitoring system can be integrated with intervening techniques to potential foundation erosion, leading to a cost-effective scour management technology. For example, rocks are traditionally used to protect a bridge from scouring effects, but now, with embedded electronics, become part of a wireless, early-warning network that can monitor the process of bridge scour in real time. The deliverables of this study include a prototype scour monitoring system (hardware), a scour depth evaluation model with measured data, a real-time bridge scour management methodology, and a strategic plan for commercialization of the developed and validated technologies. The results and outcomes will dramatically change the state-of-the-art and state-of-practice of both sensing and mitigation technologies, and potentially revolutionize current bridge management systems. This approach will change engineers' perception of structural monitoring from unfavorable to receptive by collecting only mission-critical data and relating data to the ratings of existing bridges based on foundation susceptibility to scour. In the U.S., over 1,500 bridges have collapsed, making scour the number one cause of catastrophic bridge failure. The smart rock technology is a cost-effective solution to address bridge scour issues. In addition, the smart rock technology is directly transferable to other infrastructure installations such as water mains and wastewater collection systems. For example, smart rocks are equally applicable to river banks, dams and levees for their erosion monitoring and mitigation as well as slope stability both during flood events and in normal operations. KW - Bridge foundations KW - Bridge inspection KW - Bridge maintenance KW - Collapse KW - Failure KW - Floods KW - Geographic information systems KW - Inspection KW - Monitoring KW - Real time information KW - Scour KW - Wireless communication systems UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231620 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449569 AU - Kachroo, Pushkin AU - Shlayan, Neveen AU - University of Nevada, Las Vegas AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis, Modeling and Design for Traffic Incident Management Systems PY - 2011/06/01/Final Report SP - 237p AB - The aim of incident management systems is to minimize the total delay experienced by travelers and also to keep the whole operation safe. In order to achieve these two goals, the system should make optimal choices and use optimal designs. For the design of optimal solutions, appropriate mathematical models are needed for various tasks, and then mathematical techniques need to be developed. The mathematical models, their analyses and the creation of optimal solutions can help to create a framework for a decision support system for overall incident management. The major aim of this project is to develop mathematical models, perform analyses, develop simulations, and then apply those to assist a decision support system for incident management in the Las Vegas area. In order to implement the system, this project helps gain an understanding on current local practices in incident management; evaluates alternate designs for incident management; and designs a system that focuses on the details of field implementations and operations locally. KW - Decision support systems KW - Highway traffic control KW - Incident management KW - Las Vegas (Nevada) KW - Mathematical models KW - Traffic incidents UR - http://nutc.unlv.edu/ProjectsInfo/IM/IM.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1215744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356093 AU - Wen, Haifang AU - Bhusal, Sushanta AU - Washington State University, Pullman AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluate Recycled Concrete as Hot Mix Asphalt Aggregate PY - 2011/06/01/Final Technical Report SP - 50p AB - Each year around 200 million tons of demolition waste is produced from aging US infrastructures out of which 100 million tons are Portland cement concrete debris. The lack of landfill areas, environmental regulations and costs have hindered safe disposal of this waste. This led to seeking alternate ways of recycling this demolition waste. Recycling the concrete waste not only reduces the waste disposal problem, but also reduces the amount of quarrying of virgin aggregate. This study evaluated the effects of recycled concrete aggregates on mix design and performance of HMA. It was found that the use of recycled concrete aggregates to replace virgin aggregates increased the asphalt content needed in the mix, due to the high absorption of recycled concrete aggregate. In addition, with the increase of content of recycled concrete aggregate, the resistance to fatigue, rutting, thermal cracking and moisture damage is reduced. Therefore, cautions should be made to use recycled concrete aggregate in HMA, even though the volumetric requirements are met. The Superpave volumetrics-based mix design is not sufficient to capture the performance of mixes and should be supplemented with performance-based tests. The concept of “effective” asphalt content during a mix design might not be accurate. The absorbed asphalt may play a role in the performance of HMA. Further studies are needed to test more sources of recycled concrete aggregates in HMA and to verify the shortcomings of volumetrics-based mix design. KW - Asphalt content KW - Concrete aggregates KW - Dynamic modulus of elasticity KW - Flow number KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Indirect tensile test KW - Mix design KW - Moisture sensitivity KW - Performance tests KW - Recycled concrete KW - Recycled materials KW - Superpave UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119770 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543889 AU - Goetz, Andrew R AU - Jonas, Andrew E G AU - Bhattacharjee, Sutapa AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Regional Collaboration in Transport Infrastructure Provision: The Case of Denver’s FasTracks Rail Transit Program PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 102p AB - Cities across the United States are grappling with a looming transportation crisis as a result of ever-increasing passenger and freight transport demands and overburdened networks of aging infrastructure. All levels of government, but particularly state and local governments, need to develop innovative financing mechanisms and strong collaborations among stakeholders to maintain and enhance transportation infrastructure. This project examines how regional collaboration was achieved in the case of Denver‘s FasTracks rail transit program, a 122-mile extension of light and commuter rail in six corridors throughout the Denver metropolitan area to be completed over the next ten or so years. An impressive coalition of local governments, state and federal government, metropolitan economic development organizations, the business community, advocacy groups, and the general public was forged to provide financial support for the $6.7 billion project, now underway. The project also assesses conditions for the long-term sustainability of regional collaboration behind the FasTracks program, including whether it could serve as a model for other metropolitan areas confronted by the same issues. The report is organized into 6 sections including the Introduction. Section 2 examines the national context and discusses the emergence of new approaches to regional collaboration across the United States to deal with issues such as regional economic development and transportation infrastructure provision. These new 'bottom up‘ approaches can be contrasted with earlier 'top down‘ federal initiatives around metropolitan planning and political integration. Section 3 documents the history of metropolitan and regional planning in Denver, noting the failure of those regional special purpose districts and planning organizations set up in the 1960s and 1970s to build regional consensus on issues like economic development and transport infrastructure. Section 4 outlines the history of rail transit in Denver and provides some background to the development of the FasTracks program. Section 5 discusses the development of a new approach to regional collaboration in Denver since 1990, focusing on economic development and transportation infrastructure. Section 6 offers an evaluation of why and how regional collaboration in Denver has worked and what its future prospects are in relation to the recent financial problems facing the FasTracks program. KW - Case studies KW - Cooperation KW - Denver Metropolitan Area KW - Economic development KW - FasTracks (Denver, Colorado) KW - Financing KW - Infrastructure KW - Light rail transit KW - Public private partnerships KW - Rail transit KW - Railroad commuter service KW - Regional planning UR - http://www.ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2008_07_Goetz%20and%20Jonas_Regional%20Collaboration%20in%20Transport%20Infrastructure%20Provision.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331603 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01537433 AU - Elmore, Cecilia AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety/NUTC program AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Women In Science & Engineering and Minority Engineering Scholarships: Year 5 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 9p AB - Support will make scholarships available to minority and women students interested in engineering and science and will increase significantly the number of minority and female students that the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) can recruit to its science and engineering programs. Recipients of scholarships will also be exposed to career opportunities in transportation. Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) scholarships are awarded to support female Missouri S&T students studying science and engineering. Missouri S&T’s WISE program provides a campus focal point for increasing the number of women in science, engineering, math, and technology fields through outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts from middle school age through undergraduate levels. WISE provides support programs such as mentoring, advising, professional/technical workshops, and social activities, with the goal of providing a rich academic and social experience for young women at Missouri S&T. Minority Engineering and Science Program (MEP) scholarships provide critical financial support for under-represented students majoring in engineering and science programs at Missouri S&T. MEP scholarship students receive professional and academic support through the close-knit MEP network of friends, mentors, and Missouri S&T staff. MEP has a rich 30 year tradition of sponsoring events, activities and organizations that ensure its students are prepared for personal and professional success. KW - Education and training KW - Engineering KW - Females KW - Financial aid KW - Minorities KW - Missouri University of Science and Technology KW - Outreach KW - Scholarships KW - Transportation careers UR - http://transportation.mst.edu/media/research/transportation/documents/ETT258_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1322156 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01530300 AU - Gordon, Peter AU - Pan, Qisheng AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - Texas Southern University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Towards Peak-Load Pricing in Metropolitan Areas: Modeling Network Activity PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 40p AB - This research extends the Southern California Planning Model (SCPM) for use in determining the time-of-day, trip distribution, and network traffic effects of various pricing schemes for the five-county greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The model estimates improvements in levels of services throughout the highway network for various toll charges. It examines how drivers trade off route-choice with time-of-day choice against the option of traveling less. The approach also estimates the implied revenues by local jurisdiction as well as possible land use effects in terms of altered development pressures throughout the region. The effects for two different tolling scenarios are compared and policy implications are discussed. KW - Econometric models KW - Level of service KW - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Periods of the day KW - Road pricing KW - Route choice KW - Southern California Planning Model KW - Variable tolls UR - http://www.metrans.org/research/10-03-towards-peak-load-pricing-metropolitan-areas-modeling-network-activity UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1306580 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01488558 AU - Nesamani, JK S AU - Saphores, Jean-Daniel AU - McNally, Michael G AU - Jayakrishnan, R AU - University of California, Irvine AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Influence of Emission Specific Characteristics on Vehicle Operation: a Micro-Simulation Analysis PY - 2011/06 SP - 35p AB - This paper predicts the fraction of time vehicles spend in different operating conditions from readily observable emission specific characteristics (ESC), which include geometric design, roadway environment, traffic characteristics, and driver behavior. We rely on a calibrated microsimulation model to generate second-by-second vehicle trajectory data and use structural equation modeling to understand the influence of observed link ESC on vehicle operation. Our results reveal that 67 percent of link speed variance is explained by emission specific characteristics. At the aggregate level, geometric design elements exert a greater influence on link speed than traffic characteristics, the roadside environment, and driving style. Moreover, the speed limit has the strongest influence on vehicle operation, followed by facility type and driving style. This promising approach can be used to predict vehicle operation for models like MOVES, which was recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency. KW - Exhaust gases KW - Links (Networks) KW - Microsimulation KW - Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) KW - Structural equation modeling KW - Traffic speed KW - Vehicle operations KW - Vehicle trajectories UR - http://www.its.uci.edu/its/publications/papers/ITS/UCI-ITS-WP-11-5.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5bv7mdk/1/UCI-ITS-WP-11-5.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1248496 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485747 AU - Chen, Anning AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reliable GPS Integer Ambiguity Resolution PY - 2011/06 SP - 102p AB - To operate, guide and control vehicles in low visibility conditions, it is critical that the states of the vehicle are accurately estimated, which includes the three dimensional position, velocity, and attitude. This can be accomplished by GPS (Global Positioning System) aided encoder or GPS aided inertial approaches. The overall positioning accuracy of either approach will be determined by the GPS performance. Real-time centimeter accuracy GPS positioning can be achieved using carrier phase measurements. This requires fast and reliable on-the-fly integer ambiguity resolution. In this dissertation, we focus on resolving GPS ambiguity problem, including both integer ambiguity estimation and integer ambiguity validation. For integer ambiguity estimation, a brief overview of previous work on integer ambiguity resolution is first presented. Then, an improved integer ambiguity resolution method is proposed. Subsequently, simulations and real-world data are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. We also present integer ambiguity algorithms with auxiliary measurements and algorithms with multiple epoch measurements, both of which are useful in GPS-challenged areas. For integer ambiguity validation, a brief overview is first presented, and then analytic discussion viand test results on several popular validations methods are studied. Finally we discuss GPS modernization and its effect on integer estimation and validation. KW - Accuracy KW - Algorithms KW - Ambiguity resolution KW - Global Positioning System KW - Integer programming UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2011-03.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5qf8xmn/1/UCTC-DISS-2011-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249653 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485376 AU - Gu, Yu AU - Martinelli, David AU - Napolitano, Marcello AU - Seanor, Brad AU - West Virginia University, Morgantown AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - West Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Remote Sensing Aerial Systems in Existing Transportation Practices, Phase II PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 31p AB - A low-cost aerial platform represents a flexible tool for acquiring high-resolution images for ground areas of interest. The geo-referencing of objects within these images could benefit civil engineers in a variety of research areas including, but not limited to, work zone management, traffic congestion, safety, and environmental impact studies. During the Phase II effort, a Remotely Controlled (R/C) aircraft based remote sensing platform was developed and flight tested at West Virginia University (WVU). Main components of the remote-sensing payload system include a high-resolution digital still camera, a 50 Hz global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a low-cost Inertial Navigation System (INS), a down-looking laser range finder, a custom-designed flight data recorder, and a wireless video transmission system. An extensive time-calibration and analysis effort for major measurement instruments was performed to assure that flight data were properly time-aligned. Additionally, an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) based 15-state GPS/INS sensor fusion algorithm was developed to estimate the aircraft attitude angles in flight. Based on the added range and orientation information for the camera, the geo-referencing software developed in Phase I effort was enhanced. The performance of the software was evaluated using a set of flight data and the known location of a fixed reference point on the ground. The flight data analysis shows an approximately 7.2 meter mean position estimation error was achieved with estimates from a single aerial image, after a set of lens distortion and the camera orientation corrections. Furthermore, a 0.5 meter position estimation error was achieved with the averaging of 15 individual estimates. KW - Aerial photography KW - Algorithms KW - Data collection KW - Drone aircraft KW - Remote control KW - Remote sensing KW - Software UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/WVU-2009-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1254036 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449701 AU - Bham, Ghulam H AU - Khazraee, S Hadi AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Missouri Work Zone Capacity: Results of Field Data Analysis PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 61p AB - This report presents the results of work zone field data analyzed on interstate highways in Missouri to determine the mean breakdown and queue-discharge flow rates as measures of capacity. Several days of traffic data collected at a work zone near Pacific, Missouri with a speed limit of 50 mph were analyzed in both the eastbound and westbound directions. As a result, a total of eleven breakdown events were identified using average speed profiles. The traffic flows prior to and after the onset of congestion were studied. Breakdown flow rates ranged between 1194 to 1404 vehicles per hour per lane (vphpl), with an average of 1295 vphpl, and a mean queue discharge rate of 1072 vphpl was determined. Mean queue discharge, as used by the Highway Capacity Manual 2000 (HCM), in terms of passenger car per hour per lane (pcphpl) was found to be 1199, well below the HCM’s average capacity of 1600 pcphpl . This reduced capacity found at the site is attributable mainly to narrower lane width and higher percentage of heavy vehicles, around 25%, in the traffic stream. The difference found between mean breakdown flow (1295 vphpl) and queue-discharge flow (1072 vphpl) has been observed widely, and is due to reduced traffic flow once traffic breaks down and queues start to form. The Missouri Department of Transportation currently uses a spreadsheet for work zone planning applications that assumes the same values of breakdown and mean queue discharge flow rates. This study proposes that breakdown flow rates should be used to forecast the onset of congestion, whereas mean queue discharge flow rates should be used to estimate delays under congested conditions. Hence, it is recommended that the spreadsheet be refined accordingly. KW - Field studies KW - Highway capacity KW - Missouri KW - Queue discharge rate KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow breakdown KW - Traffic flow rate KW - Traffic queuing KW - Traffic volume KW - Work zones UR - http://publications.iowa.gov/14959/1/IA_DOT_SWZDI_TPR5-081_MO_WZcapacity_2011.pdf UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/smartwz/documents/project_reports/MO_WZcapacity_finalreport_June2011.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45700/45736/Bham_118_FINAL_COMBINED.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1217364 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01447865 AU - Dawood, Haitham AU - ElGawady, Mohamed AU - Cofer, William AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seismic Behavior and Design of Segmental Precast Post-Tensioned Concrete Piers PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 142p AB - Segmental precast column construction is an economic environmental friendly solution to accelerate bridge construction in the United States. Also, concrete-filled fiber reinforced polymer tubes (CFFT) represents a potential economic solution for durability issues in the bridge industry. Combining the segmental precast and CFFT will result in a rapid durable construction system. The proposed research will build on recent work by the principal investigator (PI), where he experimentally investigated the seismic behavior of tens single-column and two-column bents constructed using precast post-tensioned CFFT. The columns were constructed by stacking precast CFFT segments one on top of the other and then post-tensioned using unbonded tendons. Two specimens had external energy dissipation devices and another two specimens had neoprene in the joints between the CFFT segments. The neoprene significantly reduced the seismic displacement demand. The columns re-centered upon the conclusion of the test resulting in minimal residual displacement, which represents, in the case of a real strong earthquake, a huge advantage since the post-earthquake repair measures will be minimal. 3-D finite element models were developed by the PI to predict the performance of the single-column under monotonic lateral loads. The main objective of this proposal is to improve and expand the capabilities of these finite element models to produce design recommendations. In particular, the models will be expanded to include dynamic loading, two-column bents, and the neoprene in the joints. Including dynamic loading in the model is essential to quantify the energy dissipation due to rocking of the columns segments. The output of this research will be recommendations on the optimum construction characteristics of the system including the segment height/column diameter ratio, neoprene thickness and hardness, external energy dissipater requirements, and post-tensioning force level. The proposed research will develop a durable environmental friendly rapid construction bridge system, which has low life-cycle costs, construction waste, noise, traffic disruption, and initial construction cost. In addition, the developed system will has high work zone safety, efficient use of construction material, a short construction time, and improved constructability. The proposed construction system will not have a leakage of wet concrete into waterways leading to pollution of water and harm migrating fish. Finally, when the proposed construction system is fully developed and implemented in construction, it will reduce the expense of bridge replacement, repair, and continuous operation interruption after earthquakes. KW - Bridge construction KW - Bridge design KW - Bridge piers KW - Dislocation (Geology) KW - Earthquakes KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Finite element method KW - Precast concrete KW - Segmental columns KW - Three-dimensional models UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46200/46256/TNW2011-17_Seismic_Behavior_and_Design_of_Segmental_Precast_Post-Tensioned.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1213873 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01394337 AU - Rutherford, G Scott AU - Wang, Yinhai AU - Watkins, Kari AU - Malinovskiy, Yegor AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Perceived and Actual Wait Time Measurement at Transit Stops Using Bluetooth PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 27p AB - In order to attract more choice riders, transit service must not only have a high level of service in terms of frequency and travel time but also must be reliable. One inexpensive way to combat the perception of unreliability from the user perspective is real-time transit information. The OneBusAway transit traveler information system provides real-time next bus countdown information for riders of King County Metro via website, telephone, text-messaging, and smart phone applications. Although previous studies have looked at traveler response to real-time information, few have addressed real-time information via devices other than public display signs. Riders using real-time information do not perceive their wait time to be longer than their measured wait time. A model to predict the perceived wait time of bus riders was developed, with significant variables that include the measured wait time, an indicator variable for real-time information, an indicator variable for PM peak period, the bus frequency in buses per hour, and a self-reported typical aggravation level. Unfortunately, the actual wait time data is particularly hard to collect, often requiring extensive manual work. Increasing popularity of mobile devices and the inter-device communication protocols that they rely on have become attractive data sources for vehicle traffic analysis purposes, showing great potential. However, the use of this data source for transit purposes remains relatively unexplored. For the second study in this report, an exploratory study into automated passenger wait time data collection is conducted and evaluated. Overall, low-resolution wait time data can be obtained using Bluetooth sensors, revealing basic trends such as average wait times and, more interestingly, the potential impact of real-time information availability via mobile devices. KW - Bluetooth technology KW - Bus transit KW - King County Metro Transit KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Mobile telephones KW - Passenger information systems KW - Perception KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Transit riders KW - Waiting time UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1154137 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380510 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Minnesota Department of Transportation AU - Metropolitan Council of Twin Cities TI - Twin Cities Metro Freight Initiative: Report on Peer Best Practices PY - 2011/06 SP - 52p AB - This document responds to stated interest by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) and the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities to identify and compile peer best practices and lessons learned on several topics of interest, including the following: (1) History of freight – how and why the peer transportation agency developed its focus on freight; (2) Freight planning practices – including incorporating freight into long-range plans or regional, land use, economic development, or other types of plans; (3) Freight programming processes and approaches – including prioritizing or ranking freight projects for programming documents such as the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP); (4) Private sector engagement – how the peer transportation agency engaged the private sector through a freight task force, freight advisory committee, or other mechanism; the membership of the group, its relationship to other peer agency committees/groups, and typical issues addressed. Each of the summaries included in this document addresses key findings on the above topics and highlights their implications for the Twin Cities Metro Freight Strategy. As two different sets of freight peers were identified (freight planning and freight programming), the summaries for freight planning peers generally do not focus on or include information about freight programming and vice versa. KW - Best practices KW - Economic development KW - Expert/peer reviews KW - Freight transportation KW - Planning KW - Programming (Planning) KW - Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minnesota) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44700/44770/Twin_Cities_Metro_Freight_Initiative_Report_on_Peer_Best_Practices_June_2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147324 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01366347 AU - Burger, Charlotte AU - Clark, Michael AU - Cotton, Benjamin AU - Filosa, Gina AU - Jackson, David W AU - Linthicum, Alex AU - Machek, Elizabeth AU - Mejias, Luis AU - Regan, Terrance AU - Sloan, Suzanne M AU - Sylvester, Kathleen AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - FTA Transit Intelligent Transportation System Architecture Consistency Review – 2010 Update PY - 2011/06//Draft Final Report SP - 503p AB - This report provides an assessment on the level of compliance among the FTA grantees with the National ITS Architecture Policy, specifically examining three items: 1. The use and maintenance of Regional ITS Architectures by transit agencies to plan, predict, and guide their ITS deployments within their regions; 2. The use of the systems engineering process; and 3. The use and implementation of USDOT-supported ITS Standards. Review of the ITS Architecture covers what transit technologies have been deployed; a history of regional or statewide ITS architectures; application of ITS standards; systems engineering processes; obstacles, challenges, and benefits to regional transit ITS involvement and ITS architecture. Recommendations are presented to expand the inclusion of transit agencies in regional ITS architecture development and application, ITS deployments, and the overall regional planning process, including the appropriate FTA role and education and training needs of the transit community. KW - Compliance KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Policy KW - Standards KW - System architecture UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/2010TransitITSArchRvw_-_08.29.2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1134413 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359020 AU - Moore, Katharine AU - Polidori, Andrea AU - Sioutas, Constantinos AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Toxicological Assessment of Particulate Emissions from the Exhaust of Old and New Model Heavy- and Light-Duty Vehicles PY - 2011/06//Final Project Report SP - 55p AB - Diesel particulate matter (PM) is a known carcinogen, and particulate exhaust emissions from both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles are toxic. Particulate matter emissions from three light-duty vehicles in five different configurations were tested in a dynamometer facility. The diesel particle filter-equipped Accord and the gasoline vehicle had the lowest overall PM emission rates and the diesel and biodiesel vehicles produced the most potent exhaust in terms of oxidative activity. Correlations were explored between the chemical composition of the PM and the assay results. While there may be some confounding effects, elevated organic species emissions and select metals (associated with lube oil) were found to be correlated with the oxidative potential of the PM. These data, in combination with knowledge of the physical exhaust emission properties, emission control level and driving cycle provide insight into the expected toxicological impacts of changes in the vehicle fleet and planned emission control strategies and will be useful in the evaluation of the effect of fleet turn-over on the air quality impacts in the Los Angeles basin. KW - Air quality KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Exhaust gases KW - Health hazards KW - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area KW - Particulates KW - Toxicology UR - http://www.metrans.org/research/09-07-toxicological-assessment-particulate-emissions-exhaust-old UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42539/09-07_Moore_METRANS_final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117003 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357989 AU - Sayer, J AU - LeBlanc, D AU - Bogard, S AU - Funkhouser, D AU - Bao, S AU - Buonarosa, M L AU - Blankespoor, A AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Field Operational Test Final Program Report PY - 2011/06 SP - 40p AB - This document presents results from the light-vehicle and heavy-truck field operational tests performed as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effect of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driver behavior and driver acceptance. Both platforms included three integrated crash-warning subsystems: forward crash; lateral drift; and lane-change/merge crash warnings. The light-vehicle platform also included curve-speed warning. The integrated systems were introduced into two vehicle fleets: 16 light vehicles and 10 Class 8 tractors. The light vehicles were operated by 108 volunteer drivers for 6 weeks, and the heavy trucks were driven by 18 commercial-truck drivers for a 10-month period. Each vehicle was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through post-drive surveys and debriefings. Key findings indicate that use of the integrated crash warning system resulted in improvements in lane-keeping, fewer lane departures, and increased turn-signal use. Both the passenger car and commercial drivers accepted the integrated crash warning system and benefited from improved awareness of vehicles around them. No negative behavioral-adaptation effects of using the integrated system were observed in either driver group. KW - Acceptance KW - Behavior KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Demonstration projects KW - Drivers KW - Highway curves KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Lane changing KW - Lateral drift KW - Rear end crashes KW - Speed KW - Traffic safety KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811482.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45603/FHWA-JPO-11-150_IVBSS_Final_Program_Report_FINAL_508.PDF.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122650 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356094 AU - Wen, Haifang AU - Wu, Mengqi AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of High Percentage Recycled Asphalt Pavement as Base Materials PY - 2011/06//Final Technical Report SP - 142p AB - This proposed research would evaluate the structural and drainage performance of RAP in regards to long‐term flexible and rigid pavement structural performance which are the primary concerns for WSDOT. This study will evaluate high percentage RAP as base materials. The percentage of RAP to be evaluated will range from 20% to 100%, at an increment of 20%. The engineering performance of high percentage RAP will be evaluated, in terms of modulus, rutting potential, drainage, and stripping by which WSDOT is concerned. In addition, the field performance of pavements with high percentage RAP will be assessed. Another critical issue of RAP is the field quality acceptance criteria, especially the implication of asphalt to the nuclear densometer readings. The study will study and develop an appropriate specification for quality control by WSDOT, including, but not limited to, laboratory/field compaction methods to determine maximum density, acceptance criteria, and the method to determine field density. Using RAP as base course materials will contribute to sustainability by saving cost and energy and reducing greenhouse gas emission. The study will quantify the impact of using RAP on cost, energy, and greenhouse gas emission and compare to that of crushed aggregate. A life cycle analysis of RAP will be conducted. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Compaction KW - Density KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Pavement performance KW - Permeability coefficient KW - Recycled asphalt pavements KW - Recycled materials UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1119771 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354649 AU - Begley, Richard AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - Federal Railroad Administration AU - CSX Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Track Infrastructure Assessment Tools PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 7p AB - The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Office of Research and Development sponsored a project to further the development of a mobile track surveying system that utilizes Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS technology for comparing track alignments over time; and, develop its capabilities to integrate with additional instruments used during routine track inspections. A light weight, modular steel frame was designed and fabricated with the capability of mounting contact and non-contact instruments for measuring gage, cross level, etc. and combined with a hardware and software system developed to allow these data streams to be synchronized with the hi-rail mounted GPS data stream. The system was designed to: “plug and play” different instruments; display the data on a lap top computer in real time; and, download data on demand. Several dozen surveys were conducted both on and off the tracks to refine the data collection and processing steps utilizing an evolving GPS Virtual Reference System (VRS) along the border of Ohio and West Virginia for GPS augmentation purposes. The surveys were conducted on track segments ranging from 5 to 116 miles over a two year time period; and, a suite of software tools were customized as needed for track alignment modeling, in addition to facilitating quick comparisons between multiple surveys. Results demonstrate the repeatability of GPS measurements augmented via a VRS at typical hi-rail speeds and their potential for evaluating track positional behavior over time. Integration of the multiple instrument data streams was successful after procedures were developed to permit the output of the GPS data stream to non-brand equipment. This enabled positional accuracies of 2 cm for gage and cross level measurements to be recorded at speeds up to 35 mph. KW - Data collection KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Global Positioning System KW - Inspection cars KW - Kinematics KW - Railroad tracks KW - Railroad traffic KW - Railroad transportation KW - Real time information UR - http://www.njrati.org/wp-content/plugins/research_projects/reports/TRP%2009-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118176 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354642 AU - Yoo, Sang Hong AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - Appalachian Regional Commission AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enhanced Appalachian Development Highway System GIS Portal Phase II PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 11p AB - Rahall Transportation Institute (RTI) has been working on Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) GIS Project to facilitate numerous tasks and needs for State DOTs and FHWA Division offices since 2002. With continuous efforts to improve the ADHS GIS system, RTI and ARC ADHS Program management team identified new tasks and works which were not in the previous project implementation and have been added to the project as a result of emerging needs by the ARC. Other tasks/works were being recommended to add to the phase II project to enhance the system towards better and effective ways to provide information to ARC users and public. As the next stage of the Cost to Complete Estimate effort is approached, the project will ensure new and improved functions to the system that will improve efficiency and quality for producing the next ADHS Cost to Complete Estimate products as well as to provide new utility functions towards immediate application to ADHS routine operations. KW - Appalachian Development Highway System KW - Cost estimating KW - Data management KW - Dynamic segmentation KW - Geographic information systems KW - Linear referencing systems UR - http://www.njrati.org/wp-content/plugins/research_projects/reports/209194.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117684 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354493 AU - Haas, Peter J AU - Estrada, Katherine AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Revisiting Factors Associated with the Success of Ballot Initiatives with a Substantial Rail Transit Component PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 134p AB - Localities are increasingly looking to raise their own funding for transportation projects by means of local, voter-approved tax increases. An analysis of transportation tax elections in 11 urban areas found 17 community-level factors with potential impact on the success of ballot measures to fund projects with substantial rail components. Community consensus among business, elected officials and environmental communities, and the accompanying financial support, is essential. Passing an initiative without well-funded, effective use of multimedia, and experienced campaign consultants, is difficult. Less important factors include presenting a multimodal package, the perception of project benefits being distributed throughout the voting district, the experience gained in recent transit elections, and the credibility of the transit agency. An exploration of “rebound” elections – those instances in which a failed measure is quickly followed by a successful one – and the factors that seem linked to achieving success in such instances, is included. Case studies are provided for elections in Maricopa County, Arizona; Sound Transit District, Washington; Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), Virginia; Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles County, California; Kansas City, Missouri; St. Louis County, Missouri; and Santa Clara County, California. KW - Case studies KW - Finance KW - Light rail transit KW - Line extensions (Rail transit) KW - Local taxation KW - Public information programs KW - Public participation KW - Public transit KW - Sales tax KW - Taxes KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Urban transportation policy UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2911-Ballot-Initiatives-Rail-Transit.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118156 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353927 AU - Almy, Isaac AU - Ballard, Lance AU - Brimley, Bradford AU - Huff, William AU - Larson, Gregory AU - Schwenn, Brandon AU - Tovar, Jennifer AU - Ward, Brian AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Compendium of Student Papers: 2010 Undergraduate Transportation Scholars Program PY - 2011/06 SP - 254p AB - This report is a compilation of research papers written by students participating in the 2010 Undergraduate Transportation Scholars Program. The 10-week summer program, now in its 20th year, provides undergraduate students in Civil Engineering the opportunity to learn about transportation engineering through participating in sponsored transportation research projects. The program design allows students to interact directly with a Texas A&M University faculty member or Texas Transportation Institute researcher in developing a research proposal, conducting valid research, and documenting the research results through oral presentations and research papers. The papers in this compendium report on the following topics, respectively: 1) estimating carriers/truckers value of time due to congestion; 2) evaluating retroreflectivity measurement techniques for profiled and rumble stripe pavement markings; 3) analyzing retroreflectivity and color degradation in sign sheeting; 4) evaluating the effectiveness of light emitting diodes (LED) enhanced stop paddles for school crossing guard use; 5) incorporating freight value into the Urban Mobility Report; 6) evaluating ASTM Standard Test Method E2177, retroreflectivity of pavement markings in a condition of wetness; 7) calibrating pavement performance prediction models; and 8) evaluating the effects of concrete curing compounds on hydration. KW - Concrete KW - Concrete curing KW - Freight and passenger services KW - Hydration KW - Pavement management systems KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road markings KW - School crossings KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic signs KW - Truck traffic KW - Value of time KW - Visibility UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42282/476660-00003-3.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118638 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353894 AU - Rodier, Caroline AU - Spiller, Margot AU - Abraham, John E AU - Hunt, John Douglas AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Potential Economic Consequences of Local Nonconformity to Regional Land Use and Transportation Plans Using a Spatial Economic Model PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 56p AB - To achieve the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets that are required by California’s global warming legislation (AB32), the state of California has determined that recent growth trends in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) must be curtailed. In recognition of this, Senate Bill 375 (SB375) requires regional governments to develop land use and transportation plans or Sustainable Community Strategies (SCSs) that will achieve regional GHG targets largely though reduced VMT. Although the bill requires such a plan, it does not require local governments to adopt general plans that conform to this plan. In California, it is local, not regional, governments that have authority over land development decisions. Instead, SB375 relies on democratic participatory processes and relatively modest financial and regulatory incentives for SCS implementation. As a result, it is quite possible that some local governments within a region may decide not to conform to their SCS. In this study, a spatial economic model (PECAS) is applied in the Sacramento region (California, U.S.) to understand what the economic and equity consequences might be to jurisdictions that do and do not implement SCS land use plans in a region. An understanding of these consequences provides insight into jurisdictions’ motivations for compliance and thus, strategies for more effective implementation of SB375. KW - Conformity KW - Economic factors KW - Emissions reduction KW - Global warming KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Land use planning KW - Sacramento (California) KW - Strategic planning KW - Sustainable development KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42000/42087/2902-Local-Nonconformity-Land-Use-Transportation-Plans-Economic-Consequences.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118150 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353861 AU - Saadeh, Shadi AU - Eljairi, Omer AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Quality Control Test Procedure for Characterizing Fracture Properties of Asphalt Mixtures PY - 2011/06 SP - 32p AB - The main objective of this study is to investigate the use of the semi-circular bend (SCB) test as a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) measure for field construction. In particular, the objectives include the following: (1) compare the fracture properties of asphalt concrete (AC) mixtures using the SCB test to those of the fatigue beam test (FBT); and (2) evaluate the impact of moisture damage on the fracture and fatigue properties as determined by SCB and FBT. Two binder types, PG64-10 and PG58-22, were used in this study. The job mix formulas for each mix type considered were identical except for the binder type. The asphalt binder met California specifications. Granite was the predominate aggregate used in the AC mixture types considered. There was one day of production for the SCB and FBT mixtures. Viscosity and dynamic shear rheometer, aging, and bending beam rheometer measurements were used to determine the rheological properties of both binder types. The AC mixture fracture properties were determined using the SCB and FBT tests. Both mixtures were compacted to a target air void of (5 ± 1%) in beams and core specimens. Cores for SCB testing and beams for FBT were sawed from the same slab that was fabricated to ensure consistency among specimens. This will reduce the variability of the results due to changes in the specimens. The specimens were tested in both dry and wet conditions to evaluate the impact of moisture-induced damage on the measured properties. KW - Air voids KW - Asphalt concrete KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Bending beam tests KW - Failure KW - Fracture properties KW - Mix design KW - Moisture damage KW - Quality assurance KW - Quality control KW - Rheological properties KW - Semi-circular bending test KW - Test procedures UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42535/METRANS_Project_10-24_Development_of_a_quality_control_test_procedure.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118646 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353859 AU - Farzaneh, Mohamadreza AU - Memisoglu, Gokhan AU - Kianfar, Kiavash AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimized Deployment of Emission Reduction Technologies for Large Fleets PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 66p AB - This research study produced an optimization framework for determining the most efficient emission reduction strategies among vehicles and equipment in a large fleet. The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) fleet data were utilized to identify the key factors as well as refine and demonstrate the developed framework. TxDOT owns and operates more than 11,000 vehicles, of which approximately 3,200 units are non-road diesel equipment. TxDOT is considering serious actions to reduce emissions from its fleet, especially in designated non-attainment (NA) and near non-attainment (NNA) areas. This project includes a comprehensive literature review, identifies the key parameters affecting the deployment of resources to reduce emissions, and develops a framework for producing an optimal emission reduction strategies deployment plan for a typical large fleet. The capabilities of the proposed framework are demonstrated through a set of five case study scenarios. These scenarios cover a range of location preferences, budget limits, and analysis scales. TxDOT’s fleet data were utilized in this effort. The mathematical formulation and optimization modeling is implemented using ILOG CPLEX and Visual C++ platforms. KW - Air quality KW - Air quality management KW - Emissions reduction KW - Exhaust gases KW - Fleet management KW - Pollutants KW - Texas KW - Vehicle operations UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42280/476660-00022-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118815 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353756 AU - Cherry, Christopher AU - Bordley, Lawson AU - Kelfer, Jonathan AU - Bryant, Catherine AU - Ji, Shuguang AU - Alexander, Daniel AU - University of Tennessee, Knoxville AU - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Wireless Roadside Inspection Phase II Evaluation Final Report PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 370p AB - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Program is demonstrating the feasibility and value of electronically assessing truck and coach driver and vehicle safety at least 25 times more often than is possible using only roadside physical inspections. The WRI program is evaluating the potential benefits to both the motor carrier industry and to government. Potential benefits include reduction in accidents, fatalities and injuries on our highways and keeping safe and legal drivers and vehicles moving on the highways. WRI pilot tests were conducted to prototype, test, and demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of electronically collecting safety data messages from in-service commercial vehicles and performing wireless roadside inspections using three different communication systems, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS), and Universal Identification. This report documents the evaluation of the WRI Program Phase II pilot testing evaluated by the University of Tennessee, under contract from the National Transportation Research Center, Inc. and funded by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) of the USDOT. KW - Benefits KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Inspection KW - Mobile radio KW - Motor carriers KW - Roadside KW - Wireless communication systems KW - Wireless roadside inspections UR - http://www.ntrci.org/Uploads/Files/ResearchReports/U11-Wireless%20Roadside%20Inspection%20Evaluation%20Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42145/U11-Wireless_Roadside_Inspection_Evaluation_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118478 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353754 AU - Kang, Min-Wook AU - Jha, Manoj K AU - Shariat, Shaghayegh AU - Schonfeld, Paul M AU - Wang, Zun (Grace) AU - Morgan State University AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - National Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Alternative Alignments Development and Evaluation for the US 220 Project in Maryland PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 118p AB - This project aimed to find the preferred alternative alignments for the Maryland section of existing US 220, using the highway alignment optimization (HAO) model. The model was used to explore alternative alignments within a 4,000 foot-wide buffer of the US 220 from I-68 near Lavale, Maryland to the West Virginia State line near McCoole, Maryland. It analyzed various alternative alignments within the project limit at a planning level of detail, evaluated them based on important decision criteria, and eventually found the best alternative alignments. Geographical and environmental issues as well as roadway geometric specification were also considered in finding cost-effective alternatives of the US 220. Five major agency costs (i.e., lengthdependent, right-of-way, earthwork, bridge, and maintenance costs) were considered as the decision criterion for optimizing alignments. The project was divided into eight sections based on environmental and geographical issues. Among those eight sections, some were classified as the locations where widening of the existing US 220 was preferred (named Case 1 sections) and the others were classified as the locations where development of new bypasses was recommended (Case 2 sections). KW - Alignment KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Decision making KW - Environmental impacts KW - Geography KW - Geometric design KW - Highway design KW - Maryland KW - Mathematical models KW - Optimization KW - United States Highway 220 UR - http://www.morgan.edu//Documents/ACADEMICS/CENTERS/NTC/Alternative_Kang_1011.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42234/Alternative_Kang_1011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118610 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352442 AU - Harrison, Robert AU - Blaze, James R AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Potential for Improving Rail International Intermodal Services in Texas and the Southwest Region of the United States PY - 2011/06 SP - 77p AB - The report covers a period of great significance for railroading in the U.S as it contains a number of milestones now shaping the future performance of the industry. The specific subject is improving intermodal service so that it can support state and regional highway planning, now facing severe financial cut-backs as revenue sources become fully committed to bond servicing, user taxes, loose purchasing power and fuel consumption begins to fall. Intermodal traffic grew strongly in the period 1995 – 2007 and UP and BNSF trans-continental routes were improved largely on the back of intermodal demand. Alliances with larger trucking companies strengthened and transportation officials began to ask whether rail could take some of the predicted freight off key highway corridors. This report addresses elements of this question, more especially as it relates to intermodal traffic in Texas and the Southwest. The report comprises the following sections. Chapter 2 considers the changes in rail freight since the Staggers Act, Chapter 3 evaluates Class 1 intermodal service, and Chapter 4 identifies the major trade corridors serving Texas and the Southern region of the U.S. Chapter 5 describes rail bottlenecks on the state rail system that might impact future intermodal growth, and Chapter 6 concludes by examining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to rail intermodal service in Texas and the Southern region over the next decade. KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Freight service KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Intermodal services KW - Intermodal transportation KW - International trade KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Railroad transportation KW - Southwestern States KW - Texas KW - Trade routes UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/473700-00076-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42276/473700-00076-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117044 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352439 AU - Farzaneh, Mohamadreza AU - Memisoglu, Gokhan AU - Kianfar, Kiavash AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimized Deployment of Emissions Reduction Technologies for Large Fleet PY - 2011/06//Technical Report SP - 66p AB - This research study produced an optimization framework for determining the most efficient emission reduction strategies among vehicles and equipment in a large fleet. The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) fleet data were utilized to identify the key factors as well as refine and demonstrate the developed framework. TxDOT owns and operates more than 11,000 vehicles, of which approximately 3,200 units are non-road diesel equipment. TxDOT is considering serious actions to reduce emissions from its fleet, especially in designated non-attainment (NA) and near non-attainment (NNA) areas. This project includes a comprehensive literature review, identifies the key parameters affecting the deployment of resources to reduce emissions, and develops a framework for producing an optimal emission reduction strategies deployment plan for a typical large fleet. The capabilities of the proposed framework are demonstrated through a set of five case study scenarios. These scenarios cover a range of location preferences, budget limits, and analysis scales. TxDOT’s fleet data were utilized in this effort. The mathematical formulation and optimization modeling is implemented using ILOG CPLEX and Visual C++ platforms. KW - Air quality management KW - Carbon dioxide KW - Carbon monoxide KW - Case studies KW - Emissions reduction KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Nonattainment areas KW - Optimization KW - Pollutants KW - Resource allocation KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Vehicle fleets UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00022-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117043 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352436 AU - Almy, Isaac AU - Ballard, Lance D AU - Brimley, Bradford AU - Huff, William AU - Larson, Gregory AU - Schwenn, Brandon AU - Tovar, Jennifer AU - Ward, Brian AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Compendium of Student Papers: 2010 Undergraduate Transportation Engineering Fellows Program PY - 2011/06 SP - 254p AB - This report is a compilation of research papers written by students participating in the 2010 Undergraduate Transportation Scholars Program. The 10-week summer program, now in its 20th year, provides undergraduate students in Civil Engineering the opportunity to learn about transportation engineering through participating in sponsored transportation research projects. The program design allows students to interact directly with a Texas A&M University faculty member or Texas Transportation Institute researcher in developing a research proposal, conducting valid research, and documenting the research results through oral presentations and research papers. The papers in this compendium report on the following topics, respectively: 1) estimating carriers/truckers value of time due to congestion; 2) evaluating retroreflectivity measurement techniques for profiled and rumble stripe pavement markings; 3) analyzing retroreflectivity and color degradation in sign sheeting; 4) evaluating the effectiveness of LED enhanced stop paddles for school crossing guard use; 5) incorporating freight value into the Urban Mobility Report; 6) evaluating ASTM Standard Test Method E2177, retroreflectivity of pavement markings in a condition of wetness; 7) calibrating pavement performance prediction models; and 8) evaluating the effects of concrete curing compounds on hydration. KW - Concrete KW - Forecasting KW - Freight transportation KW - Hydration KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Pavement management systems KW - Pavement performance KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road markings KW - Schools KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic signs KW - Trucking KW - Value of time KW - Visibility UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/compendiums/476660-00003-3.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117046 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352433 AU - Anderson, Garrett AU - Harrison, Robert AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hybrid Distribution Trucks: Costs and Benefits PY - 2011/06 SP - 119p AB - The respective populations of the United States and Texas are expected to significantly increase over to the next several decades, primarily in urban and metropolitan areas. Economists have also predicted that oil prices will rise in real terms during the same period. Air quality is getting worse in a number of metropolitan areas, triggering non-attainment penalties and spurring an interest in cleaner transportation. Incentives and new policies must be adopted to increase the efficiency of the transportation system and thus move freight with a reduced impact on society and the environment. Hybrids can potentially help solve this issue through their increased fuel economy and reduced emissions. This project evaluated a package delivery truck, beverage delivery truck, and a refuse truck. The research determined that the additional cost (with current prices) of the hybrid refuse truck was justified, but not for the other two trucks. The social cost of emissions was also estimated to help justify hybrids’ implementation. With this information, the rate of hybrid truck adoption was estimated for various policy scenarios. The results indicated that a correctly designed incentive program can greatly increase the rate of hybrid adoption and could be justified by the additional social benefits of emissions reduction. KW - Air quality KW - Benefits KW - Costs KW - Delivery vehicles KW - Demand KW - Freight transportation KW - Fuel consumption KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Incentives KW - Physical distribution KW - Pollutants KW - Texas UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00080-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42272/476660-00080-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116811 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351979 AU - Gordon, Peter AU - Pan, Qisheng AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - Texas Southern University AU - University of Southern California/California State Long Beach AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Towards Peak Pricing in Metropolitan Areas: Modeling Network and Activity Impacts PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 40p AB - This research extends the Southern California Planning Model (SCPM) so that it can be used to determine the time-of-day, trip distribution, and network traffic effects of various pricing schemes for the greater Los Angeles (five-county) metropolitan area. The model estimates improvements in levels of services throughout the highway network for various toll charges. It examines how drivers trade off route-choice with time-of-day choice against the option of traveling less. It also estimates the implied revenues by local jurisdiction as well as possible land use effects in terms of altered development pressures throughout the region. The effects for two different tolling scenarios are compared and policy implications are discussed. KW - Algorithms KW - Congestion pricing KW - Land use models KW - Level of service KW - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Road pricing KW - Traffic models KW - Travel time KW - Urban areas KW - Variable tolls UR - http://www.metrans.org/research/10-03-towards-peak-load-pricing-metropolitan-areas-modeling-network-activity UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42545/10-03_Gordon_final2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114544 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351970 AU - James, Kenneth AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluating the Feasibility of Electrified Rail at the Port of LA/LB PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 40p AB - Electrifying rail at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may address truck traffic congestion and air pollution from drayage and rail. The electrification process was analyzed in light of costs, utility, and safety. The length of rail to be electrified to reduce diesel pollution is discussed and the material cost of rail retrofit, locomotive modification, and power distribution is reviewed. Operational issues such as disruption during construction are considered. Operational decisions by Class I rails regarding the move to diesel power will determine the number of locomotives required; the length (weight) of shuttle trains will determine power distribution costs. Operational and safety requirements favor overhead caternary over at-grade third rail for retrofit electrification. KW - Catenaries (Railroads) KW - Costs KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Economic analysis KW - Locomotives KW - Port of Long Beach KW - Port of Los Angeles KW - Railroad electrification KW - Railroad facility operations KW - Retrofitting KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/AR07-13_James_final_0_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114539 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351883 AU - Hallmark, Shauna AU - Mudgal, Abhisek AU - Stout, Tom AU - Wang, Bo AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Behavior Study of Merge Practices for Drivers at Work Zone Closures PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 64p AB - The purpose of this project was to determine which driver behaviors result in the greatest reduction of capacity with work zone lane closures. Traffic and safety experts believe that driver behaviors, such as forcing late mergers, tailgating, queue jumping in the closed lane or on the shoulder, and other aggressive behaviors have the greatest impact on maximum flow rates. Other behaviors that create excessive headways or slow speeds can also reduce maximum flow in the taper. The objectives of this project were to identify and document driver behaviors that are the most detrimental to work zone traffic flow and safety. Data were collected at freeway work zones for six days to identify behaviors that affected work zone safety and operations, which included forced and late merges, lane straddling, and queue jumping. Queue jumping occurs when a driver already in the open lane decides to jockey for a better position by moving to the closing lane and passes one or more vehicles before merging back to the open lane. A total of 30 vehicles queue jumped during the study period. However, vehicles only improved their position in most cases by one vehicle. The queue jumping also resulted in four forced merges, eight late merges, and four late forced merges, indicating that queue jumping has an impact on operations. In addition, queue jumping appeared to evoke aggressive behavior by other drivers, which was manifested by lane straddling and, in some cases, vehicles physically trying to block queue jumpers. Lane straddling occurs when drivers move to straddle the lane line separating the open and closing lanes with their vehicles. Drivers who lane straddle attempt to prevent vehicles behind them from late merging or moving ahead of them in the queue. The lane straddling incidents observed in this study often involved several vehicles. Of the 51 incidents that were noted, lane straddling resulted in one forced merge, two late merges, and 14 forced late merges. The main operation impact is that lane straddling creates forced merges that may not have otherwise occurred. In addition, in several cases, drivers who engaged in lane straddling in this study ended up slowing down the entire queue behind them, as they attempted to prevent a driver behind them from using the space they left when they moved over to lane straddle. This study identified behaviors that compromise safety in work zones. Forced merges, which are discussed as operational problems, are also safety problems, because a driver behind a forced merge has to slow or, in some cases, take some evasive action to avoid colliding with the merging vehicle. Queue jumping also compromises safety, because it creates forced merges and often resulted, in this study, in aggressive actions by other drivers. Lane straddling can also compromise safety by creating forced merges that may not have otherwise occurred. Lane straddling also resulted in several other safety-compromising behaviors: drivers using the shoulder to pass lane-straddling vehicles, drivers attempting to merge into the space previously occupied by the lane-straddling vehicle and resulting in the lane-straddling driver attempting to physically block the merging vehicle, and, in one case, drivers racing abreast until reaching the arrow board, where a forced merge occurred. KW - Behavior KW - Highway traffic control KW - Lane closure KW - Lane distribution KW - Merging area KW - Merging traffic KW - Reckless drivers KW - Traffic flow KW - Work zone safety UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/work_zone_merge_behaviors_w_cvr1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114261 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351431 AU - Edrington, Suzie AU - Brooks, Jonathan AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impacts of Funding and Allocation Changes on Rural Transit in Texas PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 107p AB - Funding for Rural Transit Districts (RTDs) in Texas has gone through notable change since 2003. First, the Federal Transit Administration increased funding for non-urbanized (rural) areas under the provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). At the same time, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) implemented a revised “needs and performance” based method for allocating both federal and state funds among RTDs effective fiscal year 2005. The revised method for allocating funds resulted in some RTDs receiving less federal and state funds, while others received more funds. The 2010 Census will introduce another change in funding due to changes in RTD population and land area, the two “needs” factors in the revised method for allocating funds. New and expanding urbanized areas will have an impact on adjacent RTDs. The population in rural areas near the border or surrounding metropolitan areas will increase faster relative to other parts of Texas. One of the objectives of this research was to document the impact of the change in allocation of federal and state funds on service levels and ridership. A second objective was to assess whether the relative changes in federal and state funding have affected the ability of RTDs to provide local share match for federal funds. This information will help in understanding how changes in federal and state funding have affected transit in rural Texas and will contribute to a discussion by stakeholders of possible revisions to the TxDOT funding formula based on the outcomes of Census 2010. KW - 2010 Census KW - Federal aid KW - Financing KW - Fund allocation KW - Level of service KW - Ridership KW - Rural areas KW - Rural transit KW - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users KW - State aid KW - Texas UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Edrington_10-19-46.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116053 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01350102 AU - Goodwill, Jay AU - Sapper, Deborah AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Florida Bus Maintenance Staffing Practices PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 39p AB - This research report focuses on the staffing practices of the bus maintenance departments of Florida transit agencies. The availability of an adequate transit bus fleet is a key element for a transit agency's ability to provide high quality, reliable, and safe bus transit service. Critical resources needed to keep a transit bus fleet available for revenue service include a functional maintenance department structure, proper staffing plans, and an adequate level of maintenance staffs. The objective of this project was to help Florida's transit agencies identify the optimal organizational structures and staffing plans and adequate staffing levels for their bus fleet maintenance programs and to identify associated critical factors. Florida transit agency bus maintenance units' organizational structures and staffing practices are detailed. KW - Fleet management KW - Florida KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Organizational structure KW - Transit buses KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Vehicle maintenance UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BDK85_977-19_rpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113113 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349709 AU - Mohan, Mayank AU - Hu, Mengzhao Margaret AU - Moore, James E AU - Gordon, Peter AU - Richardson, Harry W AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improved Modeling of Network Transportation Flows, Including Land Use-Transportation Interactions: A Research Collaboration between USC (METRANS) and Caltrans District 7 (Office of Advance Planning) PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Caltrans District 7 generates Transportation Concept Reports (TCR) which are planning reports for each of the highways in the district. Caltrans used a system of modeling and reporting practices built around its travel demand and network model. With changing resource availability and the need to better collaborate with other regional agencies, Caltrans decided to use the models available at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). SCAG’s models were very different and there was an urgent need at Caltrans to rethink modeling and reporting. There also was an immediate to update the TCRs. METRANS audited Caltrans' modeling practices, provided an analysis of possible improvement avenues, and developed an automated tool to help them meet the urgent requirement of updating the TCRs. KW - California Department of Transportation KW - Highway planning KW - Land use models KW - Land use planning KW - Planning methods KW - Reports KW - Southern California Association of Governments KW - Travel demand UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42550/METRANS_Project_03-23_Improved_modeling_of_network_traffic_flows.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111802 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349707 AU - Redfearn, Christian L AU - Giuliano, Genevieve AU - Agarwal, Ajay AU - He, Sylvia Y AU - Hu, Lingqian AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Network Accessibility and the Evolution of Urban Employment PY - 2011/06 SP - 41p AB - This research examines the impact of accessibility on the growth of employment centers in the Los Angeles Region between 1980 and 2000. There is extensive empirical documentation of polycentricity – the presence of multiple concentrations of employment – in large metropolitan areas. However, there is limited understanding of the determinants of growth of employment centers. It has long been held that transportation investments influence urban structure, particularly freeways and airports. Using data on 48 employment centers, we test the effects of various measures of accessibility on center employment growth: network accessibility and two measures of labor force accessibility.After controlling for center size, density, industry mix, and location within the region, only labor force accessibility is significantly related to center growth. KW - Accessibility KW - Airports KW - Economic growth KW - Employment KW - Highways KW - Labor force KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Urban development KW - Urban growth UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42552/METRANS_Final_Report_06-16_Network_Access_And_Employment_Centers.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111801 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349703 AU - Adams, Joy K AU - Scoggin, Mary AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Tribal Corridor Management Planning: Model, Case Study, and Guide for Caltrans District 1 PY - 2011/06 SP - 140p AB - In Northern California, tribal governments and personnel of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 1, have applied innovative context-sensitive solutions to meet a variety of transportation challenges along state highways that traverse tribal lands. This report describes and discusses the efforts under way and offers suggestions for continuing and extending these initiatives through the development of Tribal Corridor Management Plans (TCMPs). While Caltrans District 1 staff and tribal governments share common goals for highway operations, progress has been somewhat hampered by geographic and administrative challenges. Early and frequent communication and collaboration could overcome these obstacles. Non-standard design elements could be incorporated into highway improvements to enhance local sense of place among both residents and travelers. This report should prove instructive for any efforts to enhance sense of place within transportation byways, particularly in Native communities. KW - Aesthetics KW - California Department of Transportation KW - Case studies KW - Context sensitive design KW - Indian reservations KW - Planning methods KW - Rural highways KW - Transportation corridors KW - Tribal government UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/40000/40500/40589/2604-Tribal_Corridor_Management_Planning.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111800 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349697 AU - Silver, Steven AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - User Evaluations of Intermodal Travel to Work: Exploratory Studies PY - 2011/06 SP - 56p AB - Empirical studies of the use of intermodal travel have predominantly been in cases where travel is across cities or regions. The principal objective of this exploratory study is to identify candidate factors that users relate to the public transit options when work travel is within a local corridor. Two focus groups were conducted in each of two travel corridors in Northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area. Results identify four factors that are reported to be major considerations in user evaluation of intermodal travel to work. The importance of these factors is indicated by their independent identification in each group and the amount of discussion of the factors. The cost of uncertainty in waiting time between connections and the imputed lack of coordination between modes in service offerings were among the predominant factors in the discussions of all groups. KW - Focus groups KW - Intermodal transfer KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Mode choice KW - Public transit KW - San Francisco Bay Area KW - Waiting time KW - Work trips UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1025-Intermodal_travel_exploratory_studies.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39100/39138/1025-Intermodal_travel_exploratory_studies.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111798 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349681 AU - Nixon, Hilary AU - Saphores, Jean-Daniel AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Understanding Household Preferences For Alternative-Fuel Vehicle Technologies PY - 2011/06 SP - 130p AB - This report explores consumer preferences among four different alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs): hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) vehicles, and electric vehicles (EVs). Although researchers have been interested in understanding consumer preferences for AFVs for more than three decades, it is important to update our estimates of the trade-offs people are willing to make between cost, environmental performance, vehicle range, and refueling convenience. A nationwide, Internet-based survey assessed consumer preferences for AFVs. In general, gasoline-fueled vehicles are still preferred over AFVs, however there is a strong interest in AFVs. No AFV type is overwhelmingly preferred, although HEVs seem to have an edge. Trade-offs are assessed; to leave a person’s utility unchanged, a $1,000 increase in AFV cost needs to be compensated by: 1) a $300 savings in driving cost over 12,000 miles; 2) a 17.5 mile increase in vehicle range; or 3) a 7.8-minute decrease in total refueling time. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Consumer preferences KW - Costs KW - Electric vehicles KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fuel cell vehicles KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Logits KW - Natural gas vehicles KW - Surveys UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2809-Alternative-Fuel-Vehicle-Technologies.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111799 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01346525 AU - Sillars, David N AU - Moradkhani, Hamid AU - Tymvios, Nicholas AU - Smith, Trevor AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Factors for Improved Fish Passage Waterway Construction PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 126p AB - Streambeds are important fish passageways in Oregon; they provide for the necessary habitats and spawning cycles of a healthy fish population. Oregon state law requires that hydraulic structures located in water properly provide fish passage. Increasingly stringent state and federal regulations apply to these fish passageways, and designers must become more cognizant of conditions over a range of flows to accommodate fish movement and avoid expensive structural failure of these passageways. Fish passage structures are built when roads cross streambeds and may include culverts, or bridges. When these structures are built, the streambeds are re-created using a technique called “roughened channels”. Roughened channels are man-made stream channels utilized for re-creating the hydraulics necessary for adequate stream passage, and this may include new constructions or retrofits of older, inadequate structures. Mixtures of materials are used to construct the bed of roughened channels, ranging from fines such as sand, silt and gravel to coarse elements like cobbles and boulders. Fines are a critical element in limiting permeability of the constructed bed thus keeping stream flow at the surface of the roughened channel during low flow periods. This report discusses work of a research project designed to discover factors that are key to successful long-term implementation of fish passageways, especially focused on the construction process. Areas of inquiry postulated in this study are that failures experienced in actual installations may be due to inadequate range and/or mix of soil and rock material gradation; unexpected water velocity, especially during high flows; inadequate mixing of rock and soil materials during construction; and inadequate compaction of rock and soil materials during construction. This report suggests that several factors may be especially important considerations in fish passage success. These factors are the relationship of downstream slope to structure slope, well-graded fine soil materials in the channel fill (improved by choice of fill source), and frequent site visits. Improving fish passages for cost-efficient fish movement is a priority for government agencies such as Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC). KW - Bridges KW - Channels (Waterways) KW - Construction KW - Culverts KW - Design KW - Fish passage KW - Fishes KW - Habitat (Ecology) KW - Oregon KW - Roughness KW - Streambeds UR - http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/ResearchReports/SPR_654_Waterway.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108678 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01346513 AU - Dixon, Karen K AU - Avelar, Raul Eduardo AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Safety Evaluation of Curve Warning Speed Signs PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 151p AB - This report presents a review of a research effort to evaluate the safety implications of advisory speeds at horizontal curve locations on Oregon rural two-lane highways. The primary goals of this research effort were to characterize driving operations at rural two-lane highway curve locations where advisory speed signs were present, and to determine to what extent these signs play a role in enhancing safety. Placement of advisory speed signs at horizontal curve locations in the State of Oregon is a practice aided by unique and specific state-level policies and, as such, may vary from nationally accepted procedures. Speed data were collected at 16 sites and compliance with advisory speed signs determined. An evaluation of site crash data and how advisory speed relates to historic crash information is included along with a statistical model that identifies critical variables that are associated with the posted speed and how they ultimately relate to the expected crash frequency. The research team developed a statistically based advisory speed model that assesses predicted crash outcomes based on a combination of geometric design, operations, and signage. The resulting advisory speed models were then contrasted to the expected advisory speeds based on the Oregon Policy as well as the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) thresholds. They determined that the safety-based model actually predicted advisory speeds that are not as conservative as those recommended using the ball-bank thresholds in the 2009 MUTCD or those identified using the thresholds Oregon has been using. Just prior to publication of this report, the Oregon Traffic Control Devices Committee (OTCDC) decided to adopt the 2009 MUTCD without making an exception to advisory speed posting guidelines. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has begun to transition to the 2009 MUTCD advisory speed posting criteria. Actual adoption of the 2009 MUTCD is expected to occur in August 2011. KW - Advisory speeds KW - Compliance KW - Crash data KW - Highway curves KW - Highway safety KW - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices KW - Oregon KW - Rural highways KW - Speed limits KW - Speed signs KW - Two lane highways KW - Warning signs UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39100/39107/SPR685.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39400/39406/WarningSpeedSignsSPR685.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108671 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345763 AU - Reich, Stephen L AU - Davis, Janet L AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis of Contracting for Fixed Route Bus Service PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 81p AB - This study examines the potential for and issues surrounding private sector participation in providing public transportation in Florida. A comprehensive review of past studies and reports on the topic of contracting for service provides a valuable historical overview of data and trends as well as best practices employed by agencies to evaluate contracting fixed route bus service. The potential benefits of purchasing service as well as reasons to contract are discussed to provide transit managers with a thorough understanding of all aspects of contracting. An annual comparison of directly operated and purchased fixed route service from 1998 through 2009 identifies trends that have occurred in privatization over at least the past ten years in the U.S. and Florida. A detailed comparison of operating costs for three service metrics in 2008 versus 1998 illustrates how cost effectiveness can vary by size of agency, area of the country, and by type of service - directly operated and purchased. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Bus transit KW - Contracting KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Evaluation KW - Fixed routes KW - Florida KW - Privatization KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/77923.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42300/42315/77923.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106666 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343900 AU - Liao, Chen-Fu AU - Rakauskas, Michael AU - Rayankula, Avanish AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signals (MAPS) for Blind Pedestrians at Signalized Intersections PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 135p AB - People with vision impairment have different perception and spatial cognition as compared to the sighted people. Blind pedestrians primarily rely on auditory, olfactory, or tactile feedback to determine spatial location and find their way. They generally have difficulty crossing intersections due to lack of traffic information at intersections. Among the intersection crossing sub-tasks, locating crosswalk, determining when to cross and maintaining alignment to crosswalk while crossing are the most difficult tasks for the blind and visually impaired. To understand how the blind pedestrians make safe crossing decisions, ten blind and low-vision individuals were interviewed. The purpose of these interviews was to understand the types of information they use while making safe intersection crossings and identify new information types that could assist them. A Mobile Accessible Pedestrian Signals (MAPS) prototype was developed to support decision making at signalized intersections. The MAPS integrates sensors on a Smartphone, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technologies, and traffic signal controllers were developed to provide intersection geometry information and Signal Phasing and Timing (SPaT) to pedestrians who are blind at signalized intersections. A single-tap command on the Smartphone screen allows users to request for intersection geometry information, such as street name, direction and number of lanes at a corner of an intersection. A double-tap input while pointing toward desired direction of crossing will confirm the crossing direction, request for pedestrian phase, and the Smartphone application will then wirelessly request for signal timing and phasing information from traffic signal controller. KW - Accessible pedestrian signals KW - Blind persons KW - Bluetooth technology KW - Crosswalks KW - Decision support systems KW - IEEE 802.11 (Standard) KW - Pedestrians KW - Signalized intersections KW - Smartphones KW - Traffic signal controllers KW - Visually impaired persons UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1552 UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2040 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106313 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343591 AU - Belarbi, Abdeldjelil AU - Bae, Sang-Wook AU - Ayoub, Ashraf AU - Kuchma, Daniel AU - Mirmiran, Amir AU - Okeil, Ayman AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Design for FRP Systems for Strengthening Concrete Girders in Shear PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 127p AB - Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) systems have been used on a project-specific basis for the last two decades. They are now becoming a widely accepted method of strengthening concrete structures. The acceptance and utilization of these new strengthening techniques depend on the availability of clear design guidelines, installation procedures and construction specifications. Standard specifications exist for all commonly used traditional materials in civil engineering structures. At this time, design specifications for FRP use are still under development. The results of several experimental investigations have shown that FRP systems can be effective for increasing ductility and strength to structural members such as columns and girders. As most of the research focused on strengthening of axial members of flexural members, there are less experimental and analytical data on the use of FRP systems for shear strengthening of girders. Shear strengthening with FRP is still under investigation and the results obtained thus far are scarce and sometimes controversial. Even in traditional reinforced concrete members without FRP, the shear design is a complex challenge and uses more empirical methods as compared to axial and flexural design methods. Adding FRP to the equation, with its specific design issues, would bring another level of complication in the design. These FRP-related shear design issues and lack of comprehensive analytical and experimental models are the main motivation for this research project. Thus, a thorough understanding of the shear design problem along with the development of an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design method for FRP shear strengthening of concrete girders is needed. As such, the objective of this project is to develop design methods, specifications, and examples for design of FRP systems for strengthening concrete girders in shear. The proposed specifications will be in Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) format and will be suitable for recommendation to the AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures for adoption. KW - Bridge design KW - Design methods KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Girders KW - Guidelines KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Shear capacity KW - Shear design KW - Specifications KW - Strengthening (Maintenance) UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R197_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105566 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343580 AU - Elmore, Cecilia AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Women In Science & Engineering and Minority Engineering Scholarships: Year 5 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 9p AB - Support will make scholarships available to minority and women students interested in engineering and science and will increase significantly the number of minority and female students that the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) can recruit to its science and engineering programs. Recipients of scholarships will also be exposed to career opportunities in transportation. Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) scholarships are awarded to support female Missouri S&T students studying science and engineering. Missouri S&T’s WISE program provides a campus focal point for increasing the number of women in science, engineering, math, and technology fields through outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts from middle school age through undergraduate levels. WISE provides support programs such as mentoring, advising, professional/technical workshops, and social activities, with the goal of providing a rich academic and social experience for young women at Missouri S&T. Minority Engineering and Science Program ( MEP) scholarships provide critical financial support for under-represented students majoring in engineering and science programs at Missouri S&T. MEP scholarship students receive professional and academic support through the close-knit MEP network of friends, mentors, and Missouri S&T staff. MEP has a rich 30 year tradition of sponsoring events, activities and organizations that ensure its students are prepared for personal and professional success. KW - College students KW - Engineering KW - Females KW - Minorities KW - Missouri University of Science and Technology KW - Recruiting KW - Scholarships KW - Science KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/ETT258_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105564 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343318 AU - Anderson, Michael D AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - Lou, Yingyan AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seminar and TRB Conference Attendance: Year 7 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 11p AB - Students from the three campuses of the University of Alabama System are engaged in a variety of transportation related research activities. This project provided a forum for transportation students to present their research results to faculty and students from the University of Alabama System as well as transportation professionals in a professional setting. The students selected to make presentations by faculty representatives from the three campuses were rewarded with travel money to cover the cost of attending the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. KW - College students KW - Research KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=09307 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105167 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343316 AU - Anderson, Michael D AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - Lou, Yingyan AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seminar and TRB Conference Attendance: Year 8 PY - 2011/06//Final Report SP - 12p AB - Students from the three campuses of the University of Alabama System are engaged in a variety of transportation related research activities. This project provided a forum for transportation students to present their research results to faculty and students from the University of Alabama System as well as transportation professionals in a professional setting. The students selected to make presentations by faculty representatives from the three campuses were rewarded with travel money to cover the cost of attending the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. KW - College students KW - Research KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=10308 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105168 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446022 AU - Rasmussen, Ben AU - Lopez-Bernal, Gabriel AU - Machek, Elizabeth AU - Rainville, Lydia AU - Minnice, Paul AU - Ray, Rosalie AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Colonial National Historical Park 2010 Visitor/Motorist Survey PY - 2011/05/31/Final Report SP - 66p AB - This report presents findings and recommendations from a 2010 survey of visitors not using a seasonal shuttle bus at Colonial National Historical Park (NHS). The survey asked visitors for basic demographic information, level of awareness of the shuttle, information sources used, and for their willingness to ride the shuttle in the future. The survey of non-riders at Colonial NHS found that a number of visitors are interested in using alternative transportation, but lacked sufficient information on the service. It also suggests that, so long as visitors have the option to freely use personal vehicles, others will continue to do so, due to their planned itineraries and personal preferences. Major recommendations include specific strategies for improving awareness, as informed by the survey findings. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Awareness KW - Colonial National Historical Park (Virginia) KW - Consumer preferences KW - National parks KW - Recommendations KW - Shuttle buses KW - Surveys KW - Utilization UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42161/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-11-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212590 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361033 AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstrations, Evaluation of Use Case #3: Non-Winter Maintenance Decision Support System PY - 2011/05/26/Evaluation Report SP - 58p AB - This evaluation report documents benefits, challenges and the lessons learned from the demonstration of a new tool that offers state departments of transportation (DOTs) the ability to expand decision support beyond snow and ice control to incorporate Clarus data to assist maintenance, operations, and construction-related scheduling decisions. The tool has been developed by Mixon Hill, Incorporated and was demonstrated in selected northern tier states as part of the Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstration Program under the auspices of the Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). KW - Clarus KW - Decision support systems KW - Maintenance practices KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - State departments of transportation KW - Weather forecasting KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43100/43179/FHWA-JPO-11-118_Eval_Report_UC-3_FINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126422 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01573262 TI - ICM Transit Vehicle Real-Time Data Demonstration - Evaluation AB - As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Initiative, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) purchased new automatic passenger counter (APC) technology for their Red and Orange line light rail vehicles to provide real-time passenger counts to their train control center and to provide data to the ICM decision support system. By gaining access to real-time passenger counts, DART hopes to respond more effectively to unplanned incidents on the rail network by enabling more responsive service adjustments. This project will assess how DART responds to incidents before ICM, address what has changed after ICM deployment, and identify constraints to optimum responses. KW - Dallas (Texas) KW - Dallas Area Rapid Transit KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Integrated Corridor Management Initiative KW - Light rail vehicles KW - Passenger counting KW - Real time information UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1366347 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01489145 TI - Evaluation of ICM Transit Vehicle Design AB - No summary provided. KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Transit vehicle operations KW - Vehicle design KW - Vehicle safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258139 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01485872 TI - Coordination with Railroads to Facilitate Acquisition of ROW AB - This research will identify and promulgate effective means of accomplishing the intended Uniform Act goals of minimizing administrative costs and expediting the acquisition of real property and real property access rights from railroads by in part identifying opportunities for improving institutional relationships between Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and railroads. KW - Property acquisition KW - Railroad transportation KW - Real property KW - Right of way (Land) KW - State departments of transportation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1255097 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343586 AU - Sullivan, Jim AU - Sears, Justine AU - Glitman, Karen AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - AARP AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Travel-Livability Index for Seniors, Phase I: Livability Attribute Importance PY - 2011/05/12 SP - 25p AB - The overall purpose of this research was to develop a localized livability index that is particularly sensitive to the travel needs of seniors. This phase of the research included two objectives: (1) synthesize the survey data from previous AARP surveys which included livability attribute-importance; and (2) rank these attributes by their stated importance and identify the critical attributes in the determination of livability for seniors, for both urban and rural zip codes. The synthesis of the existing AARP survey data revealed that 9 of the 19 existing surveys had measures of the importance of livability attributes that could be used for a combined analysis. In 2005, AARP focus groups resulted in the creation of 7 categories of livability attributes. These include nearby quality health facilities, reliable public transportation, variety in housing types, safe and secure environment, access to shopping, a physical environment that fosters walking ("walkability"), and opportunities for recreation and culture. Although only two of these categories are directly related to transportation (reliable public transportation and a “ walkable” environment), all of the factors are indirectly related. The combined survey data provided at least one measure in each of the seven categories, and four of the categories had multiple measures. The ranking of the livability attributes by their stated importance and comparison by age and zip code type revealed several important patterns. First, safe neighborhoods with a nearby hospital dominate the livability concerns of older Americans in both age groups and area types. Housing was also deemed important. Attributes related to recreational opportunities tended to be unimportant, while attributes related to shopping, places of worship, and infrastructure were of varying importance between groups. The first phase of this research successfully identified the ranks of livability attributes for seniors in rural and urban communities. Phase II will include the identification of spatial and temporal livability metrics from other data sources to represent these attributes. KW - Access KW - Aged KW - Health care facilities KW - Housing KW - Infrastructure KW - Mobility KW - Place of worship KW - Public transit KW - Quality of life KW - Recreation KW - Safety and security KW - Shopping KW - Surveys KW - Travel KW - Walkable communities KW - Walking UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-11-001.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105615 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360945 AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstrations, Evaluation of Use Case #5: Enhanced Road Weather Content for Traveler Advisories PY - 2011/05/11/Final Report SP - 64p AB - This evaluation report presents an assessment of the benefits of a new road condition forecast tool that offers road weather information to travelers. The tool has been developed by Meridian Environmental Technology, Incorporated and has been demonstrated in selected northern tier states as part of the Clarus Multi-State Regional Demonstration Program under the auspices of the Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The use of this tool was independently evaluated under contract to the RWMP. This report identifies the hypotheses that were tested, the data collected and analyzed, and the findings from the evaluation. KW - Clarus KW - Data collection KW - Road weather information systems KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - Weather conditions KW - Weather forecasting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43200/43201/FHWA-JPO-11-120_Eval_Report_UC_5_Final_7-25-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126431 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01470011 AU - Stavrinos, Despina AU - Fine, Philip R AU - Franklin, Crystal A AU - Garner, Annie A AU - Ball, Karlene K AU - Griffin, Russell AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Distracted Driving on Congestion PY - 2011/05/09/Final Report SP - 27p AB - Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study examined the behavior of teens and young adults operating a driving simulator while engaged in various distractions (i.e., cell phone, texting, and undistracted) and driving conditions (i.e., free flow, stable flow, and oversaturation). Seventy five participants 16 to 25 years of age (split into two groups: novice drivers and young adults) drove a STISIM simulator three times, each time with one of three randomly presented distractions. Each drive was designed to represent daytime scenery on a four lane divided roadway and included three equal roadway portions representing Levels of Service (LOS) A "free flow", C "stable flow", and E "oversauration" as defined in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. Participants also completed questionnaires documenting demographics and driving history. Both safety and traffic flow related driving outcomes were considered. A Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to analyze continuous outcome variables and a Generalized Estimate Equation (GEE) poisson model was used to analyze count variables. Results revealed that, in general, more lane deviations and crashes occurred during texting. Distraction (in most cases, text messaging) had a significantly negative impact on traffic flow, such that participants exhibited greater fluctuation in speed, changed lanes significantly fewer times, and took longer to complete the scenario. In turn, more simulated vehicles passed the participant drivers while they were texting or talking on a cell phone than while undistracted. The results indicate that distracted driving, particularly texting, may lead to reduced safety and traffic flow, thus having a negative impact on traffic operations. No significant differences were detected between age groups, suggesting that all drivers, regardless of age, may drive in a manner that impacts safety and traffic flow negatively when distracted. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Distraction KW - Driving simulators KW - Level of service KW - Teenage drivers KW - Text messaging KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow KW - Young adults UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2013/01/10206-Final-Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46700/46745/10206_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1237158 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01578104 TI - "Uniform-Format" Advanced Biomass Supply Systems Design and Management AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Management KW - Supply KW - System design UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371625 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577730 TI - Economic Analysis of Ethanol Yield from Chopped and Densified versus Baled Switchgrass AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Economic analysis KW - Ethanol KW - Grasses KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370774 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577417 TI - Evaluating the Impacts of Biomass Feedstock Transportation on Air Quality and Traffic Safety: A Case Study of TN AB - No summary provided. KW - Air quality KW - Biomass KW - Case studies KW - Environmental impacts KW - Freight transportation KW - Tennessee KW - Traffic safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370571 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467988 TI - Impact of Education and Awareness Programs on the Usage and Attitude towards Texting while Driving among Young Drivers AB - Texting-while-driving has become a new menace on the roads. The problem has become a major cause of highways accidents and injuries especially among young drivers. It well documented in research literature that this problem is more prevalent among younger drivers largely because they are the heaviest users of the information technology including texting. Furthermore, the usage of texting is growing rapidly among millennium generation drivers. As this population grows old, texting might become even more prevalent on the roads. This has potential of further increasing accident hazards due to texting-while-driving in the future. In a very short span of time, texting-while-driving problem became such a large issue that 32 US states and territories have made some laws against it. However, law is only one part of the equation. Driver education is the equally important to solve the issues. It is very important to educate driving public about danger of texting-while-driving. One can draw parallel with seat-belt laws. Each state has seatbelt law on their books for a longtime. At the same time, both state and federal governments made strong efforts in the area of public education about advantages of using seatbelts. Despite aggressive enforcement and creative awareness programs, it took decades to improve seatbelt usage among drivers. Therefore, it is imperative to start strongly education programs about danger of texting-while-driving now. The available literature suggests younger driver have different perceptions of risk that impacts their behavior related to cell phone use while driving. As mentioned, there are laws being written to combat the problem. It has also been reported that the decrease in cell phone use after enactment of law does not hold over the time and that use of cellular phones actually increases following the initial decrease. Moreover, the enforcement of the laws related to texting-while-driving is very difficult and challenging. This challenge is evident from reported increases in the use of cell phone and related electronic device activities while driving. Furthermore, law based solutions alone can't change driving behavior. These solutions have to be complimented with education and awareness programs. Several studies have been completed about reasons on why young drivers are attracted to texting-while-driving. However, there is a lack of studies in the area of impact of education and awareness programs about danger of texting-while-driving. This research proposes to study the effectiveness of a few education and awareness programs on a small targeted population of college students. A three step methodology will be utilized in this proposed work. In the first step, student behavior attributes related to texting-while-driving will be determined. The next step will involve selection and design of specific awareness programs based on the data from the first step. The last step will involve conducting a random pretest-posttest experiment on a sample from the target population. The results of these experiments will measure the effectiveness of the selected educational programs about danger of texting-while-driving. The major deliverables from the proposed research will include the following: * A set of implicit and explicit attitudes of young drivers towards texting-while-driving in the targeted population. * A set of awareness and education programs based on the delineated attitudes in the first deliverable. * Effectiveness of awareness and education programs on texting-while-driving behavior on the targeted population. KW - Accident prone drivers KW - Attitudes KW - Awareness KW - Crash causes KW - Driver training KW - Education and training KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Information technology KW - Laws and legislation KW - Safety campaigns KW - Text messaging KW - Younger drivers UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/ongoing_research.cfm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236224 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467987 TI - Acoustic Emission (AE) Sensor Technology: Utilization for Non-Destructive Bridge testing AB - Hampton University Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center's (ESITAC's) stated goals are to utilize resources of the University in partnership with state and city governments, local transit companies, private industries, and regional universities to conduct research on current transportation problems facing Hampton Roads, provide students with special emphasis on minorities and women, the opportunities to pursue transportation careers and to advance U.S. technology and expertise in transportation that will provide safe, secure, efficient, and interconnected transportation systems. These goals incorporate U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) stated priority for improving the safety of the nation's transportation system that includes safety of highway bridges. It is imperative to conduct research and utilize technologies that enhance highway bridge safety for achievement of such goals. Research on and utilization of non-destructive test and monitoring technologies is one of the focus areas in ESITAC's strategic planning. It is thus proposed to utilize non-destructive testing technology (NDT), in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT's) District Structure and Bridge Engineering Department and its research arm the Virginia Council for Transportation Innovation and Research (VCTIR), for accurate, reliable and durable methods of structural health monitoring of highway bridges and to help prevent spread of structural failures. The bridge on I-164 at the Coast Guard Blvd. in the City of Portsmouth, built in 1991, was the subject of acoustic emissions (AE) research during 2010. Acoustic Emission investigations on the bridge on Route 164 at Coast Guard Boulevard were performed. The results of these investigations concluded beyond doubt the existence of strong AE activity in the bridge back wall. Further, the increase in AE activity was determined because of the freight train movement under the bridge. For the period of 2011, the bridge on I-64 at the Denbigh Boulevard in Newport News, Virginia, has been identified in consultations and discussions with VDOT's District Structure and Bridge Engineering Department and its research arm the Virginia Council for Transportation Innovation and Research (VCTIR). This bridge (Virginia Structure No. 2222, Federal Structure ID 20727), built in 1965 and reconstructed in 1977 crosses over I-64 and the CSX Railway. According to the latest available and 2009 AADT at Denbigh Boulevard is 29,000 vehicles per day; the truck percentage is 1%. The bridge is 864 feet long and 60 feet wide. The structural health monitoring is to involve metal and non-metal (e.g. concrete) bridge structural components using NDT of acoustic emission (AE). KW - Acoustic emission tests KW - Bridge engineering KW - Hampton Roads (Virginia) KW - Highway bridges KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Sensors KW - Structural analysis KW - Structural health monitoring UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236223 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01494501 AU - Tyagi, Avdhesh AU - Veenstra, John N AU - Brown, James AU - Ali, Abdelfatah AU - Johnson, Nicholas AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Laboratory Modeling of Energy Dissipation in Broken-back Culverts – Phase II PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 95p AB - This report represents Phase II of broken-back culverts with a drop of 6 feet. The first phase of this research was performed for a drop of 24 feet. This research investigates the reduction in scour downstream of a broken-back culvert by forming a hydraulic jump inside the culvert. A broken-back culvert is used in areas of high relief and steep topography as it has one or more breaks in profile slope. A broken-back culvert in the laboratory represents a 1 (vertical) to 2 (horizontal) slope after the upstream inlet and then continuing 138 feet at a 1 percent slope in the flat part of the culvert to the downstream outlet. The prototypes for these experiments were either a two barrel 10-foot by 10-foot, or a two barrel 10-foot by 20-foot reinforced concrete. The drop between inlet and outlet is selected as 6 feet. Three flow conditions were simulated, consisting of 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 times the culvert depth. The Froude number of the hydraulic jump created in the flat part of the culvert ranges between 1.8 and 2.3. This Froude number classifies the jump as a weak jump. The jump in experiments began nearly at the toe by placing sills in the flat part. The optimal location was determined at a distance of 42 feet from the outlet face of the culvert in pressure flow conditions. The sills contain two small orifices at the bottom to allow the culvert to completely drain. The impact of friction blocks was found to be minimal. No friction blocks were used to further dissipate the energy. The length of the culvert cannot be reduced as the pressure flow fills up the culvert barrels completely. For new culvert construction, the best option to maximize energy dissipation under open channel flow conditions is to use one sill located 69 feet from the outlet. Again, frictional blocks had minimum effect in further reduction of energy. The maximum length of the culvert can be reduced by 42 feet to 56 feet. Such a scenario is important where right-of-way problems exist for culvert construction. KW - Broken-back culverts KW - Channel flow KW - Culverts KW - Design KW - Dissipation KW - Froude number KW - Hydraulic jump KW - Laboratory tests KW - Scale models KW - Scour UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS10.1-47-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1262835 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482285 AU - Smadi, Omar AU - Hawkins, Neal AU - Hans, Zachary AU - Center for Transportation Research and Education AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a GPS-Based Sign Inventory Tool for Iowa’s Statewide Management System PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 21p AB - This report is on state-of-the-art research efforts specific to infrastructure inventory/data collection with sign inventory as a case study. The development of an agency-wide sign inventory is based on feature inventory and location information. Specific to location, a quick and simple location acquisition tool is critical to tying assets to an accurate location-referencing system. This research effort provides a contrast between legacy referencing systems (route and milepost) and global positioning system- (GPS-) based techniques (latitude and longitude) integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) database. A summary comparison of field accuracies using a variety of consumer grade devices is also provided. This research, and the data collection tools developed, are critical in supporting the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Statewide Sign Management System development effort. For the last two years, a Task Force has embarked on a comprehensive effort to develop a sign management system to improve sign quality, as well as to manage all aspects of signage, from request, ordering, fabricating, installing, maintaining, and ultimately removing, and to provide the ability to budget for these key assets on a statewide basis. This effort supported the development of a sign inventory tool and is the beginning of the development of a sign management system to support the Iowa DOT efforts in the consistent, cost effective, and objective decision making process when it comes to signs and their maintenance. KW - Geographic information systems KW - Global Positioning System KW - Inventory control KW - Iowa KW - Maintenance management KW - Traffic signs UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/sign_mgmt_gps_tool_w_cvr1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250803 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01457186 AU - Witter, Ernie AU - Adams, Teresa AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Best Practices Guidance for Workforce Transition and Succession Planning PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 42p AB - Public sector transportation agencies and the contractors who help them do their work will have a major challenge in meeting their workforce needs for the foreseeable future. By some estimates, the aging of the baby boom generation could allow up to fifty percent of the total workforce to retire within the next ten years. Overall demographic issues and stagnant enrollments in science and math professional programs, traditionally the major sources of new hires into the transportation industry, will make finding adequate qualified recruits difficult. This project deals with strategies for transition planning—in particular, strategies for transition planning in a specialist organization such as the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Rail and Harbor Section. KW - Demographics KW - Education KW - Labor force KW - Management KW - Mathematics KW - Science KW - Transportation departments KW - Wisconsin Department of Transportation UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_04-03_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224987 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01444828 AU - Jahanmir, Sean AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Preliminary Observations of the Tsunami’s Impact on U.S. Trade and Transportation With Japan PY - 2011/05//Fact Sheet SP - 4p AB - The United States faces potential ramifications from the damage to Japan’s freight transportation system caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. During that time, the United States may face lower levels of both air and maritime imports in automobiles and parts, high-end electronics and devices such as semiconductors, and specialty chemicals. Damaged equipment, loss of power and disrupted intermodal infrastructure in Japan reduced shipping capacity and interfered with international trade links. The air and sea ports that were most affected are Sendai, Onahama, Hachinohe, and Kashima. The sea port of Sendai was the largest of the affected ports, handling 155,611 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) cargo containers in 2010. The disruption of Japan’s transportation and distribution networks impacted industrial supply chains in the United States. On March 21, General Motors announced that a shortage of electronic parts arriving from Japan forced the temporary closing of pickup truck manufacturing and assembly plants in New York and Louisiana. Other North America based automobile manufacturers, including Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, also suffered supply disruptions and shortages of essential automotive parts, such as electronics and paint pigments, from Japan. KW - Airports KW - Disasters KW - Economic impacts KW - Freight transportation KW - International trade KW - Japan KW - Seaports KW - Supply chain management KW - Tsunamis KW - United States UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_fact_sheets/2011_003/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212438 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01367499 AU - Jackson, David W AU - Burger, Charlotte AU - Cotton, Benjamin AU - Linthicum, Alex AU - Mejias, Luis AU - Regan, Terrance AU - Filosa, Gina AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Traveler Information Systems and Wayfinding Technologies in Transit Systems: Summary of State-of-the-Practice and State-of-the-Art PY - 2011/05 SP - 152p AB - The purpose of the study is to provide federal guidance to transit agencies on current and future trends in the application of traveler information technologies as a means to expand transit agencies deployments of these tools, which may result in an increase in transit ridership. The study provides a technology evaluation that: (1) Offers an understanding of wayfinding technologies and describes products and services. (2) Provides an overview of the benefits of these technologies and services for transit agencies and users. (3) Identifies challenges experienced by transit agencies regarding the use and implementation of wayfinding technologies, and gaps that exist in current technologies. KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Ridership KW - State of the art KW - Technological innovations KW - Traveler information and communication systems KW - Wayfinding UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/MMTPS_Final_Evaluation_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1135953 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01366315 AU - Biernbaum, Lee AU - Rainville, Lydia AU - Spiro, Arlen AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Multimodal Trip Planner System Final Evaluation Report PY - 2011/05//Final Evaluation Report SP - 85p AB - This evaluation of the Multimodal Trip Planning System (MMTPS) is the culmination of a multi-year project evaluating the development and deployment of a multimodal trip planner in the Chicagoland area between 2004 and 2010. The report includes an overview of this project, the state of the current trip planning environment, and a discussion of technical and institutional issues. The primary purpose of this evaluation was gathering information to share with the transit community and other stakeholders on these technical and institutional issues including Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) standards, communication, marketing, and the technical feasibility of integrating single-mode trip planning. The report concludes with lessons learned and recommendations related to the development of a door-to-door, multimodal trip planner system. KW - Advanced traveler information systems KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Public transit KW - Travel behavior KW - Trip planning UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/MMTPS_Final_Evaluation_05-24-2011%281%29.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38600/38630/DOT-VNTSC-FTA-11-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1134414 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362620 AU - Baird, Tim AU - Bittner, Jason AU - Gollnik, Robert AU - Gardner, Spencer AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Understanding the Consequences of the Panama Canal Expansion on Midwest Grain and Agricultural Exports PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 38p AB - The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is currently building a third lock scheduled to open in 2014, significantly changing the capacity of the canal for inter-ocean movements. Midwest specialty grain and agricultural product exporters will be directly affected as all-water routes are improved and landbridge requirements reduced. The study assesses the expectations of public and private sector stakeholders, analyzes possible changes in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, and examines potential economic impacts the expansion may cause in these commodity sectors. Findings suggest that the canal expansion may decrease transit times, incentivize export to Asia via Gulf Cost ports and containerized modes, increase greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, and a diminished competitive position for the US West Coast - intermodal route. KW - Agricultural products KW - Economic impacts KW - Energy consumption KW - Environmental impacts KW - Exports KW - Grain KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Panama Canal KW - Shipping UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-18_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127571 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361060 AU - Damnjanovic, Ivan AU - Aslan, Zafer AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Special Topics Course on Civil Engineering Project Finance for the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering of Texas A&M University PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 214p AB - Experts predict that the highway trust fund will deteriorate rapidly over the course of the next several years. This situation has led many state agencies to seek alternative financing methods that can meet both social and economic needs. One possible solution to the problem is to partner with the private sector and together, utilizing project finance methods, deliver facilities. This innovative approach has only recently found new applications in delivering transportation infrastructure. This trend is likely to increase in the near future. Because it has been widely adopted in other infrastructure sectors, mainly for delivering power plants, major pipelines, etc., many valuable cases and lessons learned can be brought to the transportation arena. Nevertheless, very few, if any, of the educational programs in the country have a project finance course integrated into the core curriculum for graduate civil engineering students. Even fewer programs treat project finance as a truly interdisciplinary topic. In fact, the topic of project finance often constitutes only a small part of the structured finance curricula. The purpose of this project was to bridge this gap by developing educational and teaching materials for an interdisciplinary course in project finance. This course communicates the implications of financial decisions on engineering choices and vice versa. The course is directed toward graduate students at the Master of Science level to better prepare them to deal with real-world transportation financing. KW - Alternative financing KW - Civil engineering KW - Decision making KW - Education and training KW - Finance KW - Financial analysis KW - Infrastructure management KW - Public private partnerships UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Damnjanovic_10-22-49.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126746 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360617 AU - Ioannou, Petros AU - Chassiakos, Anastasios AU - Abadi, Afshin AU - Chang, Hwan AU - Jula, Hossein AU - Lestas, Marios AU - Saggam, Lokesh AU - Thomas, David AU - Wang, Yun AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reconfiguration Strategies for Mitigating the Impacts of Port Disruptions PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 87p AB - Marine terminals and ports are designed to meet expected demands during normal operations in order to facilitate the smooth and efficient movement of goods. Disruptive events may affect these normal operations, and terminals, ports and regions must be prepared to mitigate such disruptions in an effort to maintain the movement of goods. In this project, the authors investigate methods of modeling and evaluating the port disruptions and develop mitigation strategies for reducing the impacts of disruptions. The types of disruptions studied in this work are assumed to occur at the local and regional levels. The authors show that disruptions at the local level can be modeled as terminal allocation problems (TAP). The multi berth allocation problem is viewed as a set partitioning problem, in which each partitioned problem consists of a single berth allocation problem (BAP). Berth allocation is an essential logistics operation, since, the deployment of other resources at a terminal have to be coordinated with the berth allocation plan. The BAP is an NP-hard problem, and consequently heuristic methods based on sub gradient and simulated annealing algorithms are developed to find a near-optimal solution within a reasonable amount of time. Numerous experimental scenarios are developed to evaluate the proposed BAP methodologies in the presence disruptions. The problem at the regional level is to develop mitigation strategies so that the regional throughput in moving goods is affected by the disruption at a minimal level. The authors look into the U.S. west coast region, consisting of multiple ports and the associated traffic network used for moving the goods within and out of the region. The regional service network is defined at a high level of aggregation, which includes the major ports and aggregated zones representing broad geographical destinations and intermediate zones. The network under disruption is modeled as the minimum cost flow problem with binary constraints. The authors demonstrated via examples that their methodology that relies on the use of optimization can minimize the effect of disruption at all levels. KW - Berth utilization KW - Cargo handling KW - Freight traffic KW - Local transportation KW - Logistics KW - Marine terminals KW - Nonlinear programming KW - Optimization KW - Port congestion KW - Port operations KW - Port traffic KW - Ports KW - Regional transportation UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/07-14_Ioannou_Final_0_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126484 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359281 AU - Creaser, Janet AU - Gorjestani, Alec AU - Manser, Michael AU - Donath, Max AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Minnesota Department of Transportation AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Usability Evaluation of a Smart Phone-Based Novice Teen Driver Support System (TDSS ) PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities. A Teen Driver Support System (TDSS) was developed by the ITS Institute that can allow parents to accurately monitor their teen's driving behavior in relation to known risk factors and Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) provisions. The TDSS, based on a teen's smart phone, provides real-time, contextual in-vehicle feedback to the teen about his or her driving behavior and helps parents monitor certain known risk factors. The system does not allow incoming or outgoing phone calls (except 911) or texting while driving. Feedback to the teen driver includes visual and auditory warnings about speeding, excessive maneuvers (e.g., hard braking, cornering), and stop sign violations. The TDSS prototype also monitors seat belt use and detects the presence of passengers (e.g., based on GDL provisions), two known factors that increase the risk of fatalities among teen drivers. The TDSS can also be programmed to monitor driving during the GDL curfew or a curfew set by parents. A usability review of the prototype TDSS using 30 parent-teen dyads from Washington Country, MN, found that teens and parents held favorable opinions about most of the TDSS functions. Teens and parents both felt that use of the system early in licensure may result in the adoption of safer driving habits even after the system is removed from the vehicle. Several recommendations to improve the system’s usability are made based on the results. KW - Behavior KW - Driver feedback KW - Driver support systems KW - Driving KW - Graduated licensing KW - Highway safety KW - Monitoring KW - Smartphones KW - Teenage drivers KW - Traffic crashes KW - Usability UR - http://www.dot.state.mn.us/research/TS/2011/2011-13.pdf UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1528 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125125 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01358021 AU - Nodine, Emily AU - Lam, Andy AU - Najm, Wassim AU - Wilson, Bruce AU - Brewer, John AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Heavy-Truck Field Operational Test Independent Evaluation PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 140p AB - This report presents results from the independent evaluation of a field operational test using a fleet of heavy trucks outfitted with a prototype integrated crash warning system. This effort was conducted as part of the U.S. DOT’s Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The system tested included rear-end, lane-change/merge, and lane departure crash warning functions. The goals of the evaluation were to assess safety impact and driver acceptance, and to characterize the prototype system’s warning capabilities. Eighteen volunteer drivers from a commercial fleet operated the 10 equipped heavy trucks, accumulating 600,000 miles over a 10- month period. The test period consisted of 2 months of baseline driving, when the system was disabled, and an 8-month treatment period, when the system was enabled and warnings were presented to the drivers. Comparisons were made between baseline driving and the treatment period to determine the effect of system use on driver behavior and performance. Results from driver debriefings and surveys indicated that they had a favorable impression of the prototype system they used during the field trial, reporting that it was easy to learn and use. A majority of the drivers also said they would prefer driving a truck with the integrated system over a conventional, unequipped truck. Aside from improvements in lane-keeping behavior and turn signal use, results from the field test indicate that between 3,000 and 13,000 target crashes could be prevented annually by full deployment of integrated safety systems in the U.S. heavy-truck fleet. KW - Acceptance KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Demonstration projects KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Lane changing KW - Lane departures KW - Rear end crashes KW - Truck crashes KW - Truck drivers KW - Trucking safety KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811464.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122652 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353617 AU - Smadi, Omar AU - El-Nasan, Adnan AU - Hawkins, Neal AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Presence Assessment Tool for Iowa’s Pavement Marking Management System PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 18p AB - Pavement marking quality is normally assessed using presence, or how much of the pavement marking material remains on the pavement, which provides daytime guidance, and retroreflectivity, or how visible the pavement marking material is at night. Both of these two measures determine pavement marking durability. This report discusses the use of image processing techniques to assess pavement marking quality. Images of pavement markings are processed using a number of operations. Image segmentation is the process of assigning the set of image pixels to regions having common characteristics. The proposed system tries to segment images of white or yellow pavement markings into foreground (marking) and background (pavement) parts. The images are then processed to determine pavement marking presence in an objective and consistent manner. The resulting assessment is critical to the implementation and development of a pavement marking management system and quality control/assurance processes. KW - Durability KW - Image processing KW - Maintenance management KW - Quality assurance KW - Quality control KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road marking materials KW - Road markings UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/pvmt_markings_presence_tool_w_cvr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118432 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352444 AU - Paul, Binny M AU - Kockelman, Kara M AU - Musti, Sashank AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Light-Duty-Vehicle Fleet’s Evolution: Anticipating PHEV Adoption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Across the U.S. Fleet PY - 2011/05 SP - 195p AB - The first part of this report relies on stated and revealed preference survey results across a sample of U.S. households to first ascertain vehicle acquisition, disposal, and use patterns, and then simulate these for a synthetic population over time. Results include predictions of future U.S. household-fleet composition, use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under nine different scenarios, including variations in fuel and plug-in-electric-vehicle (PHEV) prices, new-vehicle feebate policies, and land-use-density settings. This work highlights the impacts of various directions consumers may head with such vehicles. For example, twenty-five-year simulations at gas prices at $7 per gallon resulted in the second highest market share predictions (16.30%) for PHEVs, HEVs, and Smart Cars (combined) — and the greatest GHG-emissions reductions. The stricter feebate policy (pivot point at 30 mpg and fee or rebate rate of $400 per mpg) – coupled with gasoline at $5 per gallon – resulted in the highest market share (16.37%) for PHEVs, HEVs, and Smart Cars, but not as much GHG emissions reduction as the $7 gas price scenario. Excepting the low PHEV price and two feebate policy simulations, all other scenarios predicted a lower fleet VMT. While plug-in vehicles are now hitting the market, their adoption and widespread use will depend on thoughtful marketing, competitive pricing, government incentives, reliable driving-range reports, and adequate charging infrastructure. The second part of this report relies on data from the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) to estimate the welfare impacts of carbon taxes and household-level capping of emissions (with carbon-credit trading allowed). A translog utility framework was calibrated and then used to anticipate household expenditures across nine consumer goods categories, including vehicle usage and vehicle expenses. An input-output model was used to estimate the impact of carbon pricing on goods prices, and a vehicle choice model determined vehicle type preferences, along with each household’s effective travel costs. Behaviors were predicted under two carbon tax scenarios ($50 per ton and $100 per ton of CO2-equivalents) and four cap-and-trade scenarios (10-ton and 15-ton cap per person per year with trading allowed at $50 per ton and $100 per ton carbon price). Carbon taxes were found to relatively regressive than a cap-and-trade setting (in terms of taxes paid per dollar of expenditure), but a tax-revenue redistribution can be used to offset this regressivity. In the absence of substitution opportunities (within each of the nine expenditure categories), these results represent highly conservative (worst-case) results, but they illuminate the behavioral response trends while providing a rigorous framework for future work. KW - Automobile ownership KW - Carbon taxes KW - Climate change KW - Electric vehicles KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Microsimulation KW - Plug-in hybrid vehicles KW - Pollutants KW - Public opinion KW - Stated preferences KW - Surveys KW - Vehicle fleets UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161023-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42277/161023-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116935 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352440 AU - Aguiar-Moya, Jose Pablo AU - Prozzi, Jorge AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Reliable Pavement Models PY - 2011/05 SP - 150p AB - The current report proposes a framework for estimating the reliability of a given pavement structure as analyzed by the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). The methodology proposes using a previously fit response surface, in place of the time-demanding implicit limit state functions used within the MEPDG, in combination with an analytical approach to estimating reliability using First-Order and Second-Order Reliability Methods (FORM and SORM). Additionally, in order to assess the accuracy of the FORM and SORM reliability estimates, Monte Carlo simulations are also performed. A case study based on a three-layered pavement structure is used to demonstrate the methodology. Several pavement design variables are treated as random; these include HMA and base layer thicknesses, base and subgrade modulus, and HMA layer binder and air void content. Information on the variability and correlation between these variables are obtained from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program. Response surfaces for limit states dealing with HMA rutting failure are fit using several runs of the MEPDG based on a factorial design of combinations among the aforementioned random variables, as well as traffic, structural, and climatic considerations. These response surfaces are then used to analyze the reliability of the given pavement structure. Using the second moment and simulation techniques, it was found that on average the reliability estimate by the MEPDG is very conservative. Additionally, the validity of the methodology is verified by means of direct simulation using the MEPDG. Finally, recommendations on fitting the response surface are provided to ensure the applicability of the methodology. KW - Air voids KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Case studies KW - First order reliability method KW - Long-Term Pavement Performance Program KW - Mechanistic design KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Modulus of resilience KW - Monte Carlo method KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement layers KW - Pavement structure KW - Rutting KW - Second order reliability method KW - Simulation KW - Thickness UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161025-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42278/161025-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116768 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352435 AU - Gao, Lu AU - Zhang, Zhanmin AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimal Infrastructure Maintenance Scheduling Problem Under Budget Uncertainty PY - 2011/05 SP - 68p AB - This research addresses a general class of infrastructure asset management problems. Infrastructure agencies usually face budget uncertainties that will eventually lead to suboptimal planning if maintenance decisions are made without taking the uncertainty into consideration. It is important for decision makers to adopt maintenance scheduling policies that take future budget uncertainty into consideration. The author proposes a multistage, stochastic linear programming model to address this problem. The author also develops solution procedures using the augmented Lagrangian decomposition algorithm and scenario reduction method. A case study exploring the computational characteristics of the proposed methods is conducted and the benefit of using the stochastic programming approach is discussed. KW - Algorithms KW - Asset management KW - Case studies KW - Highway maintenance KW - Infrastructure KW - Lagrangian functions KW - Linear programming KW - Maintenance management KW - Scheduling KW - Stochastic programming UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161028-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42273/161028-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116931 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352434 AU - Burris, Mark AU - Devarasetty, Prem Chand AU - Shaw, W Douglass AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Managed Lane Travelers - Do They Pay for Travel as They Claimed They Would? PY - 2011/05 SP - 148p AB - This study examined if travelers are paying for travel on managed lanes (MLs) as they indicated that they would in a 2008 survey. To achieve the objectives, an Internet-based stated preference (SP) survey of Houston’s Katy Freeway travelers was conducted in 2010. Three survey design methodologies—Db-efficient, random level generation, and adaptive random—were tested in this survey. Separate mixed logit models were developed from the responses obtained from the three different design strategies in the 2010 survey. The implied mean value of travel time savings (VTTS) varied across the design-specific models. Only the Db-efficient design was able to estimate a value of reliability (VOR). Based on this and several other metrics, the Db-efficient design outperformed the other designs. A mixed logit model including all the responses from all three designs was also developed; the implied mean VTTS was estimated as 65 percent ($22/hr) of the mean hourly wage rate, and the implied mean VOR was estimated as 108 percent ($37/hr) of the mean hourly wage rate. Data on actual usage of the MLs were also collected. Based on actual usage, the average VTTS was calculated as $51/hr. However, the $51/hr travelers are paying likely also includes the value travelers place on travel time reliability of the MLs. The total (VTTS+VOR) amount estimated from the all-inclusive model from the survey was $59/hr, which is close to the value estimated from the actual usage. KW - Data collection KW - Design KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Katy Freeway (Houston, Texas) KW - Logits KW - Managed lanes KW - Rates, fares and tolls KW - Stated preferences KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel surveys KW - Value of reliability KW - Value of time UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161002-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42283/161002-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117045 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01350109 AU - Amdal, James R AU - Swigart, Stanley L AU - Tolford, Tara AU - Ringenbach, Laurence Aude AU - University of New Orleans AU - Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Rails to Recovery: The Role of Passenger Rail Transportation in Post-Katrina New Orleans and Louisiana PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 156p AB - The purpose of this research is: 1) to inform decision makers at both the state and local level on options for successfully implementing a proposed passenger train between New Orleans and Baton Rouge; and 2) to evaluate the potential impacts of new streetcar extensions on growth and development within select service corridors within the City of New Orleans. Both of these projects are viewed within the context of a post-Katrina environment. This report also provides a Summer 2010 ‘snapshot in time’ of existing and proposed real estate development along and adjacent to the proposed streetcar extensions in and adjoining the New Orleans Central Business District, and evaluates the relationship between real estate development and transit investment in post-Katrina New Orleans. Research findings include the following: (A) Two key ingredients to date have been lacking in the proposed New Orleans-Baton Rouge passenger rail service: 1) effective leadership championing the project; and 2) creative solutions to funding the annual operating deficit. (B) In New Orleans, several significant projects are being developed or have been designed in response to the Loyola Streetcar project and the proposed N. Rampart – St. Claude streetcar line. However, the vast majority of post-Katrina real estate investments have no relation to the funded or proposed Program of Projects by the Regional Transit Authority. This is due to the absence of pro-active planning by the City Planning Commission and the City Council that links land use decisions with transportation investments. KW - Baton Rouge (Louisiana) KW - City planning KW - Decision making KW - Financing KW - Intercity passenger rail KW - Investments KW - Land use planning KW - Leadership KW - Line extensions (Rail transit) KW - New Orleans (Louisiana) KW - Passenger trains KW - Rail transit KW - Real estate development KW - Streetcars UR - http://www.evaccenter.lsu.edu/pub/11-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113110 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349677 AU - Wechsler, Suzanne P AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - California Department of Transportation AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a LiDAR Derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM) as Input to a METRANS Geographic Information System (GIS) PY - 2011/05 SP - 36p AB - This report describes an assessment of digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from LiDAR data for a subset of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A methodology based on Monte Carlo simulation was applied to investigate the accuracy of DEMs derived from the LiDAR data using different interpolation methods (inverse distance weighted, spline and Kriging) at different grid cell resolutions (0.25m2, and 0.50m2, 1m2 and 2m2). Results indicate that elevation accuracy and the accuracy of a building feature derived from the interpolated elevations are not correlated. Inverse Distance Weighed at 0.25m2 resolution produced the most accurate surfaces and ranked second in its ability to capture the shape of the building. However, this interpolation method and grid cell resolution pair took the longest time to compute (over three weeks for the accuracy simulation). The methodology provides Port personnel and LiDAR users with an approach to determine an appropriate grid cell resolution and interpolation method for generating DEMs and extracting building features from LiDAR data. Results indicate that compromises between surface accuracy, shape representation and the time required to process the data are required. KW - Accuracy KW - Data quality KW - Digital mapping KW - Elevation models KW - Geographic information systems KW - Grids (Coordinates) KW - Height KW - Interpolation KW - Laser radar KW - Methodology KW - Port of Long Beach KW - Port of Los Angeles UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42538/AR05-04_Wechsler_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108750 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343387 AU - McCormack, Ed AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing Transportation Metrics from Commercial GPS Truck Data PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 66p AB - Although trucks move the largest volume and value of freight in urban areas, relatively little is known about their travel patterns and how the roadway network performs for trucks. Commercial, in‐vehicle, global positioning systems (GPS) are increasingly used by trucking companies to manage their fleets. Several GPS vendors are making the output from these devices available to the research community and public sector organizations. As a result, these devices provide a new source of data that can be used to quantify travel patterns and are the only comprehensive source of wide area performance and travel data for trucks. While the data have been successfully used to develop truck‐related roadway performance measures, the data still have considerable unrealized potential. This TransNow project used the data to improve the ability to both understand and model freight as it moves on trucks. Since 2007, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Transportation Northwest (TransNow), and the Washington Trucking Associations (WTA) have partnered on a research effort to collect and analyze GPS truck data from commercial, in‐vehicle, truck fleet management systems. The WSDOT/TransNow project has evaluated the feasibility of the GPS data to support a truck performance monitoring program. The project has produced large databases of the truck GPS data. As part of this effort, efficient processes to capture, clean, geo‐locate, and format the truck GPS data have been developed. After processing, the GPS data are a useful source of performance measures such as travel times between zones, travel routes, and stop locations. The main goal of this project was to work in partnership with this existing effort but to develop applications of the data beyond the more pragmatic truck monitoring needs required and funded by WSDOT. KW - Applications KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Data collection KW - Fleet management KW - Freight traffic KW - Global Positioning System KW - Information processing KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Travel data KW - Travel patterns KW - Travel time KW - Trucking UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105195 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343202 AU - Hillsman, Edward L AU - Barbeau, Sean J AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enabling Cost-Effective Multimodal Trip Planners through Open Transit Data PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 115p AB - This study examined whether multimodal trip planners can be developed using open‐source software and open data sources. OpenStreetMap (OSM), maintained by the non‐profit OpenStreetMap Foundation, is an open, freely available international repository of geographic data that individuals contribute about their communities. In the transit industry, Google’s offer of a free online transit trip planner based on the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) has made GTFS a de facto standard for describing transit systems and a platform for many other Web and mobile applications. Over 125 public transportation agencies in the U.S. have put their data into GTFS format. Bus stop locations can link OSM and GTFS data. OpenTripPlanner is an open‐source multimodal trip planning software system with an active developer community. The study team set up an instance of OpenTripPlanner for Tampa, Florida, using biking and walking data from OSM, and GTFS data from local transit agencies, to examine the tool’s ability to route using multimodal data. The study team also recorded multimodal data for the Tampa region in OSM to examine the current OSM coding conventions and determine the coding system’s ability to support functions required of a multimodal trip planner, such as providing information on access to transit, wheelchair accessibility, or conditions that could affect the safety of a trip (e.g., intersection crossings). This study also investigated the use of opensource software to quickly increase the amount of multimodal data available in OpenStreetMap. The research team created GTFS‐OSM‐Sync (GO_Sync), a framework and open‐source software tool for synchronizing transit data between the transit agency’s official GTFS dataset and OSM. GO_Sync connects the wealth of data from GTFS datasets to the ability of the OSM community to augment and improve the data. During a test deployment of GO_Sync in Tampa, OSM users corrected 173 bus stop locations. The project demonstrated that it is feasible to implement a multimodal trip planner using open‐source software and open data sources. Based on existing practices regarding GTFS and OpenTripPlanner, transit schedule and route data are best obtained directly from transit agencies’ GTFS files. Data on infrastructure for walking and cycling can be obtained from OSM or from other locally available public‐domain data. This report suggests a few changes to the OSM coding conventions that would improve OSM’s ability to meet the needs of a multimodal trip planner. The principal barrier to developing a multimodal trip planner remains the availability of data and, when using OSM as a source of data, the relatively low participation of U.S. residents in the project, compared to Europe. The OSM community recognizes this as a problem, but additional research is needed on how best to overcome it. Additional research also is needed on how best to communicate results from a trip planner to users who may have varying skill and comfort levels when it comes to bicycling and walking. KW - Bicycling KW - Geographic information systems KW - Mapping KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Public transit KW - Trip planning KW - Walking UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BDK85_977-20_rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/2011/05/enabling-cost-effective-multimodal-trip-planners-through-open-transit-data-2/ UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/41000/41800/41892/77926.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104804 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343097 AU - Modi, Pushkar AU - Morellas, Vassilios AU - Papanikolopoulos, Nikolaos P AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Counting Empty Parking Spots at Truck Stops Using Computer Vision PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 31p AB - For at least the past decade, truck driver fatigue has been thought to be a contributing factor in a number of heavy truck accidents. For better utilization of truck stops and to provide truck drivers with safe rest options, the authors are designing an automated truck stop management system that can compute occupancy rates at stops and notify drivers about the availability of parking spots using variable message displays located about 30 or 40 miles before the stop. This system detects, classifies and localizes vehicles on the truck stop's grounds by using a set of video cameras, from which video frames are analyzed in real-time. KW - Automatic vehicle detection and identification systems KW - Computer vision KW - Driver information systems KW - Parking KW - Parking availability KW - Real time data processing KW - Truck stops KW - Variable message signs KW - Video cameras UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1530 UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2022 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55700/55752/CTS11-08.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104954 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342389 AU - Arpin, Eddie AU - Newstrom, Bryan AU - Shankwitz, Craig AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Hennepin County, Minnesota AU - Minnesota Valley Transit Authority AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Dual Frequency, Carrier Phase Differential GPS Augmentation PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 43p AB - For many roadway applications, high-accuracy in-lane level vehicle position information is desired. Unfortunately, in many roadway environments Global Position System (GPS) dead zones hinder sufficient GPS position accuracy. These roadway environments include underpasses, tree canopies, urban canyons, and any other locations where the view to the sky is limited. This report introduces a high-accuracy position estimator that augments GPS in areas where short-term (< 200 meter and < 15 second) GPS dead zones exist. The position estimator fuses differential GPS (DGPS) position measurements, yaw rate measurements, and two-dimensional velocity measurements to provide in-lane level accuracy position estimates. The estimator increases the availability of high-accuracy position estimates for applications that demand continuous high-accuracy in-lane level positioning, such as lane departure warning systems. The position estimator was evaluated and the position accuracy was quantified. Seven vehicles were outfitted with the position estimator system. Data were collected for 460 DGPS outages and the accuracy of the system was analyzed. From the analysis the position accuracy of the estimator could be approximated based on the distance and time since the DGPS outage began. This analysis provides a level of confidence in the position estimates as a function of distance and time elapsed from the start of a DGPS outage. This level of confidence measure allows applications to have a means to reject position estimates based on the outage time and distance if those estimates are projected to have lower accuracy than the application requires. KW - Augmentation systems KW - Automated warning systems KW - Differential Global Positioning System KW - Global Positioning System KW - GPS dead zones KW - Highways KW - Lane departures KW - Vehicle position UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1526 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/55000/55700/55753/CTS11-09.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104759 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342387 AU - Fuller, Stephen AU - Robinson, John AU - Fraire, Francisco AU - Vadali, Sharada AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improving Intermodal Connectivity in Rural Areas to Enhance Transportation Efficiency: A Case Study PY - 2011/05//Final Report SP - 46p AB - Congested roadways in Texas’ metropolitan centers are important arteries for transporting agricultural commodities into domestic and international markets. Truck transportation of these commodities contributes to the observed congestion and delay in these urban centers. As an example, cotton, which is a major field crop in Texas, is transported via Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston roadways to access container transport to the international market, the principal outlet for this commodity. This study examines the feasibility of investment in intermodal terminals in rural Texas with the implications for reducing roadway maintenance costs, greenhouse gases and truck transportation in Texas’ metropolitan areas. The analyses show an intermodal terminal in west Texas’ intensive cotton production region (Lubbock, Texas) would be economically viable, reducing loaded truck-miles on state roadways, C02 emissions, and truck-travel in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan center. KW - Agricultural products KW - Carbon dioxide KW - Case studies KW - Container traffic KW - Costs KW - Cotton KW - Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area KW - Economic efficiency KW - Freight trains KW - Freight transportation KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Highway maintenance KW - Intermodal terminals KW - Lubbock (Texas) KW - Rural areas KW - Texas KW - Trucking UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Fuller_07-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104763 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341907 AU - Agrawal, Asha Weinstein AU - Nixon, Hilary AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - What Do Americans Think About Federal Transportation Tax Options? Preliminary Results from Year 2 of a National Survey PY - 2011/05//Preliminary Report SP - 18p AB - Over the past decades, the transportation revenues available from state and federal gas taxes have fallen significantly, especially in terms of inflation-adjusted dollars per mile traveled. At the same time, the U.S. transportation system requires critical—and expensive—system upgrades. Policy makers are thus seeking options for raising new revenues. This report presents the preliminary results of the second year of a random-digit-dial public opinion telephone survey investigating support among members of the public for a variety of transportation tax options at the federal level. The survey results show that a majority of Americans would support higher taxes for transportation—under certain conditions. For example, a gas tax increase of 10 cents per gallon to improve road maintenance was supported by 62% of respondents, whereas support levels dropped to just under half if the revenues were to be devoted to reducing local air pollution or global warming. For tax options where the revenues were to be spent for undefined transportation purposes, the support levels varied considerably by what kind of tax would be imposed, with a sales tax much more popular than either a gas tax increase or a new mileage tax. The poll also asked respondents about their priorities for government spending on transportation in their state. Over two-thirds of respondents felt that governments should make it a high priority to maintain streets, roads, and highways, and almost two-thirds said the same about reducing accidents and improving safety. By contrast, not quite half of respondents placed a high priority on reducing traffic congestion or expanding public transit service. The survey questions replicate those from a similar survey conducted by the Mineta Transportation Institute in 2010, to establish how public views may have shifted over the past year. The survey findings suggest that Americans are just as willing to support tax increases for transportation this year as last, or perhaps even slightly more so. For example, this year 36% of respondents supported a new mileage tax if the rates varied by the vehicle’s pollution level, compared to a similar 33% supporting such a tax last year. The only substantial change in support levels over the two years was a jump in support for a gas tax with revenue spent to reduce local air pollution. This year the tax had 48% support, compared to 30% last year. This preliminary report of the survey findings will be followed in summer 2011 by a final report providing further detail. KW - Air quality management KW - Fuel taxes KW - Highway maintenance KW - Highway safety KW - Highway user taxation KW - Public opinion KW - Public transit KW - Sales tax KW - Surveys KW - Taxes KW - Traffic mitigation KW - United States KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/Transportation_Tax_Survey_Prelim_1031.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/39000/39100/39142/Transportation_taxes_public_opinion_1031.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104227 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362672 AU - Gonzalez, Paul AU - Christie, Blake AU - White, Jeris AU - Noblis AU - Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Applying Systems Engineering Principles to the Development of Transportation Communication Standards PY - 2011/04/22/Final Report SP - 16p AB - Using traffic control devices and communications equipment to monitor and control arterials and freeways has brought with it new challenges and a demand for new skills to the transportation industry. Some of the challenges include integrating information from disparate and proprietary systems that were not designed to interoperate, designing systems that demonstrate they satisfy public transportation agency needs, and overcoming not-invented-here (NIH) attitudes. To address these issues the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) sponsored the development of interface standards for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology. This paper describes how systems engineering principles were applied and the life-cycle model used to develop ITS communications standards to overcome the challenges introduced with the application of new technology. KW - Communications KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Standards KW - Systems engineering KW - Technological innovations UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43100/43152/ASEP__Dev_TCStandards_v2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127489 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472567 AU - Garvey, Philip AU - Coulson, Ed AU - Sarabi, Aidin Rezaei AU - Pietrucha, Martin T AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Evaluation of the Use of Registration Stickers PY - 2011/04/18/Final Report SP - 47p AB - This research evaluated the potential costs and benefits of doing away with license plate registration stickers as part of the registration renewal process for Pennsylvania. The research consisted of a comprehensive literature review, a survey of United States and Canadian licensing agencies, a cost/benefit analysis of eliminating license plate stickers, and an assessment of related law enforcement issues and public information and education (PI&E) campaigns conducted by other agencies that have stopped using license plate registration stickers. The result is a set of options and recommendations for Pennsylvania and an evaluation plan. The recommendations favored elimination of a sticker registration program for several reasons, including simplicity, cost savings, elimination of potential sticker theft, and positive reports from similarly adapted programs. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Law enforcement KW - License plates KW - Literature reviews KW - Pennsylvania KW - Public information programs KW - Registration KW - State of the practice KW - Stickers UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/PSU-2010-03.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46900/46983/PSU-2010-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243637 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349668 AU - Rahai, Hamid R AU - Lu, Bei AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Portable Remote Sensing System for Measurement of Diesel Emissions from Passing Diesel Trucks PY - 2011/04/08/Final Report SP - 23p AB - A wireless remote-sensing system has been developed for measurement of NOx and particulate matters (PM) emissions from passing diesel trucks. The NOx measurement system has a UV light source with quartz fiber optics that focused the light source into a spectrometer. The signals from the spectrometer was routed through a wireless antenna to a remote computer and NOx measurements were performed by comparing the spectra of the receiving signals to a reference spectrum for compliance. Results of the remote sensing system were compared with direct exhaust measurements. For NOx measurement, comparing the variance of the spectrum between the 200-300 nm wavelengths with direct diesel engine exhaust measurement, an approximate NOx/variance ratio of 0.5 was found for the stationary measurement and ratios of 0.3-0.4 were obtained for transient measurements. PM measurements were performed by both a TSI DustTrak model 8520 and a remote MiniPCS particle counter-sizer system from Measurement Science Enterprise (MSE). Results of the PM measurements from these devices were comparable, indicating the potential of the MiniPCS system for remote sensing PM measurements. KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Diesel trucks KW - Measurement KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Particulates KW - Portable equipment KW - Remote sensing UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/08-22_Rahai_Final_0_0.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42542/08-22_Rahai_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108751 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359664 AU - Zimmerman, Carol AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Goodin, Ginger AU - Schreffler, Eric AU - Pessaro, Brian AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration: National Evaluation Plan PY - 2011/04/06 SP - 100p AB - This report provides an analytic framework for evaluating the Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) and CRD Programs. The Atlanta CRD projects include the conversion of lanes for high occupancy vehicle with a minimum of two occupants (HOV2+) on approximately 16-miles of I-85 to high occupancy toll (HOT)/HOV3+ lanes along with expansion and enhancement of transit service in that corridor, including new and expanded park-and-ride lots. The Atlanta CRD national evaluation plan identifies major questions to be answered through the evaluation, the evaluation analyses to be used to address those questions, and the data needed for the analyses. It also outlines the test plans that will be used to collect and analyze the required data. The evaluation plan is based on the National Evaluation Framework (NEF) prepared for the U.S. DOT. Four objective questions that were posed by U.S. DOT serve as a starting point for the NEF and Atlanta Evaluation Plan. These questions are how much congestion was reduced; what contributed to the reduction and what were the associated impacts; what lessons were learned about non-technical 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 presents the plan for evaluating the Atlanta CRD projects KW - Atlanta (Georgia) KW - Congestion pricing KW - High occupancy toll lanes KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Park and ride KW - Traffic congestion KW - Urban Partnership Agreements UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42800/42820/atlantaupa_R3_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125674 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01486036 TI - PCB E/J and Visualization: Finance Issues AB - Financial planning fiscal constraint cost estimating revenue forecasting and innovative finance issues are all important areas of concern for State Departments of Transportation Metropolitan Planning Organizations local and regional project sponsors and the public. Metropolitan transportation plans transportation improvement programs and statewide transportation improvement programs must contain realistic estimates about project costs and be based on realistic assumptions about future revenue in order to ensure transparency integrity and accuracy in the transportation planning process. This research will focus on a wide variety of financial issues and will provide case studies peer exchanges workshops and other planning practices on finance and financial planning issues. KW - Best practices KW - Financial analysis KW - Forecasting KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - State departments of transportation KW - Transportation planning KW - Visualization UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1255657 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463607 TI - ARC Technology Transfer Initiative AB - The objective of this initiative is to build on the momentum of the ARC competition and its message: New Methods-New Materials-New Thinking by inspiring transportation and natural resource communities and the next generation of practitioners through a series of activities over the course of twelve months. This initiative intends to acknowledge the virtues of the winning design while celebrating the promising ideas of all finalist designs. It also strives to keep innovation at the forefront of our collective thinking about wildlife crossing structure design. KW - Design KW - Environmental impacts KW - Habitat (Ecology) KW - Next generation design KW - Training KW - Wildlife KW - Wildlife crossings UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4W3533.aspx UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231833 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01447870 AU - Dailey, Daniel J AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Understanding the Trade off Between Schedule Changes, Cost, and Timeliness in a Major Transit System PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 28p AB - Metro King County (KC) is about to undertake a change in the use of their scheduling tools, in an effort to reduce costs by removing elasticity/recovery time from the schedule. The schedule is one of the principle inputs to the delivery of service, and so, ideally, according to TCRP report 88, there would be a variety of metrics of performance that could be used to evaluate the overall effect of the schedule change on the transit service delivered to King County. In the work proposed here, the timeliness measures will be a focus. There is to date no local quantitative results published to understand the cost-benefits of the tradeoffs between reduced elasticity and on-time performance. Metro KC’s automatic vehicle location (AVL) system provides detailed tracking of each of the vehicles, both in-service and between routes. Almost uniquely, for an agency Metro's size, this detailed performance information can be made available to the University of Washington (UW) in real time, at no extra cost to Metro. For at least 10 years this principal investigator (PI) has operated and maintained the Mybus infrastructure that obtains, stores and compares the real-time vehicle performance data about the entire fleet against the scheduled service. The work proposed here would initially establish a baseline set of timeliness performance metrics. As the schedule is modified, using several methodologies and algorithms applied to different routes, these metrics will be estimated using the actual on the ground vehicle performance. Since one of the goals of reducing schedule elasticity is to reduce cost, there exists the opportunity to understand the quantitative relationship between scheduling algorithms/methodologies, costs and timeliness. This is a unique opportunity to experiment with a large operating transit system, and identify quantitative outcomes from a variety of scheduling decisions over the course of four schedule changes, with 26,000 individual trips per day, using 1,200 operating vehicles over the course of a year. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - King County (Washington) KW - King County Metro Transit KW - Operating costs KW - Performance measurement KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Schedules and scheduling KW - Timeliness UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1213876 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361623 AU - Abdel-Rahim, Ahmed AU - Kyte, Michael AU - Dixon, Michael AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improved Simulation of Driver Behavior: Modeling Protected and Permitted Left-Turn Operations at Signalized Intersections PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 39p AB - This report documents the findings from a research project that is focused on modeling protected and permitted left-turn operations at signalized intersection approaches. The project‟s primary objective is to document the microscopic characteristics of protected and permitted left-turn operational parameters at signalized intersections using the NGSIM datasets. The microscopic characteristics of the following parameters are investigated and documented as part of the project: vehicle turning path, start-up lost time, saturation flow rate, and speed and time headway profiles along the turning path. While the sample size for some of the cases might not be large enough to allow for full statistical analysis, the data presented in this report provides insights on different elements of driver behavior as it relates to left-turn operations. KW - Behavior KW - Drivers KW - Left turns KW - Microscopic traffic flow KW - Permissive left turn operations KW - Protected left turns KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic characteristics KW - Traffic models KW - Traffic simulation UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK716_N11-06.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127350 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361240 AU - Chaudhary, Mina AU - Hellman, Adrian AU - Ngamdung, Tashi AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Railroad Right-of-Way Incident Analysis Research PY - 2011/04 SP - 46p AB - Locations of railroad right-of-way incidents in this research were identified as hotspots. These can be defined as highway-rail grade crossings or locations along the railroad right-of-way where collision or trespassing risk is unacceptably high and intervention is justified because the potential safety benefits exceed the cost of intervention. This project categorizes the hotspots as grade crossing and trespass incident hotspots. Mathematical models and theories are researched to see which ones may be used in identifying the hotspots. For the analysis of grade crossing incident hotspots, the Transport Canada model is modified to accommodate United States data and is applied to a sample of grade crossing incidents from 2003 to 2007 in the San Joaquin corridor in California. In analyzing trespass incident hotspots, the theory of cluster analysis, a type of spatial analysis, was researched. It appears that cluster analysis, used in conjunction with a geographic information system platform, would be a beneficial way of analyzing and predicting trespass hotspots. KW - Cluster analysis KW - Crash data KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Crashes KW - Geographic information systems KW - High risk locations KW - Mathematical models KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad traffic control KW - Right of way (Land) KW - San Joaquin County (California) KW - Trespassers UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/100 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38400/38477/DOT-VNTSC-FRA-09-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126927 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354141 AU - Anderson, Michael AU - Dondapati, Mary Catherine AU - Harris, Gregory AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Effectively Using the QRFM to Model Truck Trips in Medium-Sized Urban Communities PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 17p AB - This report analyzes the effectiveness of applying the Quick Response Freight Manual (QRFM) to model freight transportation. Typically freight transportation is modeled indirectly or as an after-thought. Increasing freight volumes, coupled with cost-saving strategies such as just-in-time delivery systems, require that transportation policymakers analyze infrastructure needs and make investment decisions that explicitly include freight volumes as a component. This paper contains a case study using a travel model for a medium-sized urban area and the QRFM trip-generation and distribution methodology to provide a framework for freight planning that can be used to improve resource-allocation decisions. KW - Freight modeling KW - Freight transportation KW - Resource allocation KW - Transportation planning KW - Travel KW - Trip generation KW - Trucking KW - Trucks KW - Urban areas UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/08/06306-Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117025 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353835 AU - Izadi, Anoosha AU - Bhasin, Arash Motamed and Amit AU - Bhasin, Amit AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Designing Fine Aggregate Mixtures to Evaluate Fatigue Crack-Growth in Asphalt Mixtures PY - 2011/04 SP - 54p AB - Fatigue cracking is a significant form of pavement distress in flexible pavements. The properties of the sand-asphalt mortars or fine aggregate matrix (FAM) can be used to characterize the evolution of fatigue crack growth and self-healing in asphalt mixtures. This study compares the internal microstructure of the mortar within a full asphalt mixture to the internal microstructure of the FAM specimen. This study also conducts a limited evaluation of the influence of mixture properties and methods of compaction on the engineering properties of the FAM specimens. The results from this study, although limited in number, indicate that in most cases the Superpave Gyratory Compactor (SGC) compacted FAM specimen had a microstructure that most closely resembled the microstructure of the mortar within a full asphalt mixture. Another finding from this study was that, at a given level of damage, the healing characteristic of the three different types of FAM mixes was not significantly different. This indicates that the healing rate is mostly dictated by the type of binder and not significantly influenced by the gradation or binder content, as long as the volumetric distribution of the mastic was the same. In other words, the inherent healing characteristics of the asphalt binder plays a more significant role relative to other properties (e.g. volumetrics) in the overall fatigue cracking resistance of the asphalt mixture. KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Fatigue cracking KW - Fine aggregates KW - Flexible pavements KW - Microstructure KW - Mortar KW - Pavement distress KW - Superpave UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42275/161022-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118644 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345754 AU - Huseth, Andrea AU - Vachal, Kimberly AU - Benson, Laurel AU - Lofgren, Mark AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Pilot Study to Assess Sustained and Multifaceted Traffic Safety Activity on North Dakotaʼs Rural Roads PY - 2011/04 SP - 62p AB - North Dakota consistently experiences a relatively high level of crashes and injuries on rural roads, considering lane miles and vehicle miles traveled. Approximately 55% of the state‟s travel, in vehicle-miles, takes place on rural roads. North Dakota fatal crash reports from 2003 to 2007 show that 89% of serious injuries, including fatal and disabling injuries, occurred on rural roads. The state continues to assess and deploy resources to reduce crashes and injuries on rural roads as outlined in work plans such as the Highway Safety Improvement Plan and the Highway Safety Plan. An important aspect of successfully pursuing a state and federal emphasis on rural road safety is to understand the effectiveness of individual and coordinated safety interventions. The overall goal of this project was to measure effectiveness for alternative levels of intervention designed to heighten awareness and safety on rural roads in a targeted corridor. A multi-county case study was designed to include sustained and multifaceted safety interventions. Two counties in North Dakota were selected to be included in a designated Traffic Safety Corridor where safety interventions would occur. Another county beyond the corridor was monitored as a control case. Metrics used to measure effectiveness were a multi-phase driver survey, direct seat belt observations which occurred pre-intervention, mid-intervention, and post-intervention, and county-level crash/citation data. Overall, results of this research indicate that the project interventions that were implemented had little effect on overall seat belt use of the targeted counties. KW - Countermeasures KW - Effectiveness KW - Highway safety KW - Injuries KW - North Dakota KW - Rural highways KW - Safety programs KW - Seat belts KW - Traffic crashes KW - Utilization UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC11-233.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106669 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344980 AU - Rossetti, Michael A AU - Johnsen, Michael AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Weather and Climate Impacts on Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 88p AB - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has an interest in how adverse weather may influence trucking industry practices, and what climate change might mean for future FMCSA efforts to reduce weather-related crashes. Weather conditions influence commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operations and driver safety through wet pavement, impaired visibility, heavy precipitation, frozen precipitation, flooding, high winds, extremes of temperature, and other factors. Climate variability and climate change may also increase these exposures by affecting the distribution, frequency, or intensity of those weather events. Regional, State, and/or local impacts projected by climate change studies may have future implications for CMV safety. Should climate change result in more frequent or intense storms affecting CMVs, the historic decline in weather-related crashes may level off. This could pose challenges to FMCSA’s primary mission, and the agency may need to explore different strategies for reducing weather-related crashes, such as education and training programs or technologies that could alert drivers of adverse weather conditions. KW - Climate KW - Climate change KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucking safety KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/50000/50100/50134/Weather-Impacts-on-CMV-Safety-report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105162 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344772 AU - Nambisan, Shashi AU - Hallmark, Shauna AU - Fitzsimmons, Eric AU - McDonald, Tom AU - Sperry, Bob AU - Anderson, David AU - Vencil, Evan AU - Roche, Jerry AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Lane-Departure Guidance for Iowa PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 75p AB - Lane departure crashes are the single largest category of fatal and major injury crashes in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) estimates that 60% of roadway-related fatal crashes are lane departures and that 39% of Iowa’s fatal crashes are single-vehicle run-off-road crashes. Addressing roadway departure was identified as one of the top eight program strategies for the Iowa DOT in their Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan. The goal is to reduce lane departure crashes and their consequences through lane departure-related design standards and policies. This report outlines roadway countermeasures that can be used to address lane departure crashes. Paved shoulders, pavement safety edge, shoulder rumble strips, edge-line rumble strips, centerline rumble strips, high-tension median cable barriers and countermeasures for horizontal curves are included. A general description, design variations, summary of performance and effectiveness, guidance and current practice for Iowa, and proposed guidance and changes are included for each possible countermeasure. KW - Countermeasures KW - Edge detection KW - Guidelines KW - Highway curves KW - Highway design KW - Highway safety KW - Iowa KW - Lane departures KW - Median barriers KW - Paved shoulders KW - Ran off road crashes KW - Rumble strips UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106581 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343588 AU - Wang, Jianmin AU - Su, Tingzhi AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Leaching Behavior of Coal Combustion Products and the Environmental Implication in Road Construction PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 113p AB - Leaching of trace elements may raise environmental concerns when using coal fly ash in road construction. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of creating the first national rule on coal ash management, including beneficial use. Meanwhile, driven by tightening emission regulations, technological evolution at the coal energy industry continuously generates new types of coal fly ashes with unknown characteristics. These changing landscapes may impact the coal ash utilization options in the construction industry. To minimize the possible adverse environmental impact in utilizing coal ash for road construction, it is important to evaluate the characteristics of fly ashes generated from plants that employ new air emission control technologies, to determine the leachability of trace contaminants, and to find effective methods for remediating inorganic contaminants in fly ash when necessary. This project assessed the physical and chemical characteristics of fly ashes produced from trona injection plants (used for SO2 emission control), and investigated the leaching of a group of concerned inorganic contaminants from these fly ashes. A protocol was developed to quantify the availability and stability of As and Se in raw bituminous fly ash under various field conditions. The effectiveness of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA)-washing in remediating fly ash was also studied. This report presents the results of this project in the format of four journal manuscripts, which are in the process being submitted for peer review and publication. KW - Arsenic KW - Coal KW - Electric power plants KW - Emission control systems KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fly ash KW - Industrial plants KW - Leaching KW - Road construction KW - Selenium KW - Sulfur dioxide KW - Trace elements UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R214_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105565 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341906 AU - Iseki, Hiroyuki AU - Rivasplata, Charles R AU - Houtman, Rebecca AU - Smith, Adam AU - Seifert, Carl AU - Sudar, Tiffany AU - San Jose State University AU - University of New Orleans AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Examination of Regional Transit Service Under Contracting: A Case Study in the Greater New Orleans Region PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 180p AB - Many local governments and transit agencies in the United States face financial difficulties in providing adequate public transit service in individual systems, and in providing sufficient regional coordination to accommodate transit trips involving at least one transfer between systems. These difficulties can be attributed to the recent economic downturn, continuing withdrawal of the state and federal funds that help support local transit service, a decline in local funding for transit service in inner cities due to ongoing suburbanization, and a distribution of resources that responds to geographic equity without addressing service needs. This study examines two main research questions: (1) the effect of a “delegated management” contract on efficiency and effectiveness within a single transit system, and (2) the effects of a single private firm—contracted separately by more than one agency in the same region—on regional coordination, exploring the case in Greater New Orleans. The current situation in New Orleans exhibits two unique transit service conditions. First, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) executed a “delegated management” contract with a multinational private firm, outsourcing more functions (e.g., management, planning, funding) to the contractor than has been typical in the U.S. Second, as the same contractor has also been contracted by another transit agency in an adjacent jurisdiction—Jefferson Transit (JeT), this firm may potentially have economic incentives to improve regional coordination, in order to increase the productivity and effectiveness of its own transit service provision. Although the limited amount of available operation and financial data has prevented drawing more definitive conclusions, the findings of this multifaceted study should provide valuable information on a transit service contracting approach new to the U.S.: delegated management. This study also identified a coherent set of indices with which to evaluate the regional coordination of transit service, the present status of coordination among U.S. transit agencies, and barriers that need to be resolved for regional transit coordination to be successful. KW - Barriers to implementation KW - Case studies KW - Contracting out KW - Coordination KW - New Orleans (Louisiana) KW - Public transit KW - Regional planning KW - Regional transportation KW - Transportation planning UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2904_Regional_Transit_New_Orleans.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104233 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341795 AU - Lee, Young-Jae AU - Morgan State University AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - National Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Life Cycle and Economic Efficiency Analysis Phase II: Durable Pavement Markings PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 52p AB - This report details the Phase II analysis of the life cycle and economic efficiency of inlaid tape and thermoplastic. Waterborne paint was included as a non-durable for comparison purposes only. In order to find the most economical product for specific traffic and weather conditions, the project examined the relationship between the pavement marking materials’ retroreflectivity and input variables. For three to four years, retroreflectivity data were collected from six locations in the state of Maryland. The sites were selected based on the amount of traffic and snowfall they received. Phase I of this study was done with one year of data, but that data collection period could not provide reasonable and reliable estimates of future retroreflectivity. As hoped, a two-year extension of the data collection period produced better estimates. The results of this research show that snowfall is a major factor in the deterioration of the retroreflectivity. The life cycle of each material was estimated under different conditions, and the installation cost of each material was estimated for the economic efficiency analysis. The results suggested that specific materials should be applied for specific weather and traffic conditions. Although inlaid tape’s estimated life cycle was longer than thermoplastic’s, thermoplastic’s lower cost made it the more economical material for all conditions. KW - Costs KW - Data collection KW - Deterioration by environmental action KW - Durability KW - Economic efficiency KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Maryland KW - Retroreflectivity KW - Road marking tapes KW - Snowfall KW - Thermoplastic materials KW - Traffic paint KW - Weather conditions UR - http://roads.maryland.gov/OPR_Research/MD-11-SP808B4P_Life-Cycle-and-Economic-Efficiency-Analysis-Phase%20II_Durable-Pavement-Markings_REPORT.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37900/37998/LifeCycle_Lee_1011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103229 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341122 AU - Bryson, John M AU - Crosby, Barbara C AU - Stone, Melissa M AU - Saunoi-Sandgren, Emily AU - Imboden, Anders S AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Urban Partnership Agreement: A Comparative Study of Technology and Collaboration in Transportation Policy Implementation PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 74p AB - The problems faced by today's public managers are often too large to be solved by a single entity and require collaboration across government, nonprofit, and business sectors. As new technologies and systematic approaches transform the transportation field, cross-sector collaboration has become an increasingly important policy development and implementation approach. Particularly within the transportation field, an assemblage of technologies is often critical to implementing system-wide strategies aimed at, for example, mitigating traffic congestion. In many cases, designers and implementers of effective transportation policies must combine a variety of technologies with deft relationship building and management. Through the development of comparative case studies of three of the Urban Partnership Agreement initiatives, this research study will examine how technology and collaborative processes may be combined to achieve important transportation goals and create public value more generally. The report begins with a narrative description of the implementation phase of the Urban Partnership program in the Twin Cities metro area from June 2008 through August 2009; the development and ultimate unraveling of the program in New York City; and the development and implementation of the Miami program. Subsequent sections cover the methodology, findings about key aspects of the UPA collaboration in Minnesota, New York City, and Miami, and conclusions and implications for transportation policy, planning, and implementation, as well as collaboration more generally. KW - Case studies KW - Cooperation KW - Implementation KW - Miami Metropolitan Area KW - New York Metropolitan Area KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation policy KW - Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minnesota) KW - Urban areas KW - Urban Partnership Agreements UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1514 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103074 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340898 AU - Bullough, John D AU - Snyder, Jeremy D AU - Skinner, Nicholas P AU - Rea, Mark S AU - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Barricade Lighting System PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 26p AB - Presently in work zones, standard barricade warning lights are used to provide channelizing and warning functions. These yellow flashing lights are presently used without consideration of the specific work zone activities underway at any given time. Several novel concepts for a barricade lighting system (BLS) were developed and evaluated: flashing red lights for use when traffic is stopped or very slow within a work zone, flashing green lights when a work zone is inactive and traffic should proceed normally, expanding yellow lights when drivers should slow down and exercise enhanced caution, and sweeping yellow lights when lane closures require drivers to move to the right or left. Prototype BLS units were designed and fabricated. A survey of driver understanding of these BLS functions indicated that drivers would probably understand all of the functions but that the flashing red and green functions could result in conflicts with other roadway traffic control devices. A field evaluation of the expanding and sweeping BLS functions in mock-up work zones demonstrated that driver comprehension of the lights could be translated to a driving situation. Drivers changed lanes sooner (providing a 40% longer lane change margin) in response to the sweeping BLS function than to conventional flashing barricade lights, and subjective ratings of the clarity of the BLS functions were also positive. KW - Barricades KW - Comprehension KW - Drivers KW - Innovation KW - Lighting KW - Prototypes KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/199/UTRC-BLS-Report1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102887 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340896 AU - Krizek, Kevin J AU - Stonebraker, Eric AU - Tribbey, Seth AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Bicycling Access and Egress to Transit: Informing the Possibilities PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 144p AB - When effectively integrated with transit services, considerable room exists for bicycling to realize various benefits to communities. A successful marriage between bicycling and transit will likely increase the use and efficiency of both modes. A core problem, however, exists in that the predominant approach for integrating bicycles and transit—bicycles aboard transit vehicles—frequently runs up against capacity restraints. Integrating bicycling and transit requires analysis of a broad range of alternatives that considers both the travel patterns and needs of individuals but also accompanying urban form characteristics. What are the most cost effective strategies likely to generate the largest number of cyclists accessing transit? To aid in developing a framework to evaluate the cost effectiveness of different strategies to integrate transit and bicycling this project: (1) reviews the state of the knowledge, (2) proposes an analysis framework for communities and transit agencies to consider in efforts to maximize the integration of bicycling and transit, (3) conducts focus groups with cyclists from five case study communities to gauge preferences for bicycle and transit integration strategies, and (4) develops a preliminary application to evaluate four bicycle and transit integration strategies based on focus group discussions and use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). These evaluation measures are applied to five communities. A cycling-transit user (CTU) index provides an initial attempt to understand transit stops that have a higher likelihood to attract CTUs. The AHP ranked cyclists’ preferences for four bicycle and transit integration strategies in order of preference: (1) “Bike ON transit” (transporting the owner’s bicycle aboard (inside or outside) the transit vehicle) (0.471); (2) “Bike TO transit” (using and parking the owner’s bicycle at a transit access location) (0.185); (3) “Shared bike” (sharing a bicycle, which would be based at either the transit access or egress point) (0.185); and (4) “Two bike” (using an owner’s two bicycles at the access and egress location) (0.159). Results of the cost effectiveness assessment suggest that “Bike ON transit” ranked most cost effective overall, followed by “Bike TO transit,” “Two bike,” and “Shared bike” strategies. KW - Analytic hierarchy process KW - Bicycle commuting KW - Bicycle travel KW - Bicycling KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Focus groups KW - Integrated transportation systems KW - Public transit KW - Strategic planning UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/2825_bicycling_access.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102901 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340895 AU - Ahmed, Ashraf AU - Farkas, Andrew AU - Beck, Kenneth H AU - Morgan State University AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - National Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Social Network Analysis of Alcohol-Impaired Drivers in Maryland: An Egocentric Approach PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 65p AB - This study examined the personal, household, and social structural attributes of alcohol-impaired drivers in Maryland. The study used an egocentric approach of social network analysis. This approach concentrated on specific actors (alcohol-impaired drivers), called egos, and those with whom the actors interact, called alters. In sum, egos and alters were similar in many aspects of their driving, drinking behavior and background. They influenced each other mostly in positive ways. The size of social networks affected the context of drinking behavior and the number of traffic violations. Receiving citations did show some deterrent effect. Thus, there are implications for intervention programs. KW - Behavior KW - Drunk drivers KW - Intervention KW - Maryland KW - Social factors KW - Social network analysis KW - Traffic citations KW - Traffic violations UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38500/38557/ASocial_Ahmed_1011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102892 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340827 AU - Jasek, Debbie AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Facilitating Outreach Programs for Students in Rural Texas PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 24p AB - Since 1998, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) has expanded its efforts to build dynamic partnerships among the business, industry, and education sectors. Previous grants from the Southwest University Transportation Center (SWUTC) created pilot programs targeting minority populations in southern and coastal Texas. This current project strives to create long-term outreach programs to students in rural Texas built on these previous efforts. A number of the pilot programs are evolving into active programs funded by other public and private monies. These programs include an Industry to Work Day, participation in career fairs, teachers’ workshops, colonias outreach, and assistance with the South Texas Summer Transportation Institute. In order for these programs to be successful, TTI needs to remain an active program partner. This project provided TTI team members with the opportunity to act as facilitators for two years to ensure program success. KW - Education and training KW - Outreach KW - Rural areas KW - Students KW - Texas KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Jasek_09-10-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102843 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340824 AU - Overman, John H AU - Tucker, Sandy AU - Sandidge, Matt AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Plan Repository and Archive PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 32p AB - This project created a repository and archive for transportation planning documents in Texas within the established Texas A&M Repository (http://digital.library.tamu.edu). This transportation planning archive and repository provides ready access to transportation plans to planners, researchers, policy makers, and the public—whether for planning purposes, research, or general information. The repository will become a historic archive of decision-making documents to which planners can refer. Past decisions and their outcomes inform future decisions, part of a continuous, comprehensive, and cooperative process to improve transportation mobility for all. This project developed a process for collecting transportation plans, creating repository records, and for uploading the documents. It established a homepage for the collection and developed a consistent set of metadata for elements of the repository records such as agency names, dates, and plan topics. The archive currently contains the long-range transportation plans from metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico; all are posted in the Texas A&M Repository at http://repository.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/90584. The plans are being made available without charge as a public service. The Texas A&M Repository provides persistent and reliable access to digital works for wide distribution and long-term preservation. The project leverages the underlying database and search interface that are part of the Texas A&M Repository and takes advantage of the Repository’s servers, storage, and commitment to maintain the files permanently. The Texas A&M Repository can be used by anyone with Internet access. International standards used by the Repository and cooperative arrangements among similar repositories result in making the documents readily discoverable through search engines such as Google. The long-term goal is that the repository and archive expand its transportation plan collection and provide even greater benefits to the public and transportation planning community. KW - Archives KW - Data collection KW - Data uploading KW - Documents KW - Information storage and retrieval systems KW - Long range planning KW - Metadata KW - Public access to information KW - Records management KW - Repositories KW - Transportation planning UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Overman_10-20-58.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102844 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340382 AU - Gay, Kevin AU - Horton, Suzanne AU - On, Sung Teak AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - FMCSA Safety Program Effectiveness Measurement: Intervention Model in Fiscal Year 2007 PY - 2011/04//Final Report SP - 33p AB - This report presents results from FMCSA’s Roadside Intervention Model for fiscal year 2007. The model estimates the number of crashes avoided, as well as injuries avoided and lives saved, as a result of the Agency’s roadside inspection program. The Roadside Intervention Model uses a risk-based approach to estimate the benefits of the roadside inspection program. With this approach, each violation detected at the roadside is assigned a crash risk. When these violations are corrected as a result of an inspection, the associated crash risks are removed and the number of crashes, fatalities, and injuries prevented can be estimated. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Effectiveness KW - Inspection KW - Roadside KW - Safety programs KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucking safety KW - U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37900/37946/Intervention-2007.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102483 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362910 AU - Galarus, Douglas AU - Richter, Daniell AU - Bateman, Kelvin AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Central Federal Highways Division Data Collection Packages - Final Report PY - 2011/03/31/Final Report SP - 61p AB - The purpose of this research study was to develop a proof of concept, prototype electronic data-collection and reporting system to facilitate the completion of Emergency Relief for Federally Owned (ERFO) Roads Damage Site Reports (DSR). The system would replace current reports, which are hand-written in the field and converted to an electronic format later. Researchers developed the prototype system, which integrates a Tablet PC, digital camera, GPS, and satellite and cellular modems. Users completing road damage reports have the capability to summarize basic information, map locations, download topographic maps and aerial photos for reference, import and annotate photos using a stylus pen, free-hand sketch using the stylus pen, and automatically generate reports. The system was successfully tested in the lab and demonstrated to the FHWA. Anticipated benefits of the new method include more detailed, accurate and timely reporting of incidents in the field, which may facilitate and expedite emergency response and road repair activities. KW - Central Federal Lands Highway Division KW - Data collection KW - Data communications KW - Emergency management KW - Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads Program KW - Global Positioning System KW - Incident management KW - Information systems KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Prototypes KW - Systems engineering UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/documents/reports/4W1804_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1128278 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343105 AU - Ament, Robert AU - Galarus, Doug AU - Richter, Daniel AU - Bateman, Kelvin AU - Huijser, Marcel AU - Begley, James AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Roadkill Observation Collection System (ROCS): Phase III Development PY - 2011/03/31 SP - 114p AB - The Roadkill Observation Collection System (ROCS) is a multi-phased effort that has developed software for a tripartite system: rugged, handheld and integrated personal digital assistant (PDA) - global positioning system (GPS) data collectors, automatic uploads of data from the PDA-GPS units to a central electronic data repository and controlled admission to the ROCS central data server to access data to examine results on visualization software, for evaluation, summaries and reports. Data collection for this latest phase of the ROCS was conducted in 2010 and early 2011 in Iowa and New York by transportation maintenance crews removing animal carcasses along highways. An evaluation of a portion of the spatially accurate data (within 5-10 meters of actual location) using the central ROCS server indicate the data can be used to identify areas of high animal–vehicle collisions via a spatial cluster analysis, can be used to conduct a cost–benefit analyses for mitigation, and have the potential for other useful evaluations. Field and system tests of the ROCS have been completed indicating a fully functional system that is now ready for broader geographic deployment. KW - Animal vehicle collisions KW - Cluster analysis KW - Data collection KW - Data processing centers KW - Global Positioning System KW - Location KW - Personal digital assistants KW - Road kill KW - Spatial analysis UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/documents/reports/4W1824_Final_Report_Phase3.pdf UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/documents/reports/4W2109_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104945 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342281 AU - Miller, Sheryl AU - Rephlo, Jennifer AU - Armstrong, Christopher AU - Jasper, Keith AU - Golembiewski, Gary AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - National Evaluation of the Safetrip-21 Initiative: Combined Final Report PY - 2011/03/31/Final Report SP - 147p AB - Through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) SafeTrip-21 Initiative, the U.S. DOT tested a variety of technologies in a number of locations in California as well as along the I-95 corridor on the east coast. This document presents the findings of the independent national evaluation of eight of its applications. Part I of the report provides an overview of the initiative and the evaluation activities. Part II summarizes each application that was tested and the related evaluation findings. Part III synthesizes the evaluation findings across four topics relevant to the its community – collecting and using traffic conditions data, providing real-time traffic information to drivers, providing multi-modal travel information to travelers, and providing safety information to drivers. KW - California KW - Highway safety KW - Information systems KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Traffic data UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38500/38510/safetrip_cfr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104414 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01485866 TI - Linking Eco-Logical to Planning and Project Development AB - The objective of this project is to aid in the implementation of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWAs) Eco-Logical Program HEPE requires the support of and access to multi-disciplined teams to meet the transportation challenges for the 21st century. KW - Ecology KW - Environmental impacts KW - Implementation KW - Project development KW - Transportation planning UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1255091 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01369959 AU - Geddes, Scott AU - Petrucci, Giuseppe AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Atmospheric Oxidative Chemistry of Organic Particulate Emissions from Fuel Combustion PY - 2011/03/25 SP - 11p AB - This report presents the construction and characterization of the University of Vermont Environmental Chamber (UVMEC) for the study of atmospheric reactions of volatile compounds. The experimental system has been designed to permit the generation and measurement of low-level (sub ppmv) oxidants inside the reaction chamber. The primary function of the UVMEC is to enable tropospheric particulate formation and aging studies to be performed on environmentally relevant timescales. KW - Aerosols KW - Atmospheric chemistry KW - Combustion KW - Environmental impacts KW - Exhaust gases KW - Oxidizing agents KW - Ozone KW - Particulates KW - Pollutants KW - Test chambers UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/research/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-11-004.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138412 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353556 AU - Boile, Maria AU - Theofanis, Sotirios AU - Ozbay, Kaan AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - New York Metropolitan Transportation Council AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility of Freight Villages in the NYMTC Region: Task 6 – Site Impact Assessment PY - 2011/03/23 SP - 48p AB - This report summarizes the work conducted to analyze the site impact of freight villages. The analysis included assessing traffic, logistics and economic impacts, which are then used to determine the extent to which freight village development has the potential to assist in New York Metropolitan Transportation Council’s regional objectives. The objectives are to mitigate congestion by reducing vehicle miles traveled and increasing mode balance, foster rational and efficient land uses that curb sprawl, focus development on desired growth areas, promote compatible land uses, and promote economic development in the form of job creation. The method of assessment is as follows: analyze the generation of truck traffic, where different numbers of trucks are generated by the type of facility located within a freight village. A typical freight village model was created and was applied to six sites. The number of trucks generated by facilities is estimated using the truck trip rates from the ITE Trip Generation manual and relevant figures. To assess the impact of alternative land uses compared to freight village development, various scenarios were used for comparisons which include development of a business park, an amusement park and a regional park. The traffic impact of a freight village will then be compared to that of alternative developments. After conducting the study and analyzing the potential sites more thoroughly it was concluded that they are suitable for development as freight villages. Previous analysis and international experience show that networking among freight village facilities in a region enhances their functionalities and increases their potential to achieve clustering effects and to further reduce any adverse impact. As the need for goods in the region grows, so does the demand for freight transport and logistics operations. The current model of various small facilities and large number of truck trips required to accommodate the demand for freight is not sustainable. Freight villages help achieve environmental objectives, having the potential to reduce miles of less sustainable modes of transport and increasing the use of environmental friendly transport modes such as rail and water accessible warehouse facilities. KW - Economic development KW - Economic impacts KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Freight demand KW - Freight transportation KW - Freight villages KW - Impact studies KW - Land use planning KW - Logistics KW - New York Metropolitan Area KW - Sustainable development KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic impact analysis KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Truck trips UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/119/Final_Freight-Villages1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118320 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361076 AU - Heppner, Paul AU - Bell, Brian AU - Orrego, Andres AU - Wise, Joshua AU - Pucci, Julian AU - Global Science & Technology, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Passenger Bus Industry Weather Information Application. PY - 2011/03/21/Project Findings SP - 41p AB - Adverse weather significantly affects the United States national transportation system, including commercial companies that rely on highways to support their enterprises. The Passenger Bus (Motorcoach) Industry (PBI) is one such affected user whose operational efficiency, occupant safety, and the cost of services can be compromised by adverse weather. The primary objective of the Passenger Bus Industry Weather Information Application (PBI WxApp) is to integrate mobile platform environmental observations with fixed-site (airports and road-weather stations) observations in order to create a window of meteorological information along a commercial vehicle’s intended travel route. The expected outcome is situational awareness for drivers, passengers, and dispatchers or other operations personnel, including those who use decision support systems. Mobile platform observations describe environmental conditions in locations not sampled by fixed-site road-weather equipment. Consequently, the PBI WxApp includes input data that is dynamic and oft times rapidly changing when the vehicles encounter storms and precipitation. This report will describe the development of the PBI WxApp and its general outcomes. The findings show that mobile platform data are reliable and provide a weather window that is more complete than any single source of data. KW - Bus transportation KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Decision support systems KW - Mobile communication systems KW - Passenger transportation KW - Road weather information systems KW - Weather conditions KW - Wireless LANs UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43200/43202/FHWA-JPO-11-123_PBI_WxApp_Final_Report_v1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126438 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353880 AU - Gillespie, Anthony AU - Zimmerman, Carol AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Tooley, Melissa AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Key Findings and Recommendations for Technology Transfer at the ITS JPO PY - 2011/03/21/Final Report SP - 115p AB - This report provides key findings and recommendations for technology transfer at the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) based upon an assessment of best practices in technology transfer in other industries, such as national labs, Federal Agencies, universities and industry. For this project, the assessment of best practices in other industries was comprised of the following components; a literature review to identify best practices; web surveys of technology transfer professionals in other industries and at University Transportation Centers to get the current perspective on technology transfer best practices; and site/telephone interviews to generate 7 case studies of the best practices of selected organizations in other industries. Based upon this assessment, the key findings and recommendations were developed and compared to the recommendations in two previous reports by the Government Accounting Office and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General on the ITS JPO. KW - Best practices KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Interviewing KW - Literature reviews KW - Recommendations KW - Technology transfer KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42100/42107/FHWA-JPO-11-085__Key_Findings___Recommendations_for_Tech_Transfer_at_ITS_JPO__PDF_508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118147 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344858 AU - National Park Service AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Cape Cod National Seashore Intelligent Transportation Systems Implementation Plan PY - 2011/03/18/Final Report SP - 74p AB - The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is providing technical support to the Cape Cod National Seashore in the planning of an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). In collaboration with the Cape Cod Commission, National Seashore staff believe that ITS can improve the quality of visitor experience and help to ease congestion related to visitor traffic at the Seashore’s six beaches. Such systems can also improve management of unplanned incidents and emergency events. Several major studies and plans have highlighted the potential benefits to the National Seashore of ITS for parking management, traveler information, and emergency communication. With this knowledge base and related planning in place, the National Seashore and the Volpe Center began a more focused exploration of investment in ITS. The National Seashore is following the recommended systems engineering model for ITS. In keeping with regulatory requirements, it has participated in the updating of the Regional ITS Architecture for Southeastern Massachusetts. Existing conditions have been identified and researched. A productive first round of discussions between National Seashore staff and stakeholders has yielded a concept of what the system should look like and do; two linked system components, Parking Management and Traveler Information, have been identified, along with details of how they should operate. Several meetings have occurred between the research team and key emergency-response agencies at the county and state levels to discuss strategies for using whatever ITS elements the National Seashore ultimately deploys to disseminate essential traveler information in the event of a hurricane or other emergency. In addition, technology assessments have been performed on key system elements (i.e., vehicle counting systems, and traveler information systems, and recommendations have been formulated for ITS deployment in the National Seashore, in terms of both the technologies to use, and the implementation steps to follow. During the initial phases of this project, when the desired functionality of the ITS deployment was being considered, the project team invited and received participation from a broad array of stakeholders, including local towns, state and county emergency response agencies, business organizations, and the regional public transportation Authority. As part of the preliminary analyses, the team produced an Existing Conditions report, the main findings from which are summarized in Chapter 3. The high-level planning steps in the ITS implementation process are now complete. This report summarizes those steps, reports on the resulting conclusions, and provides guidance on the next steps in the implementation process: system design, procurement, and deployment. KW - Cape Cod National Seashore KW - Disaster preparedness KW - Emergency communication systems KW - Hazards and emergency operations KW - Hurricanes KW - Information dissemination KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Parking management KW - Public transit KW - Regional planning KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Traveler information and communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38000/38094/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-11-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105244 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344856 AU - Hajbabaie, Ali AU - Medina, Juan C AU - Benekohal, Rahim F AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Traffic Signal Coordination and Queue Management in Oversaturated Intersection PY - 2011/03/18/Final Report SP - 108p AB - Traffic signal timing optimization when done properly, could significantly improve network performance by reducing delay, increasing network throughput, reducing number of stops, or increasing average speed in the network. The optimization can become complex due to large solution space caused by many combinations of different parameters that affect traffic operation. In this study three different methods are used to find near-optimal signal timing parameters in transportation networks. The methods are: Genetic Algorithms (GA), Evolution Strategies (ES), and Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP). Each method is introduced, the signal timings associated with them are explained and some important measures of performance of the networks are determined and compared. One small network with 9 intersections and one medium network with 20 intersections were used for evaluating the optimizations methods. Three general cases (Cases 1, 2, 3) are discussed in this report. For the small symmetric network, three levels of traffic loading are used (no overload, 10% overload and 20% overload). For the medium network (modified Springfield IL downtown network), two levels of entry volumes are used (750 and 1000 vehicle per hour per lane). KW - Genetic algorithms KW - Intersections KW - Optimization KW - Oversaturation (Traffic flow) KW - Saturation flow KW - Springfield (Illinois) KW - Throughput (Traffic) KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic networks KW - Traffic signal control systems KW - Traffic signal timing UR - http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nextrans/assets/pdfs/Year%202%20Final%20Reports/Final%20Report%20047.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38000/38085/NEXTRANS_Project_No__047IY02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105241 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340777 AU - Greer, Elizabeth AU - Allwell, Cassandra AU - Burger, Charlotte AU - Raskin, Larry AU - Noblis AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - ITS Professional Capacity Building: Setting Strategic Direction 2010-2014 PY - 2011/03/18/Final Report SP - 63p AB - This document describes the strategy that the ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program is pursuing to create a 21st century learning environment and build an ITS professional that leads the world in the innovative use of ITS technologies. The strategic plan presents: (1) Introduction. Describes how the PCB Program is shifting its strategic approach to better meet customer needs. (2) Vision, Mission, and Values. States the renewed vision, mission, and core values of the Program. (3) Goals and Objectives. Describes the strategic plan for 2010 to 2014. Outlines four strategic goals, sets objectives, states anticipated outcomes. (4) Benefits and Conclusion. Describes benefits of the renewed strategy, outlines how results will be measured, and summarizes actions to be taken to enact the plan. (5) Appendices. Details stakeholder engagement process and Implementation Plan. KW - Continuing education KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Professional capacity building KW - Strategic planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38500/38509/strat_direction_plan.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102641 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343382 AU - Ramezani, Hani AU - Benekohal, Rahim F AU - Avrenli, Kivanc A AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Determining Queue and Congestion in Highway Work Zone Bottlenecks PY - 2011/03/11/Final Report on Phase C SP - 80p AB - Construction zones, though required for infrastructure maintenance, have become congestion choke points on most highway systems in the US. The congestion may create potentially unsafe driving conditions for approaching motorists that do not expect queue there. Managing the growth and dissipation of vehicular queue upstream and within work zones can help reduce congestion and improve traffic safety. However, critical issues are how to determine the extent of queue and congestion accurately, as well as how to best use that information in managing the adverse effects of queue. This study investigated some of the issues in capacity, queue length, and delay estimation in work zones. In particular, the current methods for analyzing congestion in work zones are examined. Further requirements to improve the accuracy of analysis are identified and discussed. The effect of large gaps between vehicles on capacity measurement is determined using field data. Alternative methods for computing work zone capacity were developed. Furthermore, two types of moving queue are studied: 1) intermittent moving queue, 2) continuous moving queue. The characteristics of each type of queue are studied using field data. A methodology to estimate intermittent queue length and delay is proposed. The study investigates continuous moving queue propagation and dissipation using shockwave theory. Also, formulations are developed to estimate continuous moving queue length and delay. KW - Bottlenecks KW - Queue length KW - Queuing KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic queuing KW - Traffic safety KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38000/38086/NEXTRANS_Project_No__046IY02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105157 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340789 AU - Hestekin, Jamie AU - Beitle, Robert AU - Babcock, Robert E AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Production of Butanol Fuel from Renewable Systems Using a Membrane Assisted Fermentation System PY - 2011/03/10/Final Report SP - 18p AB - The U.S. presently imports over 60% of the crude oil that is used to generate most of the 180 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel that are annually consumed in this country. It is estimated that in the U.S., there are at least 500 million dry tons of biomass available annually. This biomass is in the form of forest residues, mill residues, dedicated energy crops, urban wood waste, and agricultural residues. This research investigates the use of another feedstock, algae, as a new raw material for transportation fuel. Algae grown in a native algal raceway system removes pollutants from the water as well as making biofuels. The specific research aim was to transform native algae strains, grown to clean contaminated water, into butanol (1-butyl alcohol). The algae used were from sources inside of Arkansas and New York City. The first process step was drying the algae. It was found that enough water could be removed in 2-3 days by air drying in a greenhouse to make algae dry enough for subsequent processing. The next processing step was to hydrolyze the algae and extract carbohydrates for ultimate butanol production. The authors found that at a temperature of 110 C, a short time (30 minutes or less) combined with a high acid concentration (as high as 30 g/L) was optimal for maximum carbohydrate production. The next processing step was to ferment carbohydrates into butanol using clostridium spp. The authors first attempted to use a C. beijenerckii but found it was unsuitable for growth with algae. They found, however, that C. sacchroperbutylacetonicum was suitable for growth and was able to produce butanol from algae. They also found that the butanol could be separated efficiently using a 2-step distillation with phase separation. KW - Algae KW - Biomass fuels KW - Butanol KW - Fermentation KW - Oxygenates KW - Production UR - http://mackblackwell.uark.edu/MBTC_DOT_3018.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102822 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340770 AU - Wang, Kelvin C P AU - Hall, Kevin D AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - AHTD Cracking Protocol Application with Automated Distress Survey for Design and Management PY - 2011/03/09/Final Report SP - 33p AB - Manual surveys of pavement cracking have problems associated with variability, repeatability, processing speed, and cost. If conducted in the field, safety and related liability of manual survey present challenges to highway agencies. Therefore automated processes for cracking analysis have been sought after in the past decades. Processed cracking results need to be compiled based on a standard or a protocol so pavement engineers can apply the results in design and management. Pavement cracking protocols vary in details. Cracking definitions in the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) and the Mechanistic-Empirical Design Guide (MEPDG) represent two efforts in defining cracking applications for pavement condition monitoring and prediction modelling of pavement condition in design respectively. This paper presents the findings of using a fully automated process with the Automated Distress Analyzer (ADA) to establish a viable method for analyzing cracks based on 2D laser images for HPMS and MEPDG. It is determined that automated survey is possible for both protocols as long as careful design and implementation are made and errors are controlled in the process as much as possible. In addition, an analysis of wheelpath wandering and its effect on cracking analysis is conducted by varying positions of wheelpaths and their sizes. KW - Automated distress analyzer KW - Condition surveys KW - Pavement cracking KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement management systems UR - http://www.arkansastrc.com/MBTC%20REPORTS/MBTC%203016.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337359 AU - Garrick, Norman AU - University of Connecticut, Storrs AU - New England University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Community Design and Transportation Safety PY - 2011/03/06/Final Report SP - 3p AB - The goal of this study was to assess how street network characteristics affect road safety. Using a spatial geographic information system (GIS) analysis together with a novel approach to classifying street network patterns, the research showed that both street network and street characteristics are significantly correlated with road safety outcomes. The basis for this analysis was over 230,000 individual crash records geo-coded in a GIS database in over 1000 census Block Groups in 24 California cities. In conducting this study, the authors controlled for variables such as street patterns, vehicle volumes, activity levels, income levels, and proximity to limited access highways and to the downtown area. KW - Activity levels KW - California KW - Cities KW - Communities KW - Crash records KW - Geographic information systems KW - Highway safety KW - Street patterns KW - Streets KW - Traffic volume UR - http://utc.mit.edu/uploads/UCRN%2020-8%20FP-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36093/UCRN_20-8_FP-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100366 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01490712 TI - iTRAC Wireless: Intelligent Compression of Transportation Video for Wireless Networks AB - An important source of information in the monitoring, development, and planning of transportation systems is video data. This type of data is acquired at the scene of interest and either processed on site or transmitted to a control center for observation, automated processing and archiving. In almost all cases the digital video data is compressed to reduce the number of bits to be transmitted and/or stored. However, most video compression algorithms are not optimized for traffic video data and do not take into account the possible data loss that may occur when sending over lossy wireless channels or the analysis that will follow at the control center. As a result, the quality of the data may be low for viewing purposes, or as the principal investigators' past research in vehicle tracking has shown the tracking accuracy and efficiency using such video may be severely limited. In 2009-2010, as part of the Center for the Commercialization of Innovative Transportation Technology
(CCITT) iTRAC project the principal investigators (PIs) developed a system suitable for centralized transportation surveillance applications, where low cost remote cameras with minimal onboard processing capability are connected to a powerful central data processing location. iTRAC focused on developing video processing and compression algorithms that minimized the bandwidth requirement of links between remote and central nodes, allowing on average the use of 90% less bandwidth than existing state-of-the-art video compression systems. Such a dramatic drop in bandwidth requirements leads to the dramatic reduction of ubiquitous system deployment costs by allowing the use of low cost wireless links rather than dedicated wired links currently in use. The reduction in bitrate available through the use of iTRAC technology is particularly attractive for cellular infrastructure and can allow the adoption of automated transportation surveillance on a previously unfeasible scale. However, transmission of video over lossy channels, such as cellular networks, presents its own a unique set of challenges to account for possible data loss, especially when the video in question is intended for tracking. The PIs propose to develop iTRAC Wireless, a system leveraging the gains from iTRAC while improving upon them by introducing algorithms to specifically deal with the unique challenges of lossy cellular networks in the context of automated tracking. KW - Commercialization KW - Data collection KW - Digital video KW - State of the art KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic control centers KW - Traffic surveillance KW - Vehicle tracking KW - Video compression KW - Video data KW - Wireless communication systems KW - Wireless LANs UR - http://www.ccitt.northwestern.edu/research/projects/Katsagellos-Tsaftaris_Y5-02.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1260422 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01622422 AU - Lee, Cynthia AU - Macdonald, John AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Baseline Ambient Sound Levels in Point Reyes National Seashore PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 131p AB - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with the cooperation of the National Park Service (NPS) and assistance of the U.S. Department of Transportation, John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is developing Air Tour Management Plans (ATMP) for all national parks with commercial air tours, with the exception of the Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP), tribal lands within or abutting the GCNP, air tour operations flying over or near the Lake Mead National Recreation Area solely as a transportation route to conduct an air tour over GCNP, Rocky Mountain National Park, and national park units located in Alaska. An important area of technical support is the determination of representative baseline ambient sound levels for the study parks. During the summer (July – August 2009) and winter (January – February 2010), the Volpe Center conducted baseline ambient sound level measurements in Point Reyes National Seashore. Approximately one month of acoustical and meteorological data were measured at four sites throughout the park. This document summarizes the results of the noise measurement study. KW - Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) KW - Air tours KW - Aircraft noise KW - Baseline data KW - Measurement KW - National parks KW - Point Reyes National Seashore (California) KW - Sound level UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/60000/60400/60400/Point_Reyes_ambient_sound_levels.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1441072 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01599861 AU - Lindquist, Peter AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Midwest FreightView and the Great Lakes Maritime Information Delivery System: A Resource for the Regional Analysis of Intermodal Freight Flows PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 12p AB - Midwest FreightView and the Great Lakes Maritime Information Delivery System is a comprehensive data repository and information clearinghouse in support of Great Lakes maritime commerce. This multifunctional resource integrated in a geographic information system focuses on relating economic spatial data with commodity flow data and traffic patterns in order to effectively document and explain patterns of economic activity among all major sectors of the regional economy with an emphasis on their linkage to freight movements. KW - Computer program documentation KW - Data storage KW - Database management systems KW - Databases KW - Economic development KW - Economic impacts KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Great Lakes Region KW - Midwest FreightView KW - Regional analysis KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_0233_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1408184 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01522245 AU - Lee, Cynthia AU - MacDonald, John AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Park Service TI - Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Acoustical Monitoring 2007/2008 PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 96p AB - In 2007, the Natural Sounds Program (National Park Service) received a technical assistance request to collect baseline acoustical data at Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). During the summer (June – September 2007) and winter (January – February 2008), six sites were deployed for approximately 30 days each. The baseline data collected during this period will help park managers and planners estimate the effects of future noise impacts and will help to inform future park planning objectives such as creating soundscape management plans, as well as the development of an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP), which provides for the regulation of commercial air tours. The sound sources of concern at GGNRA include developments near park boundaries, air tours, commercial and private aircraft activities, and requests for special use permits for noisy activities. This document summarizes the results of the noise measurement study. KW - Aircraft noise KW - Ambient noise KW - Golden Gate National Recreation Area KW - National parks KW - Noise sources KW - Sound level UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51100/51115/GOGA_AcousticalMonitoringReport_nrss.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1303899 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01450870 AU - Gilbo, Eugene AU - Smith, Scott AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal aviation Administration TI - New Ways of Looking at Sector Demand and Sector Alerts PY - 2011/03 SP - 36p AB - This report presents the latest results of research conducted at the Volpe Center on improving air traffic demand predictions and enhancing the Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) Monitor/Alert function for identifying potential congestion at National Airspace System (NAS) elements such as airports, sectors and fixes. New approaches are presented for improving the way that TFMS determines if a sector is alerted. The deterministic demand pattern approach as well as the probabilistic weighted average approach have the advantage of being a smaller change from the traditional and long accepted way of doing business, while the fully probabilistic approach has the advantage of providing a more satisfactory way of looking at demand. The Federal Aviation Administration can now compare these approaches to the current approach and determine which is more attractive for the long run. If one of the new approaches is deemed desirable, additional work would be needed to flesh the proposals out into fully operational tools. KW - Air traffic KW - Air traffic control KW - Airport capacity KW - Airport congestion KW - Airspace sectors KW - Alert systems KW - Flow control (Air traffic control) KW - Metering (Air traffic control) KW - Monitoring KW - Traffic flow UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45605/New_ways_of_looking_on_sector_demand_14March2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218198 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01370181 AU - Maher, Ali AU - Ruggeri, Joseph AU - Geo-Hydro, Inc AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hydrodynamic Modeling for Ex-Situ Testing PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 26p AB - The primary objective of the project is to provide a review of the current state of practice regarding hydrodynamic models and modeling for ex-situ testing applications. From a selection of graphics, simulations and numerical modules available, the study will provide ease of use, parameter requirements, applicability, functionality, capabilities and output results to aid in the selection process and make a recommendation based on ex-situ testing analysis needs, possible trends and response indicators. KW - Hydrodynamics KW - Hydrology KW - Numerical analysis KW - Simulation KW - Testing KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://cait.rutgers.edu/cait/research/hydrodynamic-modeling-ex-situ-testing UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136636 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01368803 AU - Buttlar, William G AU - Paulino, Glaucio H AU - Dave, Eshan V AU - Leon, Sofie AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Thermal Cracking Performance Prediction and Asset Management Integration PY - 2011/03//Technical Report SP - 44p AB - With shrinking maintenance budgets and the need to ‘do more with less,’ accurate, robust asset management tools are greatly needed for the transportation engineering community. In addition, the increased use of recycled materials and low energy production techniques such as warm-mix asphalt are leading to increased needs for preventive and rehabilitative maintenance activities. The timing of such activities will greatly affect the total discounted life-cycle cost of the pavement system. Low-temperature cracking of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavements continues to be a leading cause of premature pavement deterioration in regions of cold climate and/or where significant thermal cycling occurs. Recent advances in fracture testing and modeling of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) materials have greatly aided in the understanding of the key mechanisms behind this important pavement distress, which can greatly reduce pavement lifespan and the lifespan of subsequent rehabilitation cycles. However, there is a need for implementation of new models into a standalone program which can be readily utilized by researchers and practitioners. Moreover, the complete integration of material selection, material design, pavement design and pavement performance into a more holistic asset management system has been hampered by the lack of accurate, user-friendly performance prediction models for pavements. The objective of this project was to complete the development of a user-friendly interface that provides simplified access to sophisticated low-temperature cracking prediction models. This stand-alone program will greatly accelerate the transfer of this technology to practitioners and other interested scientists and engineers (pavement designers, analysts, and researchers). The program is designed to be compatible with the existing thermal cracking model used in the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG), and with the new thermal cracking model being developed under the National Pooled Fund Study on Low Temperature Cracking. As part of this report, the key developments associated with the new mechanics-based thermal cracking model are presented. The funding provided by this NexTrans supplement allowed the development of the thermal cracking software to include aspects which will facilitate its seamless integration into an overarching pavement management software program. KW - Asset management KW - Life cycle costing KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Pavement performance KW - Recycled materials KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Thermal degradation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44300/44317/Final_Report_041.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1137369 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361230 AU - Horton, Suzanne M AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Public Education and Enforcement Research Study - Macomb, Illinois, Analysis PY - 2011/03 SP - 44p AB - The Public Education and Enforcement Research Study (PEERS) was a collaborative effort between the Federal Railroad Administration, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and local communities in the State of Illinois. This project was designed to promote safety at highway-rail grade crossings. The role of the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center was to monitor and evaluate highway-rail grade crossings in Illinois communities using video data collection, while the communities conducted education and enforcement campaigns. The effectiveness of the programs was determined by counting the number of motorists and pedestrians that violated the crossing warning devices during three project phases. In 2006, results from one community, Arlington Heights, were published. This report focuses on the effectiveness of the PEERS programs in Macomb, IL, and compares the results to Arlington Heights. In Arlington Heights, overall violations were reduced nearly 31 percent, and the most risky pedestrian violations were reduced 76 percent. In Macomb, there were few pedestrian violations, but overall violations still increased slightly during the study. The variations in the effectiveness of the education and enforcement campaigns were accounted for by the differences in the communities and the way in which the program was implemented. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Arlington Heights (Illinois) KW - Data collection KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Illinois KW - Macomb (Illinois) KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Pedestrian violations KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety KW - Safety education KW - Safety programs UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/101 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37900/37927/DOT-VNTSC-FRA-09-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126930 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360960 AU - Hallmark, Shauna AU - McDonald, Tom AU - Sperry, Bob AU - Vencil, Evan AU - Iowa State University, Ames AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Safety Edge Benefits in Iowa PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 88p AB - Pavement edge drop-off can be a serious safety concern when a vehicle leaves the paved roadway surface and encounters a significant vertical elevation difference between the paved roadway and the adjacent unpaved shoulder. Edge drop-offs are potential safety hazards because significant vertical differences between surfaces can reduce vehicle stability and affect the driver’s ability to control a vehicle when inadvertently leaving the paved driving area. In addition, scrubbing between the pavement edge and tire can result in loss of control. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed the Safety Edge, based on research results that indicated a sloped pavement edge surface could be more easily traversed by a vehicle leaving its lane and attempting to remount the pavement edge. The Safety Edge is a design feature that creates about a 30 degree fillet along the outside edge of the paved section of a roadway. This report summarizes the extent of run-off-road (ROR) crashes resulting from pavement edge drop-off, includes information about the effectiveness of the Safety Edge, and describes types of equipment that are commercially available to place the Safety Edge during hot-mix asphalt (HMA) paving. It also describes the marketing and outreach activities that the research team undertook to inform agencies and encourage use of the Safety Edge in Iowa, primarily through open houses, equipment loans, technical assistance, and trouble-shooting. The team also monitored work to evaluate application of the Safety Edge on both HMA and Portland cement concrete (PCC) projects. With encouragement from the FHWA, the team and the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) worked to develop Safety Edge design standards and specifications for PCC projects. This report also provides estimates for the additional materials to apply the Safety Edge to both HMA and PCC projects. Finally, this report covers lessons learned and includes conclusions and recommendations. KW - Design standards KW - Hazard mitigation KW - Highway safety KW - Iowa KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement edge KW - Ran off road crashes KW - Safety edge (Pavement safety feature) UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/reports/safety_edge_benefits_w_cvr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126985 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359039 AU - Englert, Burkhard AU - Lam, Shui F AU - Steinhoff, Peter AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Impact of Truck Repositioning on Congestion and Pollution in the LA Basin PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 55p AB - The use of inland ports is increasing, partly as a result of traffic congestion near ports such as Los Angeles and Long Beach. Repositioning routes, where trucks must be driven to inland ports for pick up and delivery, are examined to assess their impact on air pollution and traffic congestion in the Southern California region. Most drivers moving containers to and from the ports are employees or contractors of trucking companies and they reposition their trucks to and from the yards of the companies. Different repositioning and container distribution scenarios are modeled and analyzed for their impact on pollution. Findings show that inland ports such as Victorville have the potential to significantly reduce air pollution and traffic congestion in the immediate area of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. They may also cause a dramatic increase in pollution and congestion in the region as a whole. To avoid such negative impacts, establishment of such ports must be done in cooperation and collaboration with trucking and warehouse companies. KW - Air pollution KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Port of Long Beach KW - Port of Los Angeles KW - River ports KW - Southern California KW - Truck drivers KW - Truck facilities KW - Truck terminals KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucks KW - Vehicle miles of travel KW - Warehouses UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/Englert_final_report_1026_0_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1123404 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354222 AU - Lownes, Nicholas AU - Garrick, Norman AU - Jackson, Eric AU - Johnston, Robert AU - Bolella, Garrett AU - Osei-Asamoah, Abigail AU - Yannes, Craig AU - Center for Transportation and Livable Systems AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Public Transit Design for Smart Growth: Using Choice Experiments to Quantify Tradeoffs, Values and Funding Implications PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 98p AB - Studying public perception of public transportation and the environment in which it operates is crucial to understanding the symbiotic relationship between transportation and the built environment. This report documents research completed to quantify the value of public transit using choice experiments in the form of stated preference surveys. The study was implemented in two phases; a pilot study and a full scale implementation. The general study methodology for each phase uses choice experimentation administered in the form of a stated preference survey. The choice experiments used in both studies place respondents into personalized hypothetical scenarios and examine their preferences for new transit service and the environment in which it operates. The survey instrument developed investigates public response in a hypothetical bond referendum, a realistic funding context in today’s transportation funding environment. Data obtained were used to develop preference models by fitting them with logit models, which are used to identify tradeoffs users make between various transit service attributes and built environment attributes. KW - Bonds KW - Built environment KW - Choice models KW - Financing KW - Logits KW - Public transit KW - Smart growth KW - Stated preferences KW - Surveys UR - http://www.ctls.uconn.edu/pdf/CTLS_08-04_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118983 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354221 AU - Chrysochoou, Maria AU - Garrick, Norman AU - Segerson, Kathleen AU - Bagtzoglou, Amvrossios AU - Dahal, Geeta AU - Brown, Kweku AU - Granda-Carvajal, Catalina AU - Center for Transportation and Livable Systems AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reversing Urban Sprawl: A Reclaimability Index Approach for Reviving Downtown Brownfields PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 121p AB - A key step to promoting urban revitalization is the reclamation of abandoned or underutilized contaminated sites, also known as brownfields. Effective brownfield redevelopment approaches require environmental, socioeconomic and urban planning dimensions to be integrated into policies. The most common approach to incorporate such dimensions is to evaluate specific redevelopment projects for a single site and decision support tools have been developed for that purpose. In this study, the authors present a decision support tool to prioritize brownfield redevelopment options based on their location characteristics as a basis for developing redevelopment priorities. This tool incorporates and aggregates location-specific variables into three indices: socioeconomic, smart growth and environmental. Its application to the city of New Haven, Connecticut as a case study demonstrates a general prioritization scheme that can be used by urban planners and public agencies to develop strategic plans for brownfield redevelopment, incorporating funding and local considerations. KW - Brownfields KW - Case studies KW - City planning KW - Decision support systems KW - Environmental policy KW - Financing KW - New Haven (Connecticut) KW - Redevelopment KW - Smart growth KW - Socioeconomic factors KW - Strategic planning KW - Urban sprawl UR - http://www.ctls.uconn.edu/pdf/CTLS_08-03_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118982 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01350107 AU - Cotton, Ben AU - Fine, Alisa AU - Poe, Carson AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Livability: Case Studies of Select Transportation Agencies PY - 2011/03 SP - 46p AB - This report synthesizes the findings from four case studies that assess how select organizations (the City of Boulder, Colorado’s Transportation Division, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, the University of Oregon and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, and the Southern California Association of Governments) are developing and applying GIS tools to support livability goals from a transportation point of view. The report identifies important trends and factors that encourage the use of these tools and provides examples of additional tools beyond those referenced in the case studies. Finally, it describes successes and challenges experienced in developing and utilizing the tools as well as factors that transportation organizations might consider as they engage in similar efforts. While livability can be conceptualized in different ways, this report uses the definition that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have promoted. According to the partnership, livability involves providing transportation and housing choices, economic competitiveness, quality of life, and enhancing the unique characteristics of communities and neighborhoods by investing in healthy, safe, and walkable neighborhoods. The livability principles of particular relevance to transportation, and thus examined most closely in this report, include promoting transportation choices and enhancing communities and neighborhoods. KW - Case studies KW - Communities KW - Geographic information systems KW - Mode choice KW - Neighborhoods KW - Quality of life UR - http://www.gis.fhwa.dot.gov/documents/Livability_Report_030811.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113104 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349715 AU - Wang, Fei AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Microscopic Model of Road Capacity for Highway Systems in Port Based Metropolitan Areas PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 17p AB - Microscopic modeling is used to assess highway traffic mobility during lane blockage situation. A test microscopic model using ARENA software is developed. The impact of container trucks on highway traffic capacity and risk of accident during lane blockage is modeled. The test model simulates a 3000 feet distance on a two lane highway, while the passing lane is blocked at 2500 feet distance from the beginning. Merging sign and taper zone was used to guide traffic on the passing lane to merge to driving lane. The cargo truck traffic ratio is adjusted to assess the effect of cargo trucks on the road mobility. The road mobility is assessed using the throughput ratio (total number of vehicles exited the system/ total number of vehicles entered the system). The risk of collision is assessed using the number of un-successful merging attempts at the taper end. Traffic throughput and risk of collision is simulated as a function of traffic density, cargo truck percentage as well as number of merging signs placed onsite. Increasing traffic density significantly reduces the road throughput, while increasing the risk of collision moderately. Increasing cargo truck percentage reduces road throughput, while increasing the risk of collision. Increasing the number of merging signs increases the traffic throughput and reduces the risk of collision up to a threshold. Under the traffic condition studied, this threshold is two merging signs. KW - Arena (Computer program) KW - Highway capacity KW - Lane closure KW - Merging traffic KW - Microsimulation KW - Traffic models KW - Traffic signs KW - Truck traffic KW - Variable message signs UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42534/METRANS_Project_09-11_Microscopic_Model_of_Road_Capacity_for_Highway_Systems_in_Port_Based_Metropolitan_Areas.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1111797 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345018 AU - DeLaurentis, Dan AU - Peeta, Srinivas AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - System Methods for Uncovering Economic, Technological, and Policy Enablers of an "On-Demand Air Service" Regional Passenger Transportation Solution PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 50p AB - On-Demand Air Service (ODAS) is an emerging potential new mode of transportation, which commonly utilizes the Very Light Jet (VLJ) class of aircraft (maximum occupancy of 6 persons and range around 1000 nm). The mature and often stressed hub-and-spoke system of the commercial airlines and capacity constraints on the major hub airports; combined with a steady rise in air transportation demand over long term, has resulted in an increase in average trip time for random origin-destination pairs. Unlike scheduled air service (operated by today’s airlines), ODAS will be similar to a taxi service in that it would be: 1) available for use when a customer needs it, 2) accessible at more locations (e.g. local airports) closer to where people live and work, and 3) operate from point-to-point (no stops). The development of widely available, affordable ODAS in a regional setting could have profound effects on regional economies, demographics, land use, quality of life, and shifts in business activity. The objectives of the research are the following: (1) Establish a framework that can study different service models (characterized by different aircraft performance, network topologies and price models) for an ODAS in the larger context of a Regional Transportation System (RTS). (2) Extract the following aggregate properties for the RTS that can help the decision-makers to understand the effect of ODAS on the existing infrastructure: a) Changes in overall network mobility b) Fraction of the total demand that may potentially shift to ODAS c) Effect on ground transport near ODAS service points d)Effect on air transportation by the changes in demand (3) Present case studies that compare different service models for the ODAS in order to prove the effectiveness of the framework. KW - Air taxi service KW - Demand KW - Economic impacts KW - On-demand air service (ODAS) KW - Passenger aircraft KW - Passenger transportation KW - Policy KW - Regional transportation KW - Technology KW - Travel time UR - http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nextrans/assets/pdfs/Year 2 Final Reports/Final Report 039.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105815 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344893 AU - Jeong, D Y AU - Carolan, M E AU - Perlman, A B AU - Tang, Y H AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Deformation Behavior of Welded Steel Sandwich Panels under Quasi-Static Loading PY - 2011/03//Technical Report SP - 71p AB - This report describes engineering studies that were conducted to examine the deformation behavior of flat, welded steel sandwich panels under two quasi-static loading conditions: (1) uniaxial compression; and (2) bending with an indenter. Testing and analysis are conducted to study the force-displacement response of sandwich structures with different core geometries: (1) pipe or tubular cores with outer diameters equal to 2, 3, and 5 in; (2) a 2-inch square diamond core; and (3) a double corrugated core called an X-core with a 5-inch core height. Deformation and local collapse modes of sandwich panels under these loading conditions are also studied. Moreover, the work described in this report represents basic research to investigate the concept of applying welded steel sandwich structures as a means to offer protection to railroad tank cars—especially those carrying hazardous materials—in the event of an accident. KW - Bending KW - Compression KW - Continuous welded rail KW - Deformation KW - Hazardous materials KW - Railroad tracks KW - Railroad traffic KW - Railroad transportation KW - Sandwich panels KW - Static loads KW - Tank cars KW - Weldments UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/102 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37900/37928/DOT-VNTSC-FRA-10-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105253 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344719 AU - Smith, Megan AU - University of Oregon, Eugene AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Increasing Capacity In Rural Communities: Planning for Alternative Transportation PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 22p AB - This technology transfer proposal linked service learning with rural multimodal transportation planning through a collaborative partnership between University of Oregon (UO) experiential learning programs and three rural Oregon communities. As this planning and technical support to rural communities occurred, lessons learned were gathered and will support future service-learning projects focused on transportation planning. The primary products for this project are the: (1) Completion of multimodal transportation planning projects that increase rural community capacity; and (2) a website with resources for communities, faculty and students. Three further outcomes were: (1) Increased capacity for transportation planning in rural communities; (2) Increased capacity in existing transportation planning professionals working in rural communities; and (3) Increased capacity in young planning professional and graduate students. This project was led by the Community Service Center (CSC) at the UO and engaged two programs of the CSC. Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE), founded in 1994, is a field based service learning program, affiliated with the UO’s Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management (PPPM). Each year RARE places 20 graduate level participants in rural Oregon communities where they live for 11 months while working for local agencies on planning and community development projects. Community Planning Workshop (CPW) is an experiential learning program also affiliated with PPPM. Established in 1977, CPW is campus-based, with teams of graduate students working on projects for public and non-profit organizations. KW - Bicycle travel KW - Communities KW - Community development KW - Education and training methods KW - Graduate students KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Oregon KW - Rural areas KW - Rural transit KW - Technology transfer KW - Transportation planning KW - Walking KW - Websites (Information retrieval) KW - Workshops UR - http://otrec.us/project/175 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106561 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343611 AU - Edil, Tuncer AU - Tinjum, James AU - Ebrahimi, Ali AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reconstruction of Railroads and Highways with In-Situ Reclamation Materials PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 108p AB - The resilient modulus and plastic deformation of recycled roadway materials with and without fly ash stabilization were characterized using a large-scale model experiment (LSME). Stabilization of recycled pavement materials (RPM) and road surface gravel (RSG) with 10% by weight of Class C fly ash increased the summary resilient modulus (SRM) two to five times. Moreover, the SRM increased with layer thickness in the LSME. The RPM and RSG exhibited the rate of plastic deformation three to four times higher than the Class 5 base. Stabilized RPM and RSG had the lowest plastic deformation. The moduli obtained from the LSME were used to develop an equivalency-based design for the recycled materials with and without fly ash. Stabilization of the recycled materials by cementitious fly ash reduced the required thickness of a pavement base course up to 30% in accordance with AASHTO 1993 design guide. The SRM and plastic deformation from LSME tests were incorporated in the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) to predict the lifetime expectancy of the recycled materials in a pavement alone and with fly ash stabilization. The results showed that stabilization of recycled materials with fly ash increases the lifetime of pavements constructed with 0.3-m-thick alternative recycled materials from 17 to 21 years. A testing protocol and guidelines for testing fouled railway ballast was developed due to the lack of consistent and systematic testing guidelines in the literature and in rail engineering practice. The effect of fouling (internally generated mineral fouling, external coal fouling due to surface spillage, and clay fouling due to subgrade intrusion) on the permanent (plastic) deformation of ballast under traffic loading was studied using the developed testing protocol. Two main phases were distinguished in the development of plastic strain with loading cycles in fouled ballast: (1) initial compaction phase (ICP), where the plastic strain of ballast steadily increases to a certain point (N < 10,000) and (2) fouling impact phase (FIP), where the plastic strain and the rate of plastic strain of ballast increases due to the presence of fouling materials (or remains stable in the absence of fouling). A maintenance planning and scheduling software was developed incorporating the mechanistic based predictive model for railway substructure by limiting the surface deviation of the railway track. Maintenance planning for railway track based on deformation of substructure reveals the need for a mechanistic characterization of ballast. Based on the developed model and a given track condition, ballast with initial fouling of 5% requires four maintenance activities (i.e., tamping events) to level the track surface during six years of evaluation. Based on this model, fouling is expected to increase to 25% after six years. The fundamental mechanistic data generated provide a basis for assessing pavement or rail behavior for various scenarios of freight transport. KW - Ballast (Railroads) KW - Ballast fouling (Railroads) KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Fly ash KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Modulus of resilience KW - Plastic deformation KW - Plastic strain KW - Railroad tracks KW - Reconstruction KW - Recycled materials KW - Service life KW - Stabilization (Materials) KW - Substructures KW - Tamping KW - Thickness UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/0204_CFIRE_FR.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105718 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343237 AU - Wall, Richard AU - Johnson, Brian AU - Kyte, Michael AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Failure Analysis of Network Based Accessible Pedestrian Signals in Closed-Loop Operation PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 25p AB - The potential failure modes of a network based accessible pedestrian system were analyzed to determine the limitations and benefits of closed-loop operation. The vulnerabilities of the system are accessed using the industry standard process know as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis. This analysis reveals that because the closed-looped operation increases operational observability, there is only one failure mode that is not detectible. Investigation on reliability of hardware and software indicate that the probability of this particular event is extremely low. The three primary components of a distributed real-time control system are hardware, software, and communications. Environmental conditions are the predominant factors that determine hardware reliability. The system was tested for its ability to function in the presence of electrical transients specified the NEMA. All hardware components meet or exceed NEMA temperature requirements. Software errors are difficult to detect and difficult to predict. Best practices in development and testing can minimize the number of errors. Testing includes multiple years of both laboratory and field testing. KW - Accessible pedestrian signals KW - Feedback control KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Pedestrian vehicle interface KW - Traffic control devices KW - Traffic signal control systems KW - Warning devices for persons with disabilities UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK719_N11-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104746 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343116 AU - Larco, Nico AU - University of Oregon, Eugene AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking Transportation Options in Suburbia, Phase II PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 48p AB - Comprising over 9 million units in this country, suburban multifamily housing is a widespread and overlooked example of density located within walking distance to commercial development in suburbia. This report focuses on resident demographics, attitudes, and perceptions as they relate to mode choice in 14 suburban multifamily sites in Eugene, Oregon. Through site analysis and resident surveys, this study shows that site design and connectivity is a significant predictor of resident mode choice. Residents of more-connected developments walk and bike to their local commercial area for more than 40% of their trips, nearly twice the rate of residents of less-connected developments. The greater use of active transportation versus auto transport in well-connected developments has potential environmental benefits of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle miles traveled, and gas consumption and the health benefits of increases in exercise and calorie burning, and the social benefits of increases in independence of elderly and youth populations. Quantifying the degree to which site design, and specifically connectivity, makes a difference in residents’ mode choice is a first step to increasing the amount of active transportation in these areas. The results of this research provide planners and designers a basis for reevaluating suburban multifamily site design and zoning codes. KW - Apartment buildings KW - Bicycling KW - Environmental impacts KW - Eugene (Oregon) KW - Mode choice KW - Public health KW - Social benefits KW - Street connectivity KW - Streets KW - Suburbs KW - Urban design KW - Walking UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/216 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104944 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342070 AU - McNeal, Heather AU - Hawkins, H Gene AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Creating a Systems Engineering Approach for the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices PY - 2011/03//Technical Report SP - 98p AB - The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provides basic principles for use of traffic control devices (TCDs). However, most TCDs are not explicitly required, and the decision to use a given TCD in a given situation is typically made by an engineer (or an individual working under engineering supervision) based on a variety of information including, but not limited to, the MUTCD. There are many other factors not addressed by the MUTCD that can lead to differences in the decision-making process. To assist engineers with evaluating these factors, this research developed a decision analysis process to assist engineers with making TCD decisions. The value of this research is the idea that the decision analysis process for TCDs can be modeled and analyzed using appropriate factors including need, impacts, influences, and cost. This process will contribute to more uniform decisions amongst all levels of experience in TCD decision-making. When applying this research, it is important to remember that it is not the intent of this process to remove engineering judgment. This is an important part of the process and should remain as such. KW - Decision making KW - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices KW - Systems engineering KW - Traffic control devices UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00009-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104631 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342069 AU - McCray, Talia M AU - Sanchez, Ana Julita Gomez AU - Chung, Myung Kyung AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Effect of Public Transit on Social Opportunities for Ethnic Minority Populations: Case Study of Huston-Tillotson University Students PY - 2011/03//Research Report SP - 159p AB - Travel time to destinations in the Austin area continues to rise during both peak and off-peak hours. With increased congestion and higher gas prices, some individuals are traveling more selectively and viewing public transit as a cost-saving alternative to the automobile. However, a substantial number of Austinites remain solely dependent on their automobiles for transportation. This study analyzes the travel patterns of students attending Huston-Tillotson University (HT), an Historical Black College and University (HBCU). This population does not utilize public transit, and is mostly car dependent. Reasons given include the need to be independent, the inefficiency of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus (travel time and routes), condition of bus stops, and the fear of crime while waiting for a bus. During the Spring of 2009, focus groups were held on HT’s campus, and surveys were distributed to the broader student body. From September 2009 – May 2010, an environmental analysis of the built environment surrounding 38 bus stops in three locations was performed using an established survey tool. The researchers determined that both studies were necessary to test whether an environmental analysis would support the findings of the focus groups and student surveys. Using GIS, a cluster analysis of bus stop environments, and cumulative distribution functions to explore bus travel time to reported destinations, the researchers found that the students’ perceptions were not always consistent with the environmental analysis. The cluster analysis revealed spatial differences when identifying negative attributes. However, none of the bus stop structures in the three areas were in very poor condition. The researchers suggest that a transit training program for HT students would be beneficial in improving ridership. KW - Built environment KW - Bus stops KW - Case studies KW - Cluster analysis KW - College students KW - Ethnic groups KW - Focus groups KW - Huston-Tillotson University KW - Minorities KW - Public transit KW - Ridership KW - Social impacts KW - Surveys KW - Transit safety KW - Travel patterns KW - Travel time UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161024-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104634 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342064 AU - Baker, Richard T AU - Russ, Miranda AU - Goodin, Ginger AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Relationship Between Income and Personal Vehicle Fuel Efficiency and Associated Equity Concerns for the Fuel Tax PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 35p AB - The fuel tax, which is assessed on the physical amount of fuel purchased by the consumer, is the primary means of funding roadway development at the state and national level. However, because it is assessed on a gallon basis, drivers of vehicles with a low fuel efficiency pay more per mile for use of the roadway than drivers of more fuel efficient vehicles. If there is a relationship between fuel efficiency and income, such that lower income drivers are more likely to drive a low fuel efficiency vehicle, then the equity of the fuel tax is in question. In this study, researchers analyzed over 350,000 vehicle registration records from around the State of Texas to determine if areas with a lower median income had a higher distribution of low fuel efficiency vehicles. Researchers found that vehicles registered in lower income areas tended to have lower average fuel efficiencies than vehicles registered in areas with mid-range and higher income. Lower income areas and rural areas were also more likely to have a higher percentage of class 35 vehicle registrations, usually larger light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, which tend to have lower fuel efficiency. KW - Equity (Justice) KW - Financing KW - Fuel consumption KW - Fuel efficiency KW - Fuel taxes KW - Highways KW - Income KW - Low income groups KW - Motor vehicles KW - Registrations KW - Rural areas KW - Texas UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161007-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104632 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341975 AU - Pucher, John AU - Buehler, Ralph AU - Rutgers University, New Brunswick AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Alexandria AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Large North American Cities: Lessons for New York PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 63p AB - This research report reviews trends in cycling levels, safety, and policies in large North American cities over the past two decades. The authors analyze aggregate national data as well as city-specific case study data for nine large cities (Chicago, Minneapolis, Montreal, New York, Portland San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington). The number of bike commuters in the USA rose by 64% from 1990 to 2009, and the bike share of commuters rose from 0.4% to 0.6%. Over the shorter period from 1996 to 2006, the number of bike commuters in Canada rose by 42%, and the bike share of commuters rose from 1.1% to 1.3%. From 1988 to 2008, cycling fatalities fell by 66% in Canada and by 21% in the USA; serious injuries fell by 40% in Canada and by 31% in the USA. Cycling rates have risen much faster in the nine case study cities than in their countries as a whole, at least doubling in all the cities since 1990. The case study cities have implemented a wide range of infrastructure and programs to promote cycling and increase cycling safety: expanded and improved bike lanes and paths, traffic calming, parking, bike-transit integration, bike sharing, training programs, and promotional events. The authors describe the specific accomplishments of the nine case study cities, focusing on each city's innovations and lessons for other cities trying to increase cycling. Although cycling has almost doubled in New York City since 1990, it lags far behind the other case study cities in almost every respect. It has the lowest bike share of commuters, the highest cyclist fatality and injury rate, and the lowest rate of cycling by women, children, and seniors. New York has built the most bikeways of any North American city since 2000 and has been especially innovative in its use of cycle tracks, buffered bike lanes, bike traffic signals, bike boxes, and sharrowed streets. Yet New York has almost completely failed in the important areas of bike-transit integration and cyclist rights and falls far short on bike parking and cycling training. Moreover, the refusal of New York's police to protect bike lanes from blockage by motor vehicles has compromised cyclist safety. New York has much to learn from the other case study cities, which have implemented a far more comprehensive, integrated package of mutually reinforcing policies to promote cycling. KW - Bicycle commuting KW - Bicycle lanes KW - Bicycle parking KW - Bicycle safety KW - Bicycle travel KW - Bicycle-transit integration KW - Bicycling KW - Bikeways KW - Canada KW - Case studies KW - Chicago (Illinois) KW - Cyclist training KW - Fatalities KW - Injuries KW - Large cities KW - Lessons learned KW - Minneapolis (Minnesota) KW - Montreal (Canada) KW - New York (New York) KW - Policy KW - Portland (Oregon) KW - San Francisco (California) KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Toronto (Canada) KW - Traffic calming KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States KW - Vancouver (Canada) KW - Vehicle sharing KW - Washington (District of Columbia) UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/176/Analysis-Bike-Final1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104384 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341974 AU - Flamm, Bradley AU - Agrawal, Asha Weinstein AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Investigation into Constraints to Sustainable Vehicle Ownership: A Focus Group Study PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 78p AB - Though most Americans hold pro-environmental attitudes, an attitudes-behavior gap exists with respect to vehicle ownership. Significant constraints appear to prevent most people with environmental concerns from buying smaller, more fuel-efficient, less-polluting vehicles. But researchers have only a simplistic understanding of what those constraints are and how individuals describe and react to them. This study explored these barriers in depth through a series of focus group discussions with 36 residents of the Sacramento, California, metropolitan region who held pro-environmental attitudes. Analysis of the focus group conversations revealed that the features of vehicles currently on the market, family and work responsibilities, residential choices, and routines and preferences all constrained participants’ vehicle purchase choices to ones which, more often than not, poorly reflect their environmental attitudes. The group conversations also revealed serious misunderstandings about the environmental impacts of owning and using vehicles that make it difficult for many to accurately assess their alternatives. For some participants, environmental concerns are unlikely to influence future vehicle purchase decisions, even if constraints were removed altogether; other priorities have taken and will take precedence over the environmental impacts of their choices. But for many participants, strategies to remove or weaken the identified constraints to owning smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles could lead them to choose vehicles that would reduce their resource and energy consumption for personal transportation. Further research with a larger pool of subjects is needed to confirm whether the focus group findings apply to the larger population. KW - Attitudes KW - Automobile ownership KW - Behavior KW - Environmental impacts KW - Focus groups KW - Fuel consumption KW - Sacramento (California) KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Vehicle choice KW - Vehicle size UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/2903_10-08.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37800/37838/2903_10-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104385 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341161 AU - Polzin, Steven AU - Reich, Steven AU - Davis, Janet AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Exploration of Transit's Sustainability Competitiveness PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 90p AB - With growing interest in climate change and greater anticipation of energy cost increases, being sustainable has implications for the financial efficiency of transit agencies and on the image and appeal that transit has to offer current and prospective customers. Being more resource efficient can help the agency financially, increase its ridership and public support, and increase its contribution to broader national goals of moving toward a more sustainable transportation system. Collectively, these considerations provide strong motivation for transit to strive toward greater sustainability and articulate its contributions toward a more sustainable transportation system to the public and policy makers. Towards that end, this research initiative explores select aspects of public transit’s sustainability. The data regarding the fuel efficiency of public transit bus travel has been explored in detail, with results that may be surprising to many. First, the message from the data is confusing, as different sources show significantly different results. Closer scrutiny suggests that the actual performance of transit bus may be poorer than often reported and far poorer than commonly perceived. Based on national averages, transit bus use is not a more fuel efficient way to travel than auto, on average. (This does not apply to the marginal user who chooses to occupy available transit capacity.) When adjusted for context differences, bus and personal light vehicle modes appear to be virtually identical in terms of BTUs per passenger mile. Finally, transit may contribute to energy efficiency if, working with effective urban design, it attracts people to live in well-planned communities and to adopt travel habits that are less reliant on private vehicles. Transportation planning professionals are still learning how urban design can contribute to effective urban transit and greater overall energy efficiency. KW - Bus transit KW - Energy efficiency KW - Fuel efficiency KW - Public transit KW - Sustainable development KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Transit buses KW - Transportation planning KW - Urban design UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BDK85_977-16_rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/77925.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103117 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340833 AU - Kim, Hwan Yong AU - Wunneburger, Douglas AU - Huang, Jun AU - Morgan, Curtis AU - Neuman, Michael AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Texas Urban Triangle: Pilot Study to Implement a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) for Sustainable Mobility PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 46p AB - This project addressed sustainable transportation in the Texas Urban Triangle (TUT) by conducting a pilot project at the county scale. The project tested and developed the multi-attribute Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) developed in 2009 under a previous UTCM project (TRID Online Accession #01324956), in order to determine the most suitable locations for transportation infrastructure networks, including high-speed rail. The research team selected a key county in the Austin-San Antonio segment of the Interstate 35 corridor. The project mapped, using the eight different strategic economic, social, and environmental factors in the model, the most and least suitable locations for the new transportation infrastructure. It is expected that the outputs of the model be used by TUT metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), metropolitan visioning groups, high-speed rail providers, and similar entities. KW - Decision support systems KW - Land use planning KW - Location KW - Mobility KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Texas Triangle megaregion KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - Transportation networks KW - Transportation planning UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Neuman_10-18-57.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37900/37958/Neuman_10-18-57.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102842 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340830 AU - Higgins, Laura AU - Warner, Jeff AU - Morgan, Curtis AU - Dunham, Philip AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Examining Long-Distance Express Buses as an Extension of and Feeder to Passenger Rail Systems PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 86p AB - One of the mobility challenges facing Texas and other high-population states in the coming years is the rising travel demand along major intercity travel corridors. Increased passenger rail service may help to absorb some of the travel demand from crowded highway and air travel corridors, but service is cost-prohibitive to develop over very long distances. This project explored the potential of using express intercity bus service as an alternative to and an extension of passenger rail service, thus providing a similar type of higher-speed, limited-stop service over long distances with lower development costs than rail. KW - Development costs KW - Express buses KW - Feeder services KW - Intercity transportation KW - Mobility KW - Passenger rail KW - Texas KW - Travel demand UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Higgins_10-44-53.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102785 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340814 AU - Saginor, Jesse AU - Dumbaugh, Eric AU - Ellis, David AU - Xu, Minjie AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Leveraging Land Development Returns to Finance Transportation Infrastructure Improvements PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 73p AB - The United States faces a crisis in transportation finance. Increasing fuel prices coupled with increasing demand for fuel-efficient cars is driving down fuel consumption, and the associated fuel tax revenues. At the same time, the demand for new transportation infrastructure currently outpaces construction, driving up prices for asphalt, concrete, and steel. This combination of declining revenues and higher costs is causing financing shortfalls for new transportation infrastructure and the maintenance of existing infrastructure. As one effort to bridge this gap, Texas House Bill 3588 authorized the creation of Regional Mobility Authorities (RMAs), which have the ability to apply tax-increment finance (TIF) to capture land development returns associated with land development improvements. This research identified the magnitude of property value increases associated with transportation infrastructure improvements, the assessment levels and investment horizon needed to recapture the costs of transportation infrastructure improvements, and how these revenue streams may be further leveraged to support local and regional investments in transportation infrastructure. Using a quasi-experimental design, property values in areas that recently underwent significant transportation infrastructure improvements were compared against nearby control groups. The relative property value increases determine the relative margin of benefit from which TIF revenues may be drawn against the transportation infrastructure capital costs. This study will be used to enhance ongoing efforts at the state level, including a forthcoming professional training course as well as an academic course on public-private partnerships and funding. The course will be offered within Texas A&M University’s Master of Science in Land Development Program and will be offered as a course in Texas A&M’s interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Transportation Planning, developed with University Transportation Center for Mobility™ funding (see Transportation Research Board TRID Accession #01124562 and #01324966 and http://archone.tamu.edu/laup/Programs/CTP_Overview.html). KW - Curricula KW - Education and training KW - Financing KW - Improvements KW - Infrastructure KW - Property values KW - Public private partnerships KW - Real estate development KW - Texas KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - Value capture UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Saginor_09-13-12.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102841 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340465 AU - Lindquist, Peter S AU - University of Toledo AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Data Library Management System for Midwest FreightView and its Data Repository PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 8p AB - Midwest FreightView (MWFV) and its associated data repository is part of a large multifaceted effort to promote regional economic development throughout the Great Lakes system. The main objective for the system is to promote sustainable maritime transportation in the region by serving as an information clearinghouse for public policy decision making and for drawing the link between maritime freight movements and economic impacts throughout the region. In an effort to maintain consistency over time within the MWFV system this project was devoted to the development of a set of formalized data library functions that include a complete set of user guides, technical manuals, and training modules for using the system, a detailed inventory of data repository contents, and complete documentation of repository contents according to national metadata standards. In addition, the project established a formally-defined directory structure for data storage, backup and security protocols, and the development of formal procedures for any updates, additions, or edits to the repository contents. KW - Computer program documentation KW - Data storage KW - Database management systems KW - Databases KW - Economic development KW - Economic impacts KW - Freight transportation KW - Great Lakes Region KW - Metadata KW - Midwest FreightView KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.utoledo.edu/research/ututc/docs/UTC_Data_Library_Final_Report_.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37800/37826/UTC_Data_Library_Final_Report_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102658 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340403 AU - Porter, J David AU - Kim, David S AU - Magana, Mario E AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Wireless Data Collection System for Real-Time Arterial Travel Time Estimates PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 149p AB - This project pursued several objectives conducive to the implementation and testing of a Bluetooth (BT) based system to collect travel time data, including the deployment of a BT-based travel time data collection system to perform comprehensive testing on all the components. Two different BT-based travel time data collection systems were installed. The first system, composed of two DCUs, was installed on a corridor located in Salem, OR. Extensive testing was done on this system, including the collection of travel time samples. A second system composed of five DCUs was installed along 99W in the city of Tigard, OR. Very limited data collection was done on 99W due to the lack of network connectivity. Six different antenna types were characterized using the two DCU BT-based travel time data collection system. The result of the antenna characterization tests showed that vertically polarized antennas with gains between 9 and 12 dBi are good candidates to support a BT-based travel time data collection system. Antennas with circular polarization do not seem to improve the performance, despite the lack of control regarding the orientation of BT-enabled devices in most applications. Travel time samples were also collected with this system. The results indicate that a trade-off exist between the number of samples obtained and the accuracy of these travel time samples. This trade-off is most likely the result of differences in road coverage areas provided by the different antenna types. KW - Arterial highways KW - Bluetooth technology KW - Data collection KW - Real time information KW - Travel time KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36200/36204/WirelessData.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101267 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340333 AU - Guo, Zhan AU - Agrawal, Asha Weinstein AU - Dill, Jennifer AU - Quirk, Megan AU - Reese, Melissa AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Intersection of Urban Form and Mileage Fees: Findings from the Oregon Road User Fee Pilot Program PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 68p AB - This report analyzes data from the 2006-2007 Oregon Road User Fee Pilot Program to assess if and how urban form variables correlate with travel behavior changes that participants made in response to the mileage fee program. The study tested the impact of two fee structures, a variable charge and a flat rate, on seven types of vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and finds that charging a noticeably higher fee for driving in congested conditions can successfully motivate households to reduce their VMT in those times and places where congestion is most a problem. Households in both traditional (mixed use, dense, transit-accessible) and suburban (single-use, low density) neighborhoods will likely reduce their peak-hour and overall travel under a charging scheme that charges a high-rate for peak-hour travel, though households in the traditional neighborhoods will do so more.It also finds that a mileage fee program that charges a high rate during the peak hour is likely to strengthen the underlying influence of urban form on travel behavior. KW - Fees KW - Fuel prices KW - Gasoline KW - Land use KW - Mileage-based user fees KW - Oregon KW - Pricing KW - Transportation policy KW - Travel behavior KW - User charges KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2909_10-04.pdf UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2909_10-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100303 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01339707 AU - Lindquist, Eric AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Planning, Policy and Climate Change: Making the Long-Term Connection PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 62p AB - Climate change and variability will have significant impacts on the future mobility of the population in this country. Previous research has found that the transportation sector is not considering adaptation as a solution to these potential impacts. Further, results from a current Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC) project — Climate Change/Variability Science and Adaptive Strategies for State and Regional Transportation Decision Making — suggest that state and regional transportation planners are not integrating climate change science into their decision and planning processes. This runs counterintuitive to the traditional long-range focus of the planning process. There are several reasons for this situation, including uncertainty in regard to climate science, lack of resources, other problems that require short-term attention, a lack of understanding of the problem, and the desire to avoid the issue as too political. This University Transportation Center for Mobility (UTCM) project develops a greater understanding of decision and policy processes in regard to climate change and adaptation. Coastal areas in particular are seen as vulnerable to climate change and variability, and thus comprise the regional focus of this study. From a temporal perspective the interest is in adaptation to abrupt climate change (discrete climate events such as hurricane or storms) as well as longer-term incremental changes traditionally associated with global warming. KW - Climate change KW - Coastal areas KW - Coasts KW - Decision making KW - Global warming KW - Mobility KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation policy UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Lindquist_07-03.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37800/37827/Lindquist_07-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102473 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01339694 AU - Gebre-Egziabher, Demoz AU - Xing, Zhiqiang AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Concept of Operations in ITS Applications PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 43p AB - The work described in this report is about developing a framework for the design of concept of operations (CONOP), which use small uninhabited aerial systems (SUAS) to support of intelligent transportation system (ITS) application of highway and transportation infrastructure monitoring. In these envisioned applications, these vehicles will be used for tasks such as remote collection of traffic data or inspection of roads and bridges. As such, a risk that has to be managed for these applications is that of vehicle-infrastructure collision. Various solutions to ensure safe separation between the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and the object being inspected have been proposed. However, most, if not all, of these solutions rely on a multi-sensor approach, which combines digital maps of the infrastructure being inspected with an integrated Global Position System (GPS)/Inertial navigator. While ``turn key" solutions for such multi-sensor systems exist, the performance specifications provided by their manufacturers does not provide sufficient information to allow precisely quantifying or bounding the collision risk. Furthermore, size, weight and power (or SWAP) constraints posed by these small aerial vehicles limits the use of redundant hardware and/or software as a risk mitigation strategy. The purpose of the work reported here was to develop a framework for the design of CONOPs, which take these SUAS limitations into account. The method outlined shows, in part, how these vehicle/infrastructure collision risks can be estimated or conservatively bounded. KW - Bridges KW - Crashes KW - Data collection KW - Digital maps KW - Drone aircraft KW - Global Positioning System KW - Highways KW - Inertial navigation systems KW - Inspection KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Remote sensing KW - Risk assessment KW - Risk management KW - Traffic surveillance UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1512 UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1512 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102461 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338809 AU - Geroliminis, Nikolas AU - Srivastava, Anupam AU - Michalopoulos, Panos AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of the Next Generation Stratified Ramp Metering Algorithm Based on Freeway Density PY - 2011/03//Final Report SP - 94p AB - A new coordinated, traffic-responsive ramp metering algorithm has been designed for Minnesota’s freeways based on density measurements, rather than flows. This is motivated in view of recent research indicating that the critical value of density at which capacity is observed is less sensitive and more stable than the value of capacity, thereby resulting in more effective control. Firstly, the authors develop a methodology to estimate densities with space and time based on data from loop detectors. The methodology is based on solving a flow conservation differential equation (using LWR theory) with intermediate (internal) freeway mainline boundaries, which is faster and more accurate from previous research using only external boundaries. To capture the capacity drop phenomenon into the first-order model the authors utilize a fundamental diagram with two values of capacity and provide a memory-based methodology to choose the appropriate value in the numerical solution of the problem. Secondly, with respect to ramp metering, the main goals of the algorithm are to delay the onset of the breakdown and to accelerate system recovery when ramp metering is unable due to the violation of maximum allowable ramp waiting time. The effectiveness of the new control strategy is being assessed by comparison with the currently deployed version of the Stratified Zone Algorithm (SZM) through microscopic simulation of a real 12-mile, 17 ramp freeway section. Simulations show a decrease in the delays of mainline and ramp traffic, an 8% improvement in the overall delays and avoidance of the maximum ramp delay violations. KW - Algorithms KW - Freeways KW - Microsimulation KW - Minnesota KW - Ramp metering KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic density UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1510 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101250 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349496 AU - Barnes, Ronald AU - Tull, Monte AU - Havlicek, Joseph AU - Atiquzzaman, Mohammed AU - Sluss, James AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Roadway Weather Information System and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) Coordination PY - 2011/02/28/Final Report SP - 58p AB - Roadway Weather Information System and Automatic Vehicle Location Coordination involves the development of an Inclement Weather Console that provides a new capability for the state of Oklahoma to monitor weather-related roadway conditions. The goal of this development is that motorist safety might be improved and the damage to highways and bridges caused by the application of deicing agents minimized through the use of the IWC and Decision Support Systems built upon it. KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - Coordination KW - Decision support systems KW - Highway safety KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Oklahoma KW - Road weather information systems KW - Weather conditions KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-05-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107843 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341899 AU - Akyurtlu, Ates AU - Akyurtlu, Jale AU - Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Effect of Ozone and Distance from a Major Roadway on Nitrogen Oxides Concentrations PY - 2011/02/28/Final Report SP - 19p AB - A mobile NO, NO2 and ozone measurement unit with the associated weather monitoring instrumentation was built. Coordinated measurements of NO, NO2 and ozone concentrations and meteorological conditions at varying distances from Interstate 64 near Hampton University, together with the traffic volume data were obtained. CALINE4 was used to estimate the NO2 concentrations at receptors located at the measurement points. Since the concentrations measured at the original location of the receptors were not high enough for the validation of CALINE4 results, a new set of measurements was taken at a new location closer to the roadway. It was found that NO2 concentrations at the receptor locations are strongly affected by the ambient ozone concentrations. Ozone plays a primary role in the generation of NO2 from NO. Ozone is also significant in the formation of secondary nitrogen-containing species, thus depleting NO2. The latter group of reactions is not considered in the estimation of NO2 by CALINE4. The data indicate a significant over-prediction of the NO2 concentrations under crosswind conditions. To understand the obtained results better, statistical data analysis methods need to be used to identify the effects of the large number of variables affecting the process. KW - CALINE4 (Computer model) KW - Crosswinds KW - Hampton (Virginia) KW - Interstate 64 KW - Interstate highways KW - Measurement KW - Nitrogen dioxide KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Ozone KW - Traffic volume KW - Validation KW - Weather conditions UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/docs/environmental_final_report_2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104180 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341897 AU - Parmar, Devendra S AU - Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Non-Destructive Bridge Testing with Advanced Micro-II Digital AE System PY - 2011/02/28/Final Report SP - 16p AB - The proposed research on the test bridge located on Route 164 in Portsmouth, Virginia, was according to the plan of action prepared in consultation with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research (VCTIR). The major elements of the work include: Research preparation; Review of the updated status of the bridge monitoring based on the feedback from VDOT; Discussion of the research plan with VDOT/VCTIR; Site visits with VDOT for identification of the test objects on the bridge; Planning of the equipment installation and data collection; Collection of information on the bridge structural planning and changes from the original plans; Acquisition of the latest average daily traffic data and determination of the percentages of light and truck traffic; Planning of the research logistics in view of the change in structure; and Development of strategy and logistics for design, development of operational aspects of instrument installation/data collection. KW - Acoustic emission tests KW - Average daily traffic KW - Data collection KW - Highway bridges KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Portsmouth (Virginia) KW - Truck traffic UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/docs/ESITAC_NDE_Final_Report_2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104184 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340785 AU - Cox, Brady R AU - Griffiths, Shawn C AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Practical Recommendations for Evaluation and Mitigation of Soil Liquefaction in Arkansas PY - 2011/02/24/Final Report SP - 176p AB - Northeastern Arkansas has some of the largest design earthquake ground motions in the continental U.S. due to its location within the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). These large earthquake ground motions are particularly problematic when coupled with the unknown seismic response of the deep, soft soils of the Mississippi Embayment. Based on empirical standard penetration test (SPT) liquefaction triggering analyses, many soils in this area exhibit apparent liquefaction susceptibility at depths up to 30-plus m (100-plus ft). However, there is very little guidance in the literature on what to do in these situations, because soils soft enough to liquefy at great depths (i.e. greater than approximately 20 m [65 ft]) have not been documented in the case history databases from previous earthquakes. Currently, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD), and others in involved with bridge construction in the NMSZ, are forced to drive piles for bridge foundations to significant depths in order to mitigate against the loss of strength in these potentially liquefiable soils during an earthquake. This is both costly and time consuming. The current research is aimed primarily at helping AHTD and other interested entities determine the best possible liquefaction triggering procedures for soils at depths between approximately 15-30 m (50-100 ft). While it is understood that the extrapolation of the simplified liquefaction triggering procedures to depths greater than approximately 20 m (65 ft) is of uncertain validity (Youd et al. 2001, Idriss and Boulanger 2008), designers must do something to determine the liquefaction susceptibly of these soils. This work systematically evaluates similarities and differences between the available SPT-based simplified methods at significant depths so that a rational decision regarding the liquefaction susceptibility of deep soils in the Mississippi Embayment can be made. KW - Arkansas KW - Earthquakes KW - Liquefaction KW - Pile driving KW - Piles (Supports) KW - Seismicity KW - Soils UR - http://mackblackwell.uark.edu/MBTC_DOT_3017(1).pdf UR - http://www.arkansastrc.com/MBTC%20REPORTS/MBTC%203017.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102743 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337353 AU - Howitt, Arnold M AU - Harvard University AU - New England University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Teaching Case Studies on Emergency Evacuation PY - 2011/02/15/Final Report SP - 3p AB - Through the development of four Harvard Kennedy School case studies, this project explored the policy and institutional dimensions of emergency evacuation planning and implementation in two major metropolitan areas – Houston and New Orleans. By providing in-depth descriptions of how regional authorities prepared for and managed the relocation of large numbers of people during two particularly intense hurricane seasons (2005 and 2008), the cases enable students of public policy and administration to examine a critical emergency management function and to improve their ability to deal with the issue in their future professional work. KW - Case studies KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Emergency management KW - Evacuation KW - Houston (Texas) KW - Hurricane Ike, 2008 KW - Hurricane Katrina, 2005 KW - Hurricane Rita, 2005 KW - Lessons learned KW - Metropolitan areas KW - New Orleans (Louisiana) KW - Public policy KW - Transportation policy UR - http://utc.mit.edu/uploads/Final%20Report_UTC%2020_Howitt%20(HVDE20-14).pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100364 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362915 AU - Koon, Leann AU - Jameson, Bill AU - Galarus, Douglas AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Professional Capacity Building for Communications PY - 2011/02/10/Final Report SP - 26p AB - The Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University, under contract with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), researched and initiated development of a comprehensive training curriculum for transportation communication systems. This curriculum will build the professional capacity of rural intelligent transportation system (ITS) engineers and technicians. The principal deliverables of this project were a Literature Review Summary, a Needs Assessment Summary and Gap Analysis, a Curriculum Scope and Sequence, and a Pilot Course Summary and Evaluation Report. In this first phase, a pilot course was delivered to Caltrans ITS engineers to gauge viability and assess methodology of the overall curriculum. While the course was generally well received by participants, a number of necessary improvements were identified that must be addressed in subsequent project phases and course delivery. KW - Advanced rural transportation systems KW - Communication systems KW - Continuing education KW - ITS program technologies KW - Specialized training KW - Training programs UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/documents/reports/4W2165_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1128281 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340292 AU - Dessouky, Maged M AU - Mu, Shi AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Dynamic Scheduling of Trains in Densely Populated Congested Areas PY - 2011/02/04/Final Report SP - 64p AB - Better planning and scheduling is needed for freight railroads which run at close to capacity. To improve freight train scheduling, algorithms are developed for both static and dynamic scheduling. The performance of two existing hueristics is compared to two optimization-based algorithms. The algorithms produce better results in terms of train delay. For larger networks, two proposed decomposition-based algorithms improve upon existing algorithms for train scheduling. KW - Algorithms KW - Dispatching KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight trains KW - Heuristic methods KW - Optimization KW - Scheduling KW - Traffic assignment KW - Traffic delays UR - http://www.metrans.org/research/10-08-dynamic-scheduling-trains-densely-populated-congested-areas UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098863 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01485863 TI - Congestion Planning AB - This research will promote activities to support the National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's Transportation Network initiative and other initiatives to link operations and planning. Research may focus on road congestion pricing and private sector involvement in transportation investment management and operations. This research will support work to advance and improve congestion management processes and the evaluation of operational improvement strategies development of new tools and programs for understanding analyzing and responding to congestion problems and activities such as websites publications and brochures for information dissemination training and technical assistance toolkits case studies site visits peer exchanges conferences and workshops. KW - Case studies KW - Congestion management systems KW - Congestion pricing KW - Highway operations KW - Information dissemination KW - Technical assistance KW - Traffic congestion UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1255088 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01482635 TI - Haptic Interface for Vehicular Touch Screens AB - The principal investigators have developed a novel haptic technology - the Active TPaD - that lets a user feel and interact with controls on a touch screen, even in the absence of vision or audition. This technology could lead to in-vehicle touch screens that are more natural to use and that require fewer glances away from the road (or rail) ahead. They will work with Ford Motor Company to prototype two vehicular interaction scenarios, test usability, and assess the overall suitability of the Active TPaD for the vehicular environment. Their specific aims are: (1) Develop algorithms for two common interactions scenarios: adjusting a slider, and locating a button by touch alone. (2) Design an experiment to measure a human subject's ability to complete tasks involving sliders and buttons while driving. They will work closely with colleagues at Ford, and design the task to be performed using Ford's VIRTTEX driving simulator. (3) Perform experiments in the VIRTTEX simulator while controlling the amount of vibration (i.e., road conditions). This will test not only the utility of the Active KW - Algorithms KW - Automotive computers KW - Driving simulators KW - Ford Motor Company KW - Human factors engineering KW - In vehicle tasks KW - Prototypes KW - Tactile perception KW - Touchscreen displays KW - Vehicle design KW - Vehicle safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251515 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01470893 TI - An Analysis Framework for Determining the Best Location of VMS's in a Transportation Network Using DTA AB - The location of Variable Message Signs (VMS) has not been adequately addressed by the research community, yet it is a standard practice among state and local transportation agencies. The past few years have witnessed a new trend - mainly in Asian countries (e.g. Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore) - in the use of VMSs to provide traffic flow information in full/partial light emitting diodes (LED) displays. Unlike in the US, where VMSs are primarily installed to provide information on freeway/tollway traffic flow conditions, the new trend is to also provide traffic flow conditions throughout the City including the arterial system. The use of VMS may be viewed as an interim traveler information solution until the majority of vehicles are equipped with in-vehicle navigation and traveler information services in real time and/or smartphones with applications on real-time traffic flow information - the latter is expected to be available faster than any other solutions. Regardless of the use of smartphones and in-vehicle navigation/information devices to obtain real-time traffic flow information, it is expected that VMSs will still play a role for the next 10 to 20 years, and departments of transportation (DOTs) will continue to install them to provide this traveler information service to their customers. Given the financial difficulties that the transportation sector is now facing and is expected to face in the future, it makes it extremely important to select the optimal number and location of VMSs in order to satisfy the travelers' and transportation agencies' objective(s) while minimizing cost. The cost for installing a VMS sign can vary from $100K to $1M, excluding the operational cost. Installing such a system throughout a metropolitan area may require more than 100 VMS signs for a cost that can range from 10 to 100 million dollars. It is a significant budget item for any transportation agency to be allocated to traveler information services and traffic operations. The question that is often being asked by transportation agencies prior to the installation of a VMS signs is: What would be the impact of this VMS on traffic flow improvement on a year by year basis? The second question is, How much will it cost to install and operate? The third question then is, How much budget should we allocate to have the best improvement in the performance of the transportation network or selected Origin-Destination (OD) pairs by installing several VMSs throughout our network? And finally, What are the costs and benefits of VMSs for all travelers or for specific OD pairs? KW - Advanced traveler information systems KW - Freeway management systems KW - Location KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Traffic flow KW - Transportation departments KW - Transportation planning KW - Variable message signs UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/best-location-vmss-transportation-network-using-dta UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1239046 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337864 AU - Kroes, James AU - Mangiamel, Paul AU - University of Rhode Island, Kingston AU - University of Rhode Island, Kingston AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Port of Davisville Utilization Study: Phase II PY - 2011/02/01 SP - 18p AB - This project investigated the feasibility of expanding the Port of Davisville (Quonset Point, RI) to serve as a port of entry and departure for international container shipments. As an international port of entry (departure), the Port of Davisville would receive import (export) container freight shipments on vessels directly from (to) overseas importers (exporters). This project is a continuation of a previous research study, “Feasibility Study to Increase Utilization at the Port of Davisville (Quonset, RI)”, which was funded by a grant from the University of Rhode Island Transportation Center from January to August 2009. The previous study investigated the logistics and transportation issues associated with shipping containerized freight through the Port of Davisville. In particular, the study focused on identifying local and regional customers that could reduce their transportation costs by utilizing a container barge feeder service between the Port of Davisville and the Port of New York and New Jersey. The previous study did not investigate utilizing the Port of Davisville for shipments directly to and from international ports (i.e., as a port of entry and departure). The study proposed in this grant application expanded the previous research and investigated transportation issues associated with the direct shipment of containerized freight between the Port of Davisville and foreign ports. Utilizing the Port of Davisville for direct container freight shipments between foreign ports will possibly reduce the costs associated with shipping containerized freight for business, reduce port congestion at other east coast ports, and provide economic benefits to the local economy through job creation and lower shipping costs for businesses. KW - Congestion mitigation KW - Container terminals KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Economic benefits KW - Feasibility analysis KW - International trade KW - Port congestion KW - Port of Davisville KW - Quonset Point (Rhode Island) UR - http://www.uri.edu/uritc/media/annual_reports/annual2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100621 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543890 AU - Zhang, Li AU - Wen, Yi AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Coordination of IVI and Transit Signal Priority on Transit Evacuations PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 58p AB - During an emergency evacuation, execution time is always critical to the evacuees who are transit dependent. Transit Signal Priority (TSP) can speed up the transit services by prioritizing the approaching bus at a signalized intersection. With the emergence of IntelliDrive (formerly known as IVI), which is a wireless communication technology used to transfer data among vehicles and infrastructures, a TSP system can obtain more accurate traffic data and react to the approaching bus in a wider area. This report proposes an adaptive TSP system to facilitate the transit-based emergency evacuation on the basis of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) IntelliDrive initiative. The objective of this project is to study the TSP and IntelliDrive coordination and to evaluate the impacts of the proposed TSP strategies on the transit-based emergency evacuation. The emergency evacuation model consists of two optimization models: a TSP optimization model and a bus routing optimization model. The TSP optimization model includes bus travel time prediction and traffic signal optimization. The bus travel time prediction is used to estimate the bus arrival time at the intersection. The traffic signal optimization considers both the bus delay and the network-wide vehicle delay. It determines when and which TSP strategy will be applied. The principal inputs for the TSP optimization model are: bus speed, position, busload, queue length, and traffic signal status. The bus routing optimization model is proposed to optimize the transit vehicles allocation and routing. The Dijkstra Algorithm has been modified to find out the shortest paths among the pickup points and the shelters in the network. Additionally, a hybrid intelligence algorithm consisting of a Genetic Algorithm and a Hill Climbing Algorithm, which was developed under the sponsorship of a previous project, has been applied to solve the transit vehicle routing and allocation problem. A case study of the proposed TSP system based on the Hurricane Gustav evaluation in Gulfport was investigated. CORSIM, one of the most commonly used microsimulation software, served as both a developmental environment as well as a test bed for evaluating the proposed TSP system. Detailed traffic network elements including geometric features, traffic flow, traffic control, etc, were coded in CORSIM. CORSIM RTE (Run Time Extension) was developed in order to embed the optimization models and the algorithms and simulate the IntelliDrive functions in CORSIM. CORSIM outputs provide various measures of effectiveness. The results obtained from CORSIM simulation show significant improvement on the transit vehicles delay and insignificant increase on the total vehicle delay by implementing the proposed TSP optimization model. KW - Algorithms KW - Bus priority KW - Bus transit KW - Case studies KW - CORSIM (Traffic simulation model) KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Evacuation KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Optimization KW - Traffic signal priority KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2008_13_Zhange%20and%20Eksioglu_COORDINATION%20OF%20IVI%20AND%20TRANSIT%20SIGNAL%20PRIORITY%20ON.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1332052 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01537412 AU - Kwon, Oh-Sung AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety/NUTC program AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Adding Faculty in Transportation Areas - Year 2 & 3: Research Progress on Seismic Fragility Assessment of Bridge Structures PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 5p AB - The National University Transportation Centers (NUTC) program provides funds to help departments build up their faculty in the transportation field over the next five years. Broad areas will be considered as listed in the UTC mission or other areas that relate to state departments of transportation and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) in particular as stated in their goals, interests, and objectives. For the two years (2008~2010) while Dr. Kwon was supported by NUTC Faculty Support Funds, he continued his research from his Ph.D. study and made a notable progress in seismic fragility assessment of bridge structures. During the period, two journal papers, one ACI Special Publication, and one conference proceeding were published. As a final report, the abstract of the publications are attached. KW - Bridge design KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Missouri University of Science and Technology KW - Personnel KW - Research KW - University faculty UR - http://transportation.mst.edu/media/research/transportation/documents/R225_KWON_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1322356 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01502028 AU - Ban, Hoki AU - Im, Soohyok AU - Kim, Yong-Rak AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Truck Loading on Design and Analysis of Asphaltic Pavement Structures-Phase II PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 64p AB - In this study, Schapery’s nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model is implemented into the commercial finite element (FE) software ABAQUS via user defined subroutine (user material, or UMAT) to analyze asphalt pavement subjected to heavy truck loads. Then, extensive creep-recovery tests are conducted at various stress levels and at two temperatures (30° C and 40° C) to obtain the stress- and temperature-dependent viscoelastic material properties of hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures. With the viscoelastic material properties characterized and the UMAT code, a typical pavement structure subjected to repeated heavy truck loads is modeled with the consideration of the effect of material nonlinearity with a realistic tire loading configuration. Three-dimensional finite element simulations of the pavement structure present significant differences between the linear viscoelastic approach and the nonlinear viscoelastic modeling in the prediction of pavement performance with respect to rutting and fatigue cracking. The differences between the two approaches are considered significant and should be addressed in the process of performance-based pavement design. This also implies the importance of proper and more realistic characterization of pavement materials. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Finite element method KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Mathematical models KW - Overweight loads KW - Pavement cracking KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement performance KW - Paving materials KW - Repeated loads KW - Rutting KW - Viscoelasticity UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/finalreports/Kim_ImpactTruckLoadingDesignAnalysisAsphalticPavementstructuresPhaseII.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1279858 ER - TY - SER AN - 01475761 JO - Research Results PB - Federal Railroad Administration AU - Coplen, Michael AU - Morrow, Stephanie AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Training and Certification of Work Schedule Managers May Improve Shift Scheduling Practices PY - 2011/02 SP - 4p AB - The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Human Factors Research and Development (R&D) Program sponsored the implementation of a strategic job analysis to investigate the job of work schedule managers (WSMs) across a diverse range of industries that employ shiftworkers at around-the-clock operations. Currently, no such position exists in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles or Occupational Information Network (O*NET). A WSM is broadly defined as a person responsible for managing, maintaining, and monitoring the work schedules of shiftworkers across multiple shifts in an organization. The management of shiftwork schedules can vary in complexity across industries and even between divisions in a single organization, depending on the design of the schedule, the number of employees, and the daily schedule maintenance requirements to meet operational needs. The current investigation sought to identify a common set of knowledge and skills needed by WSMs to ensure effective practices in schedule design and maintenance. Interviews with subject matter experts (SMEs) suggest that as WSMs develop and manage work schedules, more emphasis should be placed on mitigating the health and safety risks associated with shiftwork. In addition, most job incumbents (JIs) interviewed did not have the breadth of knowledge needed to fully understand the health and safety effects of poorly designed work schedules. Some JIs expressed a desire to receive more training to better equip their employees with tools and information to manage shiftwork lifestyles. Although most JIs agreed about the importance and significance of their duties and responsibilities as a WSM, it was often an ancillary job. The primary form of training available to WSMs was on-the-job, with scheduling skills most commonly learned through trial and error. Results of this study suggest that disseminating shiftwork research findings and scheduling experiences via formalized training programs can improve JIs' knowledge of effective practices for schedule design and maintenance, thereby minimizing the health and safety risks of shiftwork. This will enhance JIs' skills in assessing the need for and the implementation of schedule changes to better balance productivity and safety without sacrificing the needs of the employees. KW - Abilities KW - Certification KW - Education and training KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Fitness for duty KW - Gap analysis KW - Human factors KW - Job analysis KW - Managerial personnel KW - Physical fitness KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroads KW - Selection and appointment KW - Shifts UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/134 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1244648 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446525 AU - Min, Hokey AU - Bowling Green State University AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing a Model-based Decision Support System for Call-A-Ride Paratransit Service Problems PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 31p AB - The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) regulations, which implement the transportation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), require that public transit agencies that provide fixed route service also provide “complementary paratransit service” to persons with disabilities who are unable to use the fixed route system. The level of service provided by the paratransit program must be “comparable” to that provided by the fixed route service. There are six service criteria that define the comparability of this complementary service: 1) service area; 2) response time; 3) fares; 4) days and hours of operations; 5) trip purposes served and; 6) capacity constraints. There are two types of paratransit services required by ADA: 1) door-to-door service and; 2) curb-to-curb service. Door-to-door service is the service in which the driver will assist the rider from their door to the vehicle at their pickup location and will assist the rider from the vehicle to the door of their destination while curb-to-curb service is similar to a taxi service where the driver will wait in the vehicle for the rider to embark the vehicle and drop them off at the rider’s destination without any assistance. Since door-to-door service takes more time and additional driver’s efforts, such services may be curtailed in times of budget crisis. There are many studies that have been performed to evaluate the efficiency of paratransit systems worldwide. These include peer to peer analyses as well as historical data analyses. KW - Americans with Disabilities Act KW - Decision support systems KW - Door to door service KW - Level of service KW - Paratransit services KW - Quality of service UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-33/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS33_2011-Final_Report_Developing_a_Model-Based_Decision_Support_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1213708 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380272 AU - Bham, Ghulam H AU - Mohammadi, Mojtaba Ale AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Work Zone Speed Limits: An Objective and Subjective Analysis of Work Zones in Missouri PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 104p AB - This study objectively and subjectively examined speed characteristics and driver compliance with the posted speed limit in Missouri work zones. The objective evaluation collected vehicle speeds from four work zones with different configurations on I-44. The effects of lane closure, lane width reduction, and construction activity on speeds of cars and trucks were evaluated. Construction activity was found to have a statistically significant effect in reducing vehicle speeds. During no construction, passenger cars and trucks speeds were 3.5 and 2.2 mph higher than their speeds during periods of construction activity, respectively. The vehicle speeds were found to be statistically higher than the posted speed limit in all cases studied except when the lane width was reduced using tubular markers, which reduced the speed of cars and trucks by 8.5 and 11.1mph for cars and trucks during construction activity, respectively. This figure was respectively 4.0 and 8.1mph during no construction. Also, compliance with speed limits was lower for posted speed limits of 50 mph versus 60 mph. Two subjective evaluations were conducted: first, work zone speed limits practiced at state departments of transportation were surveyed, and second, drivers' perceptions of driving through the work zones were investigated. Specific questions that evaluated driver perception were related to compliance with the posted speed limit, safety, and the effects of various factors on their speed. Results of subjective evaluation were consistent with the objective evaluation and showed that drivers suggest a work zone speed limit consistent with the speed that they drove through the work zone. When a work zone was mostly congested, 92% of car drivers and all of the truck drivers suggested a reduction in speed limits. Conversely, 92% of car drivers and 73% of truck drivers suggested a higher posted speed limit when the work zone was not congested. More than 90% of drivers agreed that construction activity prompted them to reduce their speed, a result that confirmed the outcome of the objective analysis. KW - Behavior KW - Compliance KW - Drivers KW - Speed limits KW - Traffic speed KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control KW - Work zones UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Bham_EvaluationofWorkZoneSpeedLimitsAnObjectiveandSubjectiveAnalysisofWorkZonesinMissouri.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147518 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345040 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - FHWA Scenario Planning Guidebook PY - 2011/02 SP - 40p AB - Scenario planning is a process that can help transportation professionals to prepare for what lies ahead. It provides a framework for developing a shared vision for the future by analyzing various forces (e.g., health, transportation, livability, economic, environmental, land use), that affect communities. The technique was originally used by private industry to anticipate future business conditions and to better manage risk. Since 2004, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has encouraged transportation-focused scenario planning as an approach that enhances the traditional planning process. This type of scenario planning is a technique designed to help citizens and stakeholders in the public and private sectors understand how demographic and land-use changes could potentially impact transportation networks in a state, community, region, or study area. The hallmark of scenario planning is identifying land-use patterns as variables (rather than as static inputs) that could affect transportation networks, investments, and operations. Other variables might include demographic, economic, political, and environmental trends. Considering and analyzing alternative possibilities for each variable helps stakeholders to understand how a state, community, region, or study area might look and function in the future. While scenario planning can be implemented in many ways, the key elements include: 1. Use of scenarios to compare and contrast interactions between multiple factors, such as transportation, land use, and economic development. 2. Analysis of how different land-use, demographic, or other types of scenarios could impact transportation networks. 3. Identification of possible strategies that lead a state, community, region, or study area toward achieving elements of the preferred future. 4. Public engagement throughout the process. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Demographics KW - Economic development KW - Forecasting KW - Guidelines KW - Land use KW - Public participation KW - Scenario planning KW - Strategic planning KW - Transportation planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35900/35909/Scenario_Planning_Guidebook.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105455 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345022 AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Kitchener, Fred AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Osborne, Leon AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Weather Information Integration in Transportation Management Center (TMC) Operations PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 302p AB - This report presents the results of the third phase of an on-going FHWA study on weather integration in Transportation Management Center (TMC) operations. The report briefly describes the earlier phases of the integration study, summarizes the findings from the implementation and evaluation of an automated weather alert notification system in the Sacramento Regional TMC, and discusses the efforts of four TMCs (Cheyenne, Colorado Springs, Kansas City, Louisiana, and Redding) that used the FHWA self-evaluation guide to identify their weather integration needs and strategies that could be implemented to meet those needs. Four of those TMCs prepared weather integration plans with implementation tasks and schedules. The report tracks their progress toward implementing those strategies and identifies the outcomes and benefits they have achieved to date. Efforts to refine, market and promote the self-evaluation guide are also discussed. Finally, lessons learned and recommendations based on the experiences working with a variety of TMCs are offered to encourage and facilitate greater weather information integration in the future. KW - Alerts KW - Information integration KW - Needs assessment KW - Strategic planning KW - Traffic control centers KW - Transportation operations KW - Weather conditions KW - Weather information systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38600/38677/TMC%20Final%20Report%20Website%206.13.11/tmc_integration_report_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105683 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345015 AU - Guarino, Jenny AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Decade of Decline in Person Crossings From Mexico and Canada Into the United States PY - 2011/02//Special Report SP - 6p AB - The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has been maintaining the Border Crossing/Entry Database since 1995 with data provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for inbound visitors. Similar data is not currently available for departing travelers. The number of persons crossing into the United States through its ports of entry along the Canadian and Mexican borders has been declining since 2000. Recently, researchers have proposed various reasons for the decline in person crossings, including (but not limited to) the economies of the three nations and increased security at the borders. This report does not examine reasons for the decline in person crossings, rather the trends in person crossings by mode are investigated. Modes investigated include automobile, truck, bus, pedestrian, and train. KW - Automobile travel KW - Border crossings KW - Border regions KW - Bus traffic KW - Pedestrians KW - Railroad trains KW - Transborder traffic KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Trucks KW - U.S. Customs and Border Protection KW - United States-Canada Border KW - United States-Mexico Border UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2011_02_27/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105164 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344977 AU - Spiller, David AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Transportation Study PY - 2011/02//GMP Transportation Support SP - 86p AB - This study provides concepts and ideas for a complementary transportation plan in support of the revised General Management Plan (GMP) for the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. The GMP sets forth a preferred plan of action for how Olmsted NHS will be managed for the next twenty years. It addresses issues and problems identified under existing conditions, and supports adaptation to future conditions that are planned for the site. KW - Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site KW - Historic preservation KW - Historic sites KW - Management KW - National parks KW - Transportation planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35900/35997/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-10-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105443 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344843 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Transportation Statistics 2011 PY - 2011/02 SP - 515p AB - This document presents information on the U.S. transportation system, including its physical components, safety record, economic performance, energy use, and environmental impacts. National Transportation Statistics is a companion document to the Transportation Statistics Annual Report, which analyzes some of the data presented here, and State Transportation Statistics, which presents state level data on many of the same topics presented here. The report has four chapters and one appendix. Chapter 1 provides data on the extent, condition, use, and performance of the physical transportation network. Chapter 2 details transportation's safety record, giving data on accidents, crashes, fatalities, and injuries for each transportation mode and hazardous materials. Chapter 3 focuses on the relationship between transportation and the economy, presenting data on transportation's contribution to the gross domestic product, employment by industry and occupation, and transportation-related consumer and government expenditures. Chapter 4 presents data on transportation energy use and transportation-related environmental impacts. Appendix A contains metric conversions of select tables. KW - Air transportation KW - Energy consumption KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fatalities KW - Gross domestic product KW - Hazardous materials KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Public transit KW - Railroad transportation KW - Statistics KW - Traffic crashes KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38000/38007/NTS2011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105316 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343579 AU - Sargand, Shad M AU - Momand, Farid A AU - Ohio University, Athens AU - Ohio Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility of Using Cone Penetrometer Truck (CPT) to Install Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and Fiber Optic Slope Failure Detectors in Pavement Structures PY - 2011/02 SP - 34p AB - A new method of cable installation using a heavy-duty Cone Penetration Test (CPT) truck was developed and practiced successfully in this study. The coaxial and fiber optic cables were pushed along with the cone rods by the hydraulic system integrated with the CPT truck. A disposable tip—unable to carry tension along the axes of the rods—for the cone rods was designed and built to stay at the desired depth of installation holding the cables after the cone rods are pulled out. KW - Cables KW - Coaxial cables KW - Detectors KW - Embankments KW - Equipment KW - Fiber optic sensors KW - Fiber optics KW - Installation KW - Monitoring KW - Slope failure KW - Slope stability KW - Time domain reflectometers UR - http://www.otc.uakron.edu/docs/OU_DCP%20to%20Install%20TDR%20Report%202010-11-20[1].pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105687 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343312 AU - Van Gerpen, Jon AU - He, B Brian AU - Duff, Keegan AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Measurement and Control Strategies for Sterol Glucosides to Improve Biodiesel Quality – Year 2 PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 61p AB - This project had the objective of measuring trace compounds in biodiesel called sterol glucosides (SG) so strategies to reduce their concentration could be investigated. A MALDI-TOF-MS (matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry) analytical method for rapid evaluation of sterol glucosides has been developed and validated. Sitosteryl-glucoside, campesteryl-glucoside, and stigmasteryl-glucoside were identified in residues that temporarily shut down the Inland Empire biodiesel plant in Odessa, Washington. Standards were created by purification and recrystallization of these problematic residues. The standard’s purity was validated with mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. Preparative methods are necessary to isolate the trace concentrations of acylated sterol glucosides (ASG) and SG from triglycerides and phospholipids in oilseed extracts. The authors have evaluated several preparative procedures, a modified silica gel chromatography procedure, and developed a size exclusion chromatography (SEC) preparative method for evaluation of glycolipids with an emphasis on SG. These preparative methods were evaluated using this MS analytical technique. SEC was selected as the best preparative procedure for evaluating tetrahydrofuran (THF) oilseed extracts. A winter canola seed sample (Brassica. napus L. cv. Amanda) was analyzed. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Fuel composition KW - Fuel processing KW - Quality control UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK759_N11-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105132 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343311 AU - Sarangi, Sudipta AU - Krief, Jerome AU - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge AU - Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Integrated Approach to Modeling Evacuation Behavior: Hyperbolic Discounting and Peer Effects PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 30p AB - A spate of recent hurricanes and other natural disasters have drawn a lot of attention to the evacuation decision of individuals. Here the authors focus on evacuation models that incorporate two economic phenomena that seem to be increasingly important in explaining human behavior: hyperbolic discounting and peer effects. The first part of this research explores the behavior of the naïve or myopic agent in deciding whether to perform a mandatory task whose cost is immediate but reward received only in the future. Following the literature for hyperbolic discounting one says that a player is naïve if his/her inter-temporal preference for whether to complete an assigned task is represented by the Phelps and Pollack's hyperbolic discounting utility model. The authors show that a naïve agent, whose present bias is below a certain game-dependant bound, is meant to complete the task in the last period. This bound offers two new insights about the naive player. First, "not all naïve players are equal" in that the long run discount factor decides the degree of naivety sufficient to procrastinate. Secondly, this shows that the range of the payoff structure plays a role in favoring procrastinating behavior. Finally, an application of naive hyperbolic discounting for an evacuation model is constructed. The peer effects research is concerned with testing the hypothesis that an agent's decision of whether to evacuate during a hurricane is influenced by the fear propensity of his or her peers. To explore this human aspect of an evacuation, a simple random utility model is set up where the utility of the "agent who is not scared" is allowed to depend on the fear propensity of the group he/she identifies with. The resulting binary choice model derived contains a real key parameter measuring the peer effect. Using data from Hurricane Floyd, the authors estimate that a positive peer effect exists in the sense that the larger the fear propensity of the peer group, the more attractive an evacuation. This finding suggests that policies aimed at creating strong awareness of hurricane dangers before the hurricane season can have a substantial effect on the population's evacuation rate via their multiplying effects. KW - Behavior KW - Decision making KW - Emergency management KW - Evacuation KW - Fear KW - Hurricane Floyd, 1999 KW - Hurricanes KW - Hyperbolic discounting KW - Peer groups KW - Policy UR - http://www.evaccenter.lsu.edu/pub/11-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105160 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342825 AU - Barr, Lawrence C AU - Yang, C Y David AU - Hanowski, Richard J AU - Olson, Rebecca AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Research and Special Programs Administration AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Assessment of Driver Drowsiness, Distraction, and Performance in a Naturalistic Setting PY - 2011/02//Tech Brief SP - 4p AB - The study summarized herein characterizes episodes of driver drowsiness and assesses the impact of driver drowsiness on driving performance using the naturalistic data of local/short haul (L/SH) truck drivers. The results of the study help to provide a better understanding of the relationship between drowsiness and the safety of driver behavior and performance. It is hoped that this information will be useful in identifying effective countermeasures for drowsy driving. KW - Attention lapses KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Distraction KW - Driver experience KW - Drivers KW - Drowsiness KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Long haul carriers KW - Short haul KW - Traffic safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103201 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340819 AU - Miniutti, Peter AU - Yegir, Edvin AU - Dimov, Dimo AU - Center for Transportation and Livable Systems AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Green Modes of Transportation for Connecticut’s Mixed Used Developments PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 109p AB - As a response to Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell to “give rise to a culture of change, opportunity and reform at DOT,” this report attempts to showcase a proposal to transform Downtown Storrs from a glorified strip development to a place where progressive alternative modes of transportation can be show-cased to the rest of Connecticut and the region. In order to accomplish this goal, a team spanning four entirely different disciplines was assembled, including community planning (landscape architecture), transportation engineering, business management, and communication design. Objectives for this report included using Smart Growth criteria to document, analyze and evaluate existing transportation systems used for food delivery in Downtown Storrs; identifying opportunities to incorporate the principals of Smart Growth; developing transportation and business models to take advantage of these opportunities; evaluating said models based on efficiency, mode of transportation and competitiveness; creating a pilot program to serve as an example to similar communities; and taking a dynamic approach in the recruitment of existing local businesses and persuading them to participate in the program. Data collection was broken into three distinct categories: landscape architecture and transportation engineering; business management; and communication design. For landscape architecture and transportation engineering, looking into the flaws of the existing Storrs Center, how these problems were addressed with the proposed Storrs Center, and its relation to University of Connecticut (UConn) students was key. Other key aspects included circulation within and adjacent to UConn, delivery destinations, both existing and proposed land uses in the surrounding area, green modes inventory and lastly interviews with experts. The business management section developed survey questionnaires, identified topics of interest and concerns from business owners expressed in the interview process, and conducted market studies. Lastly communication design included extensive research into existing eco-friendly graphic interpretations (typography, names, and logos). KW - Businesses KW - Central business districts KW - City planning KW - Communication KW - Land use planning KW - Market research KW - Mixed use development KW - Smart growth KW - Storrs (Connecticut) KW - Transportation engineering KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.ctls.uconn.edu/pdf/CTLS_08-02_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102809 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340402 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Key Transportation Indicators, February 2011 PY - 2011/02 SP - 34p AB - These key transportation indicators in the United States cover performance and economic indicators for all modes of transportation. The table of contents divides the document into seven major areas, as follows: economy, fuel prices, end-user prices, passenger usage, freight usage, system performance, and capital expenditures. KW - Capital expenditures KW - Diesel fuels KW - Economic indicators KW - Freight transportation KW - Jet engine fuels KW - Motor fuels KW - Passenger transportation KW - Performance KW - Prices KW - Ridership KW - United States KW - Utilization UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/key_transportation_indicators/february_2011/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102644 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340145 AU - Willemsen, Peter AU - University of Minnesota, Duluth AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Snow Rendering for Interactive Snowplow Simulation - Supporting Safety in Snowplow Design PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 38p AB - During a snowfall, following a snowplow can be extremely dangerous. This danger comes from the human visual systems inability to accurately perceive the speed and motion of the snowplow, often resulting in rear-end collisions. For this project, the researchers' goal is to use their understanding of how the human visual system processes optical motion under the conditions created by blowing snow to create a simulation framework that could be used to test emergency lighting configurations that reduce rear-end collisions with snowplows. Reaction times for detecting the motion of the snowplow will be measured empirically for a variety of color set-ups on a simulated snowplow that slows down while driving on a virtual road with curves and hills. The simulated driving environment will utilize a head-mounted, virtual reality display to render an improved snow cloud model behind the snowplow. This driving simulator environment will serve as the basis for testing the effects of color and lighting alternatives on snowplows. The results of this work will move the researchers closer to determining optimal color and lighting configurations on actual snowplows. KW - Driving simulators KW - Rear end crashes KW - Snowplows KW - Traffic safety KW - Vehicle lighting KW - Virtual reality KW - Visualization KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1498 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101703 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01339706 AU - Lomax, Tim AU - Schrank, David AU - Turner, Shawn AU - Geng, Lauren AU - Li, Yingfeng AU - Koncz, Nick AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Real-Timing the 2010 Urban Mobility Report PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 102p AB - The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) is a national leader in providing congestion and mobility information. The Urban Mobility Report (UMR) is the most widely quoted report on urban congestion and its associated costs in the nation. The report measures system delay, wasted fuel, and the annual cost of congestion in all U.S. urban areas. The data that are available to analyze transportation performance are evolving, however, and the UMR procedures need to adopt the new data sources to provide the best possible estimate of mobility conditions. Private-sector companies advertising the availability of nationwide average speed data on many highways in the United States compete with the UMR for congestion coverage. Through this research, TTI has developed a partnership with one of the private-sector speed companies, INRIX. The TTI and INRIX databases were matched and used to re-compute the UMR statistics based on actual speed data for all days and all major urban roads. This research has improved the estimates of congestion and its costs, and has improved the timeliness of U.S. traffic congestion estimates. KW - Costs KW - Fuel consumption KW - Mobility KW - Speed data KW - Statistics KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic delays KW - Urban areas UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Lomax_10-65-55.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37800/37828/Lomax_10-65-55.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102471 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01339091 AU - Barr, Lawrence C AU - Yang, C Y David AU - Hanowski, Richard J AU - Olson, Rebecca AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - An Assessment of Driver Drowsiness, Distraction, and Performance in a Naturalistic Setting PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 92p AB - This report documents the results of a study to characterize episodes of driver drowsiness and to assess the impact of drowsiness on driving performance. This data mining effort performed additional analyses on the data collected in an earlier Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) study of the effects of fatigue on drivers in local/short haul operations. The primary objectives of the study were to investigate drowsiness as a naturally occurring phenomenon by identifying and characterizing episodes of drowsiness that occurred during every period of driving and to determine the operational or driving-environment factors associated with drowsy driving. A total of 2,745 drowsy events were identified in approximately 900 total hours of naturalistic driving video data. Higher levels of drowsiness were found to be associated with younger and less experienced drivers. In addition, a strong and consistent relationship was found between drowsiness and time of day. Drowsy driving events were twice as likely to occur between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., as compared to baseline, or non-drowsy driving, and approximately 30 percent of all observed instances of drowsiness occurred within the first hour of the work shift. Some interesting insights about the relationship between driver fatigue or drowsiness and driver distraction and inattention are provided. This study presents an analytical framework for quantitatively assessing driver fatigue and drowsiness as a function of driver characteristics and the driving environment. KW - Attention lapses KW - Distraction KW - Driver experience KW - Drivers KW - Driving environments KW - Driving performance KW - Drowsiness KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Naturalistic driving research KW - Periods of the day KW - Video data UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51200/51252/11-010-RP-Distraction-and-Performance.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101697 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337616 AU - Scarsella, Maleena AU - Muench, Stephen T AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Oregon Department of Transportation Greenroads Pilot Project: US 97: Lava Butte – S. Century Drive Section PY - 2011/02//Final Technical Report SP - 94p AB - This project is a Greenroads Pilot Project on the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) project “US 97: Lava Butte – S. Century Drive Section.” Greenroads is a sustainability rating system for roadway design and construction (a complete description of Greenroads and its development can be found in TransNow report TNW 2009‐13 and/or the Greenroads Manual available at www.greenroads.us). A Greenroads Pilot Project uses the Greenroads Rating System on an existing or planned project to determine (1) how the project scored as it is/was designed and constructed, (2) what the project could have scored had it pursued a Greenroads rating, (3) where best to revise the Greenroads Rating System to make it more usable for project personnel, and (4) how the Greenroads Rating System could best be used by the project and owner agency in pursuit of their sustainability goals. Key findings from this Pilot Project are: the project met 8 of 11 Project Requirements; the project achieved 46 Voluntary Credit and Custom Credit points; if the remaining 3 Project Requirements are completed, the project could be certified at the Silver level; four potential custom credits were identified to be developed for ODOT; six credits were identified as needing modification based on project observations; medium to large ODOT projects (above $10 million) have the potential to score well in Greenroads; and the publicity generated by this Greenroads Pilot Project was substantial. KW - Environmental policy KW - Greenroads (Rating system) KW - Highway design KW - Road construction KW - Sustainable development UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36094/TNW2010-12.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100481 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337614 AU - Moudon, Anne Vernez AU - Lin, Lin AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - School-Based Travel: A Mobility Assessment PY - 2011/02//Final Research Report SP - 132p AB - Active commuting to school has been an overlooked source of physical activity for children. This study aimed to provide insights on how the individual activity-travel patterns of adults in the Puget Sound Region of Washington State were impacted by the presence of children in the household. It also investigated if and how the characteristics of both home and school neighborhood environments influenced mode choice for school-based trips, and explored the reciprocal relationships between travel patterns of children and adults. The research sought to address two questions: How did having children aged 18 and younger affect activity-travel patterns of individual adults? How were children and household characteristics, parents’ travel patterns, and environments around home and school associated with children’s mode of commuting to school? Regarding the first question, there were significant differences in activity-travel patterns between individuals or households with and without children aged 18 or younger. Regarding the second question, the study found a strong inverse association between network distance between home and school and active commuting to school for all school age groups, as well as for elementary school children who lived near to their school. It was not surprising to find that having school-aged children affected the travel patterns of adults. Specifically, the individual parent’s gender and work status were strongly associated with travel frequency and mode choice. Future research and programs will need to consider the parent’s socioeconomic characteristics in order to (1) better manage the general impact of family travel pattern on transportation systems; and (2) to effectively encourage children to use active travel to school. Increasing the number of children using active travel to school can potentially yield two benefits: reduce traffic conditions in neighborhoods and improve children’s health. The strong inverse association between network distance from home to school and active commuting to school found in all school age groups, even for those who lived near to their school, suggested that urban and transportation planners should work with school districts to change school siting and allocation policies, especially for elementary and middle schools. Route directness from home to school and traffic volume were additional characteristics of home and school neighborhoods that could be modified to encourage active travel to school. KW - Adults KW - Mode choice KW - Neighborhoods KW - Physical activity KW - Puget Sound Region KW - School children KW - School trips KW - Travel patterns UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36098/TNW2010-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100473 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337613 AU - Goodchild, Anne AU - Klein, Matt AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Understanding Pacific Highway Commercial Vehicle Operations to Support Emissions Reduction Programs PY - 2011/02//Final Technical Report SP - 94p AB - This research, enabled by a data collection effort at the international commercial vehicle crossing at Blaine, WA, addressed three key questions regarding commercial vehicle border operations and near border operations. First, what are the unique features of border operations at Blaine, WA, that are not captured within the standard simulation tools (such as Border Wizard)? Second, what logistical inefficiencies are created by the border that increase empty miles travelled, emissions and total travel time between origin and destination? Third, what has the impact of electronic manifest filing been on primary inspection time? The research objectives were to (1) describe near border operations and identify possible solutions to reduce empty truck miles, (2) improve the understanding of the relationship between primary processing time and border crossing time, and (3) identify the impact of ACE (the commercial trade processing system being developed by Customs and Border Protection to facilitate legitimate trade and strengthen border security) electronic manifest filing on primary processing and primary processing time. The report is organized as follows: Chapter 1 describes near border operations through analysis of survey data, current knowledge of the impact of policy on near border facilities, and suggests changes to improve near border operations. Chapter 2 describes the features of processing at Blaine discovered during the data analysis that contribute processing time and border crossing time. Chapter 3 evaluates the impact of ACE on interview time, and compares interview times, crossing times, and volume in the 2009, 2006, and 2001 studies. KW - Air quality management KW - Blaine (Washington) KW - Border crossing time KW - Border processing time KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Empty trips KW - International borders KW - Pacific Northwest KW - U.S. Customs and Border Protection KW - United States-Canada Border UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36096/TNW2010-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100480 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337612 AU - Benjamin, Mark AU - Steele, Anthony AU - Deichsel, Alfred John AU - Alsheimer, Annie AU - De La Via, Claudia AU - Chahim, Dean AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Road Stabilization and Drainage Improvements in North Potosi, Bolivia - Improving Access to Markets, Clinics, Schools, and Facilitating Future Development PY - 2011/02//Final Technical Report SP - 15p AB - In a remote and extremely impoverished region of southwestern Bolivia, the only road connecting five communities to the outside world has been historically washed out multiple times per year. With the support of TRANSNOW, the University of Washington chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UWS) partnered with these small communities to implement a rural roads improvement project in July and August, 2010. Over the course of these two months, the EWB-UWS team implemented a number of robust but low-cost designs aimed at improving drainage and reducing the impact of erosion. These designs included gabion walls, drywalls, cemented drywalls, and armored crossings. The implemented designs promise to keep the road open for nearly the entire year, and reduce the burden of maintenance for the estimated 380 residents of the communities who rely on the road. KW - Bolivia KW - Drainage KW - Engineers Without Borders KW - Erosion control KW - Gabions KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Highway design KW - Low cost roads KW - Mountain roads KW - Remote areas KW - Road construction KW - Rural areas KW - Sustainable development UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36095/TNW2010-13.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100482 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337292 AU - Firestine, Theresa AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The U.S. Rural Population and Scheduled Intercity Transportation in 2010: A Five-Year Decline in Transportation Access PY - 2011/02 SP - 22p AB - Between 2005 and 2010, 3.5 million rural residents lost access to scheduled intercity transportation, increasing the percent of rural residents without access to intercity transportation from 7 to 11 percent. In 2005, 5.4 million rural residents lacked access to intercity transportation, with that total increasing to 8.9 million rural residents in 2010. Of the 71.7 million rural residents retaining access in 2010, 3.7 million lost access to more than one intercity transportation mode during the 5-year period. These numbers update a 2005 analysis by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration. In 2005, BTS measured access to intercity transportation within rural America. At the time, BTS calculated that 93 percent of rural residents in the United States lived within the coverage area of at least one of the four intercity public transportation modes (air, bus, ferry, and rail). Since then, significant changes have occurred to the networks of several of the modes. These changes include, but are not limited to, network reductions made by Greyhound and the suspension of the New Orleans–Jacksonville route previously provided by Amtrak’s Sunset Limited. KW - Access KW - Intercity transportation KW - Public transit KW - Rural areas KW - United States UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/scheduled_intercity_transportation_and_the_us_rural_population/2010/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56100/56125/US_RURAL_POPULATION_SCHEDULED_INTERCITY_TRANSPORTATION_2010.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098713 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01335484 AU - Smith, Robert J AU - Hargett, Stella L AU - Morgan State University AU - Morgan State University AU - National Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Second Parenthoods: The Influence of Custodial Care of Children Among African-American Elderly on Their Travel Behavior and Transportation Needs PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 105p AB - The present study was an investigation of the relationship between household lifecycle and travel behaviors and concerns of African-American elderly who are involved in “second parenthoods.” This report defines a second parenthood as an arrangement in which an elderly person has custodial care of a minor who is usually a grandchild or other relative. In these second parenthoods, the elderly are confronted with a host of social-psychological issues that are reflective of an earlier lifecycle stage wherein the transportation behaviors, concerns, and needs are quite different. The results of the current investigation indicate that this cohort of individuals most often resides in urban areas, has low income, has low educational attainment, and has a host of health-related problems that may affect the travel behaviors necessary for the custodial care of children. While the results often varied, one rather consistent pattern was that households with children, particularly those headed by single females, were quite different from other types of households along a variety of measures related to travel behavior, health, travel concerns, and transportation needs. Female heads of household were more likely than male heads of household to be of low income, have less education, have custody of younger children, have more chronic medical problems, have a greater variety of travel concerns, travel fewer miles, have shorter trip times, and have a medical condition that makes travel difficult and requires special transport. The findings are discussed in terms of the need for special transportation programs that address the special needs of the African-Americans in second parenthoods as well as the need for additional research to elucidate the complexity of this continually expanding cohort. KW - African Americans KW - Aged KW - Child care KW - Diseases and medical conditions KW - Low income groups KW - Social psychology KW - Special transportation services KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel needs KW - Urban areas UR - http://www.morgan.edu//Documents/ACADEMICS/CENTERS/NTC/Second_Smith_1011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1099050 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01335451 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 2009 Data Analysis and Reporting PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 95p AB - The Compass Reports created in this project are issued annually to provide information on the maintenance condition of Wisconsin’s highways. The information in these reports is being used to help understand trends and conditions, prioritize resources, and set targets for future condition levels of Wisconsin's highway system. As more information is gathered, the reports will also be used to illustrate and understand the consequences of funding and policy shifts, and to demonstrate accountability to decision-makers at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and in the legislature. This report includes data on traveled ways (paved traffic lanes), shoulders, drainage, roadsides, selected traffic devices, specific aspects of winter maintenance activities, and bridges. The first section of this report provides a program overview and scorecard based on current conditions. Subsequent sections of the report provide detailed information on each roadway feature. KW - Annual reports KW - Bridges KW - Compass program (Wisconsin) KW - Data collection KW - Drainage KW - Highway maintenance KW - Pavement performance KW - Road shoulders KW - Roadside KW - Traffic control devices KW - Winter maintenance KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/Compass-Report-2009-Final.pdf UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/research/projects/04-01/ UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36078/Compass_Report-2009-Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098952 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01335419 AU - Wang, Zuocai AU - Chen, Genda AU - Kwon, Oh-Sung AU - Orton, Sarah AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Calibration of Load and Resistance Factors in LRFD Foundation Design Specifications PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 146p AB - This report summarizes the findings and recommendations on the impact of foundation settlements on the reliability of bridge superstructures. As a collaborative effort of an overall initiative for the development of load and resistance factor design (LRFD) foundation design specifications, this study is focused on the investigation of pros and cons for including foundation settlements in bridge designs under gravity loads. Settlement was modeled both probabilistically and deterministically. In the case of a random settlement variable, a lognormal distribution was used in reliability analysis with a fixed coefficient of variation of 0.25. Dead and live loads were modeled as random variables with normal and Gumbel Type I distributions, respectively. Considering the regional traffic condition on Missouri roadways, the effect of a live load reduction factor on bridge reliability was also investigated. Therefore, a total of eight cases were discussed with a complete combination of settlement modeling (mean and extreme values), design consideration (settlements included and excluded), and live load reduction (unreduced and reduced live loads). Based on extensive simulations on multi-span bridges, bridges designed without due consideration on settlements can tolerate an extreme settlement of L/3500 - L/450 under unreduced live loads and up to L/3500 under reduced live loads without resulting in a reliability index below 3.5 (L=span length). Depending upon span lengths and their ratio, the reliability of existing steel-girder bridges is consistently higher than prestressed concrete and solid slab bridges. The shorter and stiffer the spans, the more significant the settlement’s effect on the reliability of bridge superstructures. As the span length ratio becomes less than 0.75, the girder and solid slab bridges’ reliability drops significantly at small settlements. A concrete diaphragm is very susceptible to the differential settlement of bridges, particularly for moment effects. Two recommendations were made to address settlement effects in bridge design: (1) settlement is considered in structural design and no special requirement is needed for foundation designs unless settlement exceeds the AASHTO recommended settlement limit of L/250, and (2) settlement is not considered in structural design as in the current Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) practice but ensured below the tolerable settlement (e.g., L/450 for steel girders, L/2500 for slabs, and L/3500 for prestressed concrete girders). The first method provides a direct approach to deal with settlements and has potential to reduce overall costs in bridge design. The second method may result in oversized foundations. KW - Bridge design KW - Bridge foundations KW - Bridge superstructures KW - Girder bridges KW - Live loads KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Prestressed concrete bridges KW - Reliability index KW - Settlement (Structures) KW - Specifications UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R237_CR.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36021/R237_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098855 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01335418 AU - Grasman, Scott E AU - Long, Suzanna AU - Qin, Ruwen AU - Rolufs, Angela AU - Thomas, Mathew AU - Lin, Yaqin AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Alternative Energy Sources for MoDOT PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 69p AB - This research investigated environmentally friendly alternative energy sources that could be used by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) in various areas, and developed applicable and sustainable strategies to implement these energy sources. Specifically, the project conducted a thorough investigation of potential alternative energy sources that could be used by MoDOT, identified the various application areas in which the alternative energy may be appropriate, created an appropriate cost-effectiveness and financial feasibility analysis framework as a function of electric utility rates and potential rate increases, as well as analyzed various financing mechanisms such as public-private partnerships, and developed detailed and applicable strategies that will guide the implementation of the selected energy sources based on appropriate technology feasibility analysis, as well as address technological issues and risk mitigation. It is recommended that MoDOT pursue the use of alternative energy sources in four main areas: (1) Wastewater Treatment, (2) Light Emitting Diode (LED) Roadway Lighting, (3) Miscellaneous Energy Savings Projects, and (4) Renewable Solar/Wind Installations. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Energy KW - Energy conservation KW - Energy sources KW - Financing KW - Light emitting diodes KW - Missouri Department of Transportation KW - Public private partnerships KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Risk management KW - Sewage treatment KW - Solar energy KW - Strategic planning KW - Street lighting KW - Sustainable development KW - Technology KW - Wind power generation UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy1006/or11010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098853 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01335393 AU - Monsere, Christopher M AU - Cetin, Mecit AU - Nichols, Andrew P AU - Portland State University AU - Old Dominion University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Exploratory Methods for Truck Re-Identification in a Statewide Network Based on Axle Weight and Axle Spacing Data to Enhance Freight Metrics PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 78p AB - The main objective of this project is to evaluate the feasibility of re-identifying commercial trucks based on vehicle-attribute data automatically collected by sensors installed at traffic data collection stations. To support this work, archived data from weigh-in-motion (WIM) stations in Oregon are used for developing, calibrating, and testing vehicle re-identification algorithms. The vehicle re-identification methods developed in this research consist of two main stages. In the first stage, each vehicle from the downstream station is matched to the most “similar” upstream vehicle by using a Bayesian model. In the second stage, several methods are introduced to screen out those vehicles that cross the downstream site but not the upstream site and to tradeoff accuracy versus the total number of vehicles being matched. These methods involve calculating both the highest and the second highest similarity measures for each vehicle being matched. It is demonstrated that the proposed screening approach improves the accuracy of the re-identification methods significantly. The models are applied to the truck data collected by WIM sensors at three stations in Oregon, which together create two different “links” that are 125 and 145 miles long, respectively. It is observed that the algorithms can match trucks with approximately 90% accuracy while the total number of trucks being matched at this accuracy level is about 95% of the actual common trucks that cross both upstream and downstream sites. These methods allow the user to trade-off the accuracy vs. total vehicles being matched by adjusting a threshold parameter. For example, trucks can be matched with 98% accuracy if one is willing to match about 40% of all common trucks. It is also found that when travel times of vehicles between the upstream and downstream sites exhibit larger variation, mismatch rate increases. Overall, for estimating travel times and origin-destination flows between two WIM sites, the methods developed in this project can be used to effectively match commercial vehicles crossing two data collection sites that are separated by long distances. KW - Accuracy KW - Automatic vehicle identification KW - Axle spacing KW - Axle weight KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Freight flow data KW - Freight transportation KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Oregon KW - Origin and destination KW - Travel time KW - Trucks KW - Vehicle reidentification KW - Weigh in motion UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/230 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56000/56068/OTREC-RR-11-07.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098630 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01335371 AU - Tufte, Kristin AU - Ahn, Soyoung AU - Kothuri, Sirisha AU - Portland State University AU - Arizona State University, Tempe AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessment and Refinement of Real-Time Travel Time Algorithms for Use in Practice, Phase II PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 54p AB - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has put a high priority on the use of existing dynamic message signs (DMS) to provide travel time estimates to the public. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has three DMS in the Portland metropolitan area configured to display travel time information. In the near future, ODOT would like to make travel time estimates available on additional DMS, over the Internet on tripcheck.com and via 511. Travel time estimates are valuable to the traveling public; however, the estimates must be accurate to be useful. The purpose of this study is to extend prior travel time research conducted by Portland State University with additional analysis to provide statistical confidence in travel time estimates and to determine the best travel time estimation approach for ODOT. The initial ODOT-funded phase of this project gathered a large amount of ground truth data and analyzed the performance of the current algorithms and current infrastructure using that data. However, additional work remains to be done. Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) Phase I of this project will focus on using the existing data to understand the conditions under which travel time estimation algorithms are not accurate. This extension will build on that work to investigate improvements to travel time estimation algorithms and to identify a set of metrics for travel time accuracy and guidelines for when travel time estimates should be provided. At the conclusion of the project, it is desired that a methodology can be recommended that will provide accurate measures of travel time for use with DMS, the Internet and 511 applications. KW - Accuracy KW - Algorithms KW - Estimates KW - Oregon KW - Travel time KW - Variable message signs UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/145 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098629 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01334385 AU - Scott, Michael H AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of an Open Source Bridge Management System PY - 2011/02//Final Report SP - 38p AB - A bridge management system is developed using the Tool Command Language (Tcl) scripting language in conjunction with the OpenSees finite element software framework. Fully programmable and string-based, Tcl is ideal for implementing live load analysis through scripts and experimenting with emergent bridge rating methodologies. Since Tcl is an interpreted language, the application also has the important advantage that new bridge capacity models and rating factor calculations can be implemented on multiple platforms without compiling source code. The network programming features of Tcl give the system access to databases for conducting internet-based bridge rating. The system is demonstrated for rating a conventionally reinforced concrete girder; however, it is readily extensible to other types of bridge components. KW - Bearing capacity KW - Bridge management systems KW - Live loads KW - Load factor KW - Load rating (Bridges) KW - Maintenance management KW - Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (OpenSees) KW - Tool Command Language UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/156 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097645 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01486030 TI - Advanced Travel Forecasting (TRANSIMS) AB - TRANSIMS is a series of integrated transportation and air quality analysis and forecasting models being developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The principal components of TRANSIMS are an activity generator an intermodal route planner a traffic microsimulation and an environmental analysis module. The TRANSIMS design has been driven by legislative and analytical requirements that exceed the capabilities of current models and methodologies. To address these concerns TRANSIMS will offer transportation planning agencies increased policy sensitivity more detailed vehicle-emission estimates and improved analysis and visualization capabilities. KW - Air quality management KW - Exhaust gases KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Pollutants KW - Traffic forecasting KW - Traffic simulation KW - TRANSIMS (Computer model) KW - Transportation planning UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1255651 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01465781 TI - FY 2010 Federal Highway Administration Air Quality Analysis Support Tasks AB - The Volpe Center will be responsible for providing technical support and assistance to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Natural Environment in the Air Quality focus areas. These focus areas and specific tasks may be modified as conditions warrant, pending concurrence by the FHWA and Volpe Center. (1) Provide technical support and assistance for the implementation of emissions and air quality models. (2) Provide technical support and assistance for the project level analysis. (3) Provide logistic and technical support to conduct webinars, web-conferences peer exchanges, conferences, workshops, publications and other related outreach activities to enhance information-sharing for transportation and air quality practitioners. (4) Research, prepare and produce technical brochures, booklets, white papers and other publications to enhance the technical capacity of transportation and air quality practitioners in conducting emissions and air quality analysis. KW - Air quality KW - Peer exchange KW - Pollutants KW - Technical assistance KW - Technical support KW - Webinars UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1234015 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344877 AU - Hart, Robert D AU - Osborne, Leon AU - Booz Allen Hamilton AU - Meridian Environmental Technology, Incorporated AU - Iteris, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Baselining Current Road Weather Information: Results of the 2010 Quality and Importance Survey PY - 2011/01/31/Final Report SP - 113p AB - This final report contains research findings on the characterization of the quality and value of road weather information resources used by members of the surface transportation community in their decision-making process. This report focuses on the results from the second survey in a series of surveys designed to establish a baseline metric on the quality of road weather information from the perspective of department of transportation (DOT) personnel who actively use the information to support their operational decisions. The assessment of quality for the 2010 survey utilized the online survey approach established during the 2008 phase of the baselining study. The 2010 survey was modified slightly from the previous version to address some inconsistencies found during the first survey. Survey questions sought input on product components, parameters within specific products routinely used by DOT decision makers. The report details the organization of the survey responses into a quality attribute and importance categories and then analyzes the results of the survey. It addresses variable user responses within and amongst quality attribute classes that illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of specific product components. The product and element categories addressed in the 2008 survey were not part of the question set in 2010; however, various product components were subsets of both the product and element categories. The report provides a logical map to illustrate how the product components responses were composed into responses representative of the product and element results from 2008. The resulting derived product and element measures permitted a mechanism to compare survey results from 2008 to 2010. The report presents the results of the 2010 survey. It augments the quality markers used for comparison in 2008 and points out road weather parameters that could benefit from improvement. Although slightly different sampling techniques were used between 2008 and 2010 the results provided similar quality metrics. Some variability existed between the two sets of results; however, the composite of all results indicated either no change or a slight increase in quality occurred in the two years. The modification of the survey format and a limited sample size created statistical uncertainties that required consideration. These unknowns were addressed and recommendations were offered to continue to improve the road weather monitoring program and stabilize the metrics. KW - Baseline modeling KW - Data quality KW - Decision making KW - Ground transportation KW - Highway operations KW - Road weather information systems KW - Statistical analysis KW - Surveys KW - Traffic safety UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37800/37840/2010_BaselineSurvey_FinalReport-508.html UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37800/37840/2010_BaselineSurvey_FinalReport-508.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105248 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354153 AU - Zhu, Yan AU - Zhu, Yinian AU - Regez, Brad AU - Balogun, Oluwaseyi AU - Krishnaswamy, Sridhar AU - Center for the Commercialization of Innovative Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Intelligent Structural Health Monitoring of Vehicular Bridges Using Fiber Optic Sensors to Detect Acoustic Emission PY - 2011/01/28 SP - 30p AB - The recent collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis has spawned a growing interest in the development of reliable techniques for evaluating the structural integrity of civil infrastructure. Current inspection techniques tailored to vehicular bridges in particular are widely based on short-term or intermittent monitoring schedules. While these techniques have had reasonable success in assessing the structural integrity of bridges, there are unanswered questions about their effectiveness for monitoring sudden adverse structural changes that can lead to catastrophic bridge failure. Structural health monitoring (SHM) is an alternative inspection paradigm that provides the potential for long-term monitoring of integrity of large-scale structures. The goal of this work is to develop an intelligent structural health monitoring (ISHM) scheme for the long-term assessment of the damage state of in-service vehicular bridges. The presented ISHM scheme builds upon an existing SHM scheme developed at the Center for Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention (CQEFP) at Northwestern University for the evaluation of the structural integrity of safety critical infrastructures. The ISHM scheme consists of diagnostic optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors for acoustic emission monitoring, signal processing techniques for source localization of acoustic emission events, and model based prediction of structural damage using the measured sensor information. Acoustic emissions consist of dynamic elastic stress waves produced by the sudden release of mechanical energy in a material, and their generation is well correlated with the growth of cracks in a structure produced by stress corrosion or mechanical fatigue from cyclic loading. As such, acoustic emission events serve as warning signs for the initiation of the process of structural failure. KW - Acoustic emission KW - Bridges KW - Fiber optics KW - Inspection KW - Sensors KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://www.ccitt.northwestern.edu/documents/Final_Report_Krishnaswamy_intelligentstructural.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1116407 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516636 AU - Peckett, Haley AU - Plosky, Eric AU - Rasmussen, Ben AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service TI - Regional Alternative Transportation Evaluation Report – Region 1 PY - 2011/01/21/Final Report SP - 17p AB - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Volpe Center conducted a regional alternative transportation evaluation (RATE) in Region 1, which is comprised of Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Hawaii, to ensure effective consideration and integration of alternative transportation systems (ATS) into the goals and recommendations of the Region 1 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The Region 1 RATE was also meant to serve as a pilot for the integration of ATS into the National FWS LRTP. Staff from the Volpe Center, FWS Region 1, and Western Federal Lands Highways (WFLH) met in Portland, Oregon, in October 2010, to discuss alternative transportation needs and constraints in the region and to develop an ATS Questionnaire. Volpe Center staff also visited Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Steigerwald Lake NWR, the Mid-Columbia Refuge Complex, and the Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery to identify specific opportunities for ATS in these and other stations. The RATE also provided lessons on how ATS may be instituted more broadly across Region 1. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Hawaii KW - Idaho KW - National Wildlife Refuge System KW - Nonmotorized transportation KW - Oregon KW - Public transit KW - Transportation planning KW - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service KW - Washington (State) KW - Water transportation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/50000/50800/50890/RATE_ReportR1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290553 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341797 AU - Carpenter, Michael A AU - State University of New York, Albany AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Investigation of RFID Based Sensors for Sustainable Transportation Applications PY - 2011/01/21/Final Report SP - 19p AB - Through support of a University Transportation Research Center Faculty Development Minigrant an investigation was made into the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based sensing technologies for transportation purposes. Transportation applications would potentially include the wireless detection of overweight trucks, remote and automated emissions monitoring of vehicles, corrosion of infrastructure and transportation security applications. Sustainable transportation would be improved through savings realized by a reduction in the cost of sensor technologies as well as the significant cost savings and environmental impacts realized by reducing the damage to roads and bridges by the efficient detection of overweight trucks, a reduction in the number of vehicles with emissions violations, in-situ detection of infrastructure corrosion to enable just in time maintenance and improved safety of mass transit. Commercially available RFID tags cost $0.1 and are being used in a wide range of applications including, shipping, warehouse management among others. Recently Wake Inc. has developed methods for incorporation of RFID tags into concrete structures for in-situ measurement of the curing process. While these tags cost more than $0.1, due to the enhanced packaging, they are able to measure the temperature of concrete structures to determine when the structure has cured. Typical protocols require that concrete “cure” for a mandatory 28 days so that its maximum strength is achieved. However, depending on the local temperatures, humidity, concrete volume etc . , concrete may achieve this maximum strength in just several days. Thus, through the use of the RFID sensors, construction of transportation related infrastructure can proceed at a much faster pace and realize significant savings by reopening major routes, bridges or runways at earlier dates. While Wake Inc. has demonstrated this in several instances, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, there are further improvements to be made to this technology by incorporating new sensing capabilities into RFID tags. KW - Accelerated construction KW - Airport runways KW - Concrete curing KW - Concrete structures KW - Corrosion KW - Costs KW - Detection and identification KW - Exhaust gases KW - Infrastructure KW - Monitoring KW - Overweight loads KW - Public transit KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Security KW - Sensors KW - Shipping KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Technological innovations UR - http://utrc2.org/research/assets/186/RFID-Report1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103777 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341789 AU - Nassif, Hani H AU - Ozbay, Kaan AU - Elawar, Ayman AU - Rutgers University, Piscataway AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Utilizing Remote Sensing Technology in Post-Disaster Management of Transportation Networks PY - 2011/01/21/Final Report SP - 45p AB - Infrastructure system components such as bridges, highways, tunnels, traffic systems, road pavements, and other systems are considered assets that should be protected and properly managed. Yet, the degree of deterioration and the risk of exposure to natural (e.g., earthquakes, floods, etc.) as well as malicious disasters are dangerously high. Major decisions must be made to allocate the available but limited funds for maintaining and safeguarding our national infrastructure. Additionally, transportation services play an important role in post-disaster recovery and are an integral part of most response functions. These services are vital for initial rescue operations and disaster assistance. Traffic delays that occur during the reconstruction period can be greatly minimized through effective traffic management strategies. The need for vulnerability assessment and disaster mitigation in densely populated areas, such as the NY/NJ metropolitan area, is obvious. In this project, the authors propose the use of novel remote sensing technologies to quickly assess damage to the transportation infrastructure. Some of the latest remote sensing technologies can detect very small displacements of infrastructure elements, such as roads and bridges, up to centimeter accuracy. Thus, this information along with historic information about transportation infrastructure components combined with simple yet accurate structural engineering models can be used to determine individual components of a given network that are susceptible to failure under various loading conditions. This probabilistic failure mapping of the infrastructure can then be used to develop robust transportation and emergency response plans that minimize the risk of disruptions. Based on the preliminary findings of this research project, it is shown that the information obtained from remote sensing technology is important in providing reliable support for the decision-making system for preparedness and mitigation. However, the availability of high-resolution images is key to the future success of the research initiative described in this report. In the absence of such high-resolution satellite images, the proposed post-disaster management approach cannot be realistically tested unless simulated images are employed. Even though using simulated images is beyond the scope of this project, the authors hope to be able to access high-resolution satellite SAR data of earthquake-prone urban areas in the near-future. This option will allow to further study the appearance of bridges and highways in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and the advanced InSAR images, and extract as much information as possible on their conditions. Once the feasibility of damage assessment is verified using real satellite images, the next step will be to use this information in conjunction with probabilistic routing and dynamic traffic assignment algorithms that can generate low risk routes for evacuation and other post-disaster operations in dense urban areas. KW - Bridges KW - Damage assessment KW - Decision making KW - Disaster preparedness KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Dynamic traffic assignment KW - Emergency management KW - Evacuation KW - High resolution data KW - Highways KW - Infrastructure KW - Remote sensing KW - Routing KW - Satellite imagery KW - Synthetic aperture radar KW - Urban areas UR - http://utrc2.org/research/assets/156/Remote-Sensing1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103788 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01548236 TI - Marine Highway Transport of Toxic Inhalation Hazard (TIH) Materials AB - The objective of the research is to examine the benefits of transporting a larger share of chlorine and anhydrous ammonia shipments via the marine highway system than is currently transported. For purposes of this study, the marine highway marketplace will be limited to U.S. domestic shipments. This includes inland waterway shipments and coastwise shipments. In order to accomplish the overall research objective, the research team will conduct the following tasks: Task 1: Literature review; Task 2: Determine Current Volume of Shipments by Mode; Task 3: Interview Shippers and Carriers; Task 4: Review International Experiences; Task 5: Define the Regulatory and Security Environment; Task 6: Define Vessel Requirements; Task 7: Define the Economic Environment; Task 8: Define the Obstacles; Task 9: Define and Analyze Externalities; and Task 10: Submit Final Report KW - Ammonia KW - Benefits KW - Chlorine KW - Freight transportation KW - Marine highways KW - Poisons KW - Regulation KW - Security KW - Ships KW - Toxic inhalation hazards KW - United States KW - Waterways UR - http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3121 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1335987 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341794 AU - Wittig, Beth AU - City College of New York of the City University of New York AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Design of a Scale Model to Evaluate the Dispersion of Biological and Chemical Agents in a NYC Subway Station PY - 2011/01/12/Final Report SP - 11p AB - Urban subway systems remain among the most susceptible to a terrorist attack by biological or chemical agents (BCA) because they are heavily trafficked and have limited points of egress. The combination between efficient creation of casualties and anonymity afforded to terrorists make subways attractive targets. However, the disproportionate amount of passengers to subway employees, limits the ability of transit workers to identify suspicious activity. On March 20, 1995, the Aum Shinrykio religious cult demonstrated this with the release of sarin gas at five locations within a Tokyo subway. This assault resulted in twelve deaths and approximately 5,000 illnesses. An October 6, 2005 terror threat on the NYC subway system, although not realized, reminded United States residents that this possibility persists even post‐September 11. This limitation was also exploited by the Al Qaeda architects of the July 7, 2005 London transit attacks in which bombs were detonated on three subway cars and a double‐decker bus, resulting in 56 deaths (including the bombers) and roughly 700 injuries. Other incidents, such as a 1995 series of subway and train bombings in Paris and the March 11, 2004 commuter train bombings in Madrid, Spain contribute to concerns over subway vulnerability. KW - Biological and chemical weapons KW - Dispersions (Chemistry) KW - New York (New York) KW - Safety and security KW - Scale models KW - Subways KW - Terrorism KW - Terrorist attack of March 11, 2004, Madrid, Spain KW - Terrorist attack of March 20, 1995, Tokyo, Japan KW - Terrorist attacks of July 2005, London, England UR - http://utrc2.org/research/assets/113/DesignScaleModel1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103780 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341796 AU - Liu, Huabei AU - City College of New York of the City University of New York AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Three-dimensional Analysis of Underground Tunnels in Liquefiable Soil Subject to Earthquake Loading PY - 2011/01/11/Final Report SP - 25p AB - Underground tunnels pass through complicated ground that may consist of both liquefiable and nonliquefiable soils under seismic loading. This difference in liquefaction susceptibility would then lead to different development of excess pore pressure and different decreases of soil stiffness and strength, resulting in complicated three-dimensional deformation and damage of tunnels, the knowledge of which is still not well understood at present. In this study, three dimensional (3D) Finite Element analyses were carried out to investigate the seismic response of underground tunnels subject to earthquake loading, focusing on the 3D response of underground tunnels passing through both saturated dense and loose grounds. Twin subway tunnels at a diameter of 5 m, the lining of which was made of grey cast-iron at a thickness of 6.5 cm, were considered in this study. It was found that underground tunnels passing through both dense and loose saturated ground exhibited two distinctive deformation modes: the uplift and the lateral deformation due to the difference in the soil liquefaction susceptibility. The tunnels were twisted due to these distinctive deformation modes and the maximum stress in the tunnels occurred at the boundary between dense and loose grounds. It was also found that when soil liquefaction was not extensive in the ground, the tunnels settled instead of uplifted. Different frequency characteristics of input motions resulted in significantly different responses of the ground-tunnel system, which was also related to soil thickness above bedrock. Synthesized motions from the same design response spectrum might still result in different stresses in the tunnels, indicating that in the design of underground tunnels sufficient number of synthesized motions compatible with the design spectrum should be analyzed in order to take into account the ground motion uncertainty. KW - Deformation KW - Density KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Earthquakes KW - Finite element method KW - Ground uplift KW - Liquefaction KW - Liquefiable soil KW - Saturated soils KW - Seismic response KW - Seismicity KW - Settlement (Structures) KW - Stresses KW - Three dimensional analysis KW - Tunnels UR - http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784412121.187 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103776 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342820 AU - Camargo, Luis Fernando Molina AU - Resendiz, Esther AU - Hart, John M AU - Edwards, J R AU - Ahuja, Narendra AU - Barkan, Christopher P L AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Machine Vision Inspection of Railroad Track PY - 2011/01/10/Final Report SP - 46p AB - Railroad engineering practices and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations require track to be inspected for physical defects at specified intervals, which may be as often as twice per week. Most of these inspections are conducted visually by railroad track inspectors and include detecting defects relating to the ballast section, ties, fasteners, rail, and special trackwork. Enhancements to the current manual inspection process are possible using machine-vision technology, which consists of recording digital images of track elements of interest and analyzing them using custom algorithms to identify defects or their symptoms. Based on analysis of FRA accident data, discussion with railroad track engineering experts and consultation with Association of American Railroads researchers, this project focuses on using machine vision to detect irregularities and defects in wood-tie fasteners, rail anchors, crib ballast, and turnout components. Development of a machine-vision-based inspection system will permit more efficient, effective, and objective inspection of these track elements. The system will be adaptable to inspect in accordance with FRA track safety regulations as well as railroad-specific track standards that may involve additional parameters of interest. Also, because data will be stored digitally, recall and quantitative comparative analysis is possible thereby enabling relative comparisons and trend analysis. This will enhance the ability for longer-term predictive assessment of the health of the track system and its components, and lead to more informed preventative maintenance strategies and a greater understanding of track structure degradation and failure modes. KW - Crash data KW - Degradation failures KW - Inspection KW - Machine vision KW - Maintenance of way KW - Railroad engineering KW - Railroad tracks KW - Railroad transportation UR - http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nextrans/docs/Year%202%20Final%20Reports/Final%20Report%20028.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36069/Final_Report_028.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104499 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467883 TI - Characterization of Unpaved Road Conditions Through the Use of Remote Sensing AB - According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in 2008 there were 1,324,245 miles of unpaved road in the United States, accounting for almost 33% of the over 4 million miles of road in our national transportation infrastructure (FHWA and USDOT 2010). Local governments and transportation agencies are responsible for a large part of this unpaved infrastructure. These agencies need to be able to assess cost-effectively the condition of the infrastructure on a periodic basis in order to effectively manage these roads, and to optimize for resource allocation. Most local transportation departments do not have specialized equipment to measure surface conditions, instead relying on visual, spot measurements. Unpaved roads typically have low traffic volumes and, consequently, may receive less time and attention from local agencies with limited funding and limited human resources. These limitations often prevent thorough evaluations of unpaved roads, even though timely identification of road damage is extremely important and these roads have an important role to play in connecting farmers to markets, school buses to school children, and residents to their homes. In supporting a Cooperative Agreement between the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) and Michigan Technological University, the USDOT-RITA is assisting the Michigan Tech team to put forth the recipient's best efforts to design and develop Characterization of Unpaved Road Conditions through the use of remote sensing which promises to extend the available Commercial Remote Sensing & Spatial Information tools to enhance and develop an unpaved road assessment system. The goals of this third phase research are to develop a sensor for, and demonstrate the utility of remote sensing platform or platforms for unpaved road assessment. The platform could be a typical manned fixed-wing aircraft, a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), or both, depending on their relative strengths and weaknesses in meeting user community requirements for unpaved road assessment. To be cost efficient, the same sensor modality would be shared if more than one platform is recommended. Further, the remote sensing method chosen must be practical, economical, and effective for use by the transportation community. The sensor and platforms will allow for rapid identification and characterization of unpaved roads on an inventory level and will provide meaningful condition metrics as well as enable mission planning, control of the sensor system, and data processing. Best engineering practices will be employed to rigorously define the requirements of the system and select the best sensor and platform technology to meet the needs of the stakeholders. At the end of the project the capabilities of the prototype system or systems will be demonstrated to stakeholders for their potential implementation. KW - Best practices KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Drone aircraft KW - Gravel roads KW - Inspection KW - Low volume roads KW - Remote sensing KW - Unpaved roads UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236119 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341790 AU - Guo, Zhan AU - New York University, New York AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Mode Shift in Transit Under-served Neighborhoods in New York City Region PY - 2011/01/05/Final Report SP - 33p AB - This research defines the concept of transit under-served areas (TUSA), and argues that with the right policies TUSA residents have a great potential to reduce car dependency and usage and switch to public transit. It focuses on one important but often overlooked policy—residential parking, in reshaping travel patterns in TUSA neighborhoods, using the New York City region as an example. Nine hundred households were randomly selected from a regional household travel survey in the New York City region. Their parking types were identified using streetscape images from Google and Bing, and the types of parking were connected with the travel behavior identified in the travel survey. It finds that residential parking could significantly affect not only household car ownership, but also choice of commuting mode, trip frequency, trip chaining, and total vehicle time. TUSA households with only on-street parking tend to have fewer cars, make fewer vehicle trips, and drive less overall vehicle time, comparing to households with a garage. However , when on-street parking becomes a viable alternative to off-street parking--free, convenient, and readily available, households tend to have more cars and use these cars more often. Based on the results, the research suggests that in order to discourage car use and encourage mode shift, government should limit the conversion of on-street parking to off-street parking through new curb cuts in TUSA neighborhoods with insufficient off-street parking. In TUSA neighborhoods with sufficient off-street parking, government policy should limit the provision and usage of on-street parking through better street design and/or permit fees. KW - Automobile ownership KW - Automobile travel KW - Modal shift KW - Mode choice KW - New York (New York) KW - Off street parking KW - On street parking KW - Parking KW - Parking policy KW - Public transit KW - Residential areas KW - Transit availability KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel patterns KW - Travel surveys KW - Travel time KW - Trip chaining KW - Urban transportation policy UR - http://utrc2.org/research/assets/177/ModeShift1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103779 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01584398 AU - Flores, Arthur AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Improved Infra-Red Procedure for the Evaluation of Calibrating Units PY - 2011/01/04 SP - 11p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Model Specifications for Calibrating Units for Breath Alcohol Testers requires that calibration units submitted for inclusion on the NHTSA Conforming Products List for such devices be evaluated using one of three alternate procedures, all of which were developed at the Volpe Center. The preferred procedure uses a National Patent Analytical Systems, Inc. Datamaster breath alcohol analyzer instrument to analyze samples. This device is a non-dispersive infra-red spectrophotometer designed for breath (ethyl) alcohol analysis and is listed on the NHTSA Conforming Products List for evidential breath testers. The Datamaster instrument has been replaced with a Datamaster DMT instrument and the procedure has been improved by use of the simulator sample re-circulation feature that was not present in the older instrument. This document reviews the improved procedure and calculations. KW - Alcohol breath tests KW - Calibration KW - Evaluation KW - Spectrophotometers KW - Testing equipment KW - U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56100/56111/Improved_Infra-Red_Procedure_for_the_Evaluation_of_Calibrating_Units.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1377962 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463669 TI - Longer Combination Vehicle's Impact on Improving Operational Efficiency, Freight Flows and Traffic Congestion AB - Longer combination vehicles (LCVs) are attractive for the transportation community because they carry more freight per trip. However, the implications, costs and benefits of LCVs are not clearly delineated or well documented. An initial evaluation suggests the benefits include improved freight flow (more freight per driver), improved administrative efficiency (fewer permits required), and reduced highway congestion (fewer trucks on the road). However a more comprehensive evaluation is required to account for safety concerns, traffic impacts, liability costs, and potential infrastructure damage. In some circumstances special equipment and higher wages for qualified drivers could offset the potential operational efficiency. Furthermore, if LCVs lower freight costs, trucking may be a more competitive alternative to rail at some distances thus increasing highway congestion. This research will provide an objective and comprehensive evaluation of how the use of LCVs will impact freight flow, operational efficiency, safety, infrastructure, and highway congestion. The results of this project will contribute to the policy evaluation that will determine whether to continue to restrict or allow for operation of LCVs on state and federal highways. If the federal freeze is lifted in the future, this research will be useful to individual states for policy and project evaluation, pricing, or cost allocation decisions relative to the operation of LCVs within their state. Policy makers at all levels of government could potentially use the results of this research. The benefits will be measured objectively by evaluating the safety of LCVs and the amount of pavement damage they cause. The benefits will also be measured by conducting interviews and discussions with state agencies, private business, and motor carriers. The research team will provide a reasonable estimate of the amount of truck traffic that would be influenced by increased LCV usage. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Freight flow KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Highway safety KW - Longer combination vehicles KW - Motor carriers KW - Operational efficiency KW - Policy making KW - Traffic congestion KW - Truck traffic UR - http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/freight_efficiency_congestion_mitigation.aspx?id=18 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231895 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463667 TI - Evaluation of Freight Vehicles in Short-Haul Intermodel Lanes AB - The further development of intermodal truck-rail freight services is a leading strategy in the mitigation of growing highway congestion. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this policy alternative is limited by the dominance of "short-haul" truck movements that cannot be economically diverted to intermodal service under current business models and practices. A chief impediment to the development of short-haul intermodal services lies in the characteristics of freight vehicles - primarily truck trailers and containers. Current practices rely on lift-on / lift-off technologies that depend on high-volume mechanized terminal facilities. The high fixed costs of these facilities must be averaged over relatively long shipment distances for intermodal freight to compete with traditional trucking. Therefore, most short-haul movements are not currently candidates for intermodal carriage. In response to this need, the University of Tennessee's Center for Transportation Research (CTR) is performing a comprehensive evaluation of rail-truck intermodal equipment that examines current capabilities and costs and identifies vehicle characteristics required to extend intermodal services to shorter-haul markets. This analysis includes (1) the development of a thorough and robust costing model that allows simultaneous variations in intermodal vehicles, accompanying equipment suites (cranes, drayage vehicles, etc.), intermodal operating practices, and lane specific traffic volumes; (2) a careful description of the characteristics and usage patterns of currently available intermodal vehicles; (3) an evaluation of emerging intermodal equipment alternatives; and (4) an evaluation of the economic conditions that would be necessary for any foreseeable intermodal technology to compete effectively in freight markets that are currently dominated by all-truck movements. KW - Economic factors KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Intermodal terminals KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Port operations KW - Short haul KW - Tennessee KW - Traffic congestion KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucks UR - http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/freight_efficiency_congestion_mitigation.aspx?id=19 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231893 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463666 TI - Vehicle Stability and Dynamics: Electronic Stability Control AB - A team led by the National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated (NTRCI) is working to improve the roll and yaw stability of combination heavy duty trucks through developing stability algorithms, assembling demonstration hardware, and investigating robust wireless communication. Modern electronic stability control (ESC) products automatically slow a vehicle rounding a corner too quickly or apply individual brakes when necessary to improve the steering characteristics of a vehicle. Air brake systems in North America provide no electronic communication between a tractor and semitrailer, limiting the degree to which control systems can be optimized. Prior research has demonstrated stability improvements when dynamic measurements and control commands are communicated between units of a vehicle. The first of three related activities is to develop an algorithm for the optimum yaw and roll control of a combination vehicle. It will determine which vehicle state parameters are needed to control the vehicle and the proper brake response. An integrated stability control for the tractor and semitrailer will require communication between the two units. Dynamic models will be used to optimize the competing stability needs of yaw and roll. Closely tied to the first activity is the laboratory implementation of the ESC algorithm. Hardware components suitable for the harsh environment for measurement, sensor-to-controller communication, and semitrailer-to-tractor communication and brake actuation will be specified and assembled to a working system. The goal is to collect the needed vehicle state information, to transmit the information to the ESC system, and then actuate the brakes in response to controller commands. The final activity is to develop a wireless network with the data rate and reliability necessary to communicate dynamic signals for a vehicle stability control system. Adaptive connectivity-aware, multi-hop routing will be robust against packet collisions and fading in the harsh environment. The protocol will give high priority to urgent messages. KW - Air brakes KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Longer combination vehicles KW - Motor carriers KW - Motor vehicle dynamics KW - Rollover crashes KW - Steering KW - Truck tractors KW - Wireless communication systems KW - Yaw UR - http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/vehicle_stability_dynamics.aspx?id=22 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231892 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463665 TI - Vehicle Stability and Dynamics: Longer Combination Vehicles AB - As part of its ongoing effort to improve the safety, security, and operational efficiency of heavy commercial vehicles, the National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated (NTRCI) has begun to investigate the stability of Longer Combination Vehicles. (LCVs), known colloquially as "doubles" or "triples" have more complicated dynamics than the more common tractor in combination with a single semitrailer. The goal of the phase conducted in 2011 is to measure and model the behavior of LCVs in simple maneuvers. Two parallel but independent models of LCVs are being developed. One model is based on TruckSim®, a lumped parameter model widely used for single semitrailer combinations. The other model is being developed in Adams, which more explicitly models the geometry of the components of the vehicle. These models will describe an actual LCV triple combination. They begin with its geometry and compliance measured when it is stationary. The models will be refined by comparison with dynamic data. The test vehicle will drive in a steady state straight path and constant curvature and execute single and double lane changes on a test track. Limited driving on a highway will add further representative conditions for the data. The maneuvers in this phase will not be near the limits of stability, so the data will be suitable for verifying the models only in everyday conditions. Plans calls for the models to be extended in future phases and serve as the basis for evaluating means of improving LCV stability through electronics and design features. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Longer combination vehicles KW - Maneuverability KW - Motor carriers KW - Stability (Mechanics) KW - Trailers KW - Truck tractors KW - Truck traffic KW - Vehicle dynamics UR - http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/vehicle_stability_dynamics.aspx?id=23 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231891 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463664 TI - Impact of Distraction and Health on Commercial Driving Performance AB - Commercial driver health and wellness has been recognized as a national primary concern of several federal agencies. One major contributor to compromised driver safety is distracted driving, an activity in which many commercial drivers engage. Also negatively impacting driving among commercial drivers are several health-related factors, such as disease, poor sleep quality and a variety of medical conditions. The proposed study will be among the first to examine the interaction of the psychological aspects of distracted driving and physical health in commercial drivers. Fifty commercial drivers between the ages of 21 and 65 will be recruited from Alabama-based trucking companies. Participants will complete four activities while driving in commercial truck driving simulator: (1) talking on a cell phone, (2) text messaging, (3) using an onboard mobile communication device, and (4) driving with no distraction. Participants will also complete questionnaires to provide basic health and demographic information, driving history, and experience with electronic devices, as well as a brief physical health assessment. Findings from this study are expected to impact multiple stakeholders; and to contribute to the development of future, large intervention studies targeting distraction and health factors in commercial drivers. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Distracted drivers KW - Distraction KW - Driver performance KW - Driving simulators KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Health KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Text messaging KW - Truck drivers UR - http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/distracted_driving.aspx?id=20 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231890 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01548752 AU - Shahabi, Cyrus AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Stream Traffic Data Archival, Querying, and Analysis with TransDec PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 35p AB - An end-to-end data-driven system, dubbed TransDec (Transportation Decision-Making), enables decision-making queries in transportation systems with dynamic, real-time and historical data. TransDec addresses the challenges in visualization, monitoring, querying and analysis of dynamic and large-scale spatiotemporal transportation data. New techniques are developed to create a streaming data archival repository that supports continuous querying and analysis of the vast amount of California transit data from RIITS (Regional Integration of Intelligent Transportation Systems) generated in the form of data streams. The current data-tier of TransDec is extended to a distributed design to enable more scalable and stable computing environment. A novel proof-ofconcept application is presented. This application exploits a subset of the real-world RIITS datasets. KW - Algorithms KW - Data files KW - Decision support systems KW - Information management KW - Real time information KW - Routing KW - Spatial analysis KW - System architecture KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic distribution UR - http://www.metrans.org/sites/default/files/research-project/10-13_Shahabi_final_0_0.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm52b91zt/2/producer%2F10-13_Shahabi_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117000 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543895 AU - Eksioglu, Burak AU - Ekşioğlu, Sandra D AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimizing the Use of Transit System with Information Updates during No-Notice Evacuations PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 12p AB - Evacuation of the affected population is a very common response to disasters such as hurricanes, chemical spills, and terrorist attacks. This paper proposes a rolling horizon framework for a previously proposed mixed integer linear program to find the optimal routes during no-notice evacuation. Rolling horizon framework provides the opportunity of using information updates along the time horizon. KW - Disasters KW - Evacuation KW - Hurricanes KW - Mixed integer programming KW - Oil spills KW - Optimization KW - Public transit KW - Rolling horizon KW - Routes and routing KW - Terrorism KW - Time horizons UR - http://ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2008_04_Eksioglu%20and%20Eksioglu_Use%20of%20Transit%20System%20with%20Information%20Updates%20during%20No-Notice%20Evacuations.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331544 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543892 AU - Jin, Mingzhou AU - Zhang, Li AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analyzing Congestion and Capacity Impacts from Disruptions to Critical Infrastructures in the Rail Network PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 55p AB - As an energy-efficient transportation mode, railways play a vital role in U.S. freight transportation. During any natural or man-made disasters, it is essential to keep the freight flow by efficiently re-routing the disrupted traffic. This project develops a model for routing the trains to minimize the total travel time for the whole network and determines how significant disruptions to railway infrastructure impact regional and inter-regional freight movements. The routing problem is formulated as a minimum-cost network flow problem that has a nonlinear objective function of minimizing the total travel time on all links and considers Origin-Destination specific demand. To make the model computationally tractable, the nonlinear travel time function at each link is approximated with a piece-wise linear function so that the whole model can be directly solved by ILOG CPLEX 9.0. The criticality of a railway link is evaluated by the increased delay when the link is disrupted. A case study is conducted for the railway network in the State of Mississippi. The map showing criticalities of all links in the study area is provided. In addition, this article discusses about the literature and data availability of other two surface transportations modes – highway and waterway. KW - Case studies KW - Disasters KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Minimization KW - Mississippi KW - Origin and destination KW - Railroads KW - Routing KW - Traffic disruption KW - Travel time UR - http://www.ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2008_08_Jin%20and%20Zhang_Analyzing%20Congestion%20&%20Capacity%20%20from%20Disruptions%20to%20Rail%20Infrastructures%20%20Network%20.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331604 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01541443 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Eco-Logical Successes PY - 2011/01 SP - 8p AB - From 2003 to 2006, eight Federal agencies came together to write the interagency document Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects. To promote ecosystem sustainability, these Federal agencies developed a document in response to a growing desire to better avoid, minimize, and mitigate the effects of infrastructure projects. The agencies envisioned an enhanced and sustainable natural environment where necessary infrastructure can be developed in ways that are more sensitive to terrestrial and aquatic habitats. The Federal agencies that formed the interagency team included: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service, National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). This document identifies and explains each Eco-Logical signatory agency’s strategic environmental programs, projects, and efforts that are either directly related to or share the vision set forth in Eco-Logical. A brief description of an agency’s key program includes program activities and goals, contact information, and a list of other strategic initiatives being undertaken. Information from each agency’s key programs and selected environmental initiatives is contained in a matrix following the program descriptions. Finally, this document identifies potential joint projects and opportunities for collaboration among the Eco-Logical signatory agencies. KW - Bureau of Land Management KW - Environmental policy KW - Federal government agencies KW - Habitat (Ecology) KW - Infrastructure KW - National Park Service KW - Sustainable development KW - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers KW - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration KW - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service KW - U.S. Forest Service KW - U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration UR - http://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/ecological/successes/index.asp UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48300/48344/EcoLogical_Successes.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1327141 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01506238 AU - Schulz, Noah AU - Boeker, Eric AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - An Examination of the Spectral Class Low Frequency Limit for Helicopters PY - 2011/01 SP - 59p AB - Currently, Integrated Noise Model (INM) and Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) do not use spectral data below 50 Hz in their noise computations. However, helicopter rotor rotational noise is dominant below 50Hz, with a fundamental frequency at the blade-pass frequency (BPF) and harmonics at integer multiples of BPF. Noise data for several helicopters have been measured for inclusion in the INM/AEDT database with expanded spectral data down to 12.5 Hz. The purpose of this effort is to determine what effects, if any, inclusion of low frequency data will have on resulting noise modeling. The results of which would determine if and how an expanded-spectra capability should be included in AEDT. KW - Aircraft noise KW - Aviation Environmental Design Tool KW - Databases KW - Helicopters KW - INM (Integrated Noise Model) KW - Low frequency UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51000/51025/Helicopter_LowFrequency_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290394 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01370163 AU - Maher, Ali AU - Garabaglu, Mohsen AU - Systemic Concepts, LLC AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Technical Consultation on the Use of Satellite Communications for Remote Monitoring of Field Instrumentation Systems PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 21p AB - The increasing emphasis on the maintenance of existing infrastructure systems have led to greater use of advanced sensors and condition monitoring systems. Wireless sensors and sensor networks are emerging as sensing paradigms that the structural engineering field has begun to consider as substitutes for traditional tethered monitoring systems. The primary objective of the project is to review the state-of-the-art in satellite communication utilization in remote sensing to identify the current methods used for automated remote sensing including system availability and reliability, network performance and transmission error rate, and network protocol. KW - Instrumentation KW - Remote sensing KW - Satellite communication KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://cait.rutgers.edu/files/Satellite-RU0781-final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136637 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01369579 AU - Sullivan, Jim AU - Aultman-Hall, Lisa AU - Belz, Nathan AU - Watts, Richard AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Vermont Agency of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Efficient Transportation for Vermont: Optimal Statewide Transit Networks PY - 2011/01 SP - 45p AB - Public transit systems are receiving increased attention as viable solutions to problems with transportation system robustness, energy efficiency and equity. The over-reliance on a single mode, the automobile, is a threat to system robustness. Increasingly, policy makers and planners are espousing transportation systems with more options where robustness and equity gains come from the redundancy of alternative modes. For public transit, equity considerations range from ensuring that the network is fully "connected" (avoiding the "you can't get there from here" problem) to providing access to critical destinations (e.g., grocery stores or health care facilities) for people without cars. Energy efficiency gains in transit systems result when there are higher vehicle occupancy rates which lower energy use per passenger mile. This is one of two reports stemming from a project that sought to improve our understanding of the ways in which the Vermont statewide transportation system efficiency can be improved. In this report, the authors envision a series of "optimal" idealized transit networks for the state of Vermont, based on the competing motivations of efficiency and equity, and compare those idealized networks to the existing one. The main objective is to measure the potential levels of efficiency and equity, as well as the potential gains that could result from redesigning the statewide fixed route bus service. Finally, the location of existing park and ride facilities are considered relative to the existing and idealized transit networks. KW - Bus transit KW - Energy efficiency KW - Equity (Justice) KW - Fixed routes KW - Location KW - Park and ride KW - Public transit KW - Transit networks KW - Vermont UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/research/trc_reports/11-002_VTrans_Transit_Efficiency_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138308 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361241 AU - daSilva, Marco P AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Railroad Infrastructure Trespass Detection Performance Guidelines PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 24p AB - The United States Department of Transportation’s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, under the direction of the Federal Railroad Administration, conducted a 3-year demonstration of an automated prototype railroad infrastructure security system on a railroad bridge in the town of Pittsford, NY [1]. The main objective was to demonstrate a stand-alone, video-based trespass monitoring and deterrent system for railroad infrastructure applications using commercial off-the-shelf technology. The final report, entitled “Railroad Infrastructure Trespassing Detection Systems Research in Pittsford, New York,” details the project location, system technology and operation, system costs, results, potential benefits, and lessons learned. The results indicate this interactive system could serve as a model or prototype railroad infrastructure security system for other railroad rights-of-way or bridges deemed prone to intrusion. Additionally, the authors’ recommendation to develop performance guidelines for this type of system is contained in this document. KW - Demonstration projects KW - Detection and identification systems KW - Deterrents KW - Guidelines KW - Intrusion detection KW - Lessons learned KW - Monitoring KW - Off-the-shelf KW - Pittsford (New York) KW - Prototypes KW - Railroad bridges KW - Railroad safety KW - Right of way (Land) KW - Security KW - Surveillance KW - Technological innovations KW - Trespassers KW - Video UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/104 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126934 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360711 AU - Cirillo, C AU - Hetrakul, P AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Passenger Demand For Railway Revenue Management PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 30p AB - In this paper, the authors have illustrated a fare pricing strategy for the Acela Express service operated by Amtrak. The revenue management (RM) method proposed is based on passengers preference and products attributes. Using sales data, a multinomial logit model has been calibrated; the random utility theory has been applied to explain passengers choice of booking time under a range of hypothetical sale horizons. In order to capture aggregate passengers response to fare price, a demand function based on ordinary least squares regression has been incorporated in the procedure. This approach is appealing because it allows product attributes such as departure day of week, fare price and destination specific effects to be taken into account in the RM problem. The two models are incorporated in a mathematical formulation that maximizes the expected revenues for each departure day and for each destination market. The analysis provides a method for estimating choice behavior and passenger demand in response to RM strategies from readily available booking data. The accuracy of the estimates depends on the market size; for instance, the model produces good results for the station market which is the predominant market for Acela Express. Overall, the authors show that the proposed model in this paper is promising and can potentially lead to increase in revenue. KW - Acela Express KW - Amtrak KW - Fares KW - Multinomial logits KW - Passengers KW - Pricing KW - Railroad travel KW - Railroads KW - Regression analysis KW - Revenues KW - Travel demand UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125852 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360679 AU - Zhang, Lei AU - Yusufzyanova, Dilya AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Economic, Land Use and Network Growth Model for Transportation Management and Policy Analysis in the Washington DC Area PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 34p AB - This paper demonstrates the feasibility of developing integrated urban systems model that considers transportation network investment and growth over time, which is a necessary tool for analysts to obtain accurate estimates of the total impact of transportation policies. Also, this paper presents a quantitative model that can forecast future networks under current and alternative transportation planning processes. The current transportation planning process is modeled based on empirical information collected from interviews with key transportation agencies and planning documents published by these agencies. The investment decision-making rules of and interaction/negotiations among state and local transportation authorities are explicitly considered in the proposed agent-based model. Results on a test network show the current transportation planning process can be improved in several different ways. Either a more centralized or more decentralized planning process can improve investment decision-making and enhance the performance of future transportation networks. While it is certainly feasible to employ the proposed model to evaluate alternative planning processes out of intellectual interests, the most likely practical application of this type of models is probably the evaluation of the impact of a particular group of investment projects on future network performance. Another application is to forecast future networks for long-range transportation planning and policy scenario analysis. Currently, there is not a general method for generating future transportation networks 30 or 50 years from now, though this kind of planning horizon is often required for land use, greenhouse gas, and sustainability policy analysis. The model developed in this paper can fill this methodological gap. Several aspects of the proposed model should and can be improved in future research. Model demonstration on a real-world network is clearly in order, and this work is underway for the statewide highway network in Maryland. The planning process model needs to be validated, possibly through comparisons between observed investment decisions and model estimated investment decisions. The current transportation planning process in other regions may also be studied and modeled. KW - Economic growth KW - Economic models KW - Forecasting KW - Land use KW - Land use models KW - Land use planning KW - Networks KW - Policy analysis KW - Regional development KW - Traffic models KW - Transportation planning KW - Urban transportation policy KW - Washington Metropolitan Area UR - http://files.library.northwestern.edu/transportation/online/unrestricted/2011/UMD-2009-06.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125851 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357981 AU - Sayer, James R AU - Bogard, Scott E AU - Buonarosa, Mary Lynn AU - LeBlanc, David J AU - Funkhouser, Dillon S AU - Bao, Shan AU - Blankespoor, Adam D AU - Winkler, Christopher B AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Light-Vehicle Field Operational Test Key Findings Report PY - 2011/01 SP - 132p AB - This document presents key findings from the light-vehicle field operational test conducted as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effects of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driving behavior and driver acceptance. The light-vehicle platform included four integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward-crash, lateral-drift, lane-change/merge crash, and curve-speed warnings) installed on a fleet of 16 passenger cars and operated by 108 randomly-sampled drivers for a period of six weeks each. Each car was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through a post-drive survey, debriefings and focus groups. Key findings indicate that use of the integrated crash warning system resulted in improvements in lane-keeping, fewer lane departures, and increased turn-signal use. The research also indicated that drivers were slightly more likely to maintain shorter headways with the integrated system. No negative behavioral adaptation effects were observed as a result of drivers’ involvement in secondary task behaviors. Drivers generally accepted the integrated crash warning system and 72 percent of all drivers said they would like to have an integrated warning system in their personal vehicles. Drivers also reported that they found the blind-spot detection component of the lane-change/merge crash warning system to be the most useful and satisfying aspect of the integrated system. KW - Acceptance KW - Behavior KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Demonstration projects KW - Drivers KW - Highway curves KW - Highway safety KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Lane changing KW - Lateral drift KW - Light vehicles KW - Rear end crashes KW - Speed KW - Warning systems UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811416.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43100/43136/IVBSS_LV_Key_Findings_-_FHWA-JPO-11-082_-_FINAL_7-21-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122654 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357427 AU - Tang, Haiying AU - Salley, Steven O AU - Ng, K Y Simon AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Wayne State University AU - NextEnergy Center AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improved Oxidative Stability of Biodiesel Fuels: Antioxidant Research and Development PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 53p AB - Biodiesel is a domestic, renewable fuel that is gaining wide acceptance, especially in Europe. When blended with conventional petroleum diesel, biodiesel reduces hydrocarbon, particulate and carbon monoxide emissions, while having minimal to no effect on NOx. It also improves lubricity, lowers sulfur, and has a high cetane number. The promise of biodiesel is tremendous, but some significant obstacles remain to its complete acceptance by diesel engine manufacturers, most significantly with respect to oxidative stability. This proposed project will investigate the factors associated with biodiesel oxidative stability, including natural and synthetic antioxidants, storage and processing conditions. Results of this project will provide much needed guidelines to industry with regards to storage conditions and antioxidant additive levels. Additionally, biodiesel production changes will be recommended which will optimize the preservation of natural antioxidant levels in the fuel. Finally, factors required for the development of a user-level sensor for biodiesel oxidative stability will be quantified. KW - Antioxidants KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Carbon monoxide KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Diesel fuels KW - Exhaust gases KW - Petroleum KW - Sulfur UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545B_364048_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/af-04/pdf/MIOH_UTC_AF4p2-5_2011-Final_Rpt_Improved_Oxidative_Stability_of_Biodiesel_Fuels.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120907 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353910 AU - Shahabi, Cyrus AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Geospatial Framework for Dynamic Route Planning Using Congestion Prediction in Transportation Systems PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 35p AB - The goal of this research is to develop an end-to-end data-driven system, dubbed TransDec (short for Transportation Decision-Making), to enable decision-making queries in transportation systems with dynamic, real-time and historical data. With TransDec, the report will particularly address the challenges in visualization, monitoring, querying and analysis of dynamic and large-scale spatiotemporal transportation data. TransDec fuses a variety of transportation related real-world spatiotemporal datasets including massive traffic sensor data, trajectory data, transportation network data, and points-of-interest data to create an immersive and realistic virtual model of a transportation system. Atop such a system, TransDec allows for processing a wide range of customized spatiotemporal queries efficiently and interactively. The successful implementation of the TransDec infrastructure in the previous stages of the project has facilitated the infrastructure and knowledge base for two fundamental research lines. The first aims at devising an algorithm for compact and efficient data representation. Compact suggests that the data stored requires as little storage space as possible. The compactness of the data becomes a critical issue as the amount of data stored increases. Efficient representation means that, query times of the data are minimal and allow to work with the system in an interactive fashion. Then, exploiting the results of these lines of research, a new paradigm is presented. In this new storage paradigm the single point of storage, thus the single database server is traded for a cloud computing. This has many advantages, both in terms of storage scalability and maintenance and in terms of the availability of the data to all users as soon as it stored. It is expected that this new paradigm will dominate the research in geospatiotemporal databases in the near future and believe that the seeds presented within this research will play a significant role in it. KW - Advanced traffic management systems KW - Databases KW - Decision making KW - Geospatial information KW - Integrated systems KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Real time information KW - Route planning KW - Spatiotemporal analysis KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42544/09-26_Shahabi_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118629 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353869 AU - Shahabi, Cyrus AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Stream Traffic Data Archival, Querying, and Analysis with TransDec PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 35p AB - The goal of this research was to extend the traffic data analysis of the TransDec (short for Transportation Decision-Making) system, which was developed under METRANS 09-26 research grant. The TransDec system is a real-data driven system to support decision-making in transportation systems. With TransDec, the challenges in visualization, querying and management of dynamic and large-scale spatiotemporal transportation data, in particular, traffic sensors data and moving assets data have been addressed. With this proposal, building on experience in implementing TransDec, the research and technology development efforts were extended under three specific tasks. First, new techniques were developed to create a streaming data archival repository that supports continuous querying and analysis of the vast amount of California transit data from Regional Integration of Intelligent Transportation Systems (RIITS) generated in the form of data streams. Second, the current data-tier of TransDec was extended to a distributed design to enable a more scalable and stable computing environment. Finally, to demonstrate the benefits of the archived traffic datasets, a novel proof-of-concept application is presented, namely time-dependent optimal sequenced route (TD-OSR) planner using congestion prediction. This application exploits a subset of the real-world RIITS datasets and is evaluating the ways to make it available for public use. KW - Data banks KW - Decision making KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Real time data processing KW - Time dependence KW - Traffic analysis KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic sensors KW - TransDec (Computer model) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42547/10-13_Shahabi_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118821 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349479 AU - Baldwin, J David AU - Wijesinghe, Priyantha AU - Zacharie, Scott A AU - Mish, Kyran D AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of an In-Situ Fatigue Sensor PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 48p AB - A prototype in situ fatigue sensor has been designed, constructed and evaluated experimentally for its ability to monitor the accumulation of fatigue damage in a cyclically loaded steel structure, e.g., highway bridge. The sensor consists of multiple parallel sensing arms each with a different design of notch; the arms are oriented in the direction of the primary tensile stress in the structure. When close-mounted to a steel structure, the sensor experiences the same deformation as the monitored structure and the notches localize the fatigue accumulation in the sensor and fail progressively under cyclic loading. The notches studied were of semi-circular and deep U-notch configurations. Analytical life estimates for the notched sensor arms were made based on the strain-life fatigue models, and consider several mean stress models. When compared to experimental results, the analytical life estimates consistently overestimated the notched arm lives, but were frequently of the same order of magnitude. The Morrow and Smith-Watson-Topper mean stress models performed best at capturing the experimental results. Potential explanations for the discrepancies between experiment and theory include a lack of robustness in the strain-life models when dealing with significant yielding within the notches, and machined surface finishes in the notches promoting faster fracture than was accounted for in the models. Despite the lack of comprehensive agreement in life estimates, the overall concept of a predictable, progressive failure mode for the prototype sensor was confirmed. KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Highway bridges KW - Repeated loads KW - Sensors KW - Steel bridges KW - Structural analysis KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-32-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108025 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343593 AU - Wei, Heng AU - Ai, Qingyi AU - Eustace, Deogratias AU - Yi, Ping AU - University of Cincinnati AU - Ohio Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimal Loop Placement and Models for Length-based Vehicle Classification and Stop-and-Go Traffic PY - 2011/01//Research Report SP - 76p AB - Inductive loops are widely used nationwide for traffic monitoring and as a data source for a variety of needs. The loop data have been used for vehicle length-based classification in many states including Ohio. The dual-loop detector consists of two single loop detectors which are placed apart at a fixed short distance, enabling the dual-loop detector data to be a potential real-time data source for speed and vehicle classifications. The existing dual-loop length-based vehicle classification model has been well evaluated against free flow traffic but is not suitable for non-free flow traffic conditions (such as synchronized and stop-and-go congestion states). This project identifies the performance of the existing length-based vehicle classification models under various traffic conditions, and develops new models for congested traffic using dual-loop data. In order to ensure the right use of the new models under different traffic conditions, correct identification of varied traffic flow states is a critical need. For this purpose, an algorithm for identifying three traffic states, namely, free flow, synchronized flow, and stop-and-go flow, has been developed. A heuristic approach is employed for developing this algorithm with combination of occupancy and speed which directly result from the dual-loop data. Thresholds of variables involved in the algorithm are recommended based on the statistical analysis of the data gained from the sampling dual-loop stations in I-71/I70 in Columbus, Ohio. In addition, loop standards of layout and installation method have been collected from 17 states in the United States. Brief analysis of the collected standards is conducted to provide fundamental information for future evaluation. KW - Algorithms KW - Columbus (Ohio) KW - Dual loop detectors KW - Free flow (Traffic) KW - Heuristic methods KW - Location KW - Loop detectors KW - Stop and go traffic KW - Synchronized flow (Traffic) KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic models KW - Vehicle classification UR - http://www.otc.uakron.edu/docs/2009%20OTC%20Project%20Final%20Report_Wei%20et%20al[1].pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105674 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342034 AU - Gregg, Rob AU - Begley, Justin AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enhancing the Connectivity of High Speed Rail in the Orlando-Tampa Corridor with Local Public Transportation Systems: Issues and Opportunities PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 156p AB - High Speed Rail (HSR) will only be truly transformational if it has effective connections with as many other modes of transportation as possible. This project looks at local public transportation systems that have opportunities to connect to HSR stations planned for the Orlando-Tampa corridor. How will the availability of HSR affect the existing transit services? What approach are local agencies taking to re-align services to benefit both local and regional travelers? The creation and authority of the Florida Rail Enterprise High Speed Rail project is a catalyst for local agencies to reassess their existing and planned public transportation development activities. It is the objective of this project to analyze these local services and plans to provide insight for enhanced interconnectivity opportunities to the planned HSR stations. With effective connections, the High Speed Rail Project can create a public transportation system for much of the state of Florida. KW - High speed rail KW - Orlando (Florida) KW - Public transit KW - Tampa (Florida) KW - Transit corridors KW - Transit network connectivity UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/77928.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104597 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340825 AU - Baker, Richard T AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Mileage-Based User Fee Research Website PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 14p AB - The University Transportation Center for Mobility (UTCM) previously funded several research projects related to mileage-based user fees (MBUFs). As part of these research efforts a website was developed to support the planning for the first-ever Symposium on Mileage-Based User Fees. While the website was initially developed to disseminate information about the symposium, it has since become a resource for ongoing research in the field of MBUFs. Recently completed studies on MBUFs are posted to the website, and major media coverage of the topic is linked as well. This project further developed the website so that it can act as a “one-stop shop” for individuals interested in exploring the topic or professionals looking to keep track of the latest developments in the field. Updates to ongoing MBUF research pilot studies and research are obtained through researchers’ well-established contacts with other researchers in the field and are posted on the website. Journal articles, media coverage, and various commentaries on MBUFs are also provided on the website. Furthermore, interested parties may join a mailing list that provides weekly updates on the subject or can participate in a newly installed discussion forum. KW - Distance based fees KW - Financing KW - Highways KW - Information dissemination KW - Mileage-based user fees KW - Mobility KW - User charges KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Baker_10-00-61.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102783 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337617 AU - Rutherford, G Scott AU - Watkins, Kari Edison AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Measurement and Evaluation of Transit Travel Time Reliability PY - 2011/01//Final Research Report SP - 22p AB - Transit travel time reliability often continues to be viewed by transit agencies solely on the basis of overall on‐time performance. Therefore, this research sought to increase knowledge about the causes of travel time variability in transit by comparing the on‐time performance and runtime deviation of routes and portions of routes based on specific characteristics of the service (right‐of‐way, stop spacing, load factors, etc.). Three questions were addressed: (1) What are the characteristics of route segments where travel times (as measured by runtime) are the least variable? (2) What are the characteristics of route segments where drivers are least likely to fall behind? (3) What are the characteristics of route segments where drivers are most likely to be able to catch‐up if they have fallen behind schedule? Based on this analysis the characteristic of service that has the highest impact on on‐time status and additional runtime beyond scheduled is the presence of some kind of issue with service that would cause a service alert to be issued within the agency. This shows the importance of getting information about service alerts out to customers via a variety of means to ensure riders know that their bus is likely to be delayed. In terms of policy decisions that agencies can make, the presence of high‐floor buses increased the delays by several seconds per trip segment. Through‐routing buses had an even greater impact, adding almost a minute to the actual runtime beyond that scheduled. Standees on a bus had a similar negative impact on both on‐time status and overall runtime, indicating that agencies should pay attention to their passenger loads and work to add service along lines that become severely overloaded to avoid delays. Interestingly, express buses and the percentage of exclusive lanes in the form of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes or Business‐Access Transit (BAT) lanes had an inconsistent impact on reliability. KW - Bus delays KW - Bus transit KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - On time performance KW - Running time KW - Travel time reliability UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36099/TNW2010-10.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100475 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337323 AU - Morris, Ted AU - Schwach, Jory A AU - Michalopoulos, Panos G AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Low-Cost Portable Video-Based Queue Detection for Work-Zone Safety PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 53p AB - Highway work-zone safety is a major concern for government agencies, the legislature, and the traveling public. Several work zone intelligent transportation systems (WZITS) have been developed as a safety countermeasure to warn drivers of dangerous traffic conditions. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of a WZITS is diminished if the actual traffic flow conditions do not correspond with the sensor information leading to false warnings; these confuse drivers and reduce the credibility of the system, which is often ignored. This can lead to situations where drivers crash into work-zone areas because they are unprepared to stop. The national cost of crashes due to this was estimated to be nearly $2.5 billion. Such “dangerous” traffic conditions are typically characterized by unpredictable queue formations that propagate rapidly into higher speed traffic immediately upstream from the active work zone. False positives or missed warnings could be reduced if the location of queue tails in addition to vehicle speeds in proximity to the active work zone can be accurately detected. In this study, a low-cost rapidly deployable and portable queue detection WZITS warning system is proposed. To demonstrate WZITS feasibility, a queue detection algorithm was designed and tested using widely available, field proven, machine vision hardware that can be integrated into the current portable system prototype, using video data collected in the field from the portable device. The warning trigger generated by the algorithm can then be transmitted to a remote upstream location for triggering roadside emergency warning devices (such as VMS, flashers, etc.). KW - Algorithms KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Portable equipment KW - Traffic queuing KW - Video imaging detectors KW - Work zone safety UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1488 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098719 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337270 AU - Dill, Jennifer AU - Monsere, Christopher AU - McNeil, Nathan AU - City of Portland AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Bike Boxes at Signalized Intersections PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 126p AB - This report presents a before-after study of bike boxes at 10 signalized intersections in Portland, Oregon. The bike boxes, also known as advanced stop lines or advanced stop boxes, were installed to increase visibility of cyclists and reduce conflicts between motor vehicle and cyclists, particularly in potential "right-hook" situations. Before and after videos were analyzed for seven intersections with green bike boxes, three intersections with uncolored bike boxes, and two control intersections. User perceptions were measured through surveys of cyclists passing through five of the bike box intersections and of motorists working downtown, where the boxes were concentrated. Both the observations and survey of motorists found a high rate of compliance and understanding of the markings. Overall, 73% of the stopping motor vehicles did not encroach at all into the bike box. Both motor vehicle and bicycle encroachment in the pedestrian crosswalk fell significantly at the bike box locations compared to the control intersections. The bike boxes had mixed effects on the motorists’ encroachment in the bicycle lane. The number of observed conflicts at the bike box locations decreased, while the total number of cyclists and motor vehicles turning right increased. Negative-binomial models based upon the data predict fewer conflicts with the boxes, particularly as right-turning motor vehicle volumes increase. Observations of yielding behavior at two bike box and one control intersection found an improvement in motorists yielding to cyclists at the bike box locations. Differences in the traffic volumes and location contexts make firm conclusions about the effects of green coloring of the boxes difficult. Higher shares of surveyed motorists felt that the bike boxes made driving safer rather than more dangerous, even when the sample was narrowed to respondents who were not also cyclists. Over three-quarters of the surveyed cyclists thought that the boxes made the intersection safer. KW - Before and after studies KW - Bicycle boxes (Intersection element) KW - Bicycle safety KW - Highway safety KW - Portland (Oregon) KW - Road markings KW - Signalized intersections UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/227 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098717 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337269 AU - Duych, Ron AU - Ford, Chester AU - Sanjani, Hossain AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hazardous Materials Highlights – 2007 Commodity Flow Survey PY - 2011/01//Special Report SP - 6p AB - Hazardous materials movement through the Nation’s transportation network in 2007 remained relatively unchanged from 2002 measures, according to data from the 2007 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS), released in 2010. The estimated 2.2 billion tons of hazardous materials carried by all modes of transportation is about the same as the estimated tonnage from the prior CFS in 2002. However, the value of those shipments more than doubled, from $660 billion to $1,448 billion, driven primarily by the increase in the price of refined petroleum products and other basic commodities. Slightly more than half (54 percent) of hazardous material tonnage is moved via trucks over the Nation’s highways. Pipeline is the next most used carrier of hazardous materials, handling 28 percent of the tonnage, while the other modes each accounted for 7 percent or less of total hazardous material tonnage. KW - 2007 Commodity Flow Survey KW - Commodity flow KW - Freight traffic KW - Hazardous materials KW - Highways KW - Pipelines KW - United States UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2011_01_26/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098714 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337205 AU - Agrawal, Asha Weinstein AU - Blumenberg, Evelyn AU - Abel, Sarah AU - Pierce, Gregory AU - Darrah, Charles N AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Getting Around When You're Just Getting By: The Travel Behavior and Transportation Expenditures of Low-Income Adults PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 126p AB - In-depth interviews with 73 adults are used to examine how rising transportation costs affect low-income families. Four general areas of interest are explored: travel behavior and transportation spending patterns; the costs and benefits of alternative modes of travel; transportation cost management strategies; and opinions about the effects of changing transportation prices on travel behavior. Findings show that most low-income households are concerned about their transportation costs and household resources are strategically managed to respond to changes in transportation costs. The costs of travel (time and out-of-pocket expenses) are weighed carefully against the benefits of alternative modes; the extra cost of owning a car, for example, may be worth time savings in traveling to work. While low-income households manage to cover their transportation costs, many of these strategies have negative effects on their lifestyles. Recommendations are given for increasing transportation affordability, minimizing the impact of new transportation taxes or fees on low-income people, and developing new research and data collection strategies. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Costs KW - Data collection KW - Households KW - Low income groups KW - Mobility KW - Mode choice KW - San Jose (California) KW - Transportation policy KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel time UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/2806_10-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097942 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01335439 AU - Adams, Teresa M AU - University of Wisconsin, Madison AU - Midwest Regional University Transportation Center AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Estimating Cost Per Lane Mile for Routine Highway Operations and Maintenance PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 75p AB - The disparity between maintenance budgets and maintenance requirements causes agencies to make difficult choices about maintenance priorities. There is a growing need to effectively link maintenance costs and condition to provide clear evidence of impacts due to budget tradeoffs decisions. The focus of this research was to develop mathematical relationships between expenditures for highway maintenance and the resulting maintenance condition by analyzing historic cost and condition data. The research involved analyzing maintenance condition and cost data over three years, 2004, 2005, and 2006 from the state transportation agencies in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin for highway components including pavement, shoulders, roadside vegetation, drainage, signs, and pavement markings. The maintenance management systems at the states use different categorization schemes for their maintenance activity costs and different rating systems for maintenance condition, thus direct comparison between states was not possible. The primary result of this research is a set of probabilistic distribution functions for annual maintenance costs for a wide range of maintenance activities. Confidence intervals can be constructed around the average using the chosen level of confidence (i.e., 95%). The functions are useful for sensitivity and simulation analyses. The researchers hypothesized that data would reveal relationships between cost and condition. A regression tree analysis approach was used to search for relevant model equations. However, the statistical analysis of the data revealed weak evidence of these relationships. This finding is common for all three of the states that were investigated. There are at least two clear limitations of the data. First, to see trends over time, three years of data may not be enough. Furthermore, even with budget cuts, noticeable deterioration in condition, deficiencies, or maintenance backlog may take longer than three years. Second, the available cost and condition data are aggregated over many highway miles. Maintenance management and cost records generally do not include precise highway locations where maintenance was performed, the specific activities that were performed, nor the precise cost and timing of those activities. Consequently the trends and relationships between cost and condition are “washed out” by the lack of precision. KW - Cost estimating KW - Costs KW - Distributions (Statistics) KW - Drainage KW - Highway maintenance KW - Maintenance management KW - Michigan KW - Ohio KW - Pavement performance KW - Regression analysis KW - Road markings KW - Road shoulders KW - Roadside KW - Traffic signs KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - Vegetation KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.mrutc.org/research/0712/CPLM_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098950 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333789 AU - Liu, Henry X AU - Danczyk, Adam AU - He, Xiaozheng AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of the Next Generation Metro-Wide Simulation Models for the Twin Cities’ Metropolitan Area: Mesoscopic Modeling PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 55p AB - The collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis resulted in unexpected loss of life and had serious consequences on mobility and accessibility in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In response to the network disruption caused by the bridge collapse, a number of traffic restoration projects were proposed and rapidly implemented by Mn/DOT. Selection and prioritization of these projects, however, was based mainly on engineering judgment and experience. The only decision-support tool available to traffic engineers was the regional transportation planning model, which is static in nature and decennial. In this work, the Twin Cities metropolitan area is simulated using a mesoscopic traffic simulator in the AIMSUN software. After establishing the mesoscopic simulation model, the authors attempt to utilize the calibrated mesoscopic simulation model to evaluate drivers’ perceived cost evolution to explain the traffic dynamics on the Twin Cities road network after the unexpected collapse of the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River. Given the observation of largely underutilized sections of network, it is proposed that the tragedy generated a perceived travel cost to discourage commuters from using these sections. Applying a mesoscopic simulation model provided by AIMSUN, the perceived costs on cordon lines after the I-35W Bridge collapse were suggested to be best described as an exponential decay cost curve. The proposed model is applicable to both practitioners and researchers in traffic-related fields by providing an understanding of how traffic dynamics will evolve after a long-term, unexpected network disruption. KW - AIMSUN (Computer model) KW - Bridges KW - Decision support systems KW - Highway traffic control KW - Mesoscopic traffic flow KW - Minneapolis Bridge Collapse, 2007 KW - Mobility KW - Replacement (Bridges) KW - Traffic simulation KW - Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minnesota) UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1486 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097177 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333779 AU - Goldberg, Bruce AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Making Connections: Intermodal Links Available at 70 Percent of all Stations Served by Commuter Rail, 2010 PY - 2011/01//Special Report SP - 8p AB - Intermodal connections with other scheduled public transportation modes are available at 70 percent of all stations served by commuter rail trains. Commuter rail passengers are able to connect to other transportation modes at 812 of the 1,160 stations served by commuter trains that operate over the tracks of the national rail network. The percentage of commuter rail stations with intermodal connectivity exceeds that of the other modes (airline, intercity rail, and ferries) included thus far in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database (IPCD). The commuter rail network covers 34 metropolitan areas across the country and provides regional rail service within a single or two adjacent metropolitan areas. Commuter trains, which may be either diesel or electrically powered, operate over tracks of the national rail system, frequently sharing the same right-of-way with freight trains or intercity passenger trains. They generally operate from outlying stations within a metropolitan area to the predominant city in that area. However, a few commuter rail systems operate between adjacent metropolitan areas. Commuter rail services are often affiliated with other local transit networks, and so commuter rail stations are frequently served by local transit buses. Transit bus is, by far, the most frequent connection to commuter rail networks, serving 801 of the 812 commuter rail stations that have intermodal connections. These connections effectively extend access to the commuter rail network beyond the immediate station area to the wider area served by the transit bus network. Some of the stations also have intercity (long distance) transportation service, such as intercity bus, inter- city rail, interstate ferries, or airline service. Intermodal commuter rail stations offer residents within the commuter rail service area a way to use the trains to connect to region- and nation-wide destinations. Not only do these intermodal commuter rail stations provide the opportunity to connect between modes, but by offering multiple modes in a single location they help create more livable communities by offering multiple travel mode choices in a single location to the residents of the immediate surrounding areas. KW - Bus transit KW - Bus transportation KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Links (Networks) KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Public transit KW - Rail transit KW - Rail transit stations KW - Railroad commuter service KW - Transit network connectivity UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2011_01_12/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094972 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333766 AU - Figliozzi, Miguel AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Freight Distribution Problems in Congested Urban Areas: Fast and Effective Solution Procedures to Time-Dependent Vehicle Routing Problems PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 60p AB - Congestion is a common phenomenon in all medium to large cities of the world. Reliability of freight movement in urban areas is an important issue to manufacturing or service companies whose operation is based in just-in-time approaches. These companies tend to provide high value or time sensitive products/services. As congestion increases, carriers face increasing challenges to satisfy their time sensitive customers in an economical way. Route designs or schedules which require long computation times or ignore travel time variations will result in inefficient and suboptimal solutions. Poorly designed routes that lead freight vehicles into congested arteries and streets not only increases supply chain and logistics costs but also exacerbate externalities associated with freight traffic in urban areas such as greenhouse gases, air pollution, noise, and accidents. Whilst it is rarely possible to entirely avoid the impacts of congestion, it is feasible to schedule operations so that the effects of congestion are minimized. Better scheduling can be effectively supported by the advent of inexpensive and ubiquitous Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The use of mobile phone technology and on-board routing devices allows fluid communication between truck drivers and fleet operators in real-time. In such a real time operation it becomes possible to dynamically reassign vehicles, including modifying the order in which customers are served and diverting a vehicle already en-route to service another customer. However, without fast routing methods that can take advantage of real time congestion information carriers cannot reap the benefits of real-time information. From the operational point of view, congestion creates a substantial variation in travel times during peak morning and evening hours. This is problematic for all vehicle routing models which rely on a constant value to represent vehicle speeds. And while the ubiquitous availability of real time traffic information allows drivers to reactively alter routes and customer service sequences to better cope with congestion, static routing models are unable to take advantage of these advances in real-time information provision in order to proactively find adequate routing solutions. In addition, changes in travel time caused by congestion cannot be accurately represented in static models. Research in time-dependent vehicle routing problem is comparatively meager and current solution methods are inadequate for practical carrier operations which need to provide fast solutions for medium to large instances. Even faster solution methods are essential to take advantage of real time information. The major aim of this proposal is to develop and evaluate new methods for vehicle routing in congested urban areas. The emphasis will be placed on improving the running time of the existing methods. KW - Algorithms KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Routing KW - Scheduling KW - Time dependence KW - Traffic congestion KW - Urban areas UR - http://otrec.us/project/133 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35700/35769/OTREC-RR-11-05_Final_1_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096582 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333652 AU - Werbel, Richard A AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Lessons Learned in Attempting to Survey Hard-to-Reach Ethnic Segments Along with the Presentation of a Comprehensive Questionnaire PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 90p AB - A survey questionnaire was developed and administered to transit users in the Sacramento Metropolitan Area to analyze the degree to which global satisfaction with transit is impacted by ethnicity and other relevant independent variables Although the data collected was not analyzed because the sample size was substantially smaller than required, the questionnaire used, which is included in its entirety in an appendix, has some uncommon variables and measurement approaches that can be used in a number of other survey questionnaires used in transit studies. Options involving sampling methodology and methods of administering the questionnaire that would have generated an acceptable sample size also are discussed. KW - Market surveys KW - Methodology KW - Persons by race and ethnicity KW - Questionnaires KW - Research KW - Socioeconomic factors KW - Statistical sampling KW - Surveys UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/2207_WP-10-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1093702 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333203 AU - Greene, Jessica AU - Larco, Nico AU - Yang, Yizhao AU - Schlosberg, Marc AU - Rodriguez, Daniel A AU - McDonald, Noreen AU - Combs, Tabitha AU - University of Oregon, Eugene AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Travel Behavior, Residential Preference, and Urban Design: A Multi-Disciplinary National Analysis PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 96p AB - This report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to more standard suburban developments. The authors compare survey results from residents of matched pairs of neighborhoods in seventeen U.S. cities and towns, with each pair comprised of one NTD and one typical suburban neighborhood of similar size, age, and socio-demographic composition. The study addresses salient themes in the transportation, planning and health literatures: a national study, surveying populations of diverse incomes, collecting resident information on preferences for and attitudes towards neighborhood qualities, and addressing transportation and health outcomes for diverse community designs. KW - Built environment KW - Land use planning KW - New urbanism KW - Quality of life KW - Residential location KW - Suburbs KW - Sustainable development KW - Travel behavior KW - Urban design UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35700/35770/OTREC-RR-11-04_Final_1_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094932 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333182 AU - Zhang, Lei AU - Xu, Wei AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - No More Freeways: Urban Land Use Transportation Dynamics Without Freeway Capacity Expansion PY - 2011/01//Final Report SP - 120p AB - Observations of the various limitations of freeway capacity expansion have led to a provocative planning and policy question – What if we completely stop building additional freeway capacity. From a theoretical perspective, as a freeway transportation network matures, there exists a saturation point beyond which any additional freeway capacity would only be counterproductive from a welfare point of view, and worsen the existing urban transportation problems. Traditional benefit/cost analysis of individual freeway capacity expansion projects often ignores long-term induced demand and land use changes and does not represent a systems approach to this important theoretical issue. From a practical perspective, a no-more-freeway policy can relieve transportation funds for other potentially more effective usages, such as improving urban arterial street system, improving transit level of service and coverage, implementing demand management and pricing strategies, and facilitating more efficient land use patterns (e.g. high density in-fill and transit-oriented developments). This research answers the following critical land use-transportation planning questions. Improved knowledge on these issues should benefit planers and decision-makers who pursue mobility and sustainability objectives and have the power to shape future cities. (1). Under what conditions will freeway capacity expansion become counterproductive to urban planning objectives (where is the saturation point)? (2). How will land use and transportation evolve under a “No-More-Freeway” policy? (3). What are the implications of such a policy on congestion, land use efficiency, transportation finance, and social welfare? (4). What is the impact of a less restrictive “No-More-Freeway” policy that only allows private-section freeway investments and relieves public-section freeway investments for other compelling transportation needs. The analysis in this project builds upon a modeling tool, ABSOLUTE, developed by the P.I. in previous research projects. ABSOLUTE is an Agent-Based Simulator Of Land Use-Transportation Evolution, which translates planning policies such as the “No-More- Freeway” policy into alternative urban growth paths and possibly urban growth equilibria (land use and transportation system equilibria). Due to the “Small Start” nature of this OTREC project, the analysis focuses primarily on stylized urban areas, and empirical analysis of the “No-More-Freeway” policy is only conducted for one policy scenario on the Twin Cities, MN, area. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - City planning KW - Freeway operations KW - Highway capacity KW - Land use planning KW - Oregon KW - Policy making KW - Transit oriented development UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35700/35771/OTREC-RR-11-02_Final_1_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094921 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332466 AU - Eisele, William L AU - Yager, Christine E AU - Brewer, Marcus A AU - Frawley, William E AU - Park, Eun Sug AU - Lord, Dominique AU - Robertson, James A AU - Kuo, Pei-fen AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Texas Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Safety and Economic Impacts of Converting Two-Way Frontage Roads to One-Way: Methodology and Findings PY - 2011/01//Technical Report SP - 320p AB - In the research documented here, researchers develop information to communicate the safety and economic impacts of converting frontage roads from two-way to one-way. Researchers studied five locations in Texas where frontage roads were converted from two-way operation to one-way operation. Researchers identified a comparison site in Texas that remained two-way for comparison to four of the treatment (conversion) sites. Researchers developed accident modification factors (AMFs) related to frontage road conversion segments that roadway designers can use to guide frontage road conversion project planning. Researchers developed AMFs based on non-property-damage-only (non-PDO) crashes for segments and interchange intersections. Researchers developed 12 AMFs and provide confidence intervals around the estimates. Researchers describe how the AMFs were developed, associated caveats, and how to apply the AMFs. Researchers also document the process used to build the safety database from electronic data-sets and printed crash reports. Finally, researchers provide recommendations to facilitate and expedite future crash analyses. Researchers attempted to investigate the economic impacts of frontage road conversion by analyzing gross sales data, appraisal data, employment data, and surveys of business owners/managers and customers. Only the appraisal data and survey information were at the parcel level along the corridors and survey sample size was limited. KW - Accident modification factors KW - Economic impacts KW - Frontage roads KW - One way traffic KW - Texas KW - Traffic safety UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/0-5856-1.pdf UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5856-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096422 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01330450 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Pocket Guide to Transportation 2011 PY - 2011/01 SP - 52p AB - This booklet provides a statistical guide on the state of transportation in the United States. Covering highway, air, rail, maritime, urban transit and pipeline, the contents include transportation topics such as transportation infrastructure and use; safety; security; mobility and livability; economy; and environmental sustainability. A glossary of terms is provided. KW - Economic indicators KW - Environmental impacts KW - Infrastructure KW - Mobility KW - Quality of life KW - Security KW - Statistics KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Transportation modes KW - Transportation safety KW - United States UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1091163 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01330438 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - America's Container Ports: Linking Markets at Home and Abroad PY - 2011/01 SP - 49p AB - The U.S. marine transportation system handles large volumes of domestic and international freight in support of the Nation's economic activities. As a vital part of that system, the Nation's container ports handle cargo and are sources of employment, revenue, and taxes for businesses or communities where they are located. This report provides an overview of the movement of maritime freight handled by the Nation's container ports in 2009 through mid-2010, based on the most current available data through that time period. It summarizes trends in maritime freight movement since 1995, especially during the last 5 years. It also covers the impact of the recent U.S. and global economic downturn on container traffic; trends in container throughput; concentration of containerized cargo at the top U.S. ports; regional shifts in cargo handled, vessel calls, and port capacity; the rankings of U.S. ports among the world's top ports; and the number of maritime container entries into the United States relative to truck and rail containers. The report also includes spotlight summaries of landside access to container ports and maritime security initiatives. KW - Container terminals KW - Container traffic KW - Freight traffic KW - Port capacity KW - Port traffic KW - Ports KW - Security KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States KW - Water traffic UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/americas_container_ports/2011/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35900/35956/Container_ports.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1093992 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01596773 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Transportation Atlas Databases 2011 PY - 2011 AB - The National Transportation Atlas Databases 2011 (NTAD2011) is a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure. These datasets include spatial information for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals, as well as the related attribute information for these features. Metadata documentation, as prescribed by the International Organization of Standards, is also provided for each database. The data support research, analysis, and decision-making across all modes of transportation. They are most useful at the national level, but have major applications at regional, state, and local scales throughout the transportation community. This product is distributed in shapefile format. KW - Databases KW - Geographic information systems KW - Infrastructure KW - Intermodal facilities KW - Metadata KW - Spatial analysis KW - Transportation modes KW - Transportation, hydraulic and utility facilities KW - United States UR - http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_atlas_database/2011/index.html UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56600/56697/NTAD_2011.zip UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1400862 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518796 AU - Drobot, Sheldon AU - Mahoney, William P AU - Schuler, Elena AU - Wiener, Gerry AU - Chapman, Michael AU - Pisano, Paul A AU - Kennedy, Pat AU - McKeever, Benjamin B AU - Stern, Andrew D AU - National Center for Atmospheric Research AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Noblis, Incorporated TI - IntellidriveSM Road Weather Research & Development - The Vehicle Data Translator PY - 2011 SP - 13p AB - One of the goals of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration’s IntelliDriveSM initiative is for the public and private organizations that collect, process, and generate weather products to utilize vehicle sensor data to improve weather and road condition products. It is likely that some users will not be able to contend with the complexities associated with vehicle data, such as data quality, representativeness, and format. A solution for addressing this issue is to utilize a Vehicle Data Translator (VDT) to preprocess weather-related vehicle data before they are distributed to data subscribers. This paper will describe the VDT and how vehicle data sets are being processed by the prototype VDT to generate derived weather and road condition information. KW - Data quality KW - Information processing KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Prototypes KW - Road weather information systems KW - Vehicle Data Translator KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/resources/publications/itsapaper9005/itsapaper9005.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1300420 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01501355 AU - Ben-Akiva, Moshe AU - New England University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Modeling Cooperative Driving Behavior in Freeway Merges PY - 2011///Final Report SP - 3p AB - Merging locations are major sources of freeway bottlenecks and are therefore important for freeway operations analysis. Microscopic simulation tools have been successfully used to analyze merging bottlenecks and to design optimum geometric configurations and control strategies for such locations. In congested situations, acceptable gaps for merging are often not available and freeway mainline drivers often cooperate with the on-ramp drivers and create gaps for the merge. This is usually done either by decelerating or by changing to an inner freeway lane. Also, in some cases the merging driver may become impatient and decide to force in, which compels the lag driver in the freeway to decelerate. The lane-changing and acceleration decisions of the freeway mainline driver are therefore not only based on his present situation, but also influenced by the anticipated intention of the merging driver (e.g. whether or not the merging driver is executing a forced merge). Consequently, the merging models developed for a particular freeway may not be applicable to other freeways. The objective of the model was to develop a merging model for freeway conditions and explore transferability of such models across multiple locations. The model was estimated with trajectory data collected as part of the NGSIM project from I-80, CA and US-101, CA. The estimated models used a utility based framework and accounted for the unobserved heterogeneity among the drivers. KW - Behavior KW - Cooperation KW - Drivers KW - Freeway operations KW - Merging area KW - Merging traffic KW - Traffic models UR - http://utc.mit.edu/uploads/MITR20-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1279122 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01501349 AU - Ni, Daiheng AU - Collura, John AU - Chen, Qian-Yong AU - New England University Transportation Center AU - University of Massachusetts, Amherst AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Stochastic Fundamental Diagram for Probabilistic Traffic Flow Modeling PY - 2011///Final Report SP - 3p AB - Flowing water in river, transported gas or oil in pipe, electric current in wire, moving goods on conveyor, molecular motors in living cell, and driving vehicles on a highway are various kinds of flow from physical or non-physical systems, yet each exhibits distinct characteristics. One of the attributes that distinguishes vehicular traffic flow from other flows as a special kind of 'fluid' is the so-called fundamental diagram - the relationships among traffic flow characteristics (e.g. flow, speed, and density) which are typically represented graphically. The fundamental diagram plays an essential role in transportation analysis and operations. For example, the study on traffic flow dynamics relies on input from the speed-density relationship to understand how a perturbation propagates among vehicles; a highway capacity analysis utilizes the speed-flow relationship to determine the level of service that the highway provides. Hence, sound mathematical models that better represent these relationships build a solid foundation for traffic flow analysis and efficient traffic control. Such an observation has motivated a variety of speed-density models since the path-breaking attempt by Greenshields in 1935. Departing from the Greenshields model, a number of models are proposed with varying degrees of success. Note that these models are in a single-equation form (single-regime model). Further improvements are made by decomposing the speed-density relationship into multiple pieces for better fitting. However, no matter single- or multi-regime, these models are deterministic in nature which essentially describes average system behaviors from a statistical perspective. The aim of this research, rather than to resolve the current controversies regarding sources of randomness, is to advance the modeling effort of the speed-density relationship from the deterministic domain to stochastic while still achieving mathematical elegance and empirical accuracy. To fulfill this end, a conceptual model was formulated assuming that speed is a random process of density and a random variable. KW - Distributions (Statistics) KW - Fundamental diagram KW - Stochastic processes KW - Traffic density KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic models KW - Traffic speed UR - http://agelab.mit.edu/files/finalreports/UMAR22-15fp.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1279155 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01501342 AU - Garder, Per E AU - Sandford, Thomas C AU - University of Maine, Orono AU - New England University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Institutional Memories of Road Design PY - 2011///Final Report SP - 3p AB - Most of the engineers who were part of the design teams planning, designing and building the highways in Maine from the 1950s through the 1970s have retired. Moreover, that was the ‘golden years’ for highway construction in Maine when most of its limited-access highways were built. The knowledge of how the planning, design and construction of those highways occurred is starting to wane. The objective of this project was to have influential engineers from the ‘golden years’ of road construction give seminars where they presented highlights from their careers and to document how large projects in the state of Maine were done and what can be learned from this for future large projects. Three ‘top’ Department of Transportation engineers, together with people from the contractor side, became the focus of this effort of collecting institutional memories. KW - Civil engineers KW - Corporate culture KW - Highway design KW - History KW - Institutions KW - Knowledge KW - Maine KW - Maine Department of Transportation KW - Memory UR - http://utc.mit.edu/uploads/UMEE21-15%20FP.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1279140 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485775 AU - Jintanakul, Klayut AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Dynamic Demand Input Preparation for Planning Applications PY - 2011 SP - 217p AB - A spectrum of traffic engineering and modern transportation planning problems requires the knowledge of the underlying trip pattern, commonly represented by dynamic Origin Destination (OD) trip tables. Unfortunately, there remain several common theoretical and practical aspects which impact the estimation accuracy and limit the use of these methods from most real-world applications. This dissertation itemizes and examines these critical issues, then presents the developments, evaluations, and applications of two new frameworks intended to be used with the current and near-future data, respectively. The first framework offers a systematic and practical procedure for preparing dynamic demand inputs for microscopic traffic simulation under planning applications with an estimation module based solely on traffic counts. The proposed six-step process offers a systematic procedure for preparing dynamic OD demand inputs for microscopic simulation under the planning context; the algorithm is efficient and can be applied to large-scale problems. The second framework utilizes additional information from small probe samples collected over multiple days. It offers an effective procedure for extracting dynamic OD demand and route distribution patterns from probe and traffic count data. KW - Algorithms KW - Bayes' theorem KW - Dynamic traffic assignment KW - Mathematical models KW - Methodology KW - Microsimulation KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Origin and destination KW - Traffic counts KW - Traffic simulation UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2011-02.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5kp85xr/1/UCTC-DISS-2011-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249654 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485774 AU - Smart, Michael Jon AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Immigrant Ethnic Neighborhoods, Inward Focus, and Travel Mode Choice PY - 2011 SP - 206p AB - This dissertation seeks to model the co-ethnic boundedness, or inward focus, of immigrant neighborhoods. The effect associated with immigrants living in immigrant neighborhoods on the choice to use non-motorized (walking, bicycling) modes for all trip purposes is particularly strong. The estimated effect on the use of public transportation and carpools are also considerable for immigrants. For nonimmigrants, the carpooling effect is present, though weak, and there is no effect associated with the use of transit. Attention is given to the Los Angeles Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area, in order to focus on specific, well-documented immigrant/ethnic neighborhoods. A travel mode choice model provides strong evidence that immigrant neighborhoods are associated with the use of “green” travel modes such as carpooling, transit, walking, and biking, even after controlling for other factors. The analysis also suggests that the immigrant neighborhood effect on travel mode choices is much larger for immigrant residents of these neighborhoods than for others living in the neighborhood. KW - Demographics KW - Distance KW - Immigrants KW - Logistic regression analysis KW - Mode choice KW - Neighborhoods KW - Travel behavior UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2011-08.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm53r0xnk/1/UCTC-DISS-2011-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249649 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485772 AU - Xuan, Yiguang AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Increasing the Flow Capacity of Signalized Intersections with Pre-signals: Theory and Case Study PY - 2011 SP - 53p AB - The dissertation proposes a new “tandem design" to reorganize traffic and increase the flow capacity of signalized intersections. In the tandem design, a mid-block pre-signal is used to sort left-turning vehicles (LVs) and through-moving vehicles (TVs) in tandem, rather than leaving them side by side, as in the conventional design. For intersections with separate through and left-turn phases, the tandem design outperforms the conventional one because more lanes can be used to discharge traffic during at least one of the intersection signal phases. The length requirement of blocks to fully realize the capacity benefit and modifications of the tandem design to reduce this length requirement is studied. Then a study is conducted at a signalized intersection in the city of Chengdu, China. The case study shows that the tandem design can effectively increase intersection capacity; together with enforcement of the bus-lane restriction, both cars and buses can benefit. Tandem sorting with pre-signals can be extended to increase intersection capacity of multimodal traffic. This extension hinges on an assumption that the discharge times of different modes of transport is additive, and this assumption is confirmed with a natural experiment. KW - Case studies KW - Chengdu (China) KW - Design KW - Highway capacity KW - Length KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic flow theory KW - Traffic signal control systems UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2011-09.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5c82f2k/1/UCTC-DISS-2011-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249648 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485763 AU - Gonzales, Eric Justin AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Allocation of Space and the Costs of Multimodal Transport in Cities PY - 2011 SP - 120p AB - Allocation of street space and how transport modes should be operated for different city structures is discussed. City structure is characterized by the density of travel demand and the amount of space available for transportation. Several costs are associated with transportation systems, including time, money, space, and externalities. Building on macroscopic models of traffic and transit operations in urban networks, the relationship between the costs of providing mobility with various transport modes and the structure of the city served is modeled recognizing that vehicles require space. Cities served by an individual mode (e.g., cars) and/or a collective mode (e.g., buses) are analyzed for three cases: constant demand over time (travelers can choose their mode); evening peak demand (travelers can choose their mode); morning peak demand (travelers can choose mode and departure time). In all cases, the system optimal use of space and modes which minimizes total system costs is identified along with a pricing strategy to achieve the optimum at user equilibrium. The results of this study show systematically how to allocate street space, operate transport systems, and price modes to minimize the costs of mobility for any city structure. KW - Costs KW - Land use models KW - Mobility KW - Mode choice KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Optimization KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2011-04.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5v69pbc/1/UCTC-DISS-2011-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249652 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485753 AU - Morris, Eric Andrew AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Access and Outcomes: Transportation, Location, and Subjective Well-Being PY - 2011 SP - 501p AB - This research examines how tools that promote access—monetary means, transportation resources, information, and physical proximity to opportunities— relate to individuals’ subjective well-being (SWB), a self-reported rating of their happiness. The data were analyzed with correlation, ordinary least squares regression, robust regression, weighted OLS regression, and ordered logit regression. Due to issues such as the direction of causality and self-selection by subjects, interpretation of these findings must be nuanced, and policy recommendations must be made with caution. Findings suggest that economic development programs could be a powerful factor promoting SWB, and that fostering access to transportation resources is worthwhile. On the other hand, land use policies designed to promote proximity to opportunities through densification are less promising at increasing SWB. KW - Access KW - Automobile ownership KW - City planning KW - Location KW - Psychological aspects KW - Walking UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2011-07.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm57h1pc9/1/UCTC-DISS-2011-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249650 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485750 AU - Schneider, Robert James AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Understanding Sustainable Transportation Choices: Shifting Routine Automobile Travel to Walking and Bicycling PY - 2011 SP - 442p AB - Few studies have explored how the characteristics of activity destinations are related to travel behavior. This dissertation contributes to the body of knowledge about factors that may encourage people to shift routine travel from automobile to pedestrian or bicycle modes. After controlling for travel factors such as time and cost, socioeconomic characteristics, and individual attitudes, mixed logit models show that automobile use was negatively associated with higher employment density, smaller parking lots, and metered on-street parking in the shopping district. Results also suggest the magnitude of mode shifts that could occur if short- and long-term land use and transportation system changes were made to each study shopping district. The mode choice model representing travel only to and from the study shopping districts (N = 388) was used to estimate respondent mode shares under the following three scenarios: 1) double population and employment densities in each study shopping district, 2) double street tree canopy coverage in each study shopping district, and 3) eliminate half of the automobile parking spaces at the survey store. Understanding each step in the mode choice decision process can help planners, designers, engineers, and other policy-makers implement a comprehensive set of strategies that may be able to shift routine automobile travel to pedestrian and bicycle modes. KW - Attitudes KW - Bicycling KW - Methodology KW - Modal shift KW - Perception KW - Shopping centers KW - Socioeconomic factors KW - Travel behavior KW - Walking UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2011-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249655 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01477101 AU - Khelifa, Alexandre AU - Garrow, Laurie A AU - Higgins, Matthew J AU - Meyer, Michael D AU - Georgia Transportation Institute University Transportation Center (GTI-UTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Impacts of Climate Change on Scour-Vulnerable Bridges: An Assessment Based on HYRISK PY - 2011///Final Report AB - More than 20% of the bridges in the U.S. were built more than 50 years ago, at a time in which intense precipitation events were much less common. However, very little work has been done on the use of scour risk-assessment models to assess how climate change increases bridge failure probabilities. This paper develops a risk-assessment framework based on HYRISK, a model developed to assess the probability of a bridge failure due to scour, and illustrates one way in which current engineering risk-assessment models can be used to quantify the additional risks and expected economic losses associated with a changing climate. Application of this framework to all bridges in the U.S. that carry vehicular traffic over water finds that economic losses due to climate change factors will increase by at least 15% over current losses and that the expected number of annual bridge failures in the U.S. will increase by at least 10% over current failures. Climate-based risk measures, such as those developed as part of this study, could be included in asset management systems to replacement schedules. KW - Asset management KW - Bridges KW - Climate change KW - Hyrisk (Computer program) KW - Maintenance KW - Risk assessment KW - Scour KW - United States UR - http://www.utc.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/projects/reports/garrow_the_impacts_of_climate_change_on_scour-vulnerable_bridges_20111021_jte_climate_change.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1246700 ER - TY - SER AN - 01456585 JO - University of California, Davis. Institute of Transportation Studies. Research report PB - University of California, Davis AU - Davies-Shawyde, Jamie AU - University of California, Davis AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Observed Travel and Recharging Behavior, Simulated Workplace Charging Infrastructure, and Vehicle Design on PHEV Utility Factors (UF), Total Charge Depleting (CD) Driving and Time of Day (TOD) Grid Demand: Scenarios Based on Consumers’ Use of A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Conversion PY - 2011 SP - 61p AB - The charging of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will place new loads on the electrical grid. How much and the time of day (TOD) at which users plug in their vehicles will have implications for electricity providers who must meet the additional electrical load required to charge a fleet of PHEVs. PHEV charging could place new burdens on existing electrical infrastructure (substations and transformers) and generating capacity. Information about consumers’ recharging behavior can help utilities and interested parties better plan for PHEVS in the marketplace. PHEVs can run in charge depleting (CD) and charge sustaining (CS) modes and there is uncertainty as to how much travel will be completed in each mode. Accounting for the amount of travel in each mode is crucial in order to accurately assess the fuel economy (FE) benefits, green house gas (GHG) emissions and costs of PHEVs. In 2001, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) promulgated standard J2841 defining the utility factor (UF) as the percentage of travel that can be completed in CD mode for a PHEV fleet with a given CD range. As such, the SAE standard J2841 has a substantial influence on policies regarding PHEVs and their assumed benefits and costs, and has been used by analysts, industry, and policy makers to calculate PHEV corporate average fuel economy (CAFE), GHG emissions, operating costs and Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) credits. The analysis described in this report challenges J2841by calculating the observed UF for a fleet of PHEVs driven by 25 Plausible Early Market (PEM) PHEV buyers in a demonstration and market research project. The results suggest that promoting “short range” PHEVs and focusing on popular vehicle-types, rather than upon achieving high CD ranges, could lead to greater total benefits from PHEVs in the early market, through more widespread adoption of PHEVs. KW - Battery chargers KW - Consumer behavior KW - Demand KW - Electric power KW - Electric vehicle charging KW - Periods of the day KW - Plug-in hybrid vehicles KW - Travel behavior UR - http://pubs.its.ucdavis.edu/download_pdf.php?id=1458 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1134665 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449548 AU - Fine, Philip R AU - University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - UAB UTC Annual Report 2010-2011 PY - 2011 SP - 540p AB - This report provides and overview of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB's) University Transportation Center (UTC) program. This UTC was established in a School of Medicine. This one-of-a-kind operating platform enabled UAB to bring a unique perspective to the study of medically-related transportation issues such as (1) the impact of congestion on motor vehicle crash-related (MVC) injury outcome as a function of the “golden hour”/first-responder access; (2) prevention and reduction of commercial vehicle crashes as a function of operator health status; (3) crash injury prevention and control as a function of the operator vehicle-environment interface; and, (4) achieving a statistically significant reduction in injuries and deaths associated with MVCs occurring in medically underserved, rural areas. Although the UAB UTC’s beginning-to-end life-span was short, in less than 60 months they developed, conducted and completed an ambitious, wide-reaching research agenda encompassing three research domains and 11 individual projects. The research domains were: Domain I: Emergency Medical Services and Congestion; Domain II: Development of a Dynamic Assignment and Simulation Model for Incident and Emergency Management Applications in the Birmingham Region; and, Domain III: Distracted Driving and Small Projects. More detailed information and formal Final Reports on the specific projects are included in this document. KW - Annual reports KW - Research KW - University of Alabama, Birmingham KW - University Transportation Centers Program UR - http://www.uab.edu/utc/PDF%20Files/Final%20UTC%20Report%2011_11_JF.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46100/46149/Final_UTC_Report_11_11_JF.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1217007 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446277 AU - Parmar, Devendra S AU - Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Non-Destructive Bridge Testing with Acoustic Emission (AE) Sensor Technology PY - 2011///Final Report SP - 14p AB - The proposed research at the Denbigh Blvd. in the City of Newport News, Virginia was completed according to the plan of action prepared in consultation with the VDOT and the Virginia Council of Transportation Innovation and Research (VCTIR). The major elements of the work are shown below: 1. Research Preparation: review of the updated status of the bridge monitoring based on the feedback from VDOT; 2. Discussion of the Research Plan with VDOT/VCTIR; 3. Site visits for test site selection on the bridge; 4. Testing of the battery operated Micro-II Digital DAQ system for experimentation at the test site; 5. Planning of the Micro-II Digital DAQ system Acoustic Emission (AE) sensors for installations on the test site; 6. AE testing, data acquisition and analysis; 7. Analysis of the AE data in a linear and 2D framework to locate the damages; 8. Establish AE bridge inspection procedure and methodology based on the studies during quiet/low and peak traffic periods; 9. Investigate the AE generation from freight trains on the bridge structure component; 10. AE data acquisition, recording and analysis on a near real time basis. KW - Acoustic emission tests KW - Bridges KW - Inspection KW - Maintenance KW - Monitoring KW - Newport News (Virginia) KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Sensors UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/docs/ESITAC_NDE_FinalReport_3_20120919.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212538 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01371168 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Multistate Control Strategy Tool. Clarus Regional Demonstration PY - 2011 SP - 2p AB - Many traffic management events in one jurisdiction can have impacts on neighboring jurisdictions, including increases in traffic congestion or secondary collisions that cross jurisdictional boundaries. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently tested a Multistate Control Strategy Tool that integrates weather and other traffic information enabling system operators to better manage the transportation network. This tool allows multiple agencies to better coordinate and respond to real-time situations and disseminate safety and other information to people, thereby improving operations and reducing travel frustration. KW - Clarus KW - Driver information systems KW - Highway traffic control KW - Real time information KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44300/44378/FHWA-JPO-11-158_Multistate_Control_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138746 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01371164 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enhanced Road Weather Content for Travel Advisories. Clarus Regional Demonstrations PY - 2011 SP - 2p AB - Statewide transportation information systems need road weather and road condition forecasts to improve safety and mobility for transportation users. Under the Clarus Initiative’s regional demonstrations enhanced road weather content was developed for traveler advisories that combined observed and forecasted weather and road conditions into a multistate traveler information system. The Initiative involved two regional demonstration projects where state and provincial departments of transportation provided ideas for five new potential uses for Clarus data. The Clarus Initiative, a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office and FHWA’s Road Weather Management Program (RWMP), is a six-year effort to develop and demonstrate an integrated weather observation data management system that can reduce the impact of adverse weather conditions on surface transportation. This use case utilized an innovative message generation engine (MGE) that incorporated analyzed road conditions and weather information from Interstate highway segments across a five-state region. The MGE developed appropriate messages regarding the nature, severity, and timing of detected and forecasted adverse travel conditions using the following data sources: (1) Clarus System ESS and quality control data; Ÿ(2) Clarus-enhanced precipitation analyses; and (3) Meridian road condition forecasts; and Private-sector weather forecasting. KW - Clarus KW - Demonstration projects KW - Information systems KW - Road conditions KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - Traveler information and communication systems KW - Weather forecasting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44300/44379/FHWA-JPO-11-159_Enhanced_RW_Content_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138747 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01371163 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Maintenance and Operations Decision Support Tool . Clarus Regional Demonstrations PY - 2011 SP - 2p AB - Weather affects almost all maintenance activity decisions. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) tested a new decision support system for maintenance in Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois called the Maintenance and Operations Decision Support System (MODSS). MODSS can dramatically improve how an agency schedules its maintenance activities based on real-time and predictive weather conditions, which saves departments of transportation labor and materials costs, time, money, and frustration. Most maintenance activities have their own set of rules on the conditions under which they operate. These rules can involve surface temperature, air temperature, wind speed, humidity, precipitation, and visibility. In some cases, knowing the conditions 24 hours before and after a weather event may be critical to the safety and operating conditions of the roadway.The objective of MODSS is to expand decision support beyond snow and ice control and incorporate Clarus weather data that can assist maintenance-, operations-, and construction-related scheduling decisions during other weather events such as rain, fog, wind, etc. KW - Clarus KW - Decision support systems KW - Highway maintenance KW - Illinois KW - Indiana KW - Iowa KW - Real time control KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44300/44377/FHWA-JPO-11-157_Maintenace_Ops_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138745 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01371161 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seasonal Load Restriction Tool. Clarus Regional Demonstrations PY - 2011 SP - 2p AB - State transportation agencies have wanted to improve the techniques that lead to the decisions to impose and subsequently lift restrictions on selected roads that are prone to road damage due to subsurface freezing/thawing processes. The Seasonal Load Restriction (SLR) Tool uses observations from the Clarus and other non-Clarus systems to generate the information they need. The SLR tool is part of the Clarus Initiative’s regional demonstration projects where state and provincial departments of transportation provided ideas for five new potential uses for Clarus data. Participants in the SLR Clarus regional demonstration project included State Maintenance Operations personnel in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. SLR uses Clarus and other observations and a numerical model output as input to a subsurface model that generates weight restriction guidance based upon simulated structural stability in the subpavement soil profile. The decision support tool also uses past and current weather observations, long-lead time weather forecasts, and characteristics of the subpavement thermal and moisture profiles to create its soil stability assessment. KW - Clarus KW - Demonstration projects KW - Freeze thaw durability KW - Montana KW - North Dakota KW - Pavements KW - South Dakota KW - Spring load restrictions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44300/44376/FHWA-JPO-11-156_Seasonal_Load_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138744 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01370258 AU - Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enhanced Road Weather Forecasting. Clarus Regional Demonstrations PY - 2011 SP - 2p AB - The quality of road weather forecasts has major impacts on users of surface transportation systems and managers of those systems. Improving the quality involves the ability to provide accurate, route-specific road weather information (e.g., timing and type of precipitation, pavement temperature, likelihood of blowing snow). Enhancing road weather forecasting is part of the Clarus Initiative’s regional demonstration projects where state and provincial departments of transportation provided ideas for five new potential uses for Clarus data. The Clarus Initiative, a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office and Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA’s) Road Weather Management Program (RWMP), is a six-year effort to develop and demonstrate an integrated weather observation data management system that can reduce the impact of adverse weather conditions on surface transportation. One potential solution is the aggregation of observed weather data in the Pavement Precipitation Accumulation Estimation System (PPAES). This is a unique blending of surface observations with remotely sensed data that fills the important gaps between pavement observations and permits a more realistic distribution of highway pavement conditions. KW - Clarus KW - Pavement conditions KW - Real time information KW - Road weather information systems KW - Weather conditions KW - Weather forecasting UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44300/44375/FHWA-JPO-11-155_Enhanced_RW_Forecasting_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1138548 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01362835 AU - Coifman, Benjamin AU - Lee, Ho AU - Ohio State University, Columbus AU - NEXTRANS AU - Ohio Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - LIDAR Based Vehicle Classification PY - 2011 SP - 21p AB - Vehicle classification data are used for numerous transportation applications. Most of the classification data come from permanent in-pavement sensors or temporary sensors mounted on the pavement. Moving out of the right-of-way, this study develops a LIDAR (light detection and ranging) based classification system with the sensors mounted in a side-fire configuration next to the road. The first step is to distinguish between vehicle returns and non-vehicle returns, and then cluster the vehicle returns into individual vehicles. The algorithm examines each vehicle cluster to check if there is any evidence of partial occlusion from another vehicle. Several measurements are taken from each non-occluded cluster to classify the vehicle into one of six classes: motorcycle, passenger vehicle, passenger vehicle pulling a trailer, single-unit truck, single-unit truck pulling a trailer, and multi-unit truck. The algorithm was evaluated at six different locations under various traffic conditions. Compared to concurrent video ground truth data for over 27,000 vehicles on a per-vehicle basis, 11% of the vehicles are suspected of being partially occluded. The algorithm correctly classified over 99.5% of the remaining, non-occluded vehicles. This research also uncovered emerging challenges that likely apply to most classification systems: differentiating commuter cars from motorcycles. Occlusions are inevitable in this proof of concept study since the LIDAR sensors were mounted roughly 6 ft above the road, well below the tops of many vehicles. Ultimately we envision using a combination of a higher vantage point (in future work), and shape information (begun herein) to greatly reduce the impacts of occlusions. KW - Laser radar KW - Probe vehicles KW - Sensors KW - Speed detectors KW - Traffic speed KW - Vehicle classification UR - http://www.otc.uakron.edu/docs/LIDAR_OSU%5B1%5D.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127551 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357897 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - State Transportation Statistics 2010 PY - 2011 SP - 139p AB - This document is a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It presents transportation information from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, other federal government agencies, and other national sources. It is divided into nine sections that cover infrastructure, safety, freight transportation, passenger travel, registered vehicles and vehicle-miles traveled, economy and finance, energy and environment, information on data sources, and appendices and glossary. Modes of transportation include highway transportation, public transit, walking (pedestrians), air travel, water transportation, railroad transportation, and pipelines. KW - Economics KW - Energy KW - Environment KW - Finance KW - Freight transportation KW - Infrastructure KW - Passenger transportation KW - Registrations KW - States KW - Statistics KW - Transportation modes KW - Transportation safety KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/state_transportation_statistics_2010/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1123392 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354129 AU - Firestine, Theresa AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Satellite Accounts: A Look at Transportation’s Role in the Economy PY - 2011 SP - 60p AB - To provide a more comprehensive measure of transportation services and their contribution to the national economy, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) jointly developed the Transportation Satellite Accounts (TSAs) as a supplement to the U.S. Input-Output (I-O) accounts. The TSAs, unlike other national economic data, explicitly estimate the value of transportation services undertaken to support the activities of a business in a not-for-hire transportation industry (termed as in-house transportation) and include the value in the national measure of transportation services. Most other measures count only the value of for-hire transportation and thus miss the contribution of in-house transportation services to the U.S. economy. In providing a comprehensive measure of transportation services, the TSAs provide the framework for conducting studies related to the role of transportation in the economy. The TSAs provide a way to answer questions such as: • How much do transportation services (both for-hire and in-house) contribute to U.S. gross domestic output and gross domestic product? • What industries rely heavily on transportation services, and what modes do these industries depend more heavily on? • What transportation costs do industries incur during production? • What is transportation’s share in the total cost of commodities purchased by consumers and other end-users? • How much must transportation services increase to meet an increase in the final demand of particular goods and services? • What is the effect of a change in the amount of transportation services produced on the economy? KW - Commodities KW - Costs KW - Economic impacts KW - For hire carriers KW - Gross domestic product KW - In-house transportation service KW - Industries KW - Mode choice KW - Output KW - Production KW - Transportation satellite accounts UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/transportation_satellite_accounts/2011/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1114713 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353750 AU - McAvoy, Deborah S AU - Ohio University, Athens AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Work Zone Speed Reduction Utilizing Dynamic Speed Signs PY - 2011 SP - 30p AB - A simulator study was used in this research to determine speed compliance based upon dynamic speed design and presence. The scenarios designed for this research simulated driving through a highway work zone with a right lane closure. Each participant drove through a control scenario and four experimental scenarios subdivided into five areas for data collection. The four experimental scenarios included dynamic speed signs in place of the regulatory speed limit sign as follows: (1) Steady ‘SLOW DOWN 45’, (2) Flashing ‘SLOW DOWN 45’, (3) Steady ‘SPEED LIMIT 45’ and (4) Steady ‘SPEED LIMIT 65’. The five areas included the following: (1) Before the first work zone sign, (2) Between the first work zone sign and the dynamic speed sign, (3) Between the dynamic speed sign and the lane closure, (4) Between the lane closure and the end of the work zone, and (5) After the work zone. Comparisons were made of the measures of effectiveness (speed, lane position, acceleration, deceleration, gap, time to collision, latency of visual detection, average fixation durations and the proportion of target fixations) to assess compliance with the speed limit and changes in driver behavior. When using dynamic message signs stating ‘SLOW DOWN 45’, participants maintained the speed limit prior to entering the work zone and through the work zone as compared to scenarios using regulatory signs or dynamic message signs displaying the speed limit. The dynamic message signs did not create unsafe driving conditions based upon the analysis of the other measures of effectiveness studied. KW - Compliance KW - Driving simulators KW - Dynamic speed signs KW - Lane closure KW - Measures of effectiveness KW - Speed limits KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://www.otc.uakron.edu/docs/Dynamic%20Speed%20Sign%20Final%20Report_OU[1].pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118479 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01351914 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Transportation Atlas Database PY - 2011 SP - n.p. AB - The National Transportation Atlas Databases 2011 (NTAD2011) is a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure. These datasets include spatial information for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals, as well as the related attribute information for these features. Metadata documentation, as prescribed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee, is also provided for each database. The data on this DVD support research, analysis, and decision-making across all modes of transportation. They are most useful at the national level, but have major applications at regional, State, and local scales throughout the transportation community. NTAD2011 is organized into subdirectories, one for each feature type (point, polyline, and polygon) and one for each database. At the top level of the DVD, there is also a doc’s subdirectory containing the back cover notes and these liner notes. Also at the top level of the DVD there is a pdf version of the BTS 2011 map of Major Transportation Facilities of the United States. This map showcases many of the data contained in NTAD2011. Transportation networks are polyline databases. Transportation facilities are point databases. The geographic reference databases may exist as any of the three feature types: point, polyline, or polygon. KW - Atlases KW - Attributes (Features) KW - Databases KW - Features (Cartographic databases) KW - Geographic information systems KW - Metadata KW - Referencing KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - Transportation modes KW - Transportation, hydraulic and utility facilities UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2011_07_12/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113033 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349599 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Statistics Annual Report 2010 PY - 2011///Annual Report SP - 222p AB - This Annual Report presents data and information compiled by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a component of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), to fulfill its legislative mandate. The Annual Highlights section focuses on recent USDOT efforts to collect, compile, analyze, and publish transportation data and analysis. Such efforts include the following: 1. the Survey of State Funding for Public Transportation, 2. Livable Communities and Environmental Sustainability highlights from the Omnibus Household Survey, and 3. Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) data and analysis on Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) shipments. In addition, this section reviews commercial aviation and the airline industry reported by BTS through its Office of Airline Information (OAI). BTS has organized chapters in the U.S. Transportation System section by the topics relevant to the USDOT’s strategic goals, including: promoting safety, building livable communities, improving the state of good repair, fostering economic competitiveness, and supporting environmental sustainability of the U.S. transportation system. All modes of transportation are covered. KW - Air transportation KW - Commodity flow KW - Economics KW - Energy KW - Environment KW - Financing KW - Highway transportation KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Pipeline transportation KW - Public transit KW - Railroad transportation KW - Statistics KW - Transportation safety KW - United States KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/transportation_statistics_annual_report/2010/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108839 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345755 AU - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) AU - American Public Transportation Association AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Survey of State Funding for Public Transportation 2011 SN - 9781560515104 PY - 2011///Final Report SP - 231p AB - The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), conducts an annual public transportation funding survey of the 50 state transportation departments and the District of Columbia. This report provides a summary of state transit funding in 2009, for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Information includes funding sources, amounts, program eligible uses and allocation, and per capita state transit funding. KW - Financing KW - Public transit KW - State aid KW - States KW - Surveys UR - http://scopt.transportation.org/Documents/2011%20Survey%20of%20State%20Funding%20for%20Public%20Transportation%20-%20FY%202009%20data.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107431 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342701 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Household Travel Survey Pre- and Post-9/11 Data Documentation PY - 2011 SP - 19p AB - The 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) was conducted from March 2001 through May 2002. Because the data collection time period includes 9/11/2001, there has been considerable interest in using this data set to assess the effect of the events of 9/11 on travel behavior, especially for long-distance trips. This document discusses long distance trip data set files only. However, the 2001 NHTS was not designed to assess the effects of 9/11 on long-distance travel and several factors preclude the direct comparison of pre-and post-9/11 travel data. Travel is influenced by seasonality, economic conditions, and other factors. Therefore, the differences in travel volume and patterns in the pre- and post-9/11 data sets cannot be attributed solely to the impact of the terrorist attacks. The pre-9/11 period of 2001 NHTS covers March 2001 to September 2001, a period of over 5 1/2 months, and includes the summer season in which a large proportion of long distance trips are taken. There were approximately 22,000 persons responding about travel prior to 9/11. On the other hand, the post-9/11 period of the survey covers September 2001 to May 2002, a period of roughly 8 months, and includes Thanksgiving and Christmas and other winter holiday travel - a traditionally heavy season for long distance trips. This survey had responses from approximately 38,000 persons on their long-distance trips after 9/11. KW - Data dictionaries KW - Data documentation KW - Data files KW - Demographics KW - Geography KW - Long distance travel KW - National Household Travel Survey KW - Sets KW - Statistical analysis KW - Terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 KW - Time KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel patterns KW - Travel surveys KW - United States UR - http://www.bts.gov/programs/national_household_travel_survey/pre_and_post_9_11_data_documentation/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103159 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342007 AU - Shah, Surendra AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Infrastructure Technology Institute (ITI) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Design and Application of Low Compaction Energy Concrete for Use in Slip-form Concrete Paving PY - 2011///Final Report SP - 50p AB - Slipform self-consolidating concrete (SFSCC) requires sufficient flowability in order to consolidate without the use of internal vibration. However, this concrete must also gain sufficient green strength in order to keep its shape immediately after slipform paving; a process which involves consolidation and extrusion. It has been demonstrated for minimal compaction energy concrete used in SFSCC that small additions of clays (less than 1% by mass of cement) can make substantial improvements on the shape stability. Clays have also been shown to improve the cohesiveness of cement-based extruded materials at similarly low dosages. The purpose of this study is to quantify how both micro and nanoclay admixtures affect the strength of the cement paste microstructure from a rheological standpoint and to compare this to the behavior of fresh concrete. Shear and compressive rheology techniques are used to measure how the solids volume fraction of cement suspensions with different admixtures evolves with stress. Based on these relationships, the effectiveness that different clays and other admixtures have on the balance between flowability and shape stability can be measured. A shear rheology method is used to investigate how the maximum packing fraction of flocs changes under increasing shear stress, while a compressive rheology method is used to determine changes in the local solids volume fraction (solids volume fraction of the sediment region, or sediment volume fraction) under increasing compressive stress. Results are compared to green strength tests performed on concrete mixes derived from the cement paste mixes investigated. KW - Admixtures KW - Cement paste KW - Clay KW - Cohesion KW - Compressive stress KW - Concrete flowability KW - Concrete green strength KW - Microstructure KW - Rheology KW - Self compacting concrete KW - Shape stability KW - Shear stress KW - Slip form paving UR - http://iti.northwestern.edu/publications/utc/safetea-lu/FR-3-Shah-Design_and_Application_of_Low_Compaction_Energy_Concrete_for_Use_in_Slipform_Concrete_Paving.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104528 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342006 AU - Hubler, M AU - Jennings, H AU - Thomas, J AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Infrastructure Technology Institute (ITI) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Influence of Nucleation Seeding on the Compressive Strength of Ordinary Portland Cement and Alkali Activated Blast-­Furnace Slag PY - 2011///Final Report SP - 15p AB - A study was conducted to determine the effects on the early hydration kinetics and compressive strength by seeding of Portland cement and alkali-activated blast furnace slag with a pure form of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H). The effects of C-S-H seeding during the early nucleation and growth period of each type of cement, was measured with an isothermal calorimeter during the first day of hydration. The compressive strength was determined for 2” cylinders up to 28 days after mixing. It was found that C-S-H seeding results in an earlier and larger hydration heat development peak for both types of cement. The addition of C-S-H seed to the slag cement paste produced a significant increase in compressive strength only when cured in a sealed environment. For the Portland cement paste, the C-S-H seeding provides a slight increase in compressive strength when cured underwater. It was also found that careful dispersion of the C-S-H seed in the mix water further improves the early hydration heat development, but has no effect on the compressive strength. This work furthers the understanding of the early hydration behavior of slag paste and the effects of C-S-H seeding. KW - Calcium silicate hydrate KW - Compressive strength KW - Hydration KW - Kinetics KW - Nucleation KW - Portland cement KW - Slag UR - http://iti.northwestern.edu/publications/utc/safetea-lu/FR-3-Jennings-Thomas.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104527 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342005 AU - Chen, Yikai AU - Corr, David J AU - Durango-Cohen, Pablo L AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Infrastructure Technology Institute (ITI) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Process Control System for the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge PY - 2011 SP - 13p AB - The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge is a cantilever through truss that carries Interstate 65 across the Ohio River between Louisville, KY and Jeffersonville, IN. During a routine inspection in 2006, one of the anchor bolts on its northwest bearing was found fractured, leading to concerns over performance of the uplifting bearing. A retrofit system was then installed consisting of a threaded rod and clamp-down keepers. Additionally, continuous remote monitoring was implemented to provide thorough characterization of the retrofit performance in the long term, so as to support managerial decisions related to inspection and maintenance planning. This system has continuously monitored the condition of the repaired bearing assembly, and was able to detect an abrupt failure in one of the components of the retrofit in the fall of 2008. This failure resulted in immediate and obvious changes to the stream of data collected by the system. However, there is a need for techniques to monitor long-term trends in condition, which may be subtle and not immediately obvious upon reviewing the raw data. In this study, the authors developed and implemented an automatic system to process and analyze the data collected. The objectives are to: (1) Allow engineers to make inferences about the structural integrity, i.e., the condition, of the elements, and how they evolve over time in response to normal operating factors such as weather, traffic loading, etc.; and (2) Detect external events that may have either a transitory or a permanent effect on the structural integrity of the bridge elements and how they evolve over time. In both cases the goal is to support decisions to inspect the components when structural deficiencies are either anticipated due to regular deterioration or directly related to external events. During the progress of this project, the system has monitored and controlled the performance of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge using available data dating from summer 2008, and has demonstrated its capability to achieve the objectives listed above. However, due to unexpected breaks of the instrumentation process in early 2009 and after mid-2010, no complete data were available anymore to further testify to and improve updated features of the system. This is beyond the authors' control and they have started to implement the same set of techniques and framework in the system on other infrastructure for continued research. KW - Anchor bolts KW - Automation KW - Cantilever bridges KW - Information processing KW - Inspection KW - John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge (Louisville, Kentucky) KW - Maintenance management KW - Process control KW - Remote sensing KW - Retrofitting KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Structural integrity KW - Truss bridges UR - http://iti.northwestern.edu/publications/utc/safetea-lu/FR-3-A%20Process%20Control%20System%20for%20the%20John%20F%20%20Kennedy%20Memorial%20Bridge%20Project.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104522 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342004 AU - Durango-Cohen, Pablo L AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Infrastructure Technology Institute (ITI) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Knowledge Management Platform for Infrastructure Performance Modeling PY - 2011 SP - 7p AB - Performance models are used to process condition data in order to assess current needs, and to forecast (the effect of interventions/investments on) future condition, and in turn (on) the remaining service-life or time-to-failure distribution of infrastructure facilities and their components. Performance models are mathematical expressions that relate condition data to a set of explanatory variables such as design characteristics, traffic loading, environmental factors, and history of maintenance activities. The motivation for this work is that in the last 40 years, and particularly in the last 10-15 years with developments in statistics and in computer availability, storage capacity and power, numerous techniques have been employed to estimate these models under different structural assumptions, using countless data types and sources, and to address and support a plethora of managerial decisions, i.e., design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, these efforts have been disconnected and as a result there is a lack of standards/criteria for the development, utilization, evaluation and selection of performance models. Thus, the objective of the study is to build an online platform/repository/test-bed to facilitate the exchange of data and information related to performance models as a step to correct this significant problem. Specifically, the platform would contribute to the science and practice of performance modeling by: (1) Serving as a central, reliable source of relevant data and information; and (2) Providing on-line access to a test-bed that would allow analysts to evaluate the capabilities of their own models. The platform advances infrastructure performance modeling because analysts are able to build and benefit from existing knowledge (as opposed to starting from scratch). Moreover, analysts would be able to assess and compare their assumptions and models, i.e., the nature of their contributions, against well-established, state-of-the-art benchmarks. KW - Benchmarks KW - Condition data KW - Data platform KW - Information processing KW - Infrastructure KW - Knowledge management KW - Performance models UR - http://iti.northwestern.edu/publications/utc/safetea-lu/FR-1-Durango_Cohen.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104525 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342003 AU - Mexasa, Zoi S AU - Konsta-Gdoutos, Maria S AU - Shah, Surendra P AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Infrastructure Technology Institute (ITI) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Crack Free Concrete Made with Nanofiber Reinforcement. Mechanical Properties and Nanostructure of Cement-Based Materials Reinforced with Carbon Nanofibers and Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Microfibers PY - 2011 SP - 11p AB - There have been numerous studies that have aimed at improving the low tensile strength, stiffness, and toughness of cementitious materials. This study aims to show that all of these characteristics can be greatly improved by the addition of ladder scale reinforcement at the nano and micro scale. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as well as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microfibers were used as reinforcement. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated by fracture mechanics three-point bending test. The microstructure and the morphology of nanocomposite samples were studied using an ultra high resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results clearly illustrate that the incorporation of nanofibers and microfibers greatly improves the flexural strength, Young’s modulus, and toughness of the cement matrix. KW - Bending tests KW - Carbon nanofibers KW - Concrete KW - Fiber reinforced concrete KW - Flexural strength KW - Mechanical properties KW - Microfibers KW - Microstructure KW - Morphology KW - Nanostructured materials KW - Polyvinyl alcohol KW - Scanning electron microscopy KW - Toughness KW - Young's modulus UR - http://iti.northwestern.edu/publications/utc/safetea-lu/FR-3-Shah-Crack_Free_Concrete_Made_With_Nanofiber_Reinforcement.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104529 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01330435 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Transportation Atlas Databases 2010 (NTAD2010): A Collection of Spatial Data for Use in GIS-based Applications PY - 2011 SP - n.p. AB - This CD-ROM contains a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure. These datasets include spatial information for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals, as well as the related attribute information for these features. Metadata documentation, as prescribed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee, is also provided for each database. NTAD2010 contains only data. To take full advantage of this product, the user requires a Geographic Information System (GIS). KW - Databases KW - Geographic information systems KW - Mapping KW - Spatial analysis KW - Spatial databases UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1091151 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554382 AU - Papayannoulis, Vassilis AU - Kary, Brian AU - Deeter, Dean AU - Chiu, Yi-Chang AU - Sallman, Douglas AU - Wunderlich, Karl AU - Alexiadis, Vassili AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Integrated Corridor Management I-394 Minneapolis, Minnesota – Analysis Plan PY - 2010/20//Final Report SP - 71p AB - This analysis modeling simulation (AMS) Analysis Plan for the Interstate 394 (I-394) Pioneer Corridor outlines the various tasks associated with the application of the Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) AMS tools to the corridor in support of a benefit/cost assessment of the proposed strategies. The report provides a brief description of the Pioneer Corridor in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the methodology used for the AMS. It lays out ICM strategies that will be tested, and provides a list of the AMS scenarios. This report then defines performance measures that will be utilized in the analysis of the ICM strategies on the Pioneer Corridor and sets out the simulation model validation requirements and the data needs for this calibration. Finally, the last two sections of this report present an overview of the Pioneer Corridor AMS document that will be developed to summarize the results of the AMS effort and provides a schedule and a resource guide for the AMS tasks. KW - Analysis KW - Calibration KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Methodology KW - Minneapolis (Minnesota) KW - Performance measurement KW - Simulation KW - Transportation corridors KW - Validation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54300/54344/I-394_Minneapolis_ICMS_Analysis_Plan__FHWA-JPO-10-037_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342207 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543901 AU - Sherry, Patrick AU - Durr, Rob AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Identification of a Leadership Competency Model for use in the Development, Recruitment & Retention of Intermodal Transportation Workers: Summary of Research Conducted 06/01/2010-12/31/2010 PY - 2010/12/31 SP - 19p AB - Transportation, like most industries, faces critical leadership challenges. Attracting, retaining, and training high potential candidates are essential to safe and productive organizational performance. Indeed, as the reliance on efficient public and private transportation services continues to grow with the population boom and mounting interest in shrinking the world’s carbon footprint, leadership plays a more critical role then ever. Precise assessment of leadership competence is an important first step in identifying the core leadership competencies needed to be a highly effective leader in transportation. The purpose of this study was to begin to develop and validate the Leadership Success Factors Inventory: Transportation Version (LSFI: TV) by administering the instrument to a sample of 154 managers from a state Department of Transportation (DOT). The differentiating factors of highly effective versus typical leadership performance in transportation were explored along with the psychometric properties of the LSFI: TV by holding two cognitive interviews with veteran human resource executives in transportation, conducting three focus groups each composed of five mid-to-upper level managers at a state DOT, and then administering the survey to a self-assessment sample of 154 DOT managers. Factor analytic results demonstrated an 8-factor leadership competency model. The rotated solution yielded eight interpretable factors; the emotional competence factor, manages a culture of safety factor, motivation factor, innovative factor, communication factor, credibility and integrity factor, decision-making factor, and conflict resolution factor. Moderate to strong correlations were also found between a performance measure and the subscales, indicating initial validity for the measure. KW - Executives KW - Focus groups KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Interviewing KW - Leadership KW - Middle managers KW - Personnel development KW - Personnel retention KW - Professional personnel KW - Recruiting KW - Senior managers KW - State departments of transportation UR - http://www.ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2009_23_Sherry%20Durr%20dentification%20of%20a%20Leadership%20Competency%20model%20for%20use%20in%20the%20selection,%20development%20and%20retention%20of%20Intermodal%20Transportation%20Workers.%20Leadership%20Competency%20Grant%20Report%202010%20A%20-%20Durr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1332057 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472482 AU - Friesz, Terry L AU - Yao, Tao AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Dynamic, Stochastic Models for Congestion Pricing and Congestion Securities PY - 2010/12/31/Final Report SP - 13p AB - This research considers congestion pricing under demand uncertainty. In particular, a robust optimization (RO) approach is applied to optimal congestion pricing problems under user equilibrium. A mathematical model is developed and an analysis performed to consider robust, dynamic user equilibrium, optimal tolls based on the second-best problem known as the dynamic optimal toll problem with equilibrium constraints, or DOTPEC. Finally, numerical experiments and qualitative analyses are conducted to investigate the performance and robustness of the solutions obtained. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Mathematical models KW - Optimization KW - Stochastic processes KW - Tolls KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/PSU-2009-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243635 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341898 AU - Maheshwari, Sharad K AU - D'Souza, Kelwyn A AU - Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Modeling Traffic Accidents at Signalized Intersections in the City of Norfolk, VA PY - 2010/12/31/Final Report SP - 31p AB - This study was an attempt to apply a proactive approach using traffic pattern and signalized intersection characteristics to predict accident rates at signalized intersections in a city’s arterial network. An earlier analysis of accident data at selected intersections within the City of Norfolk indicated that in addition to traffic volume, other controllable factors contributed to traffic accidents at specific intersections. These factors included area topography, lane patterns, type of road signs, turning lanes, etc. It is also known that administrative factors such as signal types, signal polices, road closures, etc., and maintenance factors such as road conditions, condition of the signals, condition of road signs, etc., also impact road accidents. The objective of this study was to relate these variables to accident rate and delineate variables that are statistically more significant for accident rate. Data on several topographical variables were collected in the City of Norfolk. These variables included number of lanes, turn lanes, pedestrian crossing, restricted lanes, etc. A linear regression model was used to establish relationship between these variables and the accident rate. The resulting regression model explained 60% of the variability. It also showed that four topographical variables are more important than other variables. These variables include number of lanes, number of turn lanes, presence of median and presence of permanent hazard like railway crossing. However, validation of model showed higher than expected variation. The model developed, in this study, overestimates the accident rate by 33%, thus, limiting its practical application. KW - Arterial highways KW - Crash rates KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Medians KW - Norfolk (Virginia) KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Regression analysis KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic lanes KW - Turning lanes KW - Validation KW - Variables UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/docs/Investigation_of_Accident_Data_City_of_Norfolk.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104182 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333169 AU - Biton, Anna AU - Cotton, Benjamin AU - Fisher, Frances B AU - Miller, Kenneth AU - Morse, Lindsey AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Cape Cod National Seashore Integrated Parking and Transit Study PY - 2010/12/31/Final Report SP - 158p AB - Beach parking adjacent to the ever changing coastline of the Lower/Outer Cape is subject to erosion. In order to maintain access to the beaches without paving over additional NPS land, this study looks at alternative parking locations and the feasibility of running shuttle services from satellite parking areas to the beach. The study assesses current and future beach parking availability, considering visitor demand and erosion potential, on the Lower/Outer Cape over a 20-year period, and identifies potential ways to maintain and improve access. Direction is provided for the towns of the Lower/Outer Cape and the National Seashore for implementing the shuttle concepts developed in the report. KW - Cape Cod National Seashore KW - Erosion KW - National parks KW - Parking KW - Public transit KW - Satellite parking lots KW - Shuttle service UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35700/35783/capecod2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094916 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332478 AU - Palomino, Angelica M AU - Tang, Xiaochao AU - Stoffels, Shelley M AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Determination of Structural Benefits of PennDOT Approved Geogrids in Pavement Design PY - 2010/12/31/Final Report SP - 171p AB - This research was undertaken to evaluate and determine structural benefits of three Pennsylvania Department of Transportation approved geogrids for reinforcing weak pavement subgrade. A mechanistic-empirical approach was adopted to develop subgrade permanent deformation models for geogrid-reinforced flexible pavements. Multi-scale tests were conducted for the three geogrids. Mechanical and index properties of the geogrids were tested before the geogrids were subjected to bench-scale testing, namely pullout and direct shear tests. Two sets of accelerated pavement tests (APTs) were carried out to investigate the effectiveness of geogrids in improving pavement performance. For each APT, four pavement sections were constructed in a pit with concrete walls, among which one was control and the others were reinforced with different geogrids. Two different types of soil were involved for the subgrade construction through the two sets of accelerated testing. Various instruments were installed in the pavement system to measure both static and dynamic response of the pavements. Finite element models were created to simulate the pavement sections in the pit. Subgrade permanent deformation models were developed for pavement sections on the basis of the model adopted by the "Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide" (MEPDG). The MEPDG model was modified to accommodate the test conditions in this study. Calibration of the model was conducted using the measurements from the instrumented APT I while the measurements from the instrumented APT II were used to verify the model. KW - Accelerated tests KW - Finite element method KW - Flexible pavements KW - Geogrids KW - Mathematical models KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Pavement design KW - Pennsylvania KW - Rutting KW - Subgrade (Pavements) UR - ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_PDF_FILES/Documents/Research/Complete%20Projects/Extending%20Pavement%20Life/Determination%20of%20Structural%20Benefits%20of%20Geogrids%20in%20Pavement%20Design.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096613 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343587 AU - Kandiah, Ramanitharan AU - Central State University AU - Ohio Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - On-Road Mobile Source Pollutant Emissions: Identifying Hotspots and Ranking Roads PY - 2010/12/30/Final Report SP - 73p AB - A considerable amount of pollution to the air in the forms of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and air toxics comes from the on-road mobile sources. Estimation of the emissions of these pollutants and quantification of the pollutants released are the most important initial steps in the process of controlling the air pollution. This study presents a methodology to rank the roads based on the On-Road Mobile Source Air Pollutant (ORMSAP) emissions using self organizing maps (SOM). This methodology was applied in a case study in Ohio with the historic Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) data for highways. The data were obtained from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the ORMSAP emission estimates were computed from Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES). Traffic was considered as of two types of vehicles, gasoline powered passenger vehicles and diesel powered commercial trucks driven on three types of highways, interstate route, state route and US route. Five ORMSAPs - CO, NOx, PM10, PM2.5 and SO2 - were taken into account in this study. The Ohio highway network was classified into groups based on five ORMSAP emissions per road length and also per road segment. Ohio counties were classified according to the total ORMSAP emissions per county and also ORMSAP emissions per highway length, per capita and per area of the county. The results were visualized with the geographic information system (GIS) maps. KW - Air pollution KW - Air toxics KW - Automobiles KW - Carbon monoxide KW - Counties KW - Federal aid highways KW - Geographic information systems KW - Hydrocarbons KW - Interstate highways KW - Maps KW - Mobile sources KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Ohio KW - Particulates KW - Self-organizing maps KW - State highways KW - Sulfur dioxide KW - Trucks UR - http://www.otc.uakron.edu/docs/CSU-OTC_Final_Report_Kandiah[1].pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105670 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349578 AU - Limber, Martha AU - Drobot, Sheldon AU - Fowler, Tressa AU - University Corporation for Atmospheric Research AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Clarus Quality Checking Algorithm Documentation Report PY - 2010/12/21/Final Report SP - 23p AB - With funding and support from the United States Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology (USDOT RITA) IntelliDrive(SM) initiative and direction from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Road Weather Management Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) enhanced Quality Checking (QCh) algorithms that are a part of the current Clarus System. Moreover, NCAR developed new QCh algorithms to extend the capabilities of the current Clarus System. This document highlights the current status of all the QCh algorithms in the Clarus System. KW - Algorithms KW - Atmosphere KW - Clarus KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Quality control KW - Road weather information systems KW - Transportation planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38500/38545/TOPR2_508_FHWA-JPO-11-075.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107896 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324708 AU - Islam, A K M Anwarul AU - Youngstown State University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - On Reducing Bumps at Pavement-Bridge Interface PY - 2010/12/21/Final Report SP - 67p AB - This report contains the causes and long-term solutions to the bumps at bridge/approach slab and/or approach slab/pavement interface. A research was conducted on both structural and geotechnical aspects of an approach slab. A 3-D finite element analysis using ALGOR was performed to find the stresses and deflections for different slab lengths under HL-93 truck loading conditions. Internal moments and applied moments for seven different state departments of transportation (DOTs) were determined and compared using MathCAD. Laboratory testing was also performed on soil samples for bridges with bumps and without significant bumps around the Youngstown area. KW - Bridge approaches KW - Bridge decks KW - Deflection KW - Differential settlement KW - Finite element method KW - Moments (Mechanics) KW - Simulation KW - Slabs KW - Soil structure interaction UR - http://web.ysu.edu/gen/stem_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/CTME_Final_Report1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086137 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333795 AU - Nie, Yu AU - Wu, Xing AU - Zissman, Joseph AU - Lee, Chanhan AU - Haynes, Michael AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Providing Reliable Route Guidance: Phase II PY - 2010/12/20 SP - 105p AB - The overarching goal of the project is to enhance travel reliability of highway users by providing them with reliable route guidance produced from newly developed routing algorithms that are validated and implemented with real traffic data. To these ends, the project further develops the reliable routing algorithms, tests the idea of using the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus data to estimate travel times on arterial and local roads, and conducts a survey designed to understand travelers’ reaction and attitude to travel reliability and their opinions about reliable route guidance products. KW - Algorithms KW - Attitudes KW - Bus transit KW - Real time information KW - Route guidance KW - Routing KW - Surveys KW - Traffic data KW - Transit riders KW - Travel time KW - Travel time reliability UR - http://www.ccitt.northwestern.edu/research/projects/Nie_Y2-02.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094764 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01339708 AU - Kommalapati, Raghava AU - Perkins, Judy AU - Jasek, Deborah AU - Benz, Robert AU - Stockton, William AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Promoting Workforce Development for the Transportation Profession through a Multi-University/Agency Partnership PY - 2010/12/15/Final Report SP - 103p AB - The objective of this multi-university/agency partnership between Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), and Texas A&M University (TAMU) is to build on the progress made through the University Transportation Center for Mobility (UTCM) seed funding to produce high-quality transportation professionals from underrepresented groups through research and other real-world experiences. This partnership strengthened the existing pipeline between local high schools and PVAMU by attracting bright young minds for a pair of summer program experiences during students’ last two summers before graduation from high school. One program is the existing Summer Transportation Institute (STI) Program, and the second is the STI Scholars program, initiated as part of the previous UTCM project and further developed in this project. The newly developed curriculum for the STI Scholars program is more challenging than the STI experience; Scholars get a chance to mentor new STI participants and also gain invaluable experience working with transportation professionals at TTI. As part of the program, STI Scholars are encouraged to pursue an existing four-year civil engineering program at PVAMU. The project produced a network of (i) former students, (ii) educational professionals (counselors and teachers), and (iii) public and private agencies including academia to ensure long-term sustainability of the program. This program can serve as a model for other outreach programs at other locations across the nation. KW - Curricula KW - High school students KW - Mentoring KW - Outreach KW - Partnerships KW - Prairie View A&M University KW - Summer Transportation Institute KW - Texas A&M University KW - Texas Transportation Institute KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Kommalapati_08-45-07.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37800/37829/Kommalapati_08-45-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102472 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324707 AU - Lamb, Carol M AU - Kurtanich, David G AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Youngstown State University TI - Transportation Workforce Development and Outreach Seminars PY - 2010/12/13 SP - 3p AB - This proposal and subsequent funded project of outreach seminars and workforce development workshop were to add in the task of having a trained workforce and introducing middle and high school students to the transportation industry to spark their interest in the field of engineering. To meet these goals, Youngstown State University sponsored several seminars for middle/high school students and one workforce development workshop. A synopsis of each of the events is provided in this report. KW - Employment KW - High school students KW - Labor force KW - Outreach KW - Transportation careers KW - Workshops UR - http://web.ysu.edu/gen/stem_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/CTME_Final_Report_121320101.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086141 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360967 AU - Jasper, Keith AU - Armstrong, Chris AU - Golembiewski, Gary AU - Miller, Sheryl AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Evaluation of the SafeTrip-21 Initiative: California Connected Traveler Test Bed, Draft Evaluation Report: Networked Traveler – Transit/Smart Parking PY - 2010/12/10 SP - 119p AB - Through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) SafeTrip-21 initiative, the USDOT is testing a variety of technologies in a number of locations in California as well as along the I-95 corridor on the east coast. This document presents the evaluation findings, resulting primarily from in-person interviews the Evaluation Team conducted with institutional partners. KW - Automated highways KW - California KW - Interstate 95 KW - Parking facilities KW - Real time information KW - Technological innovations KW - Traveler information and communication systems KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43100/43177/FINAL_NT-TSP_Report_2011_03_31.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126436 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01329768 AU - Smith, Nathaniel T AU - Recharge Power LLC AU - Youngstown State University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Recharge Power: Electric Vehicle Station and Vehicle Detection Monitor - “Maps/GPS Application For Vehicle Drivers” PY - 2010/12/06/Final Report SP - 4p AB - Between 2010 and 2012, over a dozen major automobile manufacturers will be introducing electric vehicles (EV’s) and plug-in extended range electric vehicles (PHEV’s) that will require electrical charging infrastructure in commercial parking garages and at municipal curb-side parking locations, hospitals, universities, shopping malls and other public parking environments. The ability to reliably locate and find charging stations will be critical for drivers of electric vehicles who need to recharge their batteries. Furthermore, the ability to determine whether these charging stations are actually available will be equally important. Recharge Power has developed proprietary technology to support this need of electric vehicle drivers, and it is equally applicable to drivers of gasoline-powered vehicles looking for general parking. In commercial parking garage applications, it will inform drivers about which garages have charging stations and whether they are available. In addition, a global database will monitor and record all transactions with charging stations, vehicle drivers, and host parking garage locations through advanced wireless communications and web portals. The integration of GPS location/mapping technologies support by CTME will provide drivers new ways to locate charging stations and parking spaces, track their availability, and place prepaid reservations. KW - Battery chargers KW - Battery charging KW - Electric vehicles KW - Global Positioning System KW - Mapping KW - Parking garages UR - http://stem.ysu.edu/gen/stem_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/Recharge_Power_Final_Report1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090438 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01486026 TI - Innovative Data Analysis and Visualization (SI-09-37) AB - This project will create a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-wide team with representative from all the appropriate offices to conduct: inventory on the use of innovative data analysis and visualization with FHWA determining the types of existing databases and future databases and research results that could utilize innovative data analysis and visualization (i.e. SHRP2 naturalistic driving or congestion mitigation data) in order to assess appropriate and innovative methods that decision-makers can use to better understand complex data to conduct a synthesis of currently available methods software tools that could meet FHWA needs and identify pilot applications for appropriate methods. KW - Analysis KW - Congestion management systems KW - Data collection KW - Databases KW - Decision making KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic congestion KW - Visualization UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1255647 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344909 AU - Wochinger, Kathryn AU - Bunch, James A AU - Hatcher, S Gregory AU - Lowrance, Cheryl F AU - Noblis AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - U.S. DOT ITS Evaluation Workshop PY - 2010/12/03/Final Report SP - 29p AB - This document presents a summary of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Evaluation Workshop conducted on September 20, 2010 in Irvine, California. Sixty-four participants shared ideas and exchanged information on the evaluation of ITS research and deployments in the context of emerging technologies, and the need to support sustainability and livability. Participants also discussed ways of assessing ITS research initiatives as well as evaluating sustainability and livability goals. Among the ideas expressed in the workshop are the following: (1) The emergence of technologies that enable continuous data collection requires changes in the way entities share and analyze data. (2) Evaluation should be used as an iterative feedback mechanism aimed at improving projects on an ongoing basis. (3) ITS is a valuable tool for reducing greenhouse gases. (4) Maintenance and operations costs are elements that belong in the evaluation analysis. (5) The ITS Knowledge Resources databases are valuable and the benefits databases should include high-level summaries of benefits. (6) Legacy ITS projects and applications such as ramp metering still require evaluation. KW - Data collection KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Knowledge acquisition (Expert systems) KW - Quality of life KW - Ramp metering KW - Sustainable development KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic data KW - Transportation planning KW - Workshops UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38100/38105/ITS_Evaluation_2010_Workshop_Summary__r_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105243 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01566209 TI - Refugees and Transportation in Vermont: Travel Behavior and Critical Questions Based on Gender, Age and Transportation Hierarchies AB - This project seeks to examine the transportation behaviors and attitudes of several sub-groups within the refugee population in Vermont. In particular, the project seeks to understand the impacts of transportation limitations, barriers, and opportunities on the resettlement and acculturation experiences of women, children, and the elderly within the various refugee communities within Vermont (with a specific focus on refugees who have arrived since 2001, primarily from Africa and Asia). As well, a key objective of this project is to examine in greater detail the culture of travel amongst refugee communities and whether transportation hierarchies are linked to the expectations and experiences of acculturation and resettlement. KW - Africa KW - Aged KW - Asia KW - Culture (Social sciences) KW - Gender KW - Refugees KW - Travel behavior UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/refugees-and-transportation-in-vermont-travel-behavior-and-critical/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1357380 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467850 TI - Innovative Roadway Light Source and Dye Combinations to Improve Visibility AB - The Lighting Research Center (LRC) proposes to develop a combination of an energy efficient light emitting diodes (LED) streetlight and a road surface treatment that will reduce sky glow light pollution and increase visibility of objects in the road. Streetlights are a necessary element for roadway safety, but they have a negative impact on the environment in two ways. First, they use 56 TWh/year of electricity in the U.S., resulting in 33 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Second, outdoor lighting causes light pollution. According to National Geographic magazine, "Most of humanity lives under intersecting domes of reflected, refracted light, of scattering rays from overlit cities and suburbs, from light-flooded highways and factories." Commercially available LED streetlights already have the potential to reduce streetlight power demand per mile (up to 41% according to an LRC study), and as LED efficacies and light output improve, the power demand per mile is expected to improve even further. However, current LED streetlights do not reduce light pollution. A significant portion of light pollution is caused by light reflected from the ground, not light emitted directly from outdoor luminaires. The LRC proposes to create a new streetlight system that significantly reduces light pollution by preventing its light from reflecting off of the roadway surface. This will be accomplished by harnessing the unique properties of LEDs and creating a new road surface coating. The streetlight will produce white light with a combination of red, green, and blue LEDs, which produce pure colors in a narrow wavelength bands. A road surface coating will be developed that incorporates dyes that absorb those specific wavelengths but reflect most other wavelengths. The result will be a road that reflects little light from the streetlights, but will reflect most wavelengths of sunlight during the day. At night, objects on the road will be visible because they will be illuminated with white light, but the road will appear dark. This will increase the luminance contrast between an object in the road and the roadway surface, making obstructions even more visible. Standard striping along the center and edge of the road will demarcate the roadway boundaries to drivers. Conventional headlights will illuminate the road normally. Because the roadway coating will reflect most wavelengths of sunlight, it will not add to the urban heat island effect nor contribute to global warming. The primary deliverable for this project will be measurements of a laboratory-scale demonstration of an RGB luminaire and a coated surface to determine the reflectance of the light from the luminaire compared with standard roadway materials. The LRC will create the luminaire, identify potential dyes, and measure the photometric properties of the coatings. The LRC will partner with Passonno Paints, a paint manufacturer based in Watervliet, NY, to advise on materials and manufacturability and to fabricate sample roadway coatings. KW - Light emitting diodes KW - Light pollution KW - Luminance KW - Pavement coatings KW - Street lighting UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/innovative-roadway-light-source UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236086 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463663 TI - Driver Distraction: An Inattention-Mitigation Component for Behavior-Based Safety Programs in Commercial Vehicle Operations (IM-BBS) AB - The aim of this research effort is to develop a comprehensive inattention mitigation component of a behavior-based safety program (IM-BBS) in commercial motor vehicle operations. A key focus will be on the use of real-time inattention monitoring technologies which could provide real-time feedback to the driver as well as post-trip summary reports based on data continuously transmitted to the back-office via wireless communication. Inattention monitoring will be based on existing on-market or prototype systems developed by Volvo. Another key focus of the project will be on the development of effective attention performance feedback and incentive strategies. The use of simulator-based attention training in this context will also be investigated. The research is expected to have significant impact on road safety as well as lead to significant cost reductions for commercial vehicle fleets. KW - Attention KW - Behavior KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Distracted drivers KW - Distraction KW - Motor carriers KW - Real time information KW - Simulation KW - Traffic safety KW - Travel behavior KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/distracted_driving.aspx?id=21 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231889 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01551444 AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Project Management Plan: Dallas Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Demonstration Project PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 74p AB - The Dallas Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) System Demonstration Project is a multi-agency, de-centralized operation which will utilize a set of regional systems to integrate the operations of the corridor. The purpose of the Dallas ICM System is to implement a multi-modal operations decision support tool enabled by real-time data pertaining to the operation of freeways, arterials, and public transit. The system will be shared between information systems and people involved in transportation operations and emergency response in the US-75 Corridor. The Dallas ICM System is intended to provide improved integration of operation procedures, including procedures that take advantage of the data sharing capabilities of the Dallas ICM System and facilitate improved emergency response, and traveler information. The purpose of the Project Plan is to assist the Dallas ICM Team by defining a procedural framework for management and control of the US-75 Integrated Corridor Management Demonstration Project, and development and deployment of the ICM System. The Project Plan serves as a reference for information regarding project structure and procedures throughout the project life cycle. As such it is a living document and will be updated at least twice in each year of the project. KW - Arterial highways KW - Dallas (Texas) KW - Data sharing KW - Decision support systems KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Freeways KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Project management KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Transportation corridors KW - Traveler information and communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54100/54129/Project_Management_Plan_-_Dallas_ICM_FINAL_Formatted.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1340038 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01551439 AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - US-75 ICM System Requirements – Dallas Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Demonstration Project PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 125p AB - This document is intended as a listing and discussion of the Requirements for the US-75 Integrated Corridor Management System (ICMS) Demonstration Project in Dallas. This document describes what the system is to do (the functional requirements), how well it is to perform (the performance requirements), and under what conditions (non-functional and performance requirements). This document does not define how the system is to be built; that is the providence of the design document. This document pulls together requirements from a number of sources including but not limited to the Concept of Operations, the initial Systems Requirements Document and constraints identified by the agencies. This document sets the technical scope of the system to be built for the Demonstration Project. It is the basis for verifying the system and sub-systems when delivered via the Verification Plan. KW - Dallas (Texas) KW - Demonstration projects KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Performance measurement KW - Transportation corridors UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54100/54136/US-75_ICMS_Requirements_-_Demonstration_Phase_FINAL_Formatted.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1340049 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01551337 AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Systems Engineering Management Plan: Dallas Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Demonstration Project PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 61p AB - The purpose of the Dallas Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) System is to implement a multi-modal operations decision support tool enabled by real-time data pertaining to the operation of freeways, arterials, and public transit. The system will be shared between information systems and people involved in transportation operations and emergency response in the US-75 Corridor. The Dallas ICM System is intended to provide improved integration of operation procedures, including procedures that take advantage of the data sharing capabilities of the Dallas ICM System and facilitate improved emergency response, and traveler information. This Systems Engineering Management Plan is designed to assist the Dallas ICM Team by defining a procedural framework for management and control of the systems engineering components provided in the US-75 Integrated Corridor Management Demonstration Project contract. The Project Management Plan serves as a reference for information regarding project structure and procedures throughout the project life cycle. As such both are living documents and will be reviewed at least twice in each year of the contract and updated as appropriate. KW - Arterial highways KW - Dallas (Texas) KW - Data sharing KW - Decision support systems KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Freeways KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Systems engineering KW - Transportation corridors KW - Traveler information and communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54100/54135/Systems_Engineering_Management_Plan_-_Dallas_ICM_FINAL_Formatted.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1340043 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01495180 AU - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transit and Trail Connections: Assessment of Visitor Access to National Wildlife Refuges PY - 2010/12 SP - 47p AB - The purpose of the study is to characterize the use of transit and non-motorized transportation modes for visitor access to National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), as well as identify opportunities for and constraints to alternative transportation access. Specifically, the objectives of the study are to: 1. Identify NWRs with strong existing transit and trail connections, recognizing factors that contribute to the success of using these modes for NWR access; 2. Identify sites with high potential for an increased mode shift to transit or non-motorized access, including key partnerships or promotional opportunities to realize these connections; 3. Understand how current U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) planning and management decisions affect transit and trail connections to NWRs; 4. Provide a tool for FWS staff, partner agencies, and friends groups to recognize potential connections, set priorities for future planning, and ultimately enhance alternative transportation access to NWRs. KW - Access KW - Bikeways KW - Decision making KW - Modal shift KW - National Wildlife Refuge System KW - Partnerships KW - Planning KW - Promotion KW - Public transit KW - Trails KW - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48100/48187/Transit_Trails_Connections.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263010 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01487009 AU - Henrie, Morgan AU - Ronchetti, Mike AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility Study of RFID Technology For Construction Load Tracking PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 41p AB - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) is seeking more efficient business practices and processes to increase its speed in delivering supplies to work sites, optimize the workforce, and minimize costs. The current tracking process uses a computer-generated ticket carried by the truck driver to the dump point. The truck driver initially receives a cargo ticket while loading. The load weight is recorded on the ticket at a plant weigh scale. At the dump point, the ticket is handed to a ticket taker on the grade. The ticket taker records additional information on the ticket such as the time and the station of the dump point. At least four people handle this cargo tracking ticket: a truck driver, scale person, ticker taker, and an office person. A driver must maintain possession of the ticket at all times during cargo or load transportation, by state and federal regulations. A scale person updates this ticket. A ticket taker at the end records the final data. An office person tallies the day’s tickets to create an account payable item (payment) to the carrier or driver. These tracking tickets must be physically stored for three years after project date of completion. Technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) and global positioning system (GPS) can be used to track or record the same data. This study is exploring using new technologies to improve this process. These changes could also improve new project planning, management, and tracking of transportation operational data. In the past year, the research team has completed a literature review, purchased the necessary test RFID equipment, installed the new system in the field, and begun data collection. KW - Alaska KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Literature reviews KW - Materials management KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Technological innovations KW - Tracking systems UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2013/04/RFID-Final-DW.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1256388 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01482292 AU - Plazak, David J AU - Center for Transportation Research and Education AU - Iowa Department of Transportation AU - Midwest Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Roadway Alignments as Assets: Evaluating Alternatives for Valuing Major Highway Corridor Rights of Way PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 36p AB - In most highway asset management exercises, real estate used in alignments is considered to be an asset class that does not depreciate. Although the treatment of right of way assets as non-depreciable real property may be appropriate as an accounting exercise, the fact is that the real estate contained in transportation corridors can in fact lose value from a traffic service point of view. Such facilities become functionally obsolete in that they no longer serve the purpose that was intended when they were planned, designed, and built. This report is intended to begin a discussion of the topic of how highway alignments ought be valued as assets as opposed to how they generally are valued, at either book value or replacement value, given it can be shown that some highway alignments do in fact depreciate in value. KW - Alignment KW - Asset management KW - Depreciation KW - Highway corridors KW - Real property KW - Right of way (Land) KW - Valuation UR - http://www.intrans.iastate.edu/research/documents/research-reports/alignments_as_asets_w_cvr.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/47000/47900/47905/alignments_as_asets_w_cvr.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1250804 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01470846 AU - Perkins, Robert AU - Hazirbaba, Yildiz Dak AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Bridge Deck Runoff: Water Quality Analysis and BMP Effectiveness PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 116p AB - The Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT) is responsible for more than 700 bridges, most span water bodies. Are these water bodies affected by stormwater runoff from ADOT bridges? What are the regulatory and economic constraints on the ADOT regarding this runoff? What actions, if any, should the ADOT take? This report attempts to answer those questions. Best Management Practices (BMP) are mandated or recommended for certain bridges. Which BMP is best for each bridge is not defined in law, but requires selection by the ADOT after consideration of the bridge characteristics, costs and benefits of candidate BMPs, and practicalities of construction. In the body of this report are brief descriptions of many types of stormwater BMPs, including general (not road-related) BMPs, and road and highway related BMPs. There are fewer options for bridges and fewer still that will work in Alaska’s cold climate. The options can also be quite different for a bridge that is in service versus a bridge that will undergo major repairs or new construction. The project developed a database of all the state’s bridges and their parameters relevant to stormwater runoff. From those parameters a numerical rating was developed for each bridge. This rating, together with certain regulatory thresholds, is used to determine if BMPs are required. KW - Alaska KW - Best practices KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridges KW - Economic factors KW - Regulatory constraints KW - Runoff KW - Water pollution KW - Water quality management UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/03/RR08.13.Final-Bridge-Runoff-Report-Dec-2010-sb.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1238500 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01458009 AU - Bham, Ghulam H AU - Leu, Ming C AU - Mathur, Durga Raj AU - Vallati, Manoj AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improving Work Zone Safety for Freight Vehicles: Effective Design Patterns for Vehicle Mounted Attenuators PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 56p AB - This report presents a study of driver perceptions using a driving simulator carried out on the effectiveness of four markings which vary in striping patterns and color combinations used at the rear of vehicle mounted attenuators (VMAs) in work zones during daytime, dusk and nighttime. One hundred and twenty participants from different age groups took part in the evaluation of VMA markings by driving through virtual highway work zones. During this experiment, driver reaction to VMA markings was determined based on their lane change distance (LCD). Additionally, the drivers were surveyed using a detailed subjective survey. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the significant variables affecting the LCD. For each time of day, a pair wise least-square means test was conducted to calculate the difference in LCD between the markings. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was carried out to evaluate the significance of differences between the LCD frequency distributions of the markings. For the subjective evaluation, the markings were ranked by participants indicating their preferences using four different criteria for each time of day. The participants were also surveyed on the features of the individual markings and for the most preferred marking. The results of the objective and subjective evaluations indicated that, overall, the red and white checkerboard pattern was most effective. KW - Behavior KW - Design KW - Drivers KW - Driving simulators KW - Periods of the day KW - Road markings KW - Truck mounted attenuators KW - Trucking safety KW - Work zone safety UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46600/46645/Bham_117_Improving_Work_Zone_Safety_Combined.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1225556 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01446055 AU - Kay, Michael AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Ridesharing Options Analysis and Practitioners’ Toolkit PY - 2010/12 SP - 38p AB - This report serves as both an analysis of current trends in ridesharing and a toolkit for public agencies, large and small, to create ridesharing programs tailored to meet the needs of their respective constituencies. Best practices from around the United States are illustrated in a series of case studies, and the report also contains a step-by-step “how to” guide for implementation. The report concludes with a comprehensive database of both public and private sector entities already engaged in ridesharing around the world. KW - Best practices KW - Carpools KW - Implementation KW - Recommendations KW - Ridesharing KW - United States KW - Vanpools UR - http://www.planning.dot.gov/documents/RidesharingOptions_Toolkit.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212536 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380350 AU - Lou, Yingyan AU - Yin, Yafeng AU - Lawphongpanich, Siriphong AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Robust Congestion Pricing under Boundedly Rational Travel Behaviors PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 65p AB - Congestion pricing is a market-based approach for mitigating traffic congestion and managing travel demand. For over 80 years, the literature on congestion pricing has been largely relying on the assumption that travelers are perfectly (or unboundedly) rational. Although technically convenient, this assumption implies that travelers are always able to react to pricing signals and accurately select the options with the least cost to reach their destinations. However, there is abundant empirical evidence that travelers are boundedly rational and their responses to pricing signals are not as perfect as assumed in pricing models reported in the literature. Consequently, congestion pricing projects may not achieve the results predicted by these models. This report proposes methodologies for determining pricing strategies that can better relieve congestion by proactively accounting for travelers with bounded rationality. Two classes of models are addressed. As adopted by many in the literature, one class assumes that link travel times (or costs) are deterministic. In the other class, the travel times are probabilistic and the analysis of the traveler’s route choice is based on the cumulative prospect theory, a paradigm for decision making under uncertainty advanced recently by psychologists and behavioral economists. For both classes of models, new optimization problems and algorithms are developed to accommodate boundedly rational travel behaviors to determine more robust or reliable pricing schemes. KW - Algorithms KW - Bounded rationality framework KW - Congestion pricing KW - Optimization KW - Traffic congestion KW - Travel behavior UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/Yin_CMS_2009-012_Final.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45648/Yin_CMS_2009-012_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1148079 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357947 AU - Sayer, James R AU - Buonarosa, Mary Lynn AU - Bao, Shan AU - Bogard, Scott E AU - LeBlanc, David J AU - Blankespoor, Adam D AU - Funkhouser, Dillon S AU - Winkler, Christopher B AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Light-Vehicle Field Operational Test Methodology and Results Report PY - 2010/12 SP - 191p AB - This document presents the methodology and results from the light-vehicle field operational test conducted as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effects of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driving behavior and driver acceptance. The light-vehicle platform included four integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, curve speed, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings) installed on a fleet of Honda Accords driven by 108 lay-drivers for a period of six weeks each. Each vehicle was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through a post-drive survey, debriefings, and focus groups. Key findings indicate that use of the integrated crash warning system resulted in improvements in lane-keeping, fewer lane departures, and increased turn signal use. Research also indicated that drivers were slightly more likely to maintain shorter headways with the integrated system. No negative behavioral adaptation effects were observed as a result of drivers’ involvement in secondary task behaviors. Drivers generally accepted the integrated system, and 72 percent of the drivers reported they would like to have such a system in their personal vehicles. Drivers also reported that the blind-spot detection component of the lane-change/merge crash warning system was the most useful aspect of the integrated system. KW - Acceptance KW - Behavior KW - Blind spots KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Demonstration projects KW - Drivers KW - Highway curves KW - Highway safety KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Lane changing KW - Lateral drift KW - Light vehicles KW - Rear end crashes KW - Speed KW - Test procedures KW - Warning systems UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/84381 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122811 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354592 AU - Hannon, Daniel J AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Guidelines for the Specification of Blue Safety Flags in Railroad Operations PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 37p AB - Blue flag protection in the railroad industry provides safety to workers from the inadvertent movement of equipment on which they are working. Current Federal regulations provide minimum specifications for the devices that can be used as blue flags, allowing many devices to be used as long as they are blue. Safety standards developed by national and international committees that have been adopted throughout a wide variety of high hazard industries, however, require greater specificity in the design of safety signs and signals. An analysis of 11 commercially available blue safety flag products revealed that 5 did not meet any safety standards beyond the minimum government regulations, and only 1 met the requirements of the most stringent safety code. Recommendations are provided for blue safety flags that are consistent with the current meaning and use in the railroad industry and that meet current safety code guidelines. KW - Blue safety flags KW - Equipment KW - Occupational safety KW - Railroad facility operations KW - Railroad safety KW - Standards KW - Train crews KW - Train operations UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/105 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118158 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349500 AU - Commuri, Sesh AU - Zaman, Musharraf AU - Singh, Dharamveer AU - Mai, Anh AU - Beainy, Fares AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Continuous Real Time Measurement of Pavement Quality during Construction PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 80p AB - Intelligent Compaction has been investigated as a means of improving the quality of asphalt pavements during their construction. The long term performance of an asphalt pavement is directly related to its load bearing capability and is determined by the stiffness achieved during the construction process. Early deterioration of pavements due to rutting, fatigue cracking and other types of distresses can be traced to inadequate stiffness. While dependence of pavement performance on stiffness is well known, this parameter is rarely measured during construction of the pavements. Instead, current quality control in the field during the construction of asphalt pavements focuses on the measurement of density of the finished pavement at specific locations. In this research project, the use of OU’s Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer (IACA) in determining the modulus of the entire pavement under construction is demonstrated. The ability to continuously monitor the modulus of the pavement will help identify and address improper compaction during construction. Low stiffness resulting from inadequate compaction can be addressed while the asphalt mat is still hot and pliable thereby leading to longer lasting roads. The IACA-based approach for estimating the stiffness of the pavement during construction is shown to be a cost effective technique for assessing the quality, and it provides a means to improve the overall quality of asphalt pavements during construction. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Compaction KW - Dynamic modulus of elasticity KW - Intelligent compaction KW - Paving KW - Quality of work KW - Stiffness UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-10-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107962 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343376 AU - Krechmer, Daniel AU - Rakha, Hesham AU - Mark Howard AU - Huang, Weimin AU - Zohdy, Ismail AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Data Mining and Gap Analysis for Weather Responsive Traffic Management Studies PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 149p AB - Weather causes a variety of impacts on the transportation system. An Oak Ridge National Laboratory study estimated the delay experienced by American drivers due to snow, ice, and fog in 1999 at 46 million hours. While severe winter storms, hurricanes, or flooding can result in major stoppages or evacuations of transportation systems and cost millions of dollars, the day-to-day weather events such as rain, fog, snow, and freezing rain can have a serious impact on the mobility and safety of the transportation system users. Despite the documented impacts of adverse weather on transportation, the linkages between inclement weather conditions and traffic flow in existing analysis tools remain tenuous. This is primarily a result of limitations on the data used in research activities. The overall goal of this research was to identify gaps in the data necessary to develop weather responsive traffic management (WRTM) studies. Activities conducted to achieve this included 1) A comprehensive search and documentation of traffic and weather data in the United States and abroad that could be used for weather WRTM; 2) surveys, phone calls and site visits with organizations that have suitable traffic data on inclement weather; 3) identification of critical gaps in regards to the collection and processing of traffic data on inclement weather conditions; and 4) recommendation of strategies for gathering and processing data that will be used in WRTM studies. The study found that there are a number of useful research efforts underway both domestically and internationally that are yielding useful data for WRTM analysis. In some cases the scopes are limited and confidentiality issues were found in a number of European studies. There is increasing availability of quality traffic and weather data being generated by transportation and public/private weather information sources in the U.S. The analysis conducted for this project found that this data can be helpful in identifying adverse weather impacts on speed and lane usage. The report recommends that Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) work closely with agencies as they expand their road weather information system (RWIS) to assure that weather data is of adequate quality for WRTM analysis. FHWA also should continue to fund specific research and evaluation activities in conjunction with the Integrated Corridor Management Program or other WRTM initiatives. KW - Highway traffic control KW - Mobility KW - Real time information KW - Road weather information systems KW - Statistical analysis KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic safety KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38100/38165/HTML/dmga.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38100/38165/HTML/index.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105148 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343373 AU - Kociolek, Angela AU - Cuelho, Eli AU - Fenster, Roy AU - Huijser, Marcel P AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Montana Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessment of Burrowing Mammal Impacts on Paved Highways in Montana PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 73p AB - The burrowing behavior of some rodents, insectivores, and mustelids has the potential to cause damage to paved roads or exacerbate existing deterioration. The main objective of this project was to characterize the nature and extent of burrowing mammal damage to paved roadways across Montana through 1) a targeted survey of Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) personnel, 2) follow-up interviews with a subset of survey respondents, and 3) site visits to several locations in Montana to document burrowing mammal damage to roadways. In general, the findings indicate that burrowing mammal activity does not inherently constitute a widespread maintenance problem for paved roads in Montana. However, there are localized cases where burrowing mammal activities do appear to contribute to pavement deterioration. It is recommended that MDT consider employing techniques to mitigate areas where chronic burrowing mammal activities are coincident with distresses in the pavement surface and support. KW - Damage (Pavements) KW - Environmental impacts KW - Maintenance KW - Mammals KW - Montana KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Rodents KW - Structural deterioration and defects KW - Wildlife UR - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/research/external/docs/research_proj/burrow_mammal/final_report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38100/38154/BURMAM-FINAL-REPORT.PDF UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105145 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343200 AU - Odom, Edwin AU - Beyerlein, Steven AU - Law, Joe AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hybrid FSAE Vehicle Realization PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 46p AB - The goal of this multi-year project is to create a fully functional University of Idaho entry in the hybrid FSAE competition. Vehicle integration is underway as part of a variety of 2010-11 senior design projects. This leverages a variety of analytical and empirical studies undertaken in FY 2010 that demonstrate feasibility of the electromechanical powertrain, the energy management system, and the chassis layout. This project has engaged a broad population of graduate and undergraduate students in implementing sustainable transportation technology as well as creation of knowledge management systems that will benefit current and future competition teams. Approximately 1/3 of the allowed 20 MJ for the 22 mile endurance event will be supplied in the initial charge state of the battery pack. The remaining 2/3 is stored in the vehicle‟s gas tank. Accomplishments to date include a road load energy model, performance testing of the electric motor/controller, solid modeling of a reconfigured YZ250F motorcycle engine, suspension modeling, frame design, and a preliminary electronic archive designed to serve as a resource for just-in-time learning of hybrid terminology, subsystem descriptions, analysis methods, and performance tests. Specifications are given for all major subsystems and components. KW - Electric batteries KW - Energy management systems KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Motors KW - Power trains UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK757_N10-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104775 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01341960 AU - Yu, Xun AU - University of Minnesota, Duluth AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Real-Time Nonintrusive Detection Drowsiness – Phase II PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 37p AB - This project is the extension of the Northland Advanced Transportation System Research Laboratory (NATSRL) FY 2008 project titled “Real-time Nonintrusive Detection of Driver Drowsiness,” which aims to develop a real-time, nonintrusive driver drowsiness detection system to reduce drowsiness-caused accidents. Biosensor is built on the vehicle steering wheel to measure driver’s heartbeat signals. Heart rate variability (HRV), a physiological signal that has established links to waking/sleepiness stages, thus can be analyzed from the pulse signals for the detection of driver drowsiness. The novel design of measuring heartbeat signals from biosensors on the steering wheel and seatback makes this drowsiness detection system one with almost no annoyance to the driver, and the use of this physiological signal can ensure the accuracy of drowsiness detection. In Phase I, a biosensor with a pair of electrodes built on steering wheel was tested for the measurement of heartbeat for HRV analysis. However, this design requires the driver put both hands on the steering wheel to measure the heart rate. In Phase II, a new biosensor is designed that can measure heart rate even when only one hand is on the steering wheel, which happens very often in real driving situations. More extensive lab tests were carried out to study the change of HRV signals with driver drowsiness. KW - Biosensors KW - Drowsiness KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Heart rate KW - Laboratory tests KW - Monitoring KW - Sensors KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1476 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104370 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337615 AU - Haselbach, Liv M AU - Navickis-Brasch, Aimee AU - Washington State University, Pullman AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Low Impact Development (LID) and Transportation Stormwater Practices PY - 2010/12//Final Research Report SP - 46p AB - The primary objective of this research was to determine how Low Impact Development (LID) approaches and technologies could be integrated into stormwater practices for the Pacific Northwest departments of transportation (DOTs). Based on evaluations of the DOTs’ stormwater practices, it was determined that there are many ways to maximize LID within the current practice. Recommendations for using LID to the maximum extent feasible are presented in this report. KW - Drainage KW - Highway design KW - Land use KW - Low impact development KW - Pacific Northwest KW - Runoff KW - State departments of transportation KW - Storm water management UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36097/TNW2010-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100471 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01335388 AU - Liu, Henry X AU - Di, Xuan AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Algorithms for Travel Time-Based Traffic Signal Timing, Phase I – A Hybrid Extended Kalman Filtering Approach for Traffic Density Estimation along Signalized Arterials PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 38p AB - As technologies continue to mature, the concept of IntelliDrive has gained significant interest. Besides its application on traffic safety, IntelliDrive also has great potential to improve traffic operations. In this context, an interesting question arises: If the trajectories of a small percentage of vehicles (IntelliDrive vehicles) can be measured in real time, how can such data be used to improve traffic management? This research serves as a starting point that aims to produce a paradigm shift to optimize the traffic signal control from the use of the conventional fixed-point loop detector data to the use of mobile vehicle trajectory-based data. Since the change of density on arterials can help traffic engineers to track the queue length at intersections, which is important for traffic signal optimization, in this project the authors will focus on the estimation of traffic density on urban arterials when trajectories from a small percentage of vehicles are available. Most previous work, however, focuses on freeway density estimation based merely on detector data. In this research, the authors adopt the MARCOM (Markov Compartment) model developed by Davis and Kang (1994) to describe arterial traffic states. The authors then implement a hybrid extended Kalman filter to integrate the approximated MARCOM with fixed-point and vehicle-trajectory measurements. They test the proposed model on a single signal link simulated using VisSim. Test results show that the hybrid extended Kalman filter with vehicle-trajectory data can significantly improve density estimation. KW - Algorithms KW - Arterial highways KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Kalman filtering KW - Queue length KW - Traffic density KW - Traffic queuing KW - Traffic signal timing KW - Travel time KW - Vehicle trajectories UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1474 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1098623 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01334231 AU - Wang, Yinhai AU - Yu, Runze AU - Lao, Yunteng AU - Thomson, Timothy AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Washington State Transportation Center AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Quantifying Incident-Induced Travel Delays on Freeways Using Traffic Sensor Data: Phase II PY - 2010/12//Final Research Report SP - 89p AB - Traffic incidents cause approximately 50 percent of freeway congestion in metropolitan areas, resulting in extra travel time and fuel cost. Quantifying incident-induced delay (IID) will help people better understand the real costs of incidents, maximize the benefit-to-cost-ratio of investments in incident remedy actions, and facilitate the development of active traffic management and integrated corridor management strategies. Currently, a number of algorithms are available for IID quantification. However, these algorithms were developed with certain theoretical assumptions that are difficult to meet in real-world applications. Furthermore, they have only been applied to simulated cases and have not been sufficiently verified with ground-truth data. To quantify IID over a regional freeway network using existing traffic sensor measurements, a new approach for IID estimation was developed in this study. This new approach combines a modified deterministic queuing diagram with short-term traffic flow forecasting techniques to overcome the limitation of the zero vehicle-length assumption in the traditional deterministic queuing theory. A remarkable advantage with this new approach over most other methods is that it uses only volume data from traffic detectors to compute IID and hence is easy to apply. Verification with the video-extracted ground truth IID data found that the IID estimation errors with the new approach were within 6 percent for the two incident cases studied. This implies that the new approach is capable of producing fairly accurate freeway IID estimates using volumes measured by existing traffic sensors. This approach has been implemented on a regional map-based platform to enable quick, convenient, and reliable freeway IID estimates in the Puget Sound region. KW - Freeways KW - Loop detectors KW - Puget Sound Region KW - Queuing theory KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic forecasting KW - Traffic incidents KW - Traffic volume UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/758.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097562 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01334227 AU - Stuart, Amy L AU - Lin, Pei-Sung AU - Lee, Chanyoung AU - Yu, Haofei AU - Chen, Hongyun AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessing Air Quality Impacts of Managed Lanes PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 71p AB - Impacts on transit bus performance and air quality were investigated for a case study high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane project on a corridor of I-95 near Miami. Trends in air pollutant concentration monitoring data in the study area first were analyzed. Traffic movement prior to and after implementation of the HOT lanes was simulated using corridor microsimulation (CORSIM). Emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, and benzene were estimated using MOBILE6.2. Finally, changes in ambient pollutant concentrations were estimated using AERMOD dispersion simulations. Results indicate decreased congestion on the corridor due to the HOT lane implementation, particularly for the northbound direction during the afternoon peak hours. Specifically, bus travel times were reduced by nine minutes, on average, during these hours. Emissions results were mixed, with small estimated increases for CO, NOx, PM10, and benzene and small decreases for HCs. Slightly higher ambient concentrations were found in most of the study area for the pollutants modeled (CO, NOx, and benzene), with the largest increases near the corridor. Overall, changes in both emissions and concentrations were small, indicating small impacts of the managed lane project on air quality. An additional outcome was the identification of factors contributing to uncertainty in the emissions estimation. KW - AERMOD (Computer model) KW - Air quality KW - Air quality management KW - Benzene KW - Bus transit KW - Carbon monoxide KW - Case studies KW - CORSIM (Traffic simulation model) KW - Environmental impacts KW - High occupancy toll lanes KW - Hydrocarbons KW - Interstate 95 KW - Managed lanes KW - Miami (Florida) KW - MOBILE6.2 (Computer model) KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Particulates KW - Peak periods KW - Traffic congestion KW - Travel time UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BDK85_977-11_rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/pdf/6402-1041-00.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36100/36126/6402-1041-00.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097532 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01334225 AU - Maitipe, Buddhika AU - Hayee, M Imran AU - University of Minnesota, Duluth AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development and Field Demonstration of DSRC-Based V2I Traffic Information System for the Work Zone PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 46p AB - This report describes the architecture, functionality and the field demonstration of a newly developed dedicated short range communication (DSRC)-based Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) communication system for improving traffic efficiency and safety in the work-zone related congestion buildup on US roadways. The goal was to develop a portable system that can be easily deployed at a work zone site to acquire and communicate important travel information, e.g., travel time (TT) and start of congestion (SoC) location to the driver. By providing this information, i.e., SoC location and TT, drivers can make informed decisions on route choice and be prepared for upcoming congestion. The system is composed of a portable road-side unit (RSU) that can engage the on board units (OBUs) of the traveling vehicles using DSRC technology to acquire necessary traffic data (speed, time, and location). From the acquired data, the RSU periodically estimates the SoC location and TT that are broadcast to all vehicles in its coverage range. An OBU receiving the broadcast message calculates the distance to the SoC location. The distance to the SoC location and TT are then relayed to the driver, who can make smart decisions regarding whether to seek an alternate route and when to expect a sudden speed reduction. Results from the field demonstration have shown that the developed system can adapt to changing work-zone environments smoothly under various congestion patterns on the road. KW - Decision support systems KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - Demonstration projects KW - Real time information KW - Route choice KW - Traffic congestion KW - Travel time KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1478 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097534 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333788 AU - Goldberg, Bruce AU - Firestine, Theresa AU - Steve, Kenneth AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Highlights of the 2008 National Census of Ferry Operators PY - 2010/12//Special Report SP - 6p AB - In 2007, 190 ferry operators across the Nation provided service to an estimated 106 million passengers through nearly 500 terminals in 37 States and 3 U.S. Territories, using a fleet of almost 700 active vessels with capacity to carry as many as 6,000 passengers at a time, or as few as 2. Service was provided on nearly 350 different route segments, covering 7,877 route miles. While the ferry network was somewhat smaller than 2 years earlier, it continued to play an important role providing commuter services in major metropolitan areas on both coasts, offering a vital intercity transportation link between coastal Alaska communities and the lower 48 States, and linking roadways and communities separated by various bodies of water. These are among the findings of the biennial 2008 National Census of Ferry Operators (NCFO), which collects self-reported data from operators of itinerant, regular route ferry services in the United States and its Territories. The NCFO collects data on operations during the previous year; thus references in this report to 2007, 2005, and 1999 data refer to the NCFOs conducted in 2008, 2006, and 2000. KW - Ferries KW - Ferry service KW - Ferry terminals KW - Operations KW - Ridership KW - Routes UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2010_12_01/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094974 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333784 AU - Weigand, Lynn AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Trail Planning & Community Service Capstone Curriculum PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 114p AB - Trails can provide important transportation connections for cyclists and pedestrians in addition to their recreational benefits. However, trail design and planning is not covered in most university transportation courses, with only five percent including any discussion of this topic (Dill and Weigand, 2009). This project was intended to address the deficiency in this area by developing an undergraduate curriculum for trail planning, design and data collection that could be adapted for use in a variety of disciplines. The curriculum was designed for a Senior Capstone course at PSU. This course was chosen because the Capstone experience integrates academic goals with a community-based learning experience; it draws students from all disciplines on campus; and each Capstone course has a community partner (public or nonprofit agency) that is an active participant in the course development and student experience. This course built on an existing relationship with Metro, the area’s regional government, as a community partner for Capstone courses. Metro is responsible for transportation planning in the region and manages the regional trail system, including planning, design and data collection on trail use. Metro’s planners have recognized that close-in trails can provide much-needed transportation options for bicyclists and pedestrian and they need data on trail use, specifically the number of pedestrians and cyclists that use the trails for transportation and functional uses, to further their planning efforts. The course content focused on trail planning and design to encourage bicycle and pedestrian travel within the region with the Metro Greenspaces program as the community partner. The project included curriculum development, teaching, evaluation and curriculum revision. KW - Bicycle travel KW - Bikeways KW - College students KW - Curricula KW - Design KW - Pedestrians KW - Planning KW - Trails UR - http://otrec.us/project/223 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096581 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333765 AU - Chu, Xuehao AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Guidebook for Using Automatic Passenger Counter Data for National Transit Database (NTD) Reporting PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 58p AB - This document provides guidance for transit agencies to use data from their automatic passenger counters (APCs) for reporting to the National Transit Database (NTD). It first reviews both the traditional data requirements on the data items to be reported and the statistical criteria that the reported data must satisfy and the new APC requirements if APCs are used to obtain the data items. More importantly, the document provides guidance on the following three areas: 1) Options for Meeting NTD Requirements - Whether agencies with APCs are allowed to use their APC data for NTD reporting; whether agencies want to use APC data for NTD reporting if allowed; and how agencies should use their APC data for NTD reporting. 2) Meeting the Data Requirements - How agencies should obtain 100% counts from APC data; how agencies should obtain estimates through using all usable APC data; and how agencies should obtain estimates through random sampling; 3) Meeting the APC Requirements - How agencies should develop the benchmarking plan and the maintenance plan; and how agencies should conduct the benchmarking study and the annual maintenance study. The use of the guidance is expected to help agencies better meet NTD requirements and to reduce the possibility of reported APC data not being included in the apportionment for Section 5307. KW - Automated passenger counters KW - Data requirements KW - Guidelines KW - National Transit Database KW - Passenger miles KW - Unlinked passenger trips UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BDK85_977-04_rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/pdf/77803.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36100/36125/77803.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094942 ER - TY - SER AN - 01333662 JO - MTI Report AU - Forsyth, Ann AU - Krizek, Kevin AU - Agrawal, Asha Weinstein AU - San Jose State University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - California Department of Transportation TI - Measuring Walking and Cycling Using the PABS (Pedestrian and Bicycling Survey) Approach: A Low-Cost Survey Method for Local Communities PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 106 AB - Local governments face hard choices about which programs to fund and decision makers, planners, and residents seek to understand if proposed policies to increase bicycling and walking actually work. This project developed a low-budget survey method and related sampling strategy for communities to easily, affordably, and reliably document the amount of local walking and cycling happening among their residents. The Pedestrian and Bicycling Survey (PABS) approach allows communities to answer such questions as: How much walking and cycling is occurring in my community? What is the purpose of walking and cycling trips? Who is completing the bulk of the walking and cycling trips? How often are people walking and cycling? The PABS instrument achieved adequate to excellent reliability for most questions, creating a useful instrument and a baseline for future comparison with other instruments. KW - Bicycling KW - Costs KW - Cyclists KW - Measurement KW - Methodology KW - Pedestrians KW - Reliability (Statistics) KW - Representative samples (Statistics) KW - Surveys KW - Traffic surveys KW - Walking UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/2907_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1093753 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333260 AU - Brecher, Aviva AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Assessment of Needs and Research Roadmaps for Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) Onboard Electric Drive Buses PY - 2010/12 SP - 128p AB - In support of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Electric Drive Strategic Plan (EDSP), this report assesses state-of-art advances in lithium-ion batteries, ultracapacitors, and related power management and control technologies for the rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS) on-board existing and emerging electric drive buses. RD&T roadmaps for near-, mid-, and long-term are developed for FTA and potential partners developing next generation electric drive buses, based on a review of technical literature, and inputs from experts and transit stakeholders regarding lessons learned, knowledge gaps, and priority RD&T needs. Illustrative projects up to 2020 are proposed based on the identified priority needs in these roadmaps. They promise to advance RESS technologies from research, development, demonstration, test and evaluation to full integration in more fuel efficient, environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective commercial electric drive transit buses. KW - Bus transportation KW - Electric vehicles KW - Energy storage systems KW - Fuel cell vehicles KW - Lithium batteries KW - Nickel iron batteries KW - Plug-in hybrid vehicles KW - Public transit KW - Renewable energy sources UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35700/35796/DOT-VNTSC-FTA-11-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094914 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333214 AU - Hunter-Zaworski, K M AU - Cornell, Lyn AU - Jannat, Mafruhatul AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impacts of Low-Speed Vehicles on Transportation Infrastructure and Safety PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 60p AB - There are increasing numbers of low-speed electric vehicles (LSVs) on public roadways. These vehicles are designed to be used within protected environments and on roadways with a maximum posted speed of 25 mph. Currently these vehicles are not subject to the same federal requirements for occupant protection as passenger cars. This research project investigated safety standards, operating regulations, and LSV manufacturer materials from sources around the world. The purpose of the research was to determine positive and negative impacts that LSVs, including Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) and Medium Speed Electric Vehicles (MSEVs), are likely to have for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oregon communities, and whether adjustments in current state regulations are needed to ensure that LSVs do not negatively impact road safety and traffic operations, or expose the LSV operators to undue risk. The U.S. and Canadian federal motor vehicle safety agencies have harmonized their regulations and stipulated the maximum operating speed of these vehicles, however state and local roadway authorities have regulated the maximum speed of roadways and intersection characteristics on which these vehicles can operate. The significant recommendations of this research are: (i)The State of Oregon regulations for LSVs should be amended such that LSVs are limited to public roadways with a maximum operating speed of 25 mph, and they are restricted to crossing higher speed roadways at four-way Stop or traffic controlled intersections, (ii) local transportation authorities should develop parallel or secondary low-speed transportation networks that connect residential neighborhoods with major activity centers. KW - Electric vehicles KW - Highway operations KW - Low speed vehicles KW - Neighborhood electric vehicles KW - Occupant protection devices KW - Oregon KW - Traffic speed KW - Vehicle design KW - Vehicle safety UR - http://otrec.us/main/document.php?doc_id=1549 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35700/35772/OTREC-RR-10-19_Final_1_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094919 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332479 AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - Sullivan, Andrew J AU - Fouad, Fouad H AU - University of Alabama, Birmingham AU - University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Capacity Building, Education, and Technology Transfer. UAB UTC Domain 2: Development of a Dynamic Traffic Assignment and Simulation Model for Incident and Emergency Management Applications in the Birmingham Region, Aim 1 PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 125p AB - A number of initiatives were undertaken to support education, training, and technology transfer objectives related to University of Alabama University Transportation Center (UAB UTC) Domain 2 Project: Development of a Dynamic Traffic Assignment and Simulation Model for Incident and Emergency Management Applications in the Birmingham Region. Examples include planning and delivery of technical workshops, short courses, seminars and scientific papers as well as development of training manuals and informational materials. These initiatives aimed at advancing the knowledge and practice in incident and emergency management. This report highlights education and technology transfer initiatives and provides samples of products developed under this contract. The transfer of research results into practice performed in this study provides a wide range of opportunities for training students as well as the scientific community and authorities responsible for emergency planning, response and recovery, and operation of transportation facilities emergency management personnel. KW - Birmingham (Alabama) KW - Dynamic traffic assignment KW - Education and training KW - Emergency management KW - Incident management KW - Mathematical models KW - Personnel development KW - Technology transfer UR - http://tris.trb.org/common/TRIS%20Suite/includes/getfile.aspx?subdir=\&f=Domain+2+Project+1a-+Final+Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096647 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332467 AU - Jeihani, Mansoureh AU - Mazloomdoust, Gholamhossein AU - Ghoseiri, Keivan AU - Morgan State University AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - National Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Comprehensive Engineering Analysis of Motorcycle Crashes in Maryland PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 74p AB - The goal of this study was to identify recurring or common road characteristics of motorcycle crashes in Maryland from 1998 to 2007. Motorcycle crash data were obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES), and road inventory data were obtained from the Maryland State Highway Administration. Both sets of data were integrated, and fault tree analysis and variable selection methods were utilized to find the highest frequency crash cases. A categorical principal component analysis was used to specify the minimum number of variables that explain most of the observed variance. In addition, ordinal logistic models were developed to estimate the number of motorcycle crashes for road segments within each road class. The results of the logistic ordinal regression analysis show that area type, median type, speed limit, average annual daily traffic (AADT), international roughness index (IRI), and the number of through lanes affect the number of motorcycle crashes on Maryland road segments. Interestingly, government control and shoulder type were shown to have no significant impact on the number of motorcycle crashes. The developed ordinal logistic model can also calculate the number of motorcycle crashes for each road characteristic. Engineers and safety officials can use this study’s results to develop solutions for identified safety deficiencies. KW - Annual average daily traffic KW - Area type KW - Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System KW - Fault tree analysis KW - International Roughness Index KW - Logistic regression analysis KW - Maryland KW - Medians KW - Motorcycle crashes KW - Road inventory data KW - Speed limits KW - Through lanes UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35800/35831/AComprehensive_Jeihani_1011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096578 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332461 AU - Goodwin, Gwendolyn C AU - Lastrape, Krystal AU - Texas Southern University, Houston AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Assessment of Public Involvement for the 2006 Regional Transportation Coordination Planning Process in Selected Texas Cities PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 41p AB - Regional mobility is cumbersome, confusing, and often a frustrating experience for many Texans. Those living in larger urban areas have access to public transportation, while others depend on social service agencies and are required to meet financial and/or medical eligibility criteria. In some regions, churches and private companies offer limited transport services. Even with the various transportation providers throughout the region and despite federal and state funds spent on transportation, there are still unmet transit needs throughout Texas. House Bill 3588, is a statewide mandate to coordinate public transportation services and funding among Health and Human Service agencies, Texas Workforce Commission, and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) at the regional and local levels. The intent of HB 3588 is to achieve the following: 1) eliminate waste in the provision of public transportation services; 2) generate efficiencies that will permit increased levels of service; and 3) further the state’s efforts to reduce air pollution. TxDOT commissioners wanted to ensure that the general public and pertinent stakeholders were included in the planning process. This report examines the various public involvement plans and activities implemented by the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and Councils of Government (COGs) within eight areas, (Austin, East Texas, Corpus Christi, Houston-Galveston, Beaumont, El Paso, North Texas, and San Antonio), as they developed regional coordinated transportation plans. KW - Air quality management KW - Coordination KW - Councils of government KW - Financing KW - Level of service KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Mobility KW - Public participation KW - Public transit KW - Regional planning KW - Social service agencies KW - State laws KW - Texas KW - Texas Department of Transportation KW - Transportation planning UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/473700-00054-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36006/473700-00054-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1095003 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332460 AU - Hart, William Scott AU - Gharaibeh, Nasir G AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Use of Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Roadside Condition Assessment PY - 2010/12 SP - 48p AB - Micro unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAVs) that are equipped with digital imaging systems and global positioning systems provide a potential opportunity for improving the effectiveness and safety of roadside condition and inventory surveys. This study provides an assessment of the effectiveness of MUAVs as a tool for collecting condition data for roadside infrastructure assets using three field experiments. The field experiments entail performing a level of service condition assessment on roadway sample units on IH-20 near Tyler, Texas; IH-35 near Dallas, Texas; and local streets at the Riverside Campus of Texas A&M University. The conditions of these sample units were assessed twice: on-site (i.e., ground truth) and by observing digital images (still and video) collected via a MUAV. The results of this study will help transportation agencies decide if MUAV technology can be adopted for inventory and condition surveys of roadside assets and maintenance activities. KW - Aerial imagery KW - Condition surveys KW - Dallas (Texas) KW - Digital images KW - Digital video KW - Drone aircraft KW - Field studies KW - Global Positioning System KW - Inventory KW - Level of service KW - Maintenance management KW - Roadside KW - Texas A&M University KW - Tyler (Texas) UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00019-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36010/476660-00019-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096203 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332454 AU - Yi, Qi AU - Guo, Aohan AU - Texas Southern University, Houston AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Pedestrian Safety Based Warrants for Permissive Left-Turn Control PY - 2010/12//Research Report SP - 58p AB - At the intersections with permissive only signal control, pedestrians will move at the permissive phase with the parallel through vehicular movement and left-turn vehicles, the left-turn vehicles have to yield to both opposing through vehicles and pedestrians at crosswalk. Under such complicated driving conditions, collision risks rise if left-turn drivers make misjudgments and fail to yield to pedestrians. The existing guidelines on left-turn operations mainly focus on the traffic conditions at the intersections and do not give particular considerations to pedestrian safety problems. They are mainly developed based on the left-turn and the opposing through traffic volumes, while the pedestrian volumes and other pedestrian safety related factors, such as design features of the crossroads, direction of sunlight, and the sight distance of the left-turn drivers have not been explicitly taken into account. Thus, the objective of this research is to develop pedestrian safety based warrants for protected left-turn control. In this research, the driving-simulation based experiments will be conducted for identifying and assessing the impacts of the factors that contribute to the crashes between left-turn vehicles and pedestrians during the permissive left-turn phase, and develop pedestrian safety based warrants. KW - Exclusive phasing KW - Left turns KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Permissive left turn operations KW - Permissive phasing KW - Protected left turns KW - Signalized intersections KW - Warrants (Traffic control devices) UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/169302-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1095010 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330105 JO - MTI Report AU - Botha, Jan L AU - Elmasu, Kristina A AU - Leitzell, Philip J AU - San Jose State University AU - University Transportation Centers Program AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Suicides on Commuter Rail in California: Possible Patterns - A Case Study PY - 2010/12//Final Report AB - Suicides on rail systems constitute a significant social concern. A pilot study was conducted to identify possible patterns in suicides associated with urban commuter rail systems in California. The Caltrain commuter rail system in the San Francisco Bay Area was used as the subject system for the pilot study. Pattern detection in this study was conducted primarily on the basis of time and location. Because the data were readily available, the gender factor was also included in the analysis, although this is not a factor that is connected to the rail system. It was concluded that the data did show some patterns for suicides with respect to time and location. Some of the patterns can be explained while the reasons for some are not immediately obvious. KW - Caltrain (Commuter rail line) KW - Case studies KW - Gender KW - Location KW - Patterns KW - Rail transit KW - Railroad commuter service KW - San Francisco Bay Area KW - Suicide KW - Time UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/mtiportal/research/publications/documents/2926_10-05.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1084154 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01329697 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - State Summaries: 2007 Commodity Flow Survey, PY - 2010/12 SP - 161p AB - The Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) is conducted as part of the Census Bureau’s Economic Census, occurring every 5 years. It is the primary source of national and State-level data on domestic freight shipments in the United States. The survey sampled approximately 100,000 business establishments quarterly in 2007. The CFS measures domestic freight flows from establishments in mining, manufacturing, wholesale, and selected retail industries, as well as shipments from auxiliary establishments. This report summarizes and highlights freight shipments for each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia based on the final release of CFS data in December 2009. It provides tables for each State’s value and weight of shipments, major commodity shipped, mode of transportation used, distance shipped, State of origin, State of destination, and industry. KW - 2007 Commodity Flow Survey KW - Commodity flow KW - Distance KW - Domestic transportation KW - Freight transportation KW - Origin and destination KW - Shipments KW - States KW - Transportation modes UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/commodity_flow_survey/2007/state_summaries/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090848 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328490 AU - Marten, Felix A AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reliability Centered Maintenance: A Case Study of Railway Transit Maintenance to Achieve Optimal Performance PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 118p AB - The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the types of obstacles and patterns experienced by a single heavy rail transit agency located in North America that embedded a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Process. The outcome of the RCM process also examined the impact of RCM on availability, reliability, and safety of rolling stock. This qualitative study interviewed managers (10 cases), and non-managers (10 cases) at the transit agency obtain data. The data may serve to help rail transit leaders determine future strategic directions that would improve this industry. Despite the RCM record in other fields, it has infrequently been used in heavy rail transit agencies. The research method for the first portion of this qualitative case study was to collect data from subjects by administering an open-ended, in-depth personal interview, of manager and non-managers. The second portion of the study explored how the RCM process affected rolling stock for availability, reliability, and safety. The second portion of the study used data derived from project documents and reports (such as progress reports, email, and other forms of documentation) to answer questions about the phenomena. The exploration and identification of the patterns and obstacles is important because organizational leaders in other heavy rail transit systems may use this knowledge to assist in embedding the process more smoothly, efficiently, and effectively to obtain the desired end results. KW - Implementation KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Maintenance practices KW - Rail transit KW - Reliability Centered Maintenance method KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/summary/2913_10-06.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089633 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328475 AU - Dusicka, Peter AU - Stephens, Max AU - Lent-Fox, Kate AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Performance Enhancement of Bridge Bracing Under Service and Extreme Loads PY - 2010/12//Final Report SP - 38p AB - The purpose of this study was to develop and demonstrate the concept of retrofitting bridge brace elements with fiber reinforced composites in order to provide restraint against buckling. The advanced materials consisted of a combination of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite pultruded sections and wet lay-up wraps, intended to be applied in the field. A selected number of prototype retrofit bracing specimens were constructed and tested using reverse cyclic loading, and the performance of these specimens was characterized by their compressive strength and their overall hysteretic behavior. The results of this exploratory study have shown that slender bracing members retrofitted with FRP sections show an improved level of performance. All retrofitted specimens showed an improved compressive strength in the linear elastic and plastic deformation range of the slender bracing member. The cyclic behavior exhibited only a marginal improvement, however, due to failure modes at the bolted connections of the brace. Further modification of the brace had marginally improved the cyclic performance. Despite the challenges associated with the connection failures of the retrofitted members, the demonstration has shown that the developed concept of applying fiber reinforced composites has a potential to effectively restrain slender bracing members from buckling and improve the compressive resistance. Further testing needs to be conducted to evaluate a more optimal implementation for resisting cyclic loads. KW - Bracing KW - Bridge members KW - Compressive strength KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Hysteresis KW - Repeated loads KW - Retrofitting UR - http://otrec.us/project/53 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089640 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328473 AU - Schrank, David AU - Lomax, Tim AU - Turner, Shawn AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - 2010 Urban Mobility Report PY - 2010/12 SP - 61p AB - Congestion is still a problem in America's 439 urban areas. The economic recession and slow recovery of the last three years, however, have slowed the seemingly inexorable decline in mobility. Readers and policy makers might be tempted to view this as a change in trend, a new beginning or a sign that congestion has been "solved." However, the data do not support that conclusion. First, the problem is very large. In 2009, congestion caused urban Americans to travel 4.8 billion hours more and to purchase an extra 3.9 billion gallons of fuel for a congestion cost of $115 billion. Second, 2008 appears to be the best year for congestion in recent times; congestion worsened in 2009. Third, there is only a short-term cause for celebration. Prior to the economy slowing, just 3 years ago, congestion levels were much higher than a decade ago; these conditions will return with a strengthening economy. There are many ways to address congestion problems; the data show that these are not being pursued aggressively enough. The most effective strategy is one where agency actions are complemented by efforts of businesses, manufacturers, commuters and travelers. There is no rigid prescription for the "best way" - each region must identify the projects, programs and policies that achieve goals, solve problems and capitalize on opportunities. KW - Fuel consumption KW - Mobility KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - United States KW - Urban areas UR - http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/report/ UR - http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/mobility_report_2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089437 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354083 AU - Gransberg, Douglas D AU - Zaman, Musharraf AU - Aktas, Bekir AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Performance Analysis of Aggregate/Binder Combinations Used for the ODOT Chip Seal Program PY - 2010/11/30/Final Report SP - 147p AB - This project compared the results of laboratory characterization of chip seal aggregate samples for Oklahoma DOT Divisions 1,2,3,5 and 6 with performance data from the Pavement Management System (PMS) database. Binder evaluation was limited to identifying the binder sources associated with each test section and analyzing its performance based on the PMS data. No trend was found from the PMS analysis of binder sources. The laboratory testing consisted of sieve analysis, Los Angeles Abrasion Testing, Micro-Deval Testing, and the use of the Aggregate Imaging System (AIMS) to quantify chip seal aggregate characteristics from each division. The output from the laboratory testing was compared with the PMS performance data using linear regression techniques to identify those combinations that displayed a discernable trend. The project’s sample size was small and therefore, the researchers were unable to reach authoritative conclusions. Nevertheless, the analysis found a potential relationship between the LA test and PMS skid number (SN) data. It also identified trends with respect to the AIMS output, particularly between gradient angularity and SN. The Performance-based Uniformity Coefficient introduced by the North Carolina DOT was also evaluated and found to be a promising metric that may warrant future inclusion in the ODOT chip seal aggregate specifications. KW - Aggregates KW - Binders KW - Chip seals KW - Evaluation KW - Laboratory tests KW - Oklahoma KW - Performance UR - http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/spr-rip/library/reports/rad_spr2-i2221-fy2010-rpt-final-gransberg.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42400/42428/FY10_2221_Gransberg_FRptRev.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117062 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344978 AU - Ozer, Hasan AU - Duarte, Carlos A AU - Al-Qadi, Imad L AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Multi‐Scale Approach for Near‐Surface Pavement Cracking and Failure Mechanisms PY - 2010/11/30/Final Report SP - 65p AB - Near‐surface cracking is one of the predominant distress types in flexible pavements. The occurrence of near‐surface cracking, also sometimes referred to as top‐down cracking, has increased in recent years with the increased construction of relatively thick flexible pavements. However, understanding the mechanisms of near‐surface cracking and its integration into pavement design protocols remains a challenge. A mechanistic‐empirical approach requires a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of cracking on the surface or in the proximity of tires as well as an experimental characterization simulating field failure conditions. The analysis of this problem can become a very complex task due to multi‐axial stress states in the vicinity of tires. This study investigated the near‐surface response to non‐uniform tire contact stresses and analyzed the potential for occurrence of cracks near the surface in a typical relatively thick flexible pavement structure. The Generalized Finite Element Method (GFEM) was utilized to analyze the pavement structures in three‐dimensions (3‐D) considering the viscoelastic effects. This method provided a computational framework where arbitrary orientation of cracks in a finite element mesh is possible. The use of the GFEM in this problem was particularly intended for resolving the mixed mode fracture conditions which may emanate from the complex stress states in the vicinity of tires. KW - Cracking of asphalt concrete pavements KW - Failure analysis KW - Finite element method KW - Pavement design KW - Rolling contact KW - Stresses KW - Top down cracking (Pavements) UR - http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nextrans/assets/pdfs/Year%202%20Final%20Reports/Final%20Report%20023.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105688 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01608721 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Cost Analysis of Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) PY - 2010/11/29 SP - 12p AB - This document includes public rights-of-way accessibility guidelines (PROWAG) requirement information, compliance costs, and data and cost estimates for accessible pedestrian signals, tabled intersections, pedestrian signalization at multi-lane roundabouts, and detectable warnings. An attachment includes links to State department of transportation curb ramp standard drawings with detectable warning details. KW - Accessibility KW - Analysis KW - Audible pedestrian signals KW - Compliance KW - Costs KW - Right of way (Traffic) KW - Roundabouts KW - Signalized intersections KW - State departments of transportation KW - Warning devices for persons with disabilities UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/59000/59200/59255/CostAnalysisPROWAG.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1418794 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01371290 AU - Wang, Qingbin AU - Campbell, Erica AU - Parsons, Robert AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Pupil Transportation: Travel Behavior, Traffic Impacts, and Potentials for Improvement PY - 2010/11/24 SP - 41p AB - Although the student transportation industry has been the largest single carrier of passengers in the United States for several decades, there is very limited information on student travel behavior and preferences, impacts of student travel mode choices on local traffic and environment, reasons why an increasing proportion of students is dropped off at and picked up from school by parents, and ways to improve the efficiency of school transportation. This study collects primary data on student travel patterns in three Vermont school districts, analyzes the data to address a set of research and practical questions, and derives recommendations for improving the efficiency of school transportation and for encouraging students to walk, bike, or take the bus to and from school. KW - Data collection KW - Mode choice KW - School children KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel patterns KW - Vermont UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/research/trc_reports/10-020_Pupil_Transportation_Wang.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1139524 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01483463 TI - Assessment of Safety-Critical Components in ELVs, RLVs, and RVs AB - Under this task, the Volpe Center will provide independent assessment and analysis of safety-critical components for commercial ELVs, RLVs, and RVs to assist AST with its launch and reentry activities, licensing, and compliance monitoring activities. For RLVs this will also involve assessments of safety-critical components for permits. The analysis and assessments of safety-critical components, which will summarize findings and make recommendations for additional studies if necessary, may include but not be limited to the following: (1) compliance of design of safety-critical components with requirements; (2) test plans and procedures; (3) test preparations and observation of test conduct; (4) test results; (5) post-flight compliance; (6) and anomaly and non-compliance reviews for technical issues that arise during component and system level manufacturing, qualification testing, acceptance testing, pre-launch and post launch activities. In addition, annually summarize findings in a report and make recommendations for additional studies and, if necessary, focus areas for research and development of improved safety-critical components for commercial space industry. KW - Aviation safety KW - Commercial space transportation KW - Components KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Launching KW - Test procedures KW - Vehicle safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252280 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01483461 TI - Climate and Ozone Impacts of Hydrocarbon Rocket Propulsion Systems AB - The purpose of this task is to provide the Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) with a more detailed understanding of how hydrocarbon emissions from emerging commercial spaceflight systems could affect climate and ozone. The Volpe Center shall quantify the changes in atmospheric radiation and ozone caused by emissions from two types of hydrocarbon fueled rocket engines - nitrous oxide/ Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (N2O/HTPB) hybrid and (2) liquid oxygen (LOX)/kerosene. Calculations will be based on commonly accepted descriptions of emissions profiles (for H2O, CO2, N2O, NOX, and soot) and projected launch scenarios for low, medium, and high traffic. KW - Civil aviation KW - Climate KW - Environmental impacts KW - Hydrocarbons KW - Ozone KW - Pollutants KW - Rockets UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252278 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353560 AU - Holguin-Veras, Jose AU - Ban, Jeff AU - Jaller, Miguel AU - Destro, Lisa AU - Marquis, Robyn AU - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AU - New York Metropolitan Transportation Council AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility Study for Freight Data Collection PY - 2010/11/05/Final Report SP - 231p AB - The New York City (NYC) metropolitan region is home to close to 20 million residents, more than 600,000 business establishments, more than 1.3 million registered trucks, and more than 8.8 million employees. Every year, more than 80 million trucks cross the toll facilities administered by the various transportation agencies [New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), 2004]. This traffic translates into a total amount of cargo of about 200 million tons. The bulk of these goods accounts for 79% of the region's goods while the national average is 44%. As freight transportation is becoming more critical to the region, NYMTC has recognized the need to take proactive steps to enhance the overall efficiency of the freight transportation system, as a way to enhance the region and the Nation's competitiveness. To consider freight issues systematically and quantitatively, effective and efficient freight data collection plays a crucial role, especially for (a) improvement strategies evaluation for freight mobility, (b) system performance forecasting, (c) mitigating the impacts of truck traffic, (d) determining the impacts on air quality, and (e) improving the safety and security performance of the road network. This project proposes to establish an efficient and cost-effective freight data collection framework for NYMTC to address data needs in freight modeling. In order to quantify freight issues through modeling, the data itself—and how efficiently it is collected—is critical, especially for: (1) improvement strategies evaluation for freight mobility; (2) system performance forecasting; (3) mitigating the impacts of truck traffic; (4) determining the impacts on air quality; and (5) improving the safety and security performance of the road network. The main objective of this project was to establish an efficient and cost-effective freight data collection framework, which was developed through a number of major components, including but not limited to: identification of freight data needs and existing relevant data sources, definition of the data collection framework and estimation of data collection costs, and estimation of total deliveries by ZIP code. The report contains information on the development of the data collection framework. Chapter 3 identifies the data needs for different modeling techniques, as well as the possible sources for the data. Chapter 4 outlines the data collection procedures, ranging from surveys and interviews to freight volume counts. Chapter 5 highlights data expectations and challenges, while developing the data collection framework. Chapter 6 covers the costs associated with data collection strategies. An introduction to freight modeling can be found in Appendix A. Appendix B is a comprehensive review of relevant publications. There is also a supplemental report that covers the following project components: (1) results from the estimation of trip generation models; (2) analysis of ZIP code employment data; (3) estimation of total deliveries by ZIP code; and (4) geolocation of large traffic generators. KW - Costs KW - Data collection KW - Data needs KW - Data sources KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Freight modeling KW - Freight transportation KW - Geolocation KW - New York Metropolitan Area KW - New York Metropolitan Transportation Council KW - Truck traffic KW - ZIP codes UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/190/NYMTC-Freight-Data-Final-rpt1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118315 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328161 AU - Reimer, Bryan AU - Mehler, Bruce AU - Coughlin, Joseph F AU - New England University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Evaluation of Driver Reactions to New Vehicle Parking Assist Technologies Developed to Reduce Driver Stress PY - 2010/11/04 SP - 26p AB - A wide range of advanced technologies are currently being introduced into production automobiles that are intended to increase safety and comfort. If effectively implemented, some of these advanced technologies also offer the possibility of reducing driver stress. This study employed heart rate as an objective physiological arousal measure along with more traditional self‐report ratings to evaluate the extent to which two recently introduced technologies impact driver stress levels. The technologies evaluated were a semi‐autonomous system for parallel parking that detects appropriately sized parking spaces and actively steers the vehicle into the parking space while the driver controls the throttle and brake and a cross traffic warning system designed to alert drivers of encroaching vehicles when backing out of parking spaces. Two separate samples of 42 participants each were employed in the analysis and each sample consisted of three gender balanced age groups (20‐29, 40‐49 and 60‐69). In both experiments, each participant experienced multiple exposures to the parking maneuver with and without the technology (within subject design). After becoming familiar with the technology, participants rated their stress levels significantly lower when using the assistive parallel parking technology (p = .025) and physiological recordings showed an average heart rate 12.6 beats per minute lower (p < .001) providing confirmation of a lower state of arousal. These findings were consistent across gender and age groups. Mean self‐report and heart rate data were suggestive of some reduction in stress levels with the cross traffic warning system, although these differences were not statistically significant (p > .05). It was observed that drivers were more likely to appropriately stop and yield to an approaching vehicle during trials when the cross traffic alert system was active, potentially reducing the likelihood of accidents. While ratings of the systems were generally positive, some individuals experienced issues with the technologies. Additional analysis of self‐report data and subgroups within the data study sample is ongoing. Developing a more complete understanding of why some individuals have issues interacting with these types of new technologies may provide important insight into how further gains in technology adoption and stress reduction can be obtained. KW - Attitudes KW - Backing (Driving) KW - Behavior KW - Cross traffic KW - Driver support systems KW - Drivers KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Parking guidance systems KW - Smart parking KW - Stress (Physiology) KW - Stress (Psychology) KW - Warning devices UR - http://web.mit.edu/reimer/www/pdfs/reimer_2010_parking_technology_and_driver%20_stress.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086337 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463793 TI - Establishment of the Road Dust Institute and Website - UTC AB - The main objective of this project is to establish an organization dedicated to improving road dust management and a website that collects and disseminate information about the issue. KW - Data collection KW - Dust KW - Dust control KW - Information dissemination KW - Management KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4W3403.aspx UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232020 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463670 TI - Real-Time Commercial Vehicle Safety & Security Monitoring AB - Real-time monitoring of commercial vehicles in a highway network is a technologically challenging endeavor under the constraints that these vehicles are not required to be equipped with tracking devices such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, other transponders of similar nature, or global positioning system&nbsp;(GPS) based active tracking devices. Instead, a passive mechanism, based on the license plates all vehicles are legally required to install, is the only feasible way to uniquely identify and track each individual vehicle at different locations in a roadway system. Previous phases of this undertaking have successfully employed state-of-the-art license plate recognition (LP) hardware and developed self-learning post-processing algorithms to track commercial vehicles with a positive matching rate of over 97% and a false matching rate of less than 1%, even though the uncalibrated LP recognition rates are measured to be in the range of a dismal 25~55%, largely because of the significant variations in plate color, font, design, syntax, etc. from one state to another in the US. The goal of this phase is to integrate the hardware and the algorithms and demonstrate real-time commercial vehicle tracking in a test bed along I-40 in Knoxville, TN. To this end, LP devices are to be installed at strategic locations on I-40 and at the weigh station west of Knoxville, real-time 3G cellular data network is to be established and maintained among these LP units and a control center, sentinel software implementing the plate matching algorithms is to be developed to perform the vehicle tracking task in real time, and field demonstrations will be held to successfully conclude the project. By developing this highly reliable vehicle technology, our research will enable many desirable applications including automated speed enforcement, in-depth origin-destination study, continuous BOLO (be-on-the-lookout) vehicle identification and tracking, sensible fuel-tax considerations, inexpensive non-stop tolling, ITS traffic condition monitoring, evacuation order compliance monitoring, incident detection, air quality and truck speed control, etc. without resorting to active tracking devices, which face technological and policy challenges. KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Global Positioning System KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Knoxville (Tennessee) KW - License plate recognition KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Real time information KW - State of the art KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic conditions KW - Vehicle tracking UR - http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/freight_efficiency_congestion_mitigation.aspx?id=16 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231896 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463668 TI - Commercial Vehicle Secure Network for Safety and Mobility Applications AB - This research project will propose to develop an integrated high-performance, robust and secure vehicular network for supporting heavy vehicles safety and mobility applications. The integrated network system supports vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and in-vehicle communications based on dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) radio, so that safety and mobility data of heavy vehicles can be transmitted and shared among vehicles and with road-side base stations. To support different types of communications and avoid co-channel interference in networks, we proposed a cluster based network architecture in which clusterhead nodes (CN) or infrastructure nodes (IN) serve as a coordinator to dynamically allocate channels to member nodes requesting to send data. V2V communication is performed between vehicles which are a few hops away from each other. This multi-hop technique has not been examined in the U.S. IntelliDrive Program and offers the potential to enhance communications connectivity in the early phase of deployment. When no connected unicast path is available, V2I communication will help forward packets. This project will use connectivity aware routing and XOR-based network coding to ensure high-performance and robust communication. For efficient broadcasting of emergency safety messages, data aggregation algorithms will be performed on duplicated messages and only necessary knowledge will be broadcasted in networks. Considering the security requirements of data communication in vehicular networks, we propose a secure protocol based on a fixed key infrastructure that establishes stronger security in comparison with dynamic structures. Using trucks at Auburn National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), the proposed network system will be implemented and its data delivery ratio, network delay and network throughput will be evaluated. Global positioning system (GPS) receivers will be mounted on two trucks and the trailers to investigate relative positioning accuracy from differential GPS methods. Data will be collected and analyzed to determine the relative position accuracy, robustness, and availability of relative position measurements for cooperative vehicle control strategies. KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - Driver information systems KW - Global Positioning System KW - Heavy vehicles KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Mobility KW - Security KW - Traffic safety KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/intelligent_vehicles.aspx?id=17 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231894 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543900 AU - Sherry, Patrick AU - Kramer, Rocque AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Preliminary Demonstration of "Virtual Warehousing" and Cross-Docking Technique with Active RFID Combined with Asset Tracking Equipment PY - 2010/11 SP - 19p AB - The University of Denver’s Intermodal Transportation Institute (ITI) and System Planning Corporation’s GlobalTrak system have successfully demonstrated the integration of Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and active radio frequency identification (RFID) monitoring of simulated cargo of pallet and carton sizes by a mobile data collection and reporting device during a cross-country, intermodal transit involving truck and rail segments for two containers. The success of this test indicates that it is possible to receive information about the location and condition of cargo throughout the transportation cycle, not just at nodes like transshipment or distribution centers. The use of RFID-tagged cartons and pallets with a GPS tracking device means that less than containerload/less than truckload (LCL/LTL) loads as well as container/trailer-loads can be tracked and monitored during transit, extending the warehouse onto the road. The pallets and cartons comprising the simulated cargo were tagged, placed in 53’ containers, transported, and brought together in Denver for a cross-docking maneuver. The tagged “cargo” was moved from one conveyance to the other and then associated with that new conveyance’s tracking device. The tag reads were reported by the respective devices and presented as meaningful cargo data on the GlobalTrak Information Management Bureau network site established for the National Center for Intermodal Transportation (NCIT). In this test, one 53’ container was loaded near the GlobalTrak facility in Arlington, VA and trucked to Harrisburg, PA where it was placed on CSX double stacked railcars and moved to the CSX intermodal yard south of Chicago. The container was then trucked, as is normally done, to the UP yard in western Chicago and double stacked on a railcar for the completion of the journey to Denver. From the Denver UP yard it was drayed to a hub in North Denver. A second 53’ container was obtained in Denver and trucked to the hub for a cross-docking event to occur with the containers within 8’ of each other. Cartons and simulated pallets loaded in Denver and associated with the Denver GlobalTrak asset management unit, or AMU, were then switched with the cargo that had just arrived from Arlington VA. The Denver cargo was associated with the Arlington VA-origin AMU. The Arlington VA cargo was associated with the Denver AMU in its new container. Both AMUs reported their tagged cargo to the GlobalTrak Information Management Bureau as new cargo but also recognized the movement from one container to another. The container loaded in and sent from Arlington VA initially reported its door open and closed during the loading cycle; and reported its location every hour and the status of the active RFID tags within the container more often. No alarms were reported until door opening in Denver at the cross-docking operation. On completing the cross-docking, both containers were pulled off the docks and stored in the yard for one day. The Arlington VA container with new RFID tagged cargo was sent back to Virginia. The Denver container was driven around Denver where one pallet was unloaded to test a last mile delivery scenario. The cargo which was loaded in Arlington VA and cross-docked to the second container in Denver was eventually off-loaded and stored at the University of Denver campus where it remains today. It continues to report its location and status within the facilities of ITI to an AMU. This test demonstrated the availability of improved delivery speeds through the coordination and scheduling of multiple containers from long-haul locations for cross-docking; a potential reduction in the costs of both inventory and materials handling; and a potential reduction in warehouse storage space requirements. KW - Asset management KW - Asset tracking KW - Container traffic KW - Cross-docking KW - Field tests KW - Global Positioning System KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Radio frequency identification KW - Railroad transportation KW - Trucking KW - Virtual warehouse KW - Warehousing UR - http://www.ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2008_09_Kramer_Virtual%20warehousing%20ReportApril%202011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1332037 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01448624 AU - Martin, Peter T AU - Stevanovic, Aleksandar AU - Zlatkovic, Milan AU - University of Utah, Salt Lake City AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Transit Signal Priority Strategies for 400 South Light Rail Line in Salt Lake County, UT, Part II PY - 2010/11 SP - 166p AB - The goal of this study is to evaluate light rail priority strategies along the 400 S / 500 S corridor in Salt Lake County through analyzing benefits and impacts of the priority on transit and vehicular traffic through microsimulation. The field of study consists of a 2-mile corridor with 12 signalized intersections along 400 S / 500 S, where the university light rail line operates. The study uses VISSIM microsimulation models to estimate light rail operations, as well as impacts that light rail priority has on transit and general purpose traffic. The results show that the existing priority strategies have no impacts on vehicular traffic along the corridor, while at the same time help reduce train travel times 20% to 30%. Left turns along the main corridor are more affected by the priority than the through movements. Depending on the side street, the priority strategies can cause minor to major impacts on vehicular traffic through increased delays, while they help reduce train delays by 140%. Enabling priority at the 700 E intersection, where the priority is currently not active, would help reduce delays for trains an additional 10%, while increasing delays for vehicles approximately 7%. However, the coordinated north-south through movements would experience minimum impacts. Three recommendations have emerged from the study. The first is to enable priority at 700 E. This would help transit without major impacts on vehicular traffic. The second is to reset priority parameters at intersections adjacent to LRT stations so that the priority call encompasses station dwell times. The last recommendation is to consider removing the queue jump strategies to reduce delays for the corridor through movements and help preserve coordination patterns. KW - Highway traffic KW - Light rail transit KW - Microsimulation KW - Salt Lake County (Utah) KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic signal control systems KW - Traffic signal preemption KW - Transit traffic KW - Travel time UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC09-213B.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1214807 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01445978 AU - Rochat, Judith L AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Investigation of Temperature Correction for Tire/Pavement Noise Measurements PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 70p AB - The Volpe Center Acoustics Facility, in support of the Federal Highway Administration, investigated the influence of temperature on tire/pavement noise in order to provide guidance on correcting for temperature variations in measured sound levels. Several traffic noise and vehicle pass-by data sets with broad variation in both pavement and air temperatures were examined to help determine trends relating to the effects of temperature. The parameters investigated include: air vs. pavement temperature, single vehicle types vs. mixed traffic, and pavement type. Since the effects of temperature appeared to be fairly small over temperature ranges available for the data sets examined, care was taken to apply the proper statistics to determine if the slope of the regression line for sound level as a function of temperature was, in fact, not zero. Results show that there is usually a trend of slightly decreasing sound levels with increasing temperatures, although the strength of the effect varies by temperature measurement medium (air vs. pavement), vehicle type, and pavement type, and there are exceptions. The application of various temperature correction schemes to wayside measured data shows that it is possible to reduce error related to temperature variations, but one should do so cautiously, with the understanding that application of generic or semi-generic corrections may lead to an unnecessary or unfavorable outcome in some cases. KW - Linear regression analysis KW - Pavements KW - Temperature KW - Tire/pavement noise KW - Traffic noise UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/41000/41800/41865/DOT-VNTSC-FHWA-11-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1212595 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357447 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 - Management and Analysis of Michigan Intelligent Transportation Systems Center Data with Application to the Detroit Area I-75 Corridor PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 27p AB - An understanding of traffic flow in time and space is fundamental to the development of strategies for the efficient use of the existing transportation infrastructure in large metropolitan areas. Thus, this project involved developing the methods necessary to systematically describe, explain, and predict the flow of traffic with respect to time and space. The utility of this knowledge was demonstrated in routing voluminous traffic. Achieving these objectives required the collection, management, and analysis of traffic data concerning volume, speed, and traffic sensor occupancy. Management of this data required the design and implementation of a large scale database management system as well as assuring the quality of the collected data. Descriptive, explanatory, and predictive statistical models were developed to help gain the desired understanding of traffic flow. Application efforts focused on the Detroit metropolitan area. Traffic data was regularly obtained from the Michigan Intelligent Transportation System Center. Statistical models of traffic flow in the Detroit area I-75 corridor were constructed. A previously developed routing model was extended and adapted to the I-75 corridor and the newly developed statistical models incorporated to help compute traffic flow metrics. Both a software solver and a hardware solver for the model were implemented. In addition, a framework for traffic simulation was developed and applied to the development and calibration of a micro-simulation model including the same part of the I-75 corridor. This model was used to demonstrate the benefits of guidance in re-routing traffic as a result of a traffic incident. KW - Data collection KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Infrastructure KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic models KW - Traffic volume KW - Travel time UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545J_364107_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-21/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS21p1-2_2011-Final_Rpt_Management-Analysis_MITS_Center_Data_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120961 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344999 AU - Wang, Hao AU - Al-Qadi, Imad L AU - Stanciulescu, Ilinca AU - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AU - Rice University AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Effect of Friction on Rolling Tire – Pavement Interaction PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 45p AB - Accurate modeling of tire‐pavement contact behavior (i.e., distribution of contact tractions at the interface) plays an important role in the analysis of pavement performance and vehicle driving safety. The tire‐pavement contact is essentially a rolling contact problem. Many aspects, such as the transient contact with nonlinear frictional properties at the tire‐pavement interface, make the rolling contact problem more difficult than it may appear at first glance. The nonlinear frictional contact could introduce numerical difficulties into the finite element method (FEM) solution because the contact area and distribution of the contact tractions are not known beforehand. Therefore, it is appealing to formulate and implement high‐fidelity FE models capable of accurately simulating the tire‐pavement contact behavior. However, obtaining an accurate frictional relationship is difficult for tire‐pavement interaction. The friction between the tire and pavement is a complex phenomenon depending on many factors, such as viscoelastic properties of rubber, pavement texture, temperature, vehicle speed, slip ratio, and normal pressure. Field measurements have clearly shown that the friction between the tire and pavement is dependent of vehicle speed and the slip ratio at the vehicle maneuvering processes. In this research, a three‐dimensional (3‐D) tire‐pavement interaction model is developed using FEM to analyze the tire‐pavement contact stress distributions at various rolling conditions (free rolling, braking/accelerating, and cornering). In addition, existing friction models for tire‐pavement contact are reviewed and the effect of interfacial friction on the tire‐pavement contact stress distributions is investigated. KW - Deformation curve KW - Finite element method KW - Friction KW - Pavement performance KW - Rolling contact KW - Slip ratio KW - Vehicle speed UR - http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nextrans/assets/pdfs/Year%202%20Final%20Reports/Final%20Report%20049.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106005 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343476 AU - Cuelho, Eli AU - Stephens, Jerry AU - Akin, Michelle AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Montana Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Seven-Year Evaluation of Three Instrumented Bridge Decks in Saco, Montana PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 92p AB - Since the service life of concrete bridge decks designed by traditional procedures is often shorter than desired, their ability to withstand constant and heavy use in a variety of operating environments is of major concern. In this project, the relative performance of three bridge decks constructed with different concretes and reinforcing steel configurations was studied to help determine which deck offers the best performance over time. The decks investigated consist of a) a deck reinforced following the Montana Department of Transportation’s (MDT’s) standard practice constructed with conventional concrete, b) a deck reinforced according to AASHTO’s empirical design procedure constructed with conventional concrete, and c) a deck reinforced following MDT’s standard practice constructed with high performance concrete (HPC). The performance of the three decks was studied by conducting periodic visual distress surveys and corrosion tests and by monitoring data from an array of strain and temperature instrumentation embedded in each of the bridge decks during construction in 2003. The conclusion from an extensive evaluation conducted when the bridges were two years old indicated that the three bridge decks were generally behaving similarly. A follow-on evaluation when the bridges were seven years old revealed that the bridge decks continue to behave similarly, with the HPC deck possibly offering the best relative performance based on lower cracking levels and lower strain magnitudes. The decks are still relatively young, and more substantial differences in their durability and performance may emerge over time. KW - Bridge decks KW - Corrosion tests KW - Distress (Bridges) KW - Durability KW - Empirical design KW - High performance concrete KW - Instrumentation KW - Monitoring KW - Performance measurement KW - Performance monitoring KW - Reinforced concrete KW - Saco (Montana) KW - Strain measurement UR - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/research/external/docs/research_proj/threedecks/final_report_nov10.pdf UR - http://www.mdt.mt.gov/research/projects/structures/threedecks.shtml UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45800/45868/final_report_nov10_90.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105317 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340384 AU - Schurr, Karen S AU - Townsend, Devin P AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Acceleration Ramps Along High Operating Speed Roadways PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 50p AB - Until recently, guidelines for the geometric design of acceleration lanes used for the successful merge of an entering vehicle into a high-speed surface transportation system through-traffic lane have been based upon concepts and vehicle characteristics from the 1930s. Modern changes in vehicle characteristics and an increase in the percentage of large trucks using the roadway systems has necessitated reviewing the dated guidelines to determine if they are still suitable and if not, make recommendations for modifications. Consistency of use of the current guidelines has no doubt shaped driver behaviors over the years to promote expectations for desirable design features that encourage successful merging outcomes. This report summarizes the history of the geometric features of acceleration lanes, compares the outcome of recent merge-lane research studies, discusses prevalent driver behavior patterns from field studies and recommends the use of tapered and parallel type lanes in specific situations. Overall, the current AASHTO guidelines provide adequate acceleration lane length guidance values for all vehicles except heavy trucks. If a large percentage of heavy trucks are expected to use a particular merging lane, general planning guidelines are listed to accommodate their accelerating characteristics and provide adequate distance for an appropriate entering speed into the adjacent through traffic lane. KW - Acceleration lanes KW - Geometric design KW - High speed roads KW - Merging traffic KW - Ramps (Interchanges) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45000/45083/Final_Acceleration_Lane_Report_3-23-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101534 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337320 AU - He, B Brian AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Application of Metal Catalysts for High Selectivity of Glycerol Conversion to Alcohols PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 30p AB - The objective of this project is to determine the applicability of metal-based catalysts and optimize the process conditions for thermochemically producing primary alcohols. Metal catalysts were evaluated for their selectivities for producing alcohols, specifically methanol, ethanol, and propanol. Raney nickel catalyst showed the best activity and application of Raney catalysts greatly improved the selectivity towards alcohols. Water was found to be significant in the catalytic thermochemical conversion of glycerol to alcohols. Additionally, water inhibited tar formation thus improved the product yields. Reaction temperature, reaction time, application rate of catalysts, and initial water to glycerol ratio (WTGR) were identified as the most important process parameters. Ethanol production increased at extended reaction time and increased WTGR. It was also influenced by the catalyst application rate in a linear relationship. However, adding catalyst higher than 7%wt did not further improve the productivity. Meanwhile, methanol formation was only significantly affected by the initial composition of the reactants and the operating temperature in both batch and fed-batch experiments. The optimum condition for producing ethanol was found to be at 1.82 WTGR and 223 °C for 45 min of reaction and using 10%wt of Raney nickel catalyst. The highest yield of ethanol at this condition was 11.37 %mol. KW - Alcohol fuels KW - Catalysts KW - Energy conversion KW - Glycerol KW - Thermochemistry UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK758_N10-10.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097791 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01334626 AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Turning Over a New Leaf: The Start of an Electric Vehicle Revolution PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 44p AB - The Mineta Transportation Institute, along with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the California Department of Transportation, and other sponsors, hosted a panel of experts in 2010 to address various aspects of electric vehicles and to determine what is required to make such vehicles a viable solution to reducing automobile emissions. Discussion centered around four topics: the capacity of the power grid to meet the increased demands of electric vehicles; electric vehicles’ ability to meet consumer needs; the short and long-term costs of electric vehicles; and, the environmental sustainability of battery powered transportation. This report is a transcript of that panel discussion. KW - Battery chargers KW - Costs KW - Electric power generation KW - Electric power supply KW - Electric vehicles KW - Environmental impacts KW - Life cycle analysis UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/mtiportal/research/publications/documents/2866_S-09-06.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096590 ER - TY - SER AN - 01333649 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Marsden, Greg AU - Frick, Karen Trapenberg AU - May, Anthony D AU - Deakin, Elizabeth AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - University of California, Berkeley TI - How Do Cities Approach Policy Innovation and Policy Learning? A Study of 30 Policies in Northern Europe and North America PY - 2010/11 SP - 13p AB - The authors examine how policy transfer is used and ways in which its effectiveness can be increased based on an examination of large cities in Northern Europe and North America. They report that local government officials are those most frequently involved in initiating and searching for new policies, and they do so for various reasons including strategic need, failure of planned projects, curiosity, and legitimization and influence. They found that informal networks and information sharing through professional contacts and peers were the primary methods of initial knowledge transfer as opposed to searching the internet. They suggest there are opportunities to improve the quality and trust worthiness of the evidence base and to provide better ways to search for information. Further, they found that the academic research base could provide policy summaries that are more easily accessible. KW - Cities KW - Information dissemination KW - Information retrieval KW - Innovation KW - Learning KW - Public policy KW - Urban transportation policy UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-35.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1093668 ER - TY - SER AN - 01333638 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Kanafani, Adib K AU - Huang, Jiangchuan AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - University of California, Berkeley AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Securing Linked Transportation Systems: Economic Implications and Investment Strategies PY - 2010/11 SP - 21p AB - This research explores agency investment behavior in multi-agency urban transportation systems and develops guidelines for investments in security. Each agency may operate its own security budget and make its own investment decisions but the process may be better centralized. Literature on reliability and security economics suggests that when security is defined by the weakest link in a system, then its level is determined by the agent with the highest cost-benefit ratio, and other agents tend to under-invest or free ride. When security is a function of total effort, however, reliability will depend on the agent with the lowest cost-benefit ratio. Social optimum is always superior to the Nash equilibrium, resulting in a higher security level. Government policy should mandate coordination among agencies. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Economic analysis KW - Incentives KW - Links (Networks) KW - Mathematical models KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Nodes (Networks) KW - Reliability KW - Security UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-34.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090821 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333147 AU - Samiljan, Robert AU - Fleming, Gregg AU - Read, David AU - Roof, Christopher AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Validation Protocol for Digital Audio Recorders Used in Aircraft-Noise-Certification Testing PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 41p AB - The U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division (Volpe), is supporting the aircraft noise certification initiatives of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Environment and Energy (AEE) by preparing the “Validation Protocol for Digital Audio Recorders Used in Air-craft-Noise-Certification Testing” (Validation Protocol). As analog and digital tape-based recording devices are becoming obsolete, this Validation Protocol has been developed for applicants requesting permission from FAA/AEE to conduct aircraft noise certification testing using non-tape-based recorders. Because of the significant differences between non-tape-based recording devices and all preceding technologies, this Protocol establishes a set of procedures for testing and evaluating the performance of non-tape-based digital audio recorders proposed for aircraft noise certification use. If using any of the digital audio recording devices covered by the scope of this document, it is recommended that an applicant perform tests to evaluate the characteristics of the re-cording device in accordance with the guidance in the Validation Protocol to demonstrate compliance with part 36 Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Part 36) and Inter-national Civil Aviation Organization Annex 16 Volume I (ICAO Annex 16). KW - Aircraft noise KW - Aircraft operations KW - Certification KW - Environmental impacts KW - Instrumentation KW - Validation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35600/35616/Digital_Audio_Recorder_Protocol_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094913 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332462 AU - Hoelscher, Michelle AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Idle Reduction Programs and Potential Benefits to Schools PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 161p AB - School districts in Texas and many other states have, in recent years, increased the “walk zones” surrounding schools to a 2-mile perimeter. Inside this perimeter, either no school bus service is offered, or service is offered only with a fee to parents. Many families living in these neighborhoods opt to drive their children to school, resulting in daily traffic congestion in front of schools (and often spilling onto adjacent streets). The increased vehicle traffic surrounding school facilities presents safety concerns, increases congestion and emissions caused by vehicle idling, and can discourage walking and bicycling even for children living closer to the school. This project will measure the cost benefits of implementing a school bus idle reduction program as a means to offset the cost of increased bus service. Increased bus service would provide a less congested school zone thus providing a safer environment for walkers and bike riders living less than 1 mile from school. KW - Air quality management KW - Automobile travel KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Bicycling KW - Engine idling KW - Exhaust gases KW - Idle reduction KW - Pedestrian safety KW - School buses KW - School trips KW - Texas KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic safety KW - Walk zones KW - Walking UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00006-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36009/476660-00006-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1095494 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332458 AU - Seedah, Dan AU - Harrison, Robert AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Export Growth, Energy Costs, and Sustainable Supply Chains PY - 2010/11//Technical Report SP - 140p AB - The report examines sustainable supply chains in North America and the role played by rail intermodal operations in lowering ten-mile fuel and emission costs. It examines whether current systems favor imports over exports – a current complaint from some shippers – and whether the development of inland intermodal ports offers a solution to moving future freight into and out of large metropolitan areas. The work is the second of five inter-related University Transportation Centers Program studies examining key changes in intermodal freight transportation in the United States at both national and state levels. It highlights the important role played by rail operations in developing sustainable freight supply chains serving future export and import flows. The major product of the work – a basic rail cost model – serves as a tool to sharpen current metropolitan freight planning and is designed to be enhanced and calibrated by users to address more specific regional issues such as multi-modal corridors. KW - Cost models KW - Dry ports KW - Exports KW - Freight transportation KW - Fuel costs KW - Imports KW - Intermodal services KW - Metropolitan areas KW - North America KW - Pollutants KW - Railroad facility operations KW - River ports KW - Strategic planning KW - Supply chain management KW - Sustainable transportation KW - United States UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00069-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36013/476660-00069-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096211 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332452 AU - Grebenschikov, Sergey AU - Prozzi, Jorge A AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Towards an Integrated Pavement Design Approach: Using HWTD to Support the MEPDG PY - 2010/11//Research Report SP - 80p AB - Variability of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) production can have drastic effects on pavement performance. A poor gradation or an inappropriate amount of asphalt binder could lead to early distresses and shorter pavement life. Other factors, such as the air void content in the asphalt layer, the type of aggregate gradation used in the mix or volumetrics, in general, can also have significant effects on performance. This research study focuses on analyzing two techniques for observing the variability of mix production and its effects on pavement performance. First, this study focuses on using the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) to analyze and predict the effect of the variability of HMA production on rutting in the asphalt layer. Then, this study makes an attempt to compare the results produced by the MEPDG with the results produced by the Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device (HWTD). In order to effectively establish correlations between the two techniques, an experiment was conducted during this research. This experiment focused on using volumetric data from a previous research project. The data from this project was used to model asphalt mixes and pavement structures in the MEPDG and the performance results were then compared to actual data obtained in the laboratory from the Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device (HWTD). The variability of mix production was captured by analyzing three types of limestone mixes: a coarse dense-graded hot-mix asphalt [Type C, according to Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) specification], a fine dense-graded hot-mix asphalt (Type D), and a medium graded stone matrix asphalt (SMA-D). The master gradation band for each mixture was split into three categories: fine, target (actual job mix formula), and coarse. Each mixture was tested at a variable range of binder contents which were obtained using the TxDOT Mix Design Method (TxDOT, 2009). The variability of these mixes and their resistance to rutting as predicted by the MEPDG and measured by the HWTD is discussed in this report. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Binder content KW - Coarse aggregates KW - Dense graded asphalt mixtures KW - Fine aggregates KW - Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Limestone aggregates KW - Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide KW - Mix design KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement performance KW - Rutting KW - Stone matrix asphalt UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/167274-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36015/167274-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096251 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01329690 AU - Pick, Herbert L AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Spatial Orientation and Navigation in Elderly Drivers PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 16p AB - This report details a research study that was conducted to determine whether elderly drivers have more difficulty than younger drivers in maintaining orientation when they learn routes in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Drivers learned an approximately three-mile irregular route through a novel neighborhood. After they could drive the route without errors, they were asked to indicate the direction of out-of-sight landmarks from various station points along the route. Elderly drivers (60 years and over) made almost double the size errors in their judgments than the younger drivers (25 - 35 years). Unexpectedly, there was also a gender difference with women, especially elderly women, making larger errors than men. Although actually driving along a real route gives the experimental task considerable face validity, the situation lacks considerably in experimental control. Traffic conditions can vary, weather conditions can vary, there may be road construction, etc. The nature of the route itself cannot be experimentally manipulated. With all these factors, it is difficult to investigate how orientation affects vehicle control. Much greater control can be gained by driving in a simulator and it is much safer. The orientation study described above was replicated in a simulator with similar results. Initial crude observations indicated that when attention was on wayfinding, vehicle control was poorer. A more refined study of how vehicle control is affected by wayfinding followed this project. KW - Age KW - Aged drivers KW - Driving KW - Gender KW - Judgment (Human characteristics) KW - Spatial orientation KW - Wayfinding UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1466 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090742 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328468 AU - Roodell, Beau AU - Hayee, M Imran AU - University of Minnesota, Duluth AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Low-Cost Interface between Cell Phone and DSRC-Based Vehicle Unit for Efficient Use of IntelliDriveSM Infrastructure PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 48p AB - Intelligent transportation systems (ITS), a mission of the US Department of Transportation, focuses on intelligent vehicles, intelligent infrastructure and the creation of an intelligent transportation system through integration with and between these two components. Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), a tool approved for licensing by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2003, promises to partially fulfill this mission. This research proposal intends to utilize DSRC technology to communicate the traffic safety information available at central infrastructure to a driver’s cell phone. The specific objective of this research project is to design, build and demonstrate a wireless communication interface device that can act as a traffic-safety-information transportation agent between the DSRC vehicle radio unit and a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone inside a vehicle. By having this interface device along with the DSRC radio unit in a vehicle as a separate entity or integrated with a DSRC unit, any driver will be able to receive the valuable traffic safety messages on a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. The prototype was demonstrated successfully in multiple road and traffic scenarios by transmitting the traffic safety messages to the Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. The next step is to show effectiveness of this system in a realistic environment for which a workzone environment has been chosen to relay traffic safety messages to vehicles approaching the workzone. KW - Bluetooth technology KW - Cellular telephones KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Interfaces KW - Traffic safety KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1464 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089509 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328467 AU - Strathman, James G AU - Wachana, Paul AU - Callas, Steve AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis of Bus Collision and Non-Collision Incidents Using Transit ITS and other Archived Operations Data PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 46p AB - This report analyzes factors contributing to bus operations safety incidents at TriMet, the transit provider for the Portland Oregon metropolitan region. The analysis focuses on 4,631 collision and non-collision incidents that occurred between 2006 and 2009. Empirical analysis of these incidents draws on a wide array of operator-level data recovered by transit ITS technologies in combination with information from TriMet’s human resources, scheduling, and customer relations databases. Incident frequencies are estimated in relation to operators’ demographic characteristics, employment status, assigned work characteristics, service delivery and performance indicators, temporal factors, and customer information. Apart from identifying factors that are empirically related to the frequency of safety incidents, the findings offer insights into operations policies and practices that hold promise for improving safety. KW - Bus crashes KW - Bus transit KW - Bus transit operations KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Traffic incidents KW - Transit safety UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/102 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089636 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325009 AU - Martin, Peter T AU - Chaudhuri, Piyali AU - University of Utah, Salt Lake City AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Statewide User Cost Manual for Rural Work Zones PY - 2010/11 SP - 39p AB - Over recent years, the number of reconstruction and rehabilitation projects has increased significantly due to increased travel demand and a need for maintaining highway infrastructures. With the increased road rehabilitation projects, reducing congestion and delay caused by work zones and improving mobility is more important than ever. Work zones are costly in the actual construction and user delay. Today, highway agencies quantify work zone related costs and investigate methods to reduce them, which is critical to successful work zone management. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has planned to develop a Statewide Road User Cost manual for work zones. Under current procedures, UDOT engineers construct a new cost estimation method each time a contracting clause is required. This practice devours skilled employees‟ time and leads to inconsistent results. A standardized method would enable personnel of varying skill levels to calculate appropriate user cost amounts quickly and consistently, saving the department both time and money. This would enable UDOT to quickly and efficiently determine the cost effectiveness of various alternatives including detours, temporary roadway or shoulder construction and off-peak hour day work. The goal of this study is to develop the framework of the statewide road user cost manual for UDOT. This report documents the research underway at the Utah Traffic Lab (UTL) that will contribute to the development of the user cost manual. This study evaluates the impact of various work zone scenarios caused by roadway rehabilitation projects in Utah. The results for different scenarios are tabulated to construct the Road User Cost (RUC) look-up tables. These tables will assist UDOT for faster contracting and project delivery purposes. KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Costs KW - Highway operations KW - Manuals KW - Rural areas KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic simulation KW - Travelers KW - Utah KW - Work zones UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-228B.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085842 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325001 AU - Martin, Peter T AU - Gilbert, Jeremy AU - Shepherd, Benjamin AU - University of Utah, Salt Lake City AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Utah Department of Transportation Traffic Operation Center Operator Training PY - 2010/11 SP - 128p AB - This paper is a summary of work performed by the Utah Traffic Lab (UTL) to develop training programs for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Traffic Operations Center (TOC) operators at both the basic and advanced levels. The basic training is designed to train operators in the basic knowledge, skills, and ability to work as traffic operators. The training is performed at the UTL and the TOC in a concise two-week training course instead of the traditional on-the-job training method. In order to conduct the training, the UTL began with the UDOT TOC mission statement and applied a military approach to develop individual training tasks required of operators. Although training operators off site is not a new technique, the UTL used the unique approach of focusing training on the regional transportation network and branching off into other relevant topics when appropriate. The UTL found that understanding the local and regional transportation network was the single most important factor in efficient incident management. The advanced training program is designed to develop the knowledge, skills, and ability of traffic operators to identify and solve advanced traffic management and operation problems encountered at the TOC. It supports incident management instruction at the highest level and utilizes the advantages of traffic operators who work 24/7 and continually monitor the traffic network through closed circuit television. The report explains who is qualified to receive the advanced training program. The specific curriculum containing courses on advanced traffic operation techniques, geometric design, and traffic flow is presented. The method to measure performance through assessment and evaluation for the advanced training program is also presented. The advanced training program is an effective method to train operators to identify and solve advanced transportation management and operation problems. The authors present a critical overview of their training methods. KW - Curricula KW - Education and training KW - Education and training methods KW - Highway operations KW - Incident management KW - Operators (Persons) KW - Traffic control centers KW - Traffic surveillance KW - Utah Department of Transportation UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-229A.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085841 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324956 AU - Neuman, Michael AU - Bright, Elise AU - Morgan, Curtis AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Texas Urban Triangle: Creating a Spatial Decision Support System for Mobility Policy and Investments that Shape the Sustainable Growth of Texas PY - 2010/11//Final Report SP - 38p AB - This project developed a GIS-based Spatial Decision Support System to help local, metropolitan, and state jurisdictions and authorities in Texas understand the implications of transportation planning and investment decisions, and plan appropriately for the future. It provides an easily accessible, graphically represented, interactive database on infrastructural, demographic, environmental, agricultural, economic, hazard, and land use factors that affect transportation corridor location decisions. Specifically, the project team created an Internet-based spatial decision support system that will allow users to identify and visualize geographically those critical issues related to locating single mode or multi-modal surface transportation corridors for freight and passengers. Decision makers will be able to test multiple attributes in the decision making model to compare multiple transportation corridor scenarios for optimal mobility based on the decision parameters developed in the model. Jurisdictions and transportation authorities will use this tool to guide future decisions on transportation and its impacts on urban growth in a sustainable manner so that the need for economic development is balanced with environmental protection and human health, safety, and welfare. The system also helps address important research questions related to where future growth will occur in the Texas Urban Triangle, and at what scale, densities, and uses and to study selected impacts of this growth. Finally, the SDSS demonstrates the usefulness of WebGIS in facilitating sustainable transportation planning, policy making and investment decisions. KW - Capital investments KW - Decision support systems KW - Economic growth KW - Geographic information systems KW - Land use planning KW - Mobility KW - Sustainable development KW - Texas KW - Transportation planning UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Neuman_09-30-10.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085902 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324950 AU - Martin, Peter T AU - Nadimpalli, Bhagavan AU - University of Utah, Salt Lake City AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - User Delay Costs Due to Work Zone Operations Near Echo Junction PY - 2010/11 SP - 19p AB - With the increasing number of road rehabilitation projects across the United States, the need to reduce user costs due to congestion is more important than ever. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has proposed replacing two I-80 bridges over Echo Dam Road and Weber River in Summit County. The proposed project includes removal of the existing structures and approaches, followed by construction of the new bridges. The proposed structures will be designed and built to allow for future bridge deck replacement while maintaining two-way traffic. The method of bridge replacement will be Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC). This study evaluates the impact of proposed replacement on the travelers in Summit County. The purpose of this research is to provide UDOT an estimation of possible delay costs due to congested traffic resulting from the proposed work zone scenarios. The VISSIM micro-simulation tool is used to build and calibrate the models. Hourly traffic volumes, provided by UDOT, are added as vehicle inputs into the model. Two work zone scenarios were developed by UDOT: Echo and Weber River. In each scenario, one direction of traffic is closed at a time, while the opposite direction remains open for traffic. For the closed-direction, ramps are used as detours. Both these scenarios are simulated and user delay costs are measured separately. Results for both the Echo and the Weber River scenarios show that the average daily user delay cost is lowest on Mondays and Tuesdays. This suggests that UDOT can complete the proposed ABC work on these days, to ensure minimum traffic disruption to travelers. The future work consists of estimating user delay costs caused by the replacement of the bridge on 2300 East on I-80. Similar analysis is required to determine the day of the week that would have minimum daily user cost. KW - Costs KW - Microsimulation KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic simulation KW - Traffic volume KW - Travelers KW - Work zone traffic control KW - Work zones UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-228A.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085840 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349471 AU - Cheng, Samuel AU - Huck, Robert C AU - Verma, Pramode AU - Ghosh, Anjan AU - Sluss, James J AU - University of Oklahoma, Tulsa AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Commercial Vehicle Route Tracking using Video Detection PY - 2010/10/31/Final Report SP - 85p AB - Interstate commercial vehicle traffic is a major factor in the life of any road surface. The ability to track these vehicles and their routes through the state can provide valuable information to planning activities. The authors propose a method using video cameras to capture critical information about commercial vehicles when they enter the state and store this information for later retrieval to provide tracking functions. As these vehicles continue on their routes, additional cameras will capture images that can be used for route tracking. By using these data, reports and highway utilization maps could be generated showing commercial vehicle routes and vehicle counts for state highways. Spurred by the competitive performance potential realized in face recognition via sparse representation, the authors treat the problem of vehicle identification with different video sources as signal reconstruction out of multiple linear regression models and use compressive sensing to solve this problem. By employing a Bayesian formalism to compute the l-1 minimization of the sparse weights, the proposed framework provides new ways to deal with three crucial issues in vehicle identification: feature extraction, online vehicle identification dataset build up, and robustness to occlusions and misalignment. For feature extraction, the authors use the simple down-sampled features which offer good identification performance as long as the features space is sparse enough. The theory also provides a validation scheme to decide if a newly identified vehicle has been included in the dataset. Moreover, unlike PCA or other similar algorithms, using down-sampling based features, one can easily introduce features of newly identified vehicles into the vehicle identification database without manipulating the existing data in the database. Finally, Bayesian formalism provides a measure of confidence for each sparse coefficient. The authors have conducted experiments to include different types of vehicles on the interstate highway to verify the efficiency and accuracy of their proposed system. The results show that the proposed framework cannot only handle the route tracking of commercial vehicles, but works well for all classes of vehicles. KW - Automatic vehicle identification KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Interstate transportation KW - Traffic surveillance KW - Truck routes KW - Vehicle detectors KW - Vehicle tracking KW - Video cameras UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS9.1-16-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108035 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325107 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Literature for Flight Simulator (Motion) Requirements Research PY - 2010/10/29 SP - 503p AB - This is the yearly snapshot of the literature examined in the framework of the Federal Aviation Administration/Volpe Center Flight Simulator Human Factors Program and entered in an EndNote® database. It describes 1131 documents, 118 more than last year’s edition which it replaces. We are making this literature database available to the public because of feedback received from researchers all over the world that it helps their own investigations. The document has been stripped of any notes reflecting subjective assessments of the reviewers. What remains is a collection, with abstracts and keywords, of the literature reviewed in connection with our on-going work on flight simulator fidelity requirements for effective airline pilot training and evaluation.1 This work is conducted at the United States Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technologies Administration’s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. The research is supported by the Federal Aviation Administration's Human Factors Research and Engineering Group (ATOP-HF). KW - Air pilots KW - Aviation safety KW - Continuing education KW - Databases KW - Education and training KW - Flight simulators KW - Literature reviews UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34900/34992/Lit_Flight_Simulators_2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086082 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01488604 TI - DOT Center for Climate Change AB - No summary provided. KW - Climate change KW - Department of Transportation KW - Environmental impacts UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257581 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01613800 AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Integrating Metropolitan Planning Organizations into the State’s Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) PY - 2010/10/22 SP - 11p AB - This report provides a summary of a peer exchange held June 15, 2010 in Syracuse, New York, sponsored by the Association of New York State Metropolitan Planning Organizations (NYSMPO) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). It also includes proposed next steps developed as part of the NYSMPO Safety Working Group’s (SWG) action plan. The peer event coincided with the 2010 NYSMPO Annual Conference. The peer exchange convened New York’s safety stakeholders to identify ways to collaborate with NYSDOT to improve safety on all of the State’s roadways with the desired outcome to develop strategies for an action plan to help New York’s metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) work with partners to progress safety issues and reduce fatal and serious injury crashes in New York. The action plan will provide a foundation for NYSMPO’s Comprehensive Safety Monitoring and Planning effort, which seeks to address safety issues on local roads in New York’s Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).The event also focused on sharing knowledge among selected peers on active participation in the HSIP, including the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD). Criteria for selecting peers included demonstration of successful past collaboration with safety partners, including State DOTs, MPOs, law enforcement, local governments, public health providers, and educators in developing and implementing local HSIP projects in rural and urban locations. Success with systematic improvements was another criterion: these types of projects can effectively address the types of crashes, such as roadway departures, which occur on local roads. The action plan developed from the peer exchange will ultimately identify champions as well as a timeline for deliverables. KW - Cooperation KW - Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission KW - Highway safety KW - Highway Safety Improvement Program KW - Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission KW - New York State Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations KW - New York State Department of Transportation KW - Peer exchange KW - Stakeholders KW - State departments of transportation KW - Strategic planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/59000/59400/59455/peer_report_NY_June2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1425513 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449523 AU - Kachroo, Pushkin AU - Shlayan, Neveen AU - University of Nevada, Las Vegas AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Validating Traffic Flow-detectors using Manual Counting from Video Data PY - 2010/10/12/Final Report SP - 148p AB - According to Las Vegas' Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation (FAST)/Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) inter-local agreement for the freeway management system (FMS) scope of service, traffic volumes from Freeway Flow Detectors (FDD) need to be compared and verified. The total lane-by-lane traffic counts need to be verified to assure that the FDDs are properly aligned and calibrated. The scope of work for this project outlined tasks for the implementation of traffic count verification for the freeway flow detectors on segments of I-15, US-95 and CC 215. FAST provided traffic counts and corresponding videos of traffic flow extracted from the FMS database and freeway surveillance videos of the same time periods and locations to be verified. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Transportation Research Center, verified the traffic counts (lane-by-lane) from the videos. Data analysis was performed on the traffic counts, and this report was generated to document the verification results. KW - Data analysis KW - Freeway flow detectors KW - Freeway management systems KW - Manual traffic counts KW - Traffic counts KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic volume KW - Vehicle detectors KW - Video data UR - http://nutc.unlv.edu/ProjectsInfo/Flow/Flow.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1215745 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01468023 TI - Evaluating the Impact of Local Actions on Vehicle Miles Traveled: Case Study in Davis, CA AB - The proposed project will bring the methods of program evaluation to the field of transportation policy, evaluating the effect on vehicle miles traveled of three local changes to the land use-transportation system in Davis, California. The three changes are the opening of the first big box store in Davis, the opening of an innovative mixed-use development, and a vehicle lane reduction/bicycle lane addition project on a major arterial road adjacent to downtown. The research design proposed for all three evaluations is a before/after data collection approach with treatment and control groups where feasible. This proposal covers the second year of a four-year project. The project will make two important contributions: it will be a test bed and model for before/after program evaluation in transport planning, and the results will provide much-needed evidence of the relative vehicle miles of travel (VMT) reduction potential of different local actions. KW - Arterial highways KW - Before and after studies KW - Bicycle lanes KW - Bicycle travel KW - Case studies KW - Data collection KW - Davis (California) KW - Land use planning KW - Local transportation KW - Mixed use development KW - Policy making KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236259 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467997 TI - Application Specific Scenario Evaluation Using Driving Simulator AB - The project utilizes an in-house 3-axis driving simulator and has been divided into three major components examining various driver related issues. The first examines the change in driving behaviors, capabilities, and reaction time of people who are under the influence of alcohol. Multiple driving scenarios have been created and programmed for the simulator allowing the test subjects to drive through traffic situations they may face in the Las Vegas valley. This provides an opportunity to observe how the chances of crashes and other incidents increase while intoxicated. This function will also be used for conducting local workshops at alcohol serving establishments to increase awareness of issues related to driving while intoxicated. The second component of the project involves developing an elderly driver training and re-training program. The aim of this program is to provide elderly drivers a simulated traffic environment to sharpen their skills and become more aware of their driving abilities. This program will both evaluate their skills and facilitate training for those drivers. The third component of the project involves conducting surveys to gather public opinion about new proposed traffic changes ranging from new laws to new transportation related construction. The test subjects would be able to drive through the city with the new changes included in the simulated scenarios and provide feedback for local and state officials to consider. KW - Alcohol awareness programs KW - Awareness KW - Driver training KW - Driving simulators KW - Drunk drivers KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Las Vegas (Nevada) KW - Reaction time KW - Traffic simulation KW - Travel behavior UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236233 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467996 TI - I-15 South Design-Build Comprehensive Evaluation Study Based on Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis AB - More than 170,000 vehicles use the Interstate 15 (I-15) daily. The I-15 was first built in the 1960's and was not reconstructed for some time. The interstate's evident poor condition which degraded safety and its inadequacy to sustain the rapidly growing traffic demand of the Las Vegas region rendered it as a top priority for a reconstruction project. Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) decided to invest in the I-15's reconstruction project. NDOT, with the North Corridor Constructors (NCC) contractor, commenced the first design-build transportation construction project in Nevada's history, a joint-venture between Las Vegas Paving Corporation and engineering consulting firm CH2M Hill. The purpose of this union (the design team and the construction team) was to allow concurrent work to take place in order to reduce the project's overall duration. Furthermore, it was expected that communication levels would increase tremendously among crews for attaining significantly higher efficiency. Expectations of success were very high; however, surprisingly, the actual results of this project beat any expectations. The project delivery was initially due in December 2010. However, the actual delivery was made in December 2009. The work was finished approximately a year in advance. Many factors have contributed to this success, and they are of interest to many parties particularly NDOT. This is a comprehensive study that takes into consideration many aspects of the I-15 North Design Build project such as traffic management, public outreach, construction zones rules and specifications, safety etc. Evaluation through qualitative analysis was performed. Literature survey research that covered a wide range of key construction zone studies was conducted to provide, general and area specific, best practices and lessons learned. Data collection and general analysis were initially conducted. Regular meetings were held with several agencies such as the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation (FAST), NCC, Jacobs, and NDOT. This study began after the construction project had finished. This introduced some shortcomings, particularly regarding data. Manual data collection was not possible since the project had ended. Furthermore, relevant FASTs detectors were not in operation during the I-15 North construction period. Therefore, traffic data as well as other types of data were not available for quantitative analysis. Data is currently being gathered on the I-15 South in order to perform quantitative studies for the I-15 S Design Build project. This will lead to more conclusive results and tools development for future construction projects. Detailed meetings were conducted with multiple agencies in order to extract as many details as possible. It was found that many key strategies that were used on the I-15 North contributed to the success of the project. These strategies can be structured, further studied, and implemented in future construction projects. KW - Design build KW - Interstate 15 KW - Las Vegas (Nevada) KW - Project duration KW - Project management KW - Qualitative analysis KW - Quantitative analysis KW - Reconstruction KW - Travel demand KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - https://sites.google.com/site/i15southevaluation/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236232 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467643 TI - Query Central Mobile App for Apple iOS AB - Query Central Mobile provides real-time information to truck safety inspectors to expedite and inform the inspection decision as trucks approach an inspection point. The App will process the user's request for Agency data and will return the result set to the device via a secured end to end encrypted connection. The requested data will be retrieved from multiple sources (Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS), Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER), L&I, PRISM and others to be determined), then streamlined and summarized before being displayed on the application interface. Based on the recommendation of the Field IT Steering Group, the proof of concept App will be pilot tested in three locations, Arizona, Michigan and Vermont, deploying a mix of smart phones and tablets to test user acceptance and viability in a field environment. KW - Applications KW - Data collection KW - Highway safety KW - Information technology KW - Inspection stations KW - Smartphones KW - Trucks UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235879 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461674 TI - Impact of Smart Growth on Metropolitan Goods Movement AB - Smart growth has been proposed as an alternative to urban sprawl. There has been substantial research on the application of smart growth to passenger transport, but little has been done to examine its impact on goods movement. Transportation planning organizations are looking to influence future land-use patterns to create livable, sustainable communities by reducing such factors as vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and congestion, and therefore greenhouse gas emissions. However, along certain roadway segments, smart growth policies could increase congestion. Such congestion could decrease average speed, increase the frequency of hard vehicle accelerations, decrease vehicle fuel economy, and increase air pollutant emissions. Land-use activities (zoning, urban growth limits, etc.) are often disconnected from decisions regarding investments in the goods movement system. Understanding how land-use decisions can impact goods movement demand will become increasingly important. In addition, improved modeling that fully accounts for impacts of future land use on personal and goods transportation, in terms of VMT and potentially other metrics, could be used to help design smart growth strategies that result in the greatest emissions benefit. The objective of this research is to modify existing public domain tools or models to provide guidance to identify the interrelationships between goods movement and smart growth applications that can be used by decisionmakers to more accurately understand metropolitan goods movement demand and relevant performance metrics. KW - Activity based modeling KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Greenhouse effect KW - Land use planning KW - Pollutants KW - Smart growth KW - Traffic congestion KW - Urban goods movement KW - Urban sprawl KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2920 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229893 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01544676 AU - Kawamura, Kazuya AU - Mohammadian, Abolfazl (Kouros) AU - Samimi, Ammir AU - Pourabdollahi, Zahra AU - Klekotka, Meredith AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Freight Policy Analysis Tool for Northeastern Illinois and the United States PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 92p AB - Freight transportation is a vital element in the economic prosperity of any country. According to the nationwide commodity flow survey, over 12 billion tons of goods, valued at more than $11.6 trillion, were moved in America in the year 2007 (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2009). To continue the efficient delivery of various goods within and among the consumer markets, industry sectors, and international trade networks, public agencies and policy makers need accurate information about national freight movement. Equally important is decision makers’ ability to plan for the future impacts of freight traffic and evaluate the effectiveness of policies and projects designed to alleviate problems, because the volume of freight flows within the United States has almost doubled the rate of population increase over the past three decades (Transportation Research Board, 2008). Bryan et al. (2007) along with many others have argued that transportation planners should consider additional environmental, maintenance and security costs of freight transport and congestion to better formulate practical solutions. The freight shipment decision-making process is becoming even more complicated and, as the businesses increasingly adopt sophisticated supply chain management strategies, the demand for more accurate freight modeling and forecasting tools is growing. KW - Commodity flow KW - Forecasting KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Illinois KW - Microsimulation KW - Mode choice KW - Policy analysis KW - Travel demand KW - United States UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0229.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1330894 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472494 AU - Mathur, Ryan AU - Gold, David P AU - Ellsworth, Chad J AU - Doden, Arnold G AU - Wilson, Marc AU - Ruiz, Joaquin AU - Scheetz, Barry E AU - Juniata College AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Re-Os Evidence Used to Link Regional Mineralization Processes to the Chesapeake Bay Bolig’s Impact in the Northeastern United States PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 17p AB - Rhenium-Osmium (Re-Os) isotope measurements of sulfide minerals from 10 occurrences that span a radial distance of over 200 Km serve to geochemically link epithermal mineralization in Pennsylvania to an Eocene event. The most likely geologic event that could have influenced the area during the Eocene is the Chesapeake Bay impact event. The significance of the discovery is twofold: to date no epithermal mineralization has been linked to the Chesapeake Bay impact nor has the process been clearly identified throughout the region. The results effect road construction plans for Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia near the meteor impact site because mineralization could occur in any age strata that lie along fracture traces identified in this contribution. KW - Chesapeake Bay KW - Geological events KW - Impact KW - Isotopes KW - Mineralization KW - Mineralogy KW - Ores KW - Pennsylvania KW - Sulfides UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/PSU-2008-05.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46900/46982/PSU-2008-05.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243639 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01447869 AU - Wang, Yinhai AU - Wu, Yao-Jan AU - Ma, Xiaolei AU - Corey, Jonathan AU - Transportation Northwest Regional Center X (TransNow) AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Real-Time Travel Time Prediction on Urban Traffic Network PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 80p AB - Travel time is one of the most desired operational and system Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) for evaluating the performance of freeways and urban arterials. With accurate travel time information, decision makers, road users, and traffic engineers can make informed decisions. However, retrieving network-level travel time information has several challenges, such as travel time estimation, prediction, and data processing. This research addresses these challenges by developing innovative methodologies and computer applications. First, the authors developed a two-step empirical approach to effectively estimating link journey speeds using merely advance loop detector outputs. Second, an α–β filter is adopted to dynamically predict and smooth real-time loop measured spot speeds. In addition to travel time estimation and prediction, a time dependent shortest path algorithm is also developed, to determine the shortest travel time route based on real-time traffic. Lastly, the developed algorithms are implemented in a web-based Real-time Analysis and Decision-making for ARterial Network (RADAR Net) system. In order to achieve real-time performance, sensor and signal control databases are carefully designed to ensure fast query over a huge amount of network-level traffic data. Furthermore, the data visualization and statistical analysis modules are also added to RADAR Net to facilitate user applications. Currently, the RADAR Net system is part of the Digital Roadway Interactive Visualization and Evaluation Network (DRIVE Net) (www.uwdrive.net), developed by the STAR Lab of the University of Washington. RADAR Net is capable of performing all required tasks efficiently in real-time KW - Algorithms KW - Arterial highways KW - Decision making KW - Empirical methods KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Real time information KW - Traffic network performance KW - Travel time KW - Urban travel KW - Web-based systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32200/32235/TNW2009-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1213871 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01369379 AU - Swigart, Stan L AU - Amdal, James R AU - Tolford, Tara AU - University of New Orleans AU - Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - New Orleans Metropolitan Inland Waterway Container Transport (IWCT) Feasibility Study PY - 2010/10//Final Report; Technical Report SP - 93p AB - The continued growth in freight movements within the U.S. land transportation network has reached a point where alternative means of augmenting its capacity should be investigated. Market demand factors such as door-to-door and just-in-time delivery have contributed to the strong growth in both road and rail transport sectors. This heavy reliance on ground transport has resulted in increased traffic congestion, worsened bottlenecks throughout the network, road deterioration, air pollution, highway accidents, and fuel consumption. The integration of the inland waterway network into the current intermodal transportation system could serve as an alternative to long haul freight movements and alleviate some of these negative impacts. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) have recently placed new importance on shifting freight movements, particularly containers, to the nation's waterways by creating a priority federal program: North American Marine Highways. MARAD hopes to demonstrate that the nation's inland waterways can serve as an additional transportation system to landside modes for container transport to relieve congestion and reduce demand on landside intermodal connectors and highway infrastructure. This study has analyzed successful Inland Waterway Container Transport (IWCT) systems in Europe and in select U.S. locations. Further, it assessed the feasibility of IWCT within the Mississippi River trade corridor. The study addresses the potential benefits of IWCT in the U.S. as identified in the literature review, as well as the challenges and limiting factors which have inhibited its development to date, and examines the differences between IWCT development in the U.S. (negligible) and in Europe, where IWCT is a small but rapidly growing and successful sector of certain freight networks. Based on the analysis and findings, the study concludes that IWCT has sufficient landside infrastructure in place or pending to resume service almost immediately. The major hurdles are all market related: unbalanced trade flows; insufficient north bound containers; and the absence of a "Multi-Port Complex" with a 1M TEU annual capacity. The project concludes with policies and programs that seek to guide future investment decision-making by the Regional Planning Commission (the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the New Orleans region) as well as the Louisiana legislature and other state departments. The study also highlights the resiliency factors associated with inland waterway transportation at local, state and national levels. KW - Barriers to implementation KW - Container on barge KW - Container traffic KW - Decision making KW - Europe KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Freight transportation KW - Inland water transportation KW - Mississippi River KW - New Orleans (Louisiana) KW - United States UR - http://www.evaccenter.lsu.edu/pub/11-06.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1137571 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01369374 AU - Bochner, Brian AU - Storey, Beverly AU - Lehnert, Angeline AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Making Mobility Improvements a Community Asset: Transportation Improvements Using Context-Sensitive Solutions PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 118p AB - Major mobility improvements are often desired and even sought after by the communities which they serve. Any opposition to such projects usually occurs at the local level from very vocal citizenry. This opposition can cause delays, redesign, increased costs, and sometimes leaves a tarnished image for the sponsoring agency. Even though environmental analyses were added to the project development process to enable a response process for many of the objections, opposition (and potential delays and costs) continues, especially for major improvement projects. Context-sensitive solutions (CSS) grew out of a national symposium (Thinking Beyond the Pavement) to develop an approach to help make major mobility improvements more compatible, more supportive and more acceptable to communities. Use of the CSS approach—involving stakeholders in project development from the beginning—was included in SAFETEA-LU as a policy. However, implementation at the state level has been inconsistent, and a 2007 audit of states showed that departments of transportation (DOTs) of only nine states (plus District of Columbia) have integrated CSS into their ongoing processes, while 15 state DOTs had yet to start. This project was developed to disseminate knowledge, experiences, and reasons for use and benefits of CSS through university courses and technology transfer to facilitate its use by agencies and practitioners in gaining community acceptance of mobility improvement projects. KW - Context sensitive design KW - Context Sensitive Solutions KW - Education and training KW - Highway design KW - Highway project delays KW - Public participation KW - State departments of transportation UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Bochner_08-14-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1137996 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357456 AU - Chinnam, Ratna Babu AU - Murat, Alper E AU - Ulferts, Gregory AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Wayne State University AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enabling Congestion Avoidance and Reduction in the Michigan-Ohio Transportation Network to Improve Supply Chain Efficiency: Freight ATIS PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 40p AB - In just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing environments, on-time delivery is a key performance measure for dispatching and routing freight vehicles. Growing travel time delays and variability, attributable to increasing congestion in transportation networks, are greatly impacting the efficiency of JIT logistics operations. Recurrent and non-recurrent congestion are the two primary reasons for delivery delay and variability. Over 50 percent of all travel time delays are attributable to non-recurrent congestion sources such as incidents. Despite its importance, state-of-the-art dynamic routing algorithms assume away the effect of these incidents on travel time. In this study, we propose a stochastic dynamic programming formulation for dynamic routing of vehicles in non-stationary stochastic networks subject to both recurrent and non-recurrent congestion. We also propose alternative models to estimate incident induced delays that can be integrated with dynamic routing algorithms. Proposed dynamic routing models exploit real-time traffic information regarding speeds and incidents from Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) sources to improve delivery performance. Results are very promising when the algorithms are tested in a simulated network of southeast Michigan freeways using historical data from the MITS Center and Traffic.com. KW - Delivery service KW - Dynamic models KW - Dynamic programming KW - Freight traffic KW - Incident management KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Just in time production KW - Michigan KW - Ohio KW - Supply chain management KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545D_364053_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/sc-02/pdf/MIOH_UTC_SC2p2-4_2010-Final_Report_Enabling_Congestion_Avoidance_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120951 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357451 AU - Khasnabis, Snehamay AU - Elibe, Elibe A AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Tenazas, Eric AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Wayne State University AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transit-Oriented Development on Detroit Rail Transit System PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 88p AB - This study, conducted jointly at Wayne State University (WSU) and the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), develops transit-oriented development (TOD) programs around two selected stations along the planned light-rail transit (LRT) route in Metropolitan Detroit. This study identifies two transit stations along the Woodward Avenue corridor, proposes TOD packages for these sites, and identifies planning, economic, and institutional mechanisms for their effective implementation. The study integrates TOD with the planning and design of selected stations in the Detroit area, with the intent to maximize economic growth potential and to improve the quality of life of the citizens of the local communities and the users of the LRT facility. KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Economic development KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Land use KW - Light rail transit KW - Planning and design KW - Rail transit stations KW - Strategic planning KW - Transit oriented development UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545L_364114_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-23-p1/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS23_Proj1_2010-Final_Report_Transit_Oriented_Development_On_Detroit_Rail_Transit_System.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120963 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357435 AU - Khasnabis, Snehamay AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Wayne State University AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Modeling Metropolitan Detroit Transit PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 64p AB - The seven-county Southeast Michigan region, that encompasses the Detroit Metropolitan Area, ranks fifth in population among top 25 regions in the nation. It also ranks among bottom five in the transit service provided, measured in miles or hours or per capita dollars of transit service. The primary transit agencies in the region essentially cater to ‘captive riders’. Cities with a stronger transit base in the nation have two things in common; their ability to draw “choice” riders, and their success in building some type of rail transit system, with capital funds generally provided by the federal government. Over past three decades, a number of studies have examined the feasibility of rapid transit services in the Detroit region including speed link (rubber tired high speed buses), Light Rail Transit (LRT), Commuter Rail Transit (CRT) and High Speed Rail Transit (HRT). Among the many problems associated with building such a rapid transit system in the region, is the lack of a “quick response” tool for preliminary planning for light rail transit along an urban travel corridor. The primary objective of this project is to develop a quick-response tool for sketch planning purposes that may be used by other cities to test the feasibility of building LRT systems along a predefined transit corridor (i.e., a corridor with existing transit service, in form of buses). The primary focus of this study is to maximize the use of available data without any new data collection effort. In the report, the authors present an LRT case study for Detroit, where a number of LRT planning studies are currently underway, each with specific objectives, followed by a set of guidelines that can be used by transit planners for sketch planning of LRT. The guidelines are designed to assist transit planners in the preliminary planning effort for a LRT system on an urban travel corridor with existing bus services. KW - Bus rapid transit KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Feasibility analysis KW - High speed rail KW - Light rail transit KW - Public transit KW - Quality of service KW - Railroad commuter service KW - Sketch planning KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545G_364100_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-14/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS14_2010-Final_Report_Modeling_Metropolitan_Detroit_Transit.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120958 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342847 AU - Amdal, James AU - Swigart, Stan L AU - Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Resilient Transportation Systems in a Post-Disaster Environment: A Case Study of Opportunities Realized and Missed in the Greater New Orleans Region PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 56p AB - Based upon our research in Post-Katrina New Orleans, the authors define transportation resiliency as a system's ability to function before, during and after major disruptions through reliance upon multiple mobility options. The importance of a resilient transportation system becomes more apparent during disasters where multiple options for mobility are necessary for both passenger and goods movement due to the potential loss of one or more modes. Post-Katrina New Orleans offers a unique opportunity to investigate pre-disaster planning and post-disaster recovery activities in a major metropolitan city where all modes of transportation were either severely damaged or completely destroyed. In response to Hurricane Katrina, the costliest disaster in U.S. history, new policies and programs have been adopted in New Orleans, in Louisiana, and at the federal level for disaster preparedness and post-disaster recovery. This paper addresses how transportation systems and policies in New Orleans have evolved in the wake of Hurricane Katrina (2005) to achieve a greater degree of resiliency and ultimately better serve the mobility needs of the community in future disaster situations. KW - Communication systems KW - Coordination KW - Disaster preparedness KW - Disaster relief KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Emergency management KW - Evacuation KW - Hurricane Katrina, 2005 KW - New Orleans (Louisiana) KW - Recovery operations UR - http://www.evaccenter.lsu.edu/1001.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1103149 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338808 AU - Ahlborn, T M AU - Shuchman, R AU - Sutter, L L AU - Brooks, C N AU - Harris, D K AU - Burns, J W AU - Endsley, K A AU - Evans, D C AU - Vaghefi, K AU - Oats, R C AU - Michigan Technological University, Houghton AU - Michigan Tech Research Institute AU - Center for Automotive Research AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Evaluation of Commercially Available Remote Sensors for Assessing Highway Bridge Condition PY - 2010/10//Task 3 Report SP - 73p AB - This report focuses on evaluating twelve forms of remote sensing that are potentially valuable to assessing bridge condition. The techniques are: ground penetrating radar (GPR), spectra, 3-D optics (including photogrammetry), electro-optical satellite and airborne imagery, optical interferometry, LiDAR, thermal infrared, acoustics, digital image correlation (DIC), radar (including backscatter and speckle), interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), and high-resolution "StreetView-style" digital photography. Using a rating methodology developed specifically for assessing the applicability of these remote sensing technologies, each technique was rated for accuracy, commercial availability, cost of measurement, pre-collection preparation, complexity of analysis and interpretation, ease of data collection, stand-off distance, and traffic disruption. Key findings from the evaluation are that 3-D optics and “StreetView-style” photography appear to have the greatest potential for assessing surface condition of the deck and structural elements, while radar technologies, including GPR and higher frequency radar, as well as thermal/infrared imaging demonstrate promise for subsurface challenges. Global behavior can likely be best monitored through electro-optical satellite and airborne imagery, optical interferometry, and LiDAR. KW - Accuracy KW - Acoustics KW - Aerial imagery KW - Condition surveys KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Digital image correlation KW - Ease of use KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - High resolution digital photography KW - Highway bridges KW - Imagery KW - Infrared analysis KW - Interferometric synthetic aperture radar KW - Interferometry KW - Laser radar KW - Optics KW - Radar KW - Remote sensing KW - Satellite imagery KW - Spectrum analysis KW - Traffic disruption UR - http://www.mtri.org/bridgecondition/doc/RITA_BCRS_Commercial_Sensor_Evaluation.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101245 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332459 AU - Wang, Bruce X AU - Yin, Kai AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Characterizing Information Propagation Through Inter-Vehicle Communication on a Simple Network of Two Parallel Roads PY - 2010/10//Technical Report SP - 71p AB - In this report, the authors study information propagation via inter-vehicle communication along two parallel roads. By identifying an inherent Bernoulli process, the authors are able to derive the mean and variance of propagation distance. A road separation distance of √3/2 times the transmission range distinguishes two cases for approximating the success probability in the Bernoulli process. In addition, the results take the single road as a special case. The numerical test shows that the developed formulas are highly accurate. The authors also explore the idea of approximating the probability distribution of propagation distance with the Gamma distribution. KW - Bernoulli's hypothesis KW - Gamma distributions KW - Information dissemination KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Parallel roads KW - Propagation distance KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161005-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36011/161005-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096206 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332457 AU - Rutzen, Beatriz AU - Prozzi, Jolanda AU - Walton, C Michael AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Responses of Trucking Operations to Road Pricing in Central Texas PY - 2010/10//Research Report SP - 110p AB - In Texas, where traditional funding lags behind needs to maintain and improve the state’s infrastructure, much of the state’s new highway capacity is being financed through tolls. With Texas’s major cities already among the nation’s most congested, considerable growth in both population and freight expected, and opportunities for capacity expansion limited by environmental and land-use concerns, it is likely that applications of road pricing to better manage existing capacity will be also necessary in the future. Little research has been performed to examine truck response to road pricing, and it is clear from the few studies that have been performed that this response is highly variable depending on location, industry sector, commodity type, and trip distance. The purpose of this study is to identify and quantify how the different segments of the trucking industry would respond to road pricing applications, including traditional toll roads, variably priced toll roads, mixed-use express lane facilities, and truck-only tolled facilities. Industry variables that will be examined include truck load type, trip distance, commodity, and familiarity with toll roads. KW - Commodities KW - Express lanes KW - Freight traffic KW - Highway capacity KW - Road pricing KW - Texas KW - Toll roads KW - Trip length KW - Truck only toll lanes KW - Trucking KW - Variable tolls UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00066-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36016/476660-00066-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096253 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332456 AU - Bhasin, Amit AU - Badgekar, Swapneel AU - Izadi, Anoosha AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Quantitative Characterization of Microstructure of Asphalt Mixtures PY - 2010/10//Research Report SP - 56p AB - The microstructure of the fine aggregate matrix has a significant influence on the mechanical properties and evolution of damage in an asphalt mixture. However, very little work has been done to define and quantitatively characterize the microstructure of the asphalt mastic within the asphalt mixture. The main objective of this study was to quantitatively characterize the three dimensional microstructure of the asphalt binder within the fine aggregate matrix of an asphalt mixture and compare the influence of binder content, coarse aggregate gradation, and fine aggregate gradation on this microstructure. Results indicate that gradation of the fine aggregate has the most influence of the degree of anisotropy whereas gradation of the coarse aggregate has the most influence on the direction anisotropy of the asphalt mastic within the fine aggregate matrix. Addition of asphalt binder or adjustments to the fine aggregate gradation also resulted in a more uniform distribution of the asphalt mastic within the fine aggregate matrix. KW - Aggregate gradation KW - Anisotropy (Physics) KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Binder content KW - Bituminous binders KW - Coarse aggregates KW - Fine aggregate matrix KW - Fine aggregates KW - Mastic asphalt KW - Microstructure UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00070-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36014/476660-00070-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096250 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332455 AU - Finley, Melisa D AU - Jasek, Debbie AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Partnering with AVID to Create Transportation Scholars PY - 2010/10//Technical Report SP - 17p AB - The goal of this project was to team with the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program in local schools to stimulate student awareness of transportation and engineering careers and to encourage interest in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. AVID is an in-school academic support program for grades 4–12 that prepares underserved students (predominantly minority and economically disadvantaged) in the academic middle for college eligibility and success. The team developed and conducted four half-day workshops and a field trip for AVID students from four schools in Texas. Approximately 150 students participated in the half-day workshops and approximately 40 students attended the field trip. These events offered students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and insight into transportation and engineering careers. The events also provided exposure and mentoring from role models that currently work in the transportation field. KW - Field trips KW - High school students KW - Low income groups KW - Mentoring KW - Middle school students KW - Minorities KW - Texas KW - Transportation careers KW - Workshops UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/169115-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36012/169115-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096207 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332453 AU - Lastrape, Krystal Michelle AU - Lewis, Carol Abel AU - Texas Southern University, Houston AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Evaluation of the Effects of Transit Oriented Development in a Suburban Environment PY - 2010/10//Research Report SP - 63p AB - Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) refers to dense, pedestrian-friendly, livable communities that have good transit as a nucleus. While transit facilities are missing in most suburban towns and the residents are heavily dependent on their vehicles, it is wondered whether residents would take advantage if public facilities were available. This paper presents information about some vital aspects of TOD when viewed in suburban communities. The residents in three Houston area suburban communities were studied as to whether they use public transit for work trips via: (1) light rail (2) commuter bus and (3) express bus. The comparisons of the three work trip modes and the use of personal automobiles indicate that were transit facilities more available in their community, transit systems would be an effective approach to absorb some growth in trips. One goal of TOD encourages people to work near home as a way to reduce sprawl and decrease congestion. A job to housing balance is also assessed. Creation of better jobs to housing balance would further improve the number of internal trips reducing the use of single-occupancy vehicles. Enhancements to the convenience of transit, bicycling and walking encourage livable communities by providing safe, convenient and engaging experiences for pedestrians. KW - Automobile travel KW - Bicycling KW - Bus transit KW - Express buses KW - Houston (Texas) KW - Jobs-housing balance KW - Light rail transit KW - Livable communities KW - Mixed use development KW - Suburbs KW - Transit oriented development KW - Walking KW - Work trips UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00048-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36007/476660-00048-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1095009 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01329707 AU - Stammer, Robert E AU - Shannon, Kelsey AU - Vanderbilt University AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - I-40 Trucking Operations and Safety Analyses And Strategic Planning Initiatives PY - 2010/10 SP - 157p AB - The 451 miles of Interstate 40, varying from 4 to 8 lanes, that wind through Tennessee are a vital transportation link providing both greater mobility and increased freight movement capabilities. Accommodating the current passenger and freight movements without the existence of I-40 is almost unimaginable. The contrast of travel times via other alternative routes presented in this research merely amplifies the importance of this critical highway link for both Tennessee and the nation’s highway transportation network. The Tennessee Department of Transportation, and all Tennesseans, should take pride in the fact that truckers routinely rate the pavement conditions of I-40 in Tennessee as some of the best riding surfaces in the country. Drivers on I-40 are also consistently rated very highly for their courtesy and driving abilities by truck driver opinion polls. But the fact that truck traffic is predicted to almost double by 2030 from 2003 levels and the continuing need to address other identified safety concerns will not allow TDOT to rest on its laurels. With or without the current heavy truck volumes, the mere aging of I-40 would be problematic. Considering that large, increasing volumes of trucks will continually be using an aging infrastructure exacerbates both the need for infrastructure improvements, and the need to plan strategically with limited resources. Interstate 40 plays a vital role to Tennessee and thus places paramount importance upon accurately considering the effects of trucks within Tennessee’s critical I-40 transportation corridor. Mobility, safety, and economic factors must all be considered when making strategic transportation planning decisions. However, making strategic transportation planning decisions within a multi-modal context, rather than in the current, essentially one mode context, would maximize the number and range of varying transportation strategies than could be considered in future years for the I-40 corridor. KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Economic impacts KW - Interstate 40 KW - Interstate highways KW - Mobility KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Strategic planning KW - Tennessee KW - Transportation planning KW - Trucking KW - Trucking safety UR - http://www.memphis.edu/ifti/pdfs/cifts_i40_trucking.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089717 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328191 AU - Bitar, George AU - Richter, Thomas AU - Muschick, Paul AU - Selley, Sandra AU - Arel, Itamar AU - Davis, Andrew AU - Bulusu, Anuradha AU - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Project U22: Trusted Truck® II (Phase D) PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 60p AB - The Trusted Truck® Independent Certification System is a wireless roadside inspection initiative that offers immediate and vital incentives to the vehicle operator to save the many hours spent waiting in line at state vehicle inspection stations, while at the same time giving the state inspection authorities a much higher volume of vehicle inspections than possible at current staffing levels. The adoption of this concept on our highways will provide for operators a dramatic and welcome increase in efficiency, and for inspection authorities the same welcome increase in the number of vehicles inspected. Phase D is the culmination of the Trusted Truck® project, which has successfully delivered a full working prototype, and a live demonstration of this unique concept. In Phase D, high level data security was implemented to provide the exchange of encryption certificates per inspection between the truck and the Trusted Truck® Management Center. This included an optimization specific to this application, designed and published by the University of Tennessee. Another major feature delivered was the “Pre-Trip” inspection feature that allows operators to detect out of compliance items at any time to facilitate convenient repair. This same feature can be used by inspection authorities to manually determine if the system is providing true indications. The project delivered the specifications and background information needed for franchisees to instantiate a Trusted Truck® Management Center. This information includes a Concept of Operations, which describes, among other items, the system architecture used to implement the vehicle and server applications. The information also includes a definition of the Certificate of Trust used to qualify compliant vehicles. The final demonstration was held in August 2010, and was attended by the two US Congressmen, Representative James Oberstar of Minnesota, Chairman of the Congressional Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Representative John Duncan of Tennessee. KW - Automated inspection KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Data protection KW - Encryption KW - Inspection KW - Regulations KW - Trucking safety KW - Wireless roadside inspections UR - http://www.ntrci.org/ntrci-50-2010-020 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35200/35246/U22-Trusted_Truck_Phase_D_Final_Report_1291312279.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089394 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325030 AU - Koch, Scott AU - Ksaibati, Khaled AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Performance of Recycled Asphalt Pavement in Gravel Roads PY - 2010/10 SP - 285p AB - As more Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) becomes available to use in roadways, The Wyoming T2/LTAP Center and two Wyoming Counties investigated the use of RAP in gravel roads. The Wyoming DOT and the Mountain-Plains Consortium funded this study. The investigation explored the use of RAP as a means of dust suppression on gravel roads while considering road serviceability. Several test sections were constructed in two Wyoming Counties and were monitored for dust loss using the Colorado State University Dustometer. Surface distress evaluations of the test sections were performed following a technique developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Special Report 92-26: Unsurfaced Road Maintenance Management. The data collected were summarized and statistically analyzed. The performance of RAP sections was compared with the performance of gravel control sections. This comparison allowed for fundamental conclusions and recommendations to be made for RAP and its ability for dust abatement. It was found that RAP-incorporated gravel roads can reduce dust loss without adversely affecting the road’s serviceability. Other counties and agencies can expand on this research to add another tool to their toolbox for dust control on gravel roads. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Dust control KW - Gravel roads KW - Low volume roads KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement performance KW - Recycled materials KW - Serviceability UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-226A.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085838 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325023 AU - Huseth, Andrea AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Proper Seat Placement of Children Aged 12 or Younger Within Vehicles: A Rural/Urban Comparison PY - 2010/10 SP - 53p AB - Seating children in the rear of vehicles has been shown to decrease the odds of being fatally injured in a motor vehicle crash by 36% to 40%. Although rear seating is safer, rates of children being front-seated remain high, especially for older children. Few states have enacted legislation regarding child seat placement, and only one state indicates a requirement that children of a certain age be rear-seated regardless of the circumstances. While differences in traffic safety between rural and urban areas have been extensively researched, only one other known study has been conducted on rural/urban differences in child seat placement. In this paper, rural and urban differences in child seat placement within vehicles are analyzed. The objective of this research was to determine if rural/urban differences in child seat placement exist. Based on a small sample of vehicles observed at urban and rural elementary schools in North Dakota, the results of this study indicate that there are significant rural/urban differences in child seat placement. Nearly one-third of overall vehicles observed had children seated in the front seat. Significant urban/rural differences exist in child seat placement, with children in rural areas much more likely to be front-seated than children in urban areas. Differences also exist among vehicle type, with children riding in pickup trucks more likely to be front-seated than children in any other type of vehicle. Overall, parents were aware that seating a child in the rear of a vehicle is safer. KW - Children KW - Fatalities KW - Front seat occupants KW - Highway safety KW - Rear seat occupants KW - Rural areas KW - Urban areas UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-227.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085839 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325015 AU - Thiagarajan, Ganesh AU - Gopalaratnam, Vellore S AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Alternative and Cost-Effective Bridge Approach Slabs PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 251p AB - The primary objectives of the proposed project are to investigate the causes for any bumps at the end of the bridge approach slab and to develop remedial measures or alternative designs for a replacement. It is clear that the problem stems from geotechnical considerations. In many instances compaction of soil under uncertain conditions when the bridge is being constructed may not be properly achieved. Hence, the geotechnical issues are likely to continue to exist. From the structures’ point of view, how we can design a bridge approach slab to save construction costs given a certain settlement is a question to answer. KW - Bridge approaches KW - Bridge design KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Settlement (Structures) KW - Slabs KW - Soil compaction UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R240-R241_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086279 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324994 AU - Arndt, Jeffrey AU - Edrington, Suzie AU - Sandidge, Matt AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Facilitating Creation of Transit System Technology User Groups PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 30p AB - In recent years, a number of rural transit providers in Texas have purchased computer software to enhance trip scheduling and dispatching. However, many of these agencies are using the software primarily as a recordkeeping system, not as a management tool. Rural providers report that staff too often is not sufficiently familiar with the software capabilities, and the agency is not receiving a good return on the technology investment. The purpose of this research was to inventory current technology applications and vendors by transit agency and to assess the current use(s) of these applications. The researchers also documented plans for technology upgrades or expansions and identified the current technology issues faced by providers. Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers contacted the rural and state-funded urban transit districts in Texas to determine the types of technology currently used or in procurement. Researchers provided the results of this research to all rural and state-funded urban transit districts to enable providers to share and gain from their mutual experiences and to leverage influence with software vendors to address mutual concerns and interests. Researchers facilitated a panel discussion at the Texas Department of Transportation, Public Transportation Division’s Semi-Annual Transit Provider Meeting in July 2010 as a way to share experiences about technology implementation. TTI researchers recruited transit agency representatives to serve on the panel. Based on the panel discussion and research findings, researchers recommend technology mentoring and Web-based user community support programs. These programs will support the continued and expanded implementation of technology among rural and small urban transit agencies. KW - Implementation KW - Public transit KW - Rural areas KW - Small cities KW - Software KW - Special user groups KW - Technology KW - Texas UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Arndt_09-07-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085900 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324991 AU - Myers, John J AU - Washer, Glenn AU - Zheng, Wei AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Structural Steel Coatings for Corrosion Mitigation PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 320p AB - Task 1 of this project was to survey the performance of coating systems for steel bridges in Missouri and to evaluate coating and recoating practices. Task 1 was led under the direction of Dr. Glenn Washer from the University of Missouri located in Columbia, MO. A specific literature review focused on current state-of-the-practice for overcoatings, bridge coating assessment and rating, deterioration rate modeling as well as the risk assessment for overcoating. A new coating evaluation guideline was created to meet the needs of bridge maintenance in Missouri. Finally a field survey was carried out onto the existing bridge coatings across 10 Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) districts and 26 counties. It was found that system S and G perform very well in many of the situations observed. The survey indicated that in many cases system S overcoatings are providing service life extension for the coating system, with some early failures resulting from severe exposure to deck drainage and corrosion. Deck condition, drainage, and joint conditions were found to be the dominate factor in deterioration of the coating system, regardless of the age of the coating. Task 2 of this project investigated the performance of new types of coating technologies on bridge corrosion mitigation and was led under the direction of Dr. John Myers from the Missouri University of Science and Technology located in Rolla, MO. Twelve coating systems including MoDOT system G were evaluated through several laboratory tests to study and predict the field performance and durability of new coating technologies. The new coating systems investigated in this study involved polyurea, polyaspartic polyurea, polysiloxane polymers and fluoropolymer. To date, these coating system technologies have not been used as a steel structural coatings system in the State of Missouri by MoDOT. The laboratory tests consist of freeze-thaw stability, salt fog resistance, QUV weathering and electrochemical tests. The comparison study was carried out to benchmark and understand the pros and cons of these new coating systems. In addition, two coating systems served as overcoating studies for lead-based paint systems representative of older existing bridges in the state of Missouri. These overcoating systems were evaluated using an accelerated lab test method and electrochemical test. The performance of the existing MoDOT calcium sulfonate (CSA) overcoating system (system S) was also studied within the test matrix for comparative purposes. The test results show that moisture cured urethane micaceous iron oxide zinc/polyurea polyaspartic is a promising coating system for recoating of new steel bridges and that aliphatic polyaspartic polyurea can also be applied on existing coatings after the surface is properly prepared. KW - Coatings KW - Corrosion protection KW - Electrochemical corrosion KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Maintenance KW - Missouri KW - Overcoating KW - Steel bridges KW - Structural steel UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy0911/or11006.pdf UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R233-R238_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086277 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324990 AU - Huseth, Andrea AU - VanWechel, Tamara AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Pilot Project to Develop and Implement a Rural Youth Occupant Protection Education Platform PY - 2010/10 SP - 57p AB - Occupant protection is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to protect yourself when riding in a motor vehicle. Yet many North Dakota youth, especially rural youth, fail to wear their seat belts, even with a primary seat belt law for children under the age of 18 in the state of North Dakota. The primary goal of this project was to integrate occupant protection education of "tweens" (youths aged 10 to 14) with one of the most widely known youth programs in North Dakota – 4-H. Education modules which were developed and compiled were not implemented due to a lack of partners. However, resources developed and knowledge gained will be used in future projects. Disseminating traffic safety education information through the 4-H program is possible as evidenced by success stories in other states outlined in this report. KW - 4-H KW - Adolescents KW - Children KW - Highway safety KW - Information dissemination KW - North Dakota KW - Occupant protection devices KW - Rural areas KW - Traffic safety education UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-230.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085836 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324985 AU - Aldrete, Rafael M AU - Bujanda, Arturo AU - Valdez-Ceniceros, Gabriel A AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Valuing Public Sector Risk Exposure in Transportation Public-Private Partnerships PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 76p AB - This report presents a methodological framework to evaluate public sector financial risk exposure when delivering transportation infrastructure through public-private partnership (PPP) agreements in the United States (U.S.). The framework is based on U.S. and international best practices to quantify public sector risk exposure in infrastructure. Transportation agencies worldwide and across the U.S. are increasingly using PPPs as a mechanism to deliver much needed transportation infrastructure. The key premises behind the increased use of PPPs as project delivery mechanisms are the interdependent concepts of value for money (VfM) and the optimum allocation of project risks to the partner most capable to manage them. Internationally, countries with relatively longer experience in PPPs have devised different methodological approaches to measure and manage risk exposure, and a handful of other countries have developed more sophisticated and well-documented methodologies to value risk in the context of VfM. However, transportation agencies in the U.S. have not developed structured processes to measure risk exposure and to integrate the cost of risk bearing into the process of evaluating PPP projects. More specifically, U.S. transportation agencies—including agencies in Texas—currently lack a well-documented approach to consistently evaluate and account for public sector financial risk exposure in a PPP, and a methodology to incorporate the cost of risk bearing in the analysis of PPP projects. KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Governments KW - Public private partnerships KW - Risk analysis KW - Risk management KW - United States UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Aldrete_08-41-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085899 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324978 AU - Sneed, Lesley AU - Belarbi, Abdeldjelil AU - You, Young-Min AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Spalling Solution of Precast - Prestressed Bridge Deck Panels PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 473p AB - This research has examined spalling of several partial-depth precast prestressed concrete (PPC) bridge decks. It was recently observed that some bridges with this panel system in the MoDOT inventory have experienced rusting of embedded steel reinforcement and concrete spalling issues in the deck panels. The objectives of this research were to investigate the causes of spalling in precast-prestressed panels and propose cost-effective alternative solutions including improved design options for new construction, as well as suggest mitigation methods for existing deteriorated bridge decks. A survey of transportation agencies and a series of bridge deck investigations were conducted to determine the nature and causes of spalling. Panel deck system modifications were proposed and evaluated for potential use in new construction. These modifications were investigated in terms of structural performance and serviceability with respect to the current design. Panel deck system modifications evaluated included an increase in tendon side cover, the addition of fibers or corrosion inhibitor to the panel concrete mixture, an increase in reinforcement in the cast-in-place concrete topping, and the substitution of edge tendons with epoxy-coated steel or carbon fiber reinforced polymer tendons. Efficiency of the proposed solutions was examined and validated through fundamental laboratory studies and numerical simulations using finite element modeling. Finally, recommendations are provided for new and existing construction to mitigate the spalling problem. KW - Bridge decks KW - Corrosion KW - Panels KW - Precast concrete KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Reinforcing steel KW - Spalling UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy0912/or11005.pdf UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R234_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086234 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324966 AU - Ndubisi, Forster AU - Dumbaugh, Eric AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing an Interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Transportation Planning PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 38p AB - This project develops and implements a graduate certificate in transportation planning. Texas A&M University (A&M) currently offers instruction in transportation through its Master of Urban Planning (MUP) and Civil Engineering (CE) programs; however, there is a need for specialized instruction tailored to meeting the emerging needs of the transportation industry. The Certificate in Transportation Planning program fills this need by providing students with a substantive base of knowledge needed to be broadly successful in the transportation profession, as well as with specialized instruction tailored to building student skills and capabilities in three critical areas: transportation systems planning, transportation and urban design, and transportation policy. The certificate is being developed by the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning (LAUP) in the College of Architecture in partnership with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, and the Bush School of Government and Public Service. The certificate program serves as a vehicle to forge lasting partnerships between the participating departments and programs. This program is open to any graduate student at A&M with an interest in transportation. KW - Certification KW - Education KW - Graduate study KW - Interdisciplinary studies KW - Partnerships KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation policy KW - Urban design UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Ndubisi_08-21-10.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085901 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324959 AU - Ringenberg, Paul AU - Young, Rhonda AU - University of Wyoming, Laramie AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing A System for Consistent Messaging on Interstate 80 Dynamic Message Signs Phase II PY - 2010/10 SP - 192p AB - Traveler Information Systems, a part of the larger field of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), were originally utilized in urban areas to reduce congestion. Traveler information has become increasingly important in rural areas, especially in areas with adverse weather conditions such as Wyoming. Dynamic message signs (DMS) are often used to provide information during a traveler’s trip. Current research literature does not contain guidance for the rural use of DMSs. This report analyzes the effectiveness of traveler information, with a focus on the use of DMSs on the I-80 corridor between Laramie and Cheyenne in southeast Wyoming, using several different methods including surveys of both frequent and random travelers and a statistical analysis of the correlation between speed, weather and DMS data. The current message decision system utilized by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is also described and evaluated. This report is a continuation of an earlier effort on this topic. The Phase I report, “Developing Systems for Consistent Messaging on Interstate 80 Dynamic Message Signs ─ Phase I” (MPC-09-211A), can be found at www.mountain-plains.org. KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Interstate highways KW - Rural areas KW - Traveler information and communication systems KW - Variable message signs KW - Weather conditions KW - Wyoming UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC09-211B.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085837 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324954 AU - Cui, Qingbin AU - Sharma, Deepak AU - Farajian, Morteza AU - Perez, Mauricio AU - Lindly, Jay AU - University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Alabama Department of Transportation AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility Study Guideline for Public Private Partnership Projects: Volume I & II PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 102p AB - For many state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), a shortage of transportation funds requires the agencies to combat that shortage by implementing innovative programs. Nationwide, Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in transportation projects are increasingly gaining acceptance as an alternative to the traditional approaches of project delivery and public financing. Due to the complexity of scale of PPP projects, it remains a challenging task for state DOTs to identify PPP opportunity while protecting public interest. This report presents a framework for PPP feasibility study at the early phase of project development. The financing analysis process model is developed and refined for the guideline. An Excel-based software package named P3FAST is developed and attached with the research report to facilitate the PPP feasibility study for transportation agencies. An example is discussed to demonstrate the analysis process and outcome. Three types of PPP models are compared and evaluated to achieve a feasible financing structure. The report includes two volumes: volume I research report and volume II feasibility study guideline. KW - Economic analysis KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Financing KW - Guidelines KW - Public private partnerships UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=08403 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085882 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324885 AU - Khasnabis, Snehamay AU - Mishra, Sabyasachee AU - Swain, Subrat Kumar AU - Wayne State University AU - University of Toledo AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing and Testing a Framework for Alternate Ownership, Tenure and Governance Strategies for the Proposed Detroit-Windsor River Crossing - Phase II Report PY - 2010/10//Phase II Report SP - 162p AB - This research presents an analytic framework that can explore the merits and demerits associated with public and/or private ownership of a transportation infrastructure, where potentials for cost recovery through revenues generated appear to be high, even though the project may be fraught with risks at the other end. The framework also explores various forms of joint ownership associated with the public and private enterprise. Ownership, Tenure & Governance (OTG) are three terms that incorporate the role of each entity in a strategy, where a number of OTG strategies are considered to encourage joint entity participation. The strategies vary in the degree of participation by the public and the private entity. The analytic framework is developed based upon the principles of investment decision under uncertainty. The primary objectives of the research are as follows: 1) Develop a methodology to integrate uncertainty and risk in the transportation infrastructure investment decision making process; 2) Identify different strategies ranging from public to private to various forms of joint OTG scenarios; 3) Develop an analytic framework that can be used to test different OTG scenarios; and, 4) Demonstrate the methodology with a real world case study. KW - Case studies KW - Decision making KW - Detroit River International Crossing KW - Forecasting KW - Infrastructure KW - Optimization KW - Ownership KW - Private enterprise KW - Public participation KW - Public private partnerships KW - Return on investment KW - Risk analysis KW - Strategic alliances KW - Strategic planning KW - Uncertainty UR - http://www.utoledo.edu/research/UTUTC/docs/UTUTC-IU-9_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086225 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01323818 AU - Hagemann, Garrett AU - Michaels, Jennifer AU - Minnice, Paul AU - Pace, David AU - Radin, Sari AU - Spiro, Arlen AU - West, Rachel AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - ITS Technology Adoption and Observed Market Trends from ITS Deployment Tracking PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 161p AB - This report examines the market dynamics and benefits associated with the deployment and diffusion of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies across the United States. For several ITS technologies, the current market structure, events that have influenced the historical deployment trends, and factors that may play a role in future deployment are all examined and analyzed. This qualitative research consists primarily of interviews with suppliers and public sector purchasers. The report also presents monetized estimates of the mobility, safety, and environmental benefits produced by a selection of ITS technologies at their current nationwide level of deployment. These estimates are derived from the results of previous studies gathered through an extensive literature review. The qualitative and quantitative data used in this analysis were obtained from the ITS Joint Program Office deployment statistics database (http://www.itsdeployment.its.dot.gov/Default.asp). The objective of this analysis is to allow the ITS JPO to learn from the experience of historical and current generation ITS deployment and use this knowledge to guide research and related activities to support next generation ITS and inform strategic planning efforts. KW - Deployment KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - ITS program technologies KW - Market surveys KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34900/34991/ITS_Deployment_Tracking_FINAL_508C_101210.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085249 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01323786 AU - Najm, Wassim G AU - Koopmann, Jonathan AU - Smith, John D AU - Brewer, John AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Frequency of Target Crashes for IntelliDrive Safety Systems PY - 2010/10 SP - 50p AB - This report estimates the frequency of different crash types that would potentially be addressed by various categories of Intelligent Transportation Systems as part of the IntelliDriveSM safety systems program. Crash types include light-vehicle crashes involving at least one light vehicle with gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less, heavy-truck crashes involving at least one heavy truck with GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds, and crashes involving all vehicle types. Crash frequency estimates are based on samples of police-reported crashes from the 2005-2008 General Estimates System crash databases. System categories encompass vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication systems, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) cooperative systems, and combination of V2V and V2I systems. The frequency of target crashes is derived from pre-crash scenarios described in police-reported crashes involving unimpaired drivers. V2V systems potentially address 79 percent of all vehicle target crashes, 81 percent of all light-vehicle target crashes, and 71 percent of all heavy-truck target crashes. V2I systems potentially deal with 26 percent all vehicle target crashes, 27 percent of all light-vehicle target crashes, and 15 percent of all heavy-truck target crashes. Combined V2V and V2I systems potentially address 81 percent all vehicle target crashes, 83 percent of all light-vehicle target crashes, and 72 percent of all heavy-truck target crashes. KW - Crash rates KW - Crash types KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Highway safety KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Light vehicles KW - Traffic crashes KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2010/811381.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35500/35542/811381.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085215 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01323741 AU - Chambers, Matthew AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Atlantic Coast U.S. Seaports PY - 2010/10//Fact Sheet SP - 6p AB - Atlantic coast U.S. seaports from Eastport, ME, through Key West, FL, are preparing for an expected increase in cargo generated by an expansion of the Panama Canal scheduled for completion in 2014. Preparations at east coast ports include installation of larger cranes and dredging channels to accommodate container ships with nearly two and one-half times the capacity of current Panamax vessels, the largest ships that now transit the canal. The Atlantic coast seaports facilitate freight flow and international trade for both the long-established and populous Northeast, and the growing areas along the Southeast Atlantic coast. This fact sheet highlights the major Atlantic container ports of New York/New Jersey, Virginia, Savannah, and Charleston. Containerships and containerized cargo comprise the bulk of vessel calls and most of the vessel value at these seaports along the eastern seaboard. Commodities transiting the canal to the Atlantic ports include auto parts, bananas, chemicals, canned and frozen fish, and pulpwood, among others. KW - Atlantic Ocean KW - Charleston (South Carolina) KW - Commodities KW - Container terminals KW - Containerships KW - East Coast (United States) KW - Freight traffic KW - New Jersey KW - New York (State) KW - Savannah (Georgia) KW - Seaports KW - Virginia UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_fact_sheets/2010_002/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35382/Atlantic.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085243 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01322250 AU - Davis, Janet L AU - Bart, Edward AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Summary Report: Assessment Instrument for the Certified Transit Technician Program PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 44p AB - This report chronicles the development of the Certified Transit Technician (CTT) program assessment instrument and is organized to provide a detailed description of the transit technician training program, an overview of the Florida Transit Maintenance Consortium/Hillsborough Community College (FTMC/HCC) Curriculum Framework, as approved by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), a review of literature regarding evaluation criteria used within other maintenance training programs, selected measures of performance, and highlights from the program assessment instrument. The report also includes select survey instruments and other assessment materials developed during the course of the research effort. KW - Certification KW - Curricula KW - Education and training KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Public transit KW - Technicians KW - Training programs UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BDK85_977-13_rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/pdf/77911.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1083629 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01321741 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Key Transportation Indicators, October 2010 PY - 2010/10 SP - 35p AB - These key transportation indicators in the United States cover performance and economic indicators for all modes of transportation. The table of contents divides the document into seven major areas, as follows: economy, fuel prices, end-user prices, passenger usage, freight usage, system performance, and capital expenditures. KW - Capital expenditures KW - Diesel fuels KW - Economic indicators KW - Freight transportation KW - Jet engine fuels KW - Motor fuels KW - Passenger transportation KW - Performance KW - Prices KW - Ridership KW - United States KW - Utilization UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/key_transportation_indicators/october_2010/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1082752 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01226627 AU - Kwon, Oh-Sung AU - Kim, Eungsoo AU - Orton, Sarah AU - Salim, Hani AU - Hazlett, Tim AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reliability-Based Evaluation of Bridge Components for Consistent Safety Margins PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 115p AB - The Load and Resistant Factor Design (LRFD) approach is based on the concept of structural reliability. The approach is more rational than the former design approaches such as Load Factor Design or Allowable Stress Design. The LRFD Specification for Bridge Design has been developed through the 1990s and 2000s. In the development process, many factors were carefully calibrated such that a structure designed with LRFD can achieve a reliability index of 3.5 for a single bridge girder (probability of failure of about 2 in 10,000). As the initial development of the factors in the LRFD Specification was intended to be applied to the entire nation, state-specific traffic conditions or bridge configuration were not considered in the development process. In addition, due to lack of reliable truck weigh data in the early 1990s in the U.S., the truck weights from Ontario, Canada measured in the 1970s were used for the calibration. Hence, the reliability of bridges designed with the current LRFD specification needs to be evaluated based on the Missouri-specific data and the load factor needs to be re-calibrated for optimal design of bridges. KW - Bridge design KW - Calibration KW - Evaluation KW - Highway bridges KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - Missouri KW - Structural reliability UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R235-R239_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987333 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01226615 AU - Chen, Genda AU - Volz, Jeffery AU - Brow, Richard AU - Yan, Dongming AU - Reis, Signo AU - Wu, Chenglin AU - Tang, Fujian AU - Werner, Charles AU - Tao, Xing AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Missouri Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Coated Steel Rebar for Enhanced Concrete-Steel Bond Strength and Corrosion Resistance PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 229p AB - This report summarizes the findings and recommendations on the use of enamel coating in reinforced concrete structures both for bond strength and corrosion resistance of steel rebar. Extensive laboratory tests were conducted to characterize the properties of one- and two-layer enamel coatings. Pseudostatic tests were performed with pullout, beam and column specimens to characterize mechanical properties and develop design equations for the development length of steel rebar in lap splice and anchorage areas. The splice length equation was validated with the testing of large-scale columns under cyclic loading. For corrosion properties, ponding, salt spray, accelerated corrosion, potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were conducted to evaluate the corrosion resistance and performance of enamel-coated steel and rebar. Experimental procedures and observations from various laboratory tests are documented in detail. The corrosion performances of enamel and epoxy coatings were compared. It is concluded that a one-layer enamel coating doped with 50% calcium silicate has improved bond strengths with steel and concrete but its corrosion resistance is low due to porosity in the coating, allowing chloride ions to pass through. Based on limited laboratory tests, a two-layer enamel coating with an inner layer of pure enamel and an outer layer of enamel and calcium silicate mixture has been shown to be practical and effective for both corrosion resistance and bond strength. A coating factor of 0.85 is recommended to use with the current development length equations as specified in ACI318-08. The large-scale column tests indicated that the column-footing lap splice with enamel-coated dowel bars had higher load and energy dissipation capacities compared to uncoated dowel bars. When damaged unintentionally, chemically reactive enamel coatings limit corrosion to a very small area whereas epoxy coatings allow corrosion expansion in a wide area underneath the coating. KW - Bond strength (Materials) KW - Coatings KW - Concrete KW - Corrosion resistance KW - Enamels KW - Reinforced concrete bridges KW - Reinforcing bars KW - Steel UR - http://library.modot.mo.gov/RDT/reports/TRyy0914/or11004.pdf UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R236_CR.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34500/34581/R236_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987338 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01226611 AU - Chandrashekhara, K AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Soy-Based UV Resistant Polyurethane Pultruded Composites PY - 2010/10//Final Report SP - 10p AB - Polyurethane (PU) resin systems exhibit superior strength and damage tolerance relative to unsaturated polyester and vinylester pultrusion resins. Also, high pultrusion line speeds can be achieved using PU resins. In our previous study, the authors have successfully evaluated pultrudable PU with aromatic isocyanate and soy-based polyol (with 20% soy content). The performance of the soy-based resin is comparable to the base PU resin. However, aromatic PU based composites have poor environmental stability under UV light exposure and require specialized painting to provide protection. Aliphatic PU resins provide improved UV resistance but exhibit lower mechanical performance in comparison to aromatic polyurethanes. In the proposed work, the authors will investigate pultrudable PU resin systems with aromatic and aliphatic isocyanates, and soy-polyol. Neat resin coupons and pultruded composite parts will be manufactured using the developed aromatic and aliphatic PU resin systems. Also, parts will be manufactured by incorporating nano-engineered fillers in the aliphatic soy-based PU resin system to compensate the loss of mechanical performance over aromatic PU resins. The cure kinetics of polyurethanes will be studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the reaction rates of the aliphatic and aromatic polyurethanes will be compared. Mechanical performance will be evaluated by conducting tensile, flexure and impact tests. The economics of aromatic systems and aliphatic systems will be assessed. KW - Composite materials KW - Manufacturing KW - Mechanical properties KW - Polyurethane resins KW - Pultruded composites KW - Pultrusion KW - Soy-based resins KW - Strength of materials UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R255_CR.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34600/34629/R255_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987410 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01492353 TI - Provide Volpe Data Collection Regulatory Anal AB - No summary provided. KW - Annual reports KW - Data collection KW - John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center KW - Policy making KW - Transportation planning UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261486 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349478 AU - Jeong, Hyung Seok AU - Woldesenbet, Asregedew AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of an Improved System for Contract Time Determination – Phase III PY - 2010/09/30/Final Report SP - 135p AB - This study developed Daily Work Report (DWR) based prediction models to determine reasonable production rates of controlling activities of highway projects. The study used available resources such as DWR, soil data, AADT and other existing project data from the various divisions of ODOT as primary source in estimating productivity. The study describes the effects and variations of production rates of highway activities to changes in environmental, geographical and project site conditions. The study also includes a relative comparison between a survey of experts’ estimate of production rate and DWR based prediction models. An Excel based standalone software program developed for ODOT engineers and schedulers to estimate reasonably accurate production rates is also presented in the study. The output of this model would allow ODOT engineers and schedulers to improve their accuracy and save their time in determining more reliable production rates of major highway construction activities by easily adjusting site conditions and project factors. The program will help ODOT to determine appropriate contract times of Tier II highway projects which would enhance better planning of resources, reduce construction cost, minimize the construction crew’s exposure to traffic, reduce the inconvenience to the public, track project progress and future estimating and bidding guidelines. This study will not only allow ODOT to be equipped with a streamlined procedure for determining production rates of highway construction activities, but will also be a framework and a benchmarking example to other highway agencies. KW - Contracts KW - Productivity KW - Road construction KW - Time UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-22-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107991 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349473 AU - Jeong, Hyung Seok AU - Abdollahipour, Saeed AU - Florez, Laura AU - Irizarry, Javier AU - Castro, Daniel AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Construction Strategies for PCC Pavement Rehabilitation Projects PY - 2010/09/30/Final Report SP - 139p AB - This study investigated project management level solutions to optimizing resources, minimizing costs (including user costs) and time for PCC pavement rehabilitation projects. This study extensively evaluated the applicability of the Construction Analysis for Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (CA4PRS) software program as a potential solution to achieve the goal. The usability of the CA4PRS was assessed by conducting knowledge inventory surveys at GDOT and ODOT as well as conducting four case studies. The pre and post knowledge inventory surveys indicated that there was a general understanding that the CA4PRS could be used as an excellent tool to help decision makers effectively plan PCC pavement rehabilitation projects. The four case studies indicated that, in addition to using the CA4PRS, there should be further efforts in order to develop an effective construction plan for a PCC pavement rehabilitation project. Some major recommendations are a) ODOT/GDOT must put efforts to collect CA4PRS input data and develop a database for reliable analysis using the CA4PRS, b) ODOT/GOT also need to use the CPM scheduling method and the CA4PRS together because the current CA4PRS considers only six major activities in project scheduling, c) A simulation program such as the Cyclone program can be used to determine the optimal number of resources of major activities. Based on the findings of this study, this project has designed an improved planning procedure to find the most efficient project phasing and closure scenario for PCC pavement rehabilitation projects. The procedure involves a quantitative analysis on every potential project execution scenario using the CA4PRS, the CPM method and a simulation tool. KW - CA4PRS (Computer model) KW - Concrete pavements KW - Construction scheduling KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Programming (Planning) KW - Project management KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Software UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-23-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108008 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338797 AU - Holguin-Veras, Jose AU - Ozbay, Kaan AU - Kornhauser, Alain AU - Shorris, Anthony AU - Ukkusuri, Satish AU - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrative Freight Demand Management in the New York City Metropolitan Area PY - 2010/09/30/Final Report SP - 254p AB - This project is one of the first in the world that has successfully integrated the use of remote sensing technology—in this case Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled cell phones—as part of a system that effectively reduces truck traffic in the congested hours of the day, through the use of incentives to receivers. In doing so, the project designed, developed, and pilot tested a concept that: Exploited the use of GPS technology and its estimates of travel times and delays, for compliance verification, data sharing among participating partners, and validation of the traffic models used to predict the effects of the proposed program on the traffic network; Developed state of the art analytical formulations and simulation systems to study and predict the behavior of carriers and receivers—together with the underlying behavioral theories—that were successfully verified during the pilot test conducted; Led to new policy paradigms that, by exploiting the nature of Large Traffic Generators and unassisted deliveries, greatly reduce the need for financial incentives to receivers; Garnered the enthusiastic support of large corporations involved in urban delivery activities, trade organizations, trade publications, and the industry at large, as they understood the concept‘s potential as a business-friendly and effective freight demand management tool they could embrace; Conducted institutional analyses to identify and preliminarily discuss potential inter-agency arrangements that could support the concept; and Has received considerable research acclaim. KW - Cellular telephones KW - Freight demand management KW - Freight transportation KW - Global Positioning System KW - Incentives KW - Management KW - New York Metropolitan Area KW - Peak periods KW - Truck traffic UR - http://www.transp.rpi.edu/~usdotp/DRAFT_FINAL_REPORT.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100715 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01476285 AU - Miller-Hooks, Elise AU - Melanta, Suvish AU - Avetisyan, Hakob AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Tools to Support GHG Emissions Reduction: A Regional Effort Part 1 - Carbon Footprint Estimation and Decision Support PY - 2010/09/26/Final Report SP - 170p AB - Tools are proposed for carbon footprint estimation of transportation construction projects and decision support for construction firms that must make equipment choice and usage decisions that affect profits, project duration and greenhouse gas emissions. These tools will enable responsible agencies and construction firms to predict and affect the impact of their construction-related decisions and investments. KW - Construction equipment KW - Construction projects KW - Decision making KW - Environmental impact analysis KW - Estimating KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Pollutants UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/MAUTC-2008-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1245468 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01495279 TI - Western States One-Stop Shop for Rural Traveler Information AB - The objective of this project is to create a user-friendly website that integrates and displays weather and road condition information for a four-state region. KW - Integrated systems KW - Real time information KW - Rural areas KW - Traveler information and communication systems KW - Weather conditions KW - Websites (Information retrieval) KW - Western States UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1264773 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342833 AU - Jasper, Keith AU - Miller, Sheryl AU - Armstrong, Christopher AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Delcan Corporation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Evaluation of the SafeTrip-21 Initiative: Final Report Real Time Intersection Delay PY - 2010/09/17/Final Report SP - 26p AB - Through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) SafeTrip-21 initiative, the USDOT is testing a variety of technologies in a number of locations in California as well as along the I-95 corridor on the east coast. As part of this Federal initiative, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) tested the use of a traffic volume and signal timing information monitoring system. For the purposes of SafeTrip-21, this system is referred to as the real time intersection delay (RTID) system. During this testing, the USDOT conducted an evaluation to gain an understanding of the technical and institutional issues associated with using this system. The purpose of the evaluation is both to learn how such a system can enable signal phase and timing information, together with lane by lane traffic count data, to be collected in real time and processed from remote locations via the internet, and to determine how that information can be used effectively by State Department of Transportation (DOT) staff to optimize the performance of signalized intersections. The objective of the evaluation was to gather lessons learned from the test deployment of the RTID system in the San Francisco Bay Area. These lessons would serve Caltrans and other similar jurisdictions by providing guidance on successfully implementing RTID systems. In particular, USDOT and Caltrans were interested in learning about the factors that influence which locations are best suited for such systems and, if widely deployed, the changes in existing management policies that may be required for such systems to enhance traffic operations within existing resources. The SafeTrip-21 solicitation sought test sites and test applications. While Caltrans and its partners are providing the Bay Area test bed and using it to test a number of applications of their own, they also agreed to host field tests proposed by others. The field test for the RTID system is a case in point, for which the test was proposed by the vendor of the system, TrafInfo Communications Inc., and tested on the Caltrans test bed in the Bay Area. This document presents the evaluation findings, resulting primarily from in-person interviews the Evaluation Team conducted with institutional partners. KW - Intersections KW - Interstate 95 KW - Real time information KW - Real time intersection delay KW - SafeTrip-21 KW - San Francisco Bay Area KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic signal timing KW - Traffic surveillance UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36082/rtid_final.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36082/rtid_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104508 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461089 TI - Drowsy Driving Among Older Adults AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drowsy driving is related to more than 100,000 motor vehicle crashes each year which result in about 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths. Analysis of crash records has been used to identify groups among whom drowsy driving is considered most prevalent (e.g., young people, males, shift workers, and people with undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders). However, such analyses are limited because they typically estimate drowsy driving crashes based on single-vehicle, run-off-road, drift-off-road, or drift-out-of-lane events occurring between midnight and 6:00 AM in which alcohol is not involved. Thus, crash records may not accurately reflect the prevalence and factors related to drowsy driving among older adults who tend to avoid night driving and so have fewer nighttime crashes in general. In addition, because of declines in critical driving skills resulting from age-related medical conditions, drowsy-driving crashes among older drivers are more likely to be attributed to declining cognitive, perceptual, or motor skills than to drowsiness. There is a need for more detailed information about drowsy driving crashes among the older adult population. The overarching goal of the project is to gain a better understanding of the prevalence of, and factors related to, drowsy driving among older adults in the US through a nationally representative survey. The project is intended to be completed in two phases. The first phase will involve developing and pilot testing the survey. The second phase will involve administering the survey to a representative sample of older adults in the US as part of national surveys conducted at the University of Michigan (U-M) Institute for Social Research (ISR), such as the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) conducted bi-annually. We are asking for M-CASTL support for the first phase of this research project. Specific project tasks related to development of the survey will include: 1) conducting a detailed literature review and synthesis of topics related to older adult drowsy driving; 2) convening a multidisciplinary panel of experts to explore issues identified in the literature review; 3) conduct focus groups to further identify salient topics to be included in the survey; 4) based on results from the tasks 1-3, develop the survey instrument; and 5) pilot test the survey instrument. KW - Aged KW - Aged drivers KW - Crash injuries KW - Drowsiness KW - Fatalities KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Sleep disorders KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://m-castl.org/node/89 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229307 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461088 TI - Alertness Maintaining Task (AMT): Effects on Driving in Healthy Aging and Mild Cognitive Impairment AB - Negative effects on driving accuracy and safety have been clearly demonstrated during conditions of distraction or when drivers are engaged in a competing task (e.g., cell phone use). However, more recent studies suggest that certain types of cognitive tasks (Alertness Maintaining Tasks, AMTs) can be used in situations of driving fatigue to actually increase alertness and reduce driving errors in younger drivers. Although the use of AMTs holds promise in this area, research on the effects of these tasks on driving performance in older drivers or drivers with pre-existing cognitive impairment has not been completed. A better understanding of the possible utility of AMTs in these two populations is clearly important, given these individuals' higher risk for driving errors and crashes. This pilot proposal compares three groups of individuals (young, healthy old, patients with mild cognitive impairment) using a STISIM driving simulator for an extended period of time to induce fatigue, followed by alternating driving and driving plus AMT conditions. The trivia-based AMT used in this proposal is presented via a Ford Automotive Sync System to allow for auditory task presentation and verbal responding. Participants also will undergo heart rate monitoring while using the STISIM, a brief neuropsychological test battery, and self report measures of fatigue and performance to better understand possible group differences. This project will combine efforts from the Department of Psychiatry, School of Engineering and Ford Automotive Company. The data from this pilot study will be used for future larger scale collaborative studies. KW - Alertness KW - Distracted drivers KW - Distraction KW - Driver errors KW - Fatigue (Physiological condition) KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Recently qualified drivers KW - Young adults UR - http://m-castl.org/node/90 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229306 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461087 TI - Development of a Protocol to Assess the Effects of Workload on Older Drivers: A Third Step AB - Older drivers stop driving for a variety of reasons, including being overwhelmed by the workload of the primary driving task. Workload estimates for specific routes from an in-vehicle navigation system or Google maps could provide guidance. More fundamentally, validated workload predictions are needed to allow the comparison of studies that otherwise seem uncomparable, for example, differing in terms of the number of lanes or the amount of traffic. In an ongoing M-CASTL project, the SAVE-IT equation (which utilizes data that are automatically collected in driving studies) was used to predict subjective ratings of workload in a driving simulator. The equation predictions were correlated with the latest subject ratings, but were lower than before because of previously irresolvable technical problems with the anchor clips (showing low and high workload) used to ground the ratings (and for other reasons). In this project, the researchers will develop and evaluate improved anchor clips that show all traffic (not just the forward scene as before and shown below) to appear on a 2D display in the cab. Scenarios for anchor clips will be driven in the simulator and then the recorded images will be combined in a variety of ways. To determine the best configuration, 12-16 subjects will answer situation awareness questions concerning candidate anchor clip configurations. Subsequently, another 16 subjects will drive the simulator and rate the workload of modified scenarios from the previous experiment using the new anchor clips. To determine the effect of engagement (ratings while watching driving are higher than ratings while driving because the driver is in control), there will be one test block where each subject rates clips as a passenger. This experiment will take about 90 minutes/subject. The result of this project will be improved, validated anchor clips for a follow up, on-road experiment. KW - Aged drivers KW - Awareness KW - Driver performance KW - Driver workload KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Vehicle mix KW - Workload UR - http://m-castl.org/node/91 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229305 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324962 AU - Vedenov, Dmitry AU - Fuller, Stephen AU - Power, Gabriel AU - Ahmedov, Zafarbeck AU - Vadali, Sharada AU - Burris, Mark AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Bio-Fuels Energy Policy and Grain Transportation Flows: Implications for Inland Waterways and Short Sea Shipping PY - 2010/09/15/Final Report SP - 28p AB - This project develops a foundation for analysis of the effects of U.S. biofuel energy policy on domestic and international grain flows and patterns. The primary deliverable of this project is an updated and expanded spatial equilibrium model of world grain economy. The updated model reflects recent changes in the dynamics of grain production, consumption, and transportation particularly in reaction to explosive growth of the biofuel market in the U.S. An improved and modified spatial equilibrium model will be extremely useful in addressing a variety of questions with respect to transportation infrastructure, traffic congestion, and international trade issues. In particular, principal investigators plan to use the improved model as a platform for future research in order to gain insight into potential long‐term effects of the current energy policy on grain and biofuel‐related transportation flows on inland waterways, outline requirements and justifications for targeted development of transportation infrastructure in order to mitigate projected traffic congestion, and examine potential opportunities for switching rail and truck-transported commerce on North American transport corridors to the inland and intra‐coastal waterways. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Commodity flow KW - Energy KW - Freight traffic KW - Grain KW - Inland waterways KW - Policy KW - Short sea shipping UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Vedenov_08-15-14.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085897 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480748 TI - Managing Big City Transit Systems: Case Studies of Jay Walder at the MTA AB - The project proposes the development of three new teaching cases that will illustrate some key challenges facing leaders and backers of the nation's major systems. The cases, which will be used in graduate-level courses and executive education programs on both transportation policy and the strategic management of public organizations, will be developed and distributed by the Kennedy School of Government's Case Program, which is the largest source of public policy cases in the world. The cases would focus on the experiences of Jay Walder, who became the Chairman and CEO of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in fall 2009. Almost immediately, he had to develop a plan to close an unexpected $800 million budget deficit for calendar year 2010. The deficit, moreover, made it clear that the MTA needed to develop a sustainable longer-term funding and management plan. However, such a plan had the potential to generate serious conflicts with powerful individuals and institutions, including the unions representing most the MTA's workers and key political and civic leaders from areas dependent on MTA service. As such, the cases clearly fit the theme of "strategic management of disruptive change" that is the focus of the New England University Transportation Center's (NEUTC) research and educational project in year 23. KW - Case studies KW - Education and training KW - New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Transportation policy KW - Urban transit UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249821 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01568954 TI - Texas-Specific Drive Cycles and Idle Emissions Rates for Using with EPA's MOVES Model AB - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) newest emissions model, MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES), utilizes a disaggregate approach that enables the users of the model to create and use local drive schedules (drive cycles) in order to perform an accurate analysis. However, only the national average drive schedules are currently included in the default database of the model. Furthermore, the cold start and idling emissions and activity data of heavy duty diesel trucks (HDDVs) that are included in the MOVES model are based on a very limited number of data sources even though they are very important components of the total on-road mobile source emissions inventory. Research activities will include the estimated emissions from MOVES for different vehicle classes being compared to real-world on-road emissions measurement. Furthermore, the technical and tactical issues of integrating the results of this study into MOVES for formal emissions analyses purposes will be investigated and recommendations will be made based on the findings. KW - Air quality management KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Environmental impacts KW - Exhaust gases KW - Heavy duty vehicles KW - Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) KW - Pollutants KW - Texas UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/research/new-research/0-6629/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359449 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01568950 TI - Preparing for EPA Effluent Limitation Guidelines AB - On December 1, 2009, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized and published a rule in the Federal Register establishing non-numeric and, for the first time, numeric effluent limitation guidelines (ELGs). The numeric ELGs include turbidity limits and sampling requirements for stormwater discharges from construction sites. All sites that disturb 20 or more acres of land at one time are required to comply with a turbidity limit. The EPA is requiring Texas to implement these new requirements when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) next renews the Texas Construction General Permit (CGP). Three research institutes (Texas Transportation Institute, The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University) will collaborate on this project to cover the statewide differences in climate, soil types, slopes, and other factors that affect the performance of erosion control measures. KW - Cooperation KW - Drainage KW - Environmental impacts KW - Erosion control KW - Guidelines KW - Hydraulics KW - Hydrology KW - Texas KW - Turbidity UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/research/new-research/0-6638/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359445 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480747 TI - Improving Emergency Evacuation Preparedness: Policy and Organizational Implications for Transportation Agencies AB - When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the United States' Gulf Coast in 2005, the storms revealed woeful inadequacies in our nation's emergency preparedness and response capacities, particularly as to how we plan for and execute large-scale evacuations. Since then, all levels of government have striven to improve the ways in which the public sector manages the mass movement of people in the face of a major disaster. This project builds on previous work by Howitt and Giles, on changes select metropolitan areas have made to evacuation planning and implementation. It will extend this research by refining and presenting their findings into a book-length manuscript or a series of articles on preparing for and managing mass evacuations. Given the complications disasters can cause for traffic management and infrastructure, along with the pivotal role surface transportation plays in support of emergency evacuations, this study directly addresses the New England University Transportation Center's (NEUTC) theme of strategic management of disruptive change in transportation systems - with a specific focus on disruptive environments. KW - Disaster preparedness KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Emergency evacuations KW - Population movements KW - Strategic planning KW - Transportation departments UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249820 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480746 TI - Keeping Fit and Fit to Drive: An Experimental Intervention to Explore the Impact of Physical Exercise on Older Adults' Driving AB - As the population ages, there has been an increased focus on the importance of maintaining physical wellness. A healthier older population yields both individual and societal benefits, but one of the individual benefits of improved health and wellness among older adults is the positive impact this may have on mobility - specifically on an older adult's ability to continue to drive safely. Previous research (e.g., Marotolli et al.) has found that older adults who have had to stop driving experience increased levels of depression, and other work in driver rehabilitation has shown that individuals with specific physical problems may retain or regain safe driving through a program of physical therapy or other exercises. The researchers propose an experimental intervention to examine the impact of physical exercise on older adults' safe driving behaviors. The work will draw on a community-dwelling sample of older adults, some of whom will be asked to take part in physical exercise regularly as part of, for example, a Wii fitness exercise program. The research will provide insight into the effects of physical exercise on specific safe driving behaviors - their driving capacity or skills and abilities, as well as older adults' comfort and confidence while driving. Data from the study will be used to contribute to the work on older adults, driving and physical fitness, and to inform and educate members of the public about the role of physical exercise and wellness in maintaining their ability to continue to drive with safety, comfort and confidence. KW - Aged drivers KW - Driving ability KW - Fitness to drive KW - Physical exercise KW - Physical fitness KW - Safety programs UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249819 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480745 TI - Disruptive Technologies for Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Business Strategy Exploration AB - The researchers aim is to gather extensive data originated from new technologies and put them at the service of planning and increasing the efficiency of Transit Agencies in the greater Boston Area. Nowadays, Transportation agencies show a broad interest in understanding urban transportation systems in a holistic context, as transportation options cannot be studied in isolation or separately from the underlying patterns of human activities. Transit agencies are launching a number of initiatives in Boston to improve intermodal real-time passenger information and ticketing solutions. In this context, the researchers seek to develop basic concepts and quantitative tools that leverage a growing number of data sources and make use of a range of leading-edge modeling approaches to analyze and cluster different routines of travel from 1 million mobile phone users in the greater Boston area. KW - Boston Metropolitan Area KW - Intermodal terminals KW - Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority KW - Real time information KW - Technological innovations KW - Transportation departments UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249818 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480744 TI - Evaluating Driver Reactions to New Vehicle Technologies Intended to Increase Safety and Mobility across the Lifespan AB - Personal vehicle manufactures are introducing a wide range of new technologies that are intended to increase the safety, comfort and mobility of drivers of all ages. Examples range from semi-autonomous technologies such as adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts vehicle speed to maintain a safe headway distance from a lead vehicle to blind spot identification systems that provide operators with warning information on the presence of vehicles hidden from their field of view. While part of the challenge of developing and implementing such systems is technical, equally important considerations include the extent to which the general public is willing to trust the technologies appropriately and actually use the systems in ways that produce the intended benefits. This may be particularly the case for older drivers for whom many of these technologies represent significant challenges to their mental models of how to operate a vehicle and who may be less trusting of new technologies per se. This project will evaluate drivers' reactions to two technologies recently introduced into high-end production vehicles, a semi-autonomous system for parallel parking and a cross traffic alert system designed to warn drivers of encroaching vehicles when they are attempting to back out of parking spaces. Both technologies are being promoted by the manufacturer, in part, as systems intended to reduce driver stress. An important aspect of the evaluation methodology is the collection of objective physiological data on the stress levels associated with using the technologies, in addition to more traditional self-report ratings and evaluations. The research design includes a consideration of age and gender as demographic factors that may influence technology understanding and acceptance, recruiting a sample equally distributed across individuals in their 20s, 40s and 60s and equally balanced by gender. KW - Aged drivers KW - Driving KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - New vehicles KW - Private passenger vehicles KW - Technological innovations KW - Vehicle design KW - Vehicle safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249817 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480743 TI - Individual Differences in Peripheral Physiology and Implications for the Real-Time Assessment of Driver State (Phase 2) AB - Driving in the state of distraction due to interactions with visual manipulative devices, as well as more complex cognitive demands, is increasing at alarming rates. Recent observations suggest that the current legislative effort aimed at text messaging is not having a strong enough impact. Methods for the real time detection of a driver's state prior to overt changes in driving performance may play an important role in future distraction and workload mitigation systems. In this work, the researchers propose to focus on the development of algorithms, based in part upon the use of physiological measures and visual attention, to classify periods were a driver is operating under high levels of cognitive workload. This work should provide advances in recursive and learning algorithms that can quantify driver state, as well as more advanced machine learning approaches. The researchers aim to devote some effort into studying the influence of window overlap and window width on the detection of short and long duration demands. In summary, this project will develop new insights into the use of physiological indices and visual attention as components of an algorithm to detect driver cognitive distraction. Results are expected to provide significant insight regarding the feasibility of implementing real-time driver state detection systems. KW - Algorithms KW - Distracted drivers KW - Distraction KW - Driving KW - Manipulating devices KW - Physiological aspects KW - Text messaging KW - Visual attention UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249816 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480741 TI - Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Alternative Approaches to High Speed Passenger Rail Development AB - High-speed rail (HSR) is a disruptive, paradigm-changing technology. It has the potential to transform travel habits, reduce emissions, reshape cities, and revitalize regional economies. However, these potential benefits are balanced by a range of costs, including the financial costs of upgraded infrastructure and vehicles, new types of environmental impacts, potential for suboptimal redistribution of economic activity, and conflict with freight rail providers. Given the recent interest in HSR among decision-makers at the United States federal and state levels of government, practitioners and academic researchers are engaged in studying potential impacts in order to emphasize the positive outcomes and mitigate the negative ones. This project will address one of the biggest obstacles facing high-speed passenger rail: sharing right-of-way with freight rail operators, who own the vast majority of the existing rail infrastructure in the U.S. Specifically, the researchers will develop and examine alternative approaches to deploying high-speed passenger services in shared corridors, including: making incremental improvements to existing freight railroads, building new passenger railroads in freight rights-of-way, and building entirely new systems in new rights-of-way for exclusive use by passenger trains. First, they will develop a framework for evaluation and implement it, using hypothetical corridors and synthetic data. Next, the researchers will collect data from domestic and international sources, in an effort to characterize the full range of costs and benefits. Finally, they will implement the framework for several U.S. corridors and test its performance against traditional alternatives analysis techniques. The researchers have assembled a broad team of international collaborators from related projects at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and elsewhere to provide input and critical feedback based on their experiences planning and deploying HSR systems, with the objective of producing research products that will inform the effective deployment of HSR in the U.S. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - High speed rail KW - Passenger rail KW - United States UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249814 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480740 TI - Environmental and Economic Impacts of Alternative Transportation Technologies AB - This project focuses on comparing alternative transportation technologies, in terms of their environmental and economic impacts. The research is both data-driven and quantitative, and examines the dynamics of impact. These dynamics are affected by technological innovation and a changing operating context for technologies. The researchers are developing a model for examining the performance trade-offs for various supply-side technologies - between cost, carbon intensity, water intensity, and land-use intensity. Disruptive technologies on the supply-side will create new operating contexts, which will affect demand-side characteristics such as distance traveled and vehicle weight. The researchers will therefore study in detail the relationship between supply performance metrics and demand-side characteristics.. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Economic analysis KW - Economic impacts KW - Environmental impacts KW - Technological innovations KW - Transportation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249813 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480739 TI - Sensing the Baby Boomers: Tracking Older Adults' Travel Behavior Using Android-Based Smartphones AB - The researchers' primary aim is to test collection of high-resolution GPS-enhanced behavioral data, gained by monitoring urban baby boomers via smartphones. They will recruit participants through a currently administered mail-back survey of leading edge baby boomers (55-65 year olds) who reside in Boston's urban neighborhoods. Smartphones will then be deployed to detect participants' travel and activity behavior. Collected data will be post-processed to identify environmental and transportation-related information. Despite burgeoning research using smartphone data, no smartphone-based methods have been used to research travel behavior of this specific age cohort. In this proposed next phase of an ongoing research project examining the travel and residential preferences of baby boomers, the researchers will further advance their knowledge of the relationship between the built environment and travel behavior of older adults and implications for active and healthy aging. In addition, they will advance the use of smartphone devices for activity data-collection, by evaluating the validity and reliability of smartphones as a data collection tool that can be harnessed to understand activity and travel patterns in detail. KW - Activity choices KW - Aged drivers KW - Automatic data collection systems KW - Baby boomer generation KW - Smartphones KW - Travel behavior UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249812 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480738 TI - Assessing the Health Impacts of Community and Street Design AB - The primary hypothesis of this research is that community design factors - specifically, street network characteristics and street design features - are associated with physical activity and health disparities. To test this hypothesis, the researchers will assemble existing health-related datasets from a number of sources, including the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), and link them to their own unique geographic information system (GIS) database of community design, transportation network, and built environment measures for 24 medium-sized California cities. These cities include some of the highest rates of walking and biking to work in the country, as well as some with the lowest. The researchers will supplement these data sources with their own travel and health survey of recent in-movers, in order to better account for issues of self-selection. Spatial analyses in GIS will be conducted in addition to multilevel hierarchical random effect statistical models at the Census block group level of geography. Few health-outcome related community design studies have been conducted at this level of disaggregation, and none has been based on so thorough a characterization of street network and street design features. The resulting database will allow the researchers to quantify direct impacts of the built environment, in terms of outcomes such as the amount of physical activity in the daily routine of a population. The researchers will also investigate and characterize the relationship between built environment factors and health outcomes such as respiratory health, cardiovascular diseases, heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. KW - Built environment KW - California KW - Cities KW - City planning KW - Geographic information systems KW - Health KW - Relational databases KW - Street design UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249811 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480737 TI - Temporal Modeling of Highway Crash Severity by Involved Person Age AB - This project will use leading edge statistical methods to uncover temporal patterns in the severity level (fatal, serious injury, minor injury, slight injury and no injury) for persons involved in highway crashes in Connecticut. Existing State data sources will provide data describing the time and weather conditions for each crash and the vehicles and persons involved over the time period from 1995 to 2008 as well as the traffic volumes and the characteristics of the roads on which these crashes occurred. Controlling for characteristics known to be related to severity, e.g., age, gender, alcohol use, vehicle type, collision type, land use setting (surrogate for prevailing speeds), and road characteristics, temporal analysis and modeling will be used to identify changes in the involvement of elderly drivers (65 years and over) in crashes and the severity level of the crashes in which they are involved. The expected outcomes of the project will be both a robust prediction model for the likelihood of an individual to have a specific severity outcome if he/she is involved in a highway crash, as well as to identify trends in the crash outcomes for senior motor vehicle travelers that point to significant impacts on public health and safety as the elderly become a larger portion of the population. KW - Aged drivers KW - Connecticut KW - Crash characteristics KW - Crash prediction models KW - Crash severity KW - Highway safety KW - Traffic volume UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249810 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480736 TI - Hypernetwork Generation for Multi-modal Transportation System Modeling AB - Transportation systems today must be designed to consider sustainability and livability alongside mobility and safety. Multi-modal integration of the transportation system is a crucial component of meeting the national grand challenge of creating a resilient and sustainable transportation infrastructure. Current models and methods of addressing transportation network design problems tend to be unimodal in scope and therefore limited with respect to addressing these grand challenges. The design, construction and maintenance of the transportation system is a $78 billion/year effort, not including private investments. The results of this investment are increasingly being measured against integrated multi-modal goals though the systems themselves are typically planned in a disconnected process. This proposal challenges this traditional notion of transportation network design - by laying the groundwork for developing comprehensive, multi-modal models of transportation network design. This research addresses the problem of planning multi-modal transportation network infrastructure where network representation is not limited to the physical components, but is expanded to include traveling strategies through the use of hypernetworks. It synthesizes a variety of fields of knowledge regarding robust network design and travel behavior. If we hope to meet the grand challenge of a resilient and sustainable infrastructure, such tools must be developed and brought to bear. This work seeks to develop algorithms for the efficient generation of hypernetworks for transportation applications, and to test these hypernetworks as structural components of a multi-modal equilibrium assignment routine for network modeling. KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Network design KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Traffic assignment KW - Transportation networks KW - Travel behavior UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249809 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480735 TI - Trajectory-Adaptive Route Choice Models: Specification, Choice Set Generation, and Estimation AB - The objective of the research is to investigate adaptive route choice behavior using individual-level route choice data from Global Positioning System (GPS) observations in a real-life network, where a traveler could revise the route choice based upon trajectory information, defined as experienced travel times along the traversed road segments. Traffic networks are inherently uncertain with random disruptions such as incidents and bad weather, and real-time information on realized traffic conditions could potentially help reduce the uncertainty and thus travelers could adjust route choices accordingly. Previous studies have shown that an adaptive route choice model can be estimated in hypothetical, simplified networks with stated preferences (SP) data, and this research aims to investigate whether such a model can be estimated and explain adaptive route choice behavior under trajectory information using revealed preferences (RP) data. The major tasks are to specify a random utility model for adaptive route choice in a general network, design and implement computer algorithms to generate the choice set where the alternatives are trajectory-adaptive routing strategies, and estimate the model against GPS data using existing estimation software. The research will contribute to the state of the art by estimating the first adaptive route choice model using RP data and providing computer algorithms for adaptive route generation with realistic information access assumptions. KW - Global Positioning System KW - Real time information KW - Revealed preferences KW - Route choice KW - Stated preferences KW - Travel time UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249808 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480734 TI - All-Wheel Drive and Winter-Weather Safety AB - It is frequently stated that people living in northern states, the so called Snowbelt, benefit with respect to safety from driving all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicles as opposed to front or rear-wheel drive only. The objective of this project is to study if that is true, through 'objective' crash analysis. Undoubtedly, four-wheel and all-wheel drive give better mobility; however, vehicles stop no quicker because of all-wheel drive, and drivers may feel more confident in all-wheel drive vehicles, leading to higher speeds. The net result could be that winter driving with all-wheel drive leads to more crashes, or to more serious injuries. There is a definite lack of objective studies on this. The purpose of this project is to study winter-weather versus summer-weather safety (dry and wet roads separately) of vehicles by make and model; dependent on if they are two-wheel or four-wheel drive. The safety will be analyzed separately with respect to curves and straight segments. The influence of driver age will also be looked at. Furthermore, the project will also study exposure at a number of locations in Maine, urban as well as rural. The project will record the frequency of different vehicle types in different weather by studying makes and models with 'known' drivetrain types. Access to 'all' crashes from the last 20 years in Maine will allow the use of statistical modeling to analyze relationships. KW - All wheel drive KW - Crash causes KW - Crash rates KW - Maine KW - Speed KW - Winter UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249807 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480733 TI - Encouraging Alternative Transportation Behavior among Baby Boomers via Simulations AB - This project uses computer simulations and probabilistic modeling to estimate behavioral changes in encouraging alternative transportations among baby boomer staff and faculty in university campuses. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM), which is the conceptual basis for this project, has been recognized as one of the world's leading approaches to changing behaviors. In a companion proposal to the New England University Transportation Center (NEUTC), collaborators at the University of Rhode Island (URI) (including J.O. Prochaska, the principal founder of the TTM model) propose to develop TTM measures and interventions to encourage use of alternative transportation options at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and URI. This UNH proposal provides an innovative analysis method of behavior changes through probabilistic modeling and computer simulations. Assessments of participants will first be conducted using TTM measures. Then through simulations, the principal investigators (PIs) will evaluate the effectiveness of the TTM model on encouraging alternative transportation before seeking funding for a large randomized field trial. The simulations will also provide an estimated impact level in reduced travel miles by commuters. A pilot intervention study will help verify results and adjust simulations to fit empirical observations. The pilot intervention will lead to greater acceptance of alternative transportation and a reduction of vehicle miles traveled by commuters. KW - Baby boomer generation KW - Campuses KW - Commuters KW - Probabilistic modeling KW - Simulation KW - Transtheoretical Model of behavior change KW - Vehicle miles traveled UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249806 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480732 TI - Encouraging Alternative Transportation Behavior among Baby Boomers AB - The heavy reliance on single occupant vehicles(SOV) used by commuters is one of the most preventable contributors to the carbon footprint of campuses and communities. Besides technical innovations, behavior change is pivotal to reducing SOV travel. This proposal addresses the New England University Transportation Center (NEUTC) theme of strategic management of disruptive change in transportation systems. It is designed to apply the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) to baby boomer populations to improve transportation choices and help the environment. Given the tremendous success of TTM in other areas of behavior change this team is in a unique position to develop an innovative project, which can serve as a model for sustainable transportation for campuses and communities nationwide. The first phase of the project will be dedicated to the development of reliable and valid sustainable transportation measures for each of the constructs of the Transtheoretical Model. Phase two includes an assessment of the target demographics, their travel patterns and communication modes. The third phase will be the pilot implementation of targeted interventions. Social media applications will include expert matching for carpooling and social support for participants progressing on their environmental behavior changes. The proposed work--in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire (UNHR23; Tat Fu, PI)---is expected to have a significant impact on travel behavior and serve as the basis for extensive future funding proposals. KW - Baby boomer generation KW - Carbon footprint KW - Carpools KW - Single occupant vehicles KW - Transtheoretical Model of behavior change KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel patterns UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249805 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480731 TI - Accessibility and Independent Mobility in Rural Built Environments: Challenges and Opportunities for Young People AB - The accessibility and independent mobility of youth living in rural built environments are not well understood. The researchers propose to help fill this gap in the literature with exploratory research on two types of rural settlement patterns in Vermont: "rural sprawl" and "smart growth communities." The research approach includes examining objective measures of accessibility and mobility and participatory research with youth participants. The researchers will use grounded visualization, an integrated quantitative and qualitative analysis technique, to combine data produced by different methodologies. This involves displaying spatial data in a variety of ways to reveal patterns, using statistical analysis to reveal correlations, and complementing the findings with explanations provided by real people, the "experts," living in the specific environments. The research results will help build theories and come to conclusions about enabling factors and barriers for rural youth accessibility and independent mobility. KW - Accessibility KW - Built environment KW - Mobility KW - Rural areas KW - Vermont KW - Young adults UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249804 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467315 TI - Introducing Transportation-Related Careers to Minority High School Students in Massachusetts Underserved Communities AB - The Robert R. Taylor Network (RRTN) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will pilot a program on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and transportation-related careers to minority high school students from underserved communities from the Brockton, MA area. The program will be based at the MIT and executed during the Summer, Fall, and Winter of 2011. The objective of the program is to develop the interests of the aforementioned students in STEM and to look at careers in transportation as economically viable. RRTN proposes an introductory workshop and site visits for at least 15 students on "The Business of Transportation", culminating in attendance at the 26th Annual Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) Conference in Philadelphia, PA in February 2012. Students will be recruited from Brockton High School and or the South East Vocational Technical High School as well as students in the New York City area by way of the Center for Quality Urban Education's (CQUE) High Performance Learning (HPL) Institute. Over the course of the program the students will be introduced to the following 4 topics in transportation via site visits with practicing professionals: Land, Sea, Air, and Safety in association with MA Department of Transportation and BEYA corporate and government sponsors. They will begin by discussing the business of transportation as it pertains to each area from professionals in the field. There will be site visits to transportation workplaces where the students will be able to interact and observe real world transportation operations and professionals. Where possible, there will be MIT faculty research presentations in transportation. The students will also conduct and present research on the history of minority contribution to the transportation industry, such as the work of Garrett Morgan, Wesley Harris, Meredith Gourdine and James H. Williams. KW - Boston (Massachusetts) KW - High school students KW - Minorities KW - Transportation KW - Transportation careers KW - Transportation professionals UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235551 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461701 TI - Web-Based Screening Tool for Shared-Use Rail Corridors AB - As the United States emerges from the current recession, the country will once again face increased congestion on its highways and capacity constraints on its national rail system. In response to increased public demand for energy efficient transportation alternatives, Congress enacted the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (Act). Subpart j of the Act directs the administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to develop partnerships between the freight and passenger railroad industries and to provide assistance in assessing railroad operations, capacity, and capital requirements on shared-use corridors where publicly funded passenger rail trains are operated over privately owned freight rail lines. Nearly all Amtrak service operates over privately owned freight rail lines as will most of the new and enhanced intercity and commuter rail service now under consideration. In fact, the shared-use corridor concept is critical to the further development of all forms of passenger rail service. Historically, the federal government has provided capital and operating grants to ensure intercity and commuter rail service. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 authorized $9.3 billion to the FRA for high-speed rail corridors and intercity passenger rail service. Several states have well-established rail passenger programs through which capital and operating funds are provided for all forms of passenger rail services. Other states and regional authorities are beginning to implement passenger rail service plans and projects. Given the limited resources available for such projects, it is important that public agencies have a screening tool that will identify rail passenger projects that warrant further detailed investigation utilizing more rigorous analytic tools. The objective of this research is to develop a web-based tool to enable states and passenger rail operators to perform preliminary feasibility screening of proposed shared-use passenger and freight rail corridor projects. The goal of the tool is to assist in preliminary analysis as defined in the FRA publication, Rail Corridor Transportation Plans, A Guidance Manual (http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/rrdev/corridor_planning.pdf). The tool is not intended to support either capital budgeting or facility design beyond the schematic/conceptual level. KW - Cost estimating KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight trains KW - Railroad commuter service KW - Railroad tracks KW - Railroad transportation KW - Shared facilities KW - Shared tracks KW - Simulation KW - Software UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2918 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229921 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461325 TI - The Impact of Disruptions along the I-95 Corridor on Congestion and Air Quality - Phase 2 AB - The resilience of a corridor can be defined as its ability to maintain its full functionality during an incident. While transportation corridors may be viewed as highly resilient due to the number of alternative paths that generally exist, the principal path and the alternatives may not have similar capacity. This research will evaluate resilience of the Interstate I-95 corridor in Delaware and the impact of disruptions on congestion and air quality. This work will build upon prior work that evaluated complete closures of specific sections of I-95. This work will look at partial closures where some lanes remain open and closures at interchanges where freeway and arterial lanes are blocked. KW - Air quality management KW - Delaware KW - Highway capacity KW - Incident detection KW - Incident management KW - Interstate 95 KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic disruption KW - Traffic incidents UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229544 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461324 TI - The Implications of Climate Change on Pavement Performance and Design AB - Current highways are designed based on typical historic climatic patterns, reflecting local climate and incorporating assumptions about a reasonable range of temperatures and precipitation levels. Given anticipated climate changes and the inherent uncertainty associated with such changes, a pavement could be subjected to very different climatic conditions over the design life and might be inadequate to withstand future climate forces that impose stresses beyond environmental factors currently considered in the design process. Our objective of this research is to explore the impacts of potential climate change and its uncertainty on pavement performance deterioration and therefore pavement design, which includes the following subobjectives: 1. Catalog climatic factors that affect pavement performance. 2. Review of pavement design practices and engineering models used to assess and predict pavement performance and deteriorations revealed to climate change. 3. Explore uncertainties of climate change and understanding how the frequency, severity and duration of these conditions change. 4.Simulate pavement performance deterioration over time for a selection of sites with various traffic levels, environmental factors and pavement structures. 5. Perform analysis to assess the statistical significance of climate change pavement performance. 6. Conduct risk analysis to assess the statistical significance of climate change pavement performance. 7. Develop guidance on when and how to integrate climate change into pavement design as an adaption strategy. Expected products include a literature review, documentation of the climate change uncertainties, simulation of pavement deterioration over time, statistical analysis and risk analysis of the results, outline of guidelines and next steps, and a final report. KW - Climate change KW - Condition surveys KW - Deterioration KW - Guidelines KW - Maintenance KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement performance KW - Temperature UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229543 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461322 TI - Investigation of Load-Path Redundancy in Aging Steel Bridges AB - A key factor affecting the resiliency of transportation infrastructure is aging. Furthermore, the current age of the nation's transportation infrastructure relative to the financial resources available for infrastructure investments causes aging to be one of the biggest challenges facing civil engineers in the coming years. The objective of this work is to better quantify the actual capacity of aging steel bridges. This is accomplished through investigating load-path redundancy, which is a source of reserve capacity in bridges that is not currently accounted for in bridge design or rating, as a function of the condition of the concrete bridge deck. Specifically, finite element analysis of hypothetical bridges with various levels of deck deterioration will be preformed. The sensitivity of these results to other geometric parameters of bridges will also be investigated. The research will be limited to analysis of steel I-girder bridges, which are one of the most common bridge configurations in the local region and nationwide, so that the project may be completed within a relatively short time frame. The project will result in information that will allow the aging structures that are in greatest need of rehabilitation or replacement to be better identified. KW - Aging infrastructure KW - Bearing capacity KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge design KW - Bridge maintenance KW - Civil engineering KW - Infrastructure KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Steel bridges KW - Structural analysis UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229541 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461321 TI - Resilient Cartography: Interactive Online Mapping as a Method for Understanding the Dynamics of the Corridor Transportation System AB - While transportation planners and civil engineers rely on cartographic representations of transportation infrastructure in the conduct of their work, maps are an underestimated method for providing policy-makers and the public with a better understanding of the relationships that exist among different modes of transportation at the regional and local levels. While traditional cartographic approaches provide adequate descriptions of many aspects of corridor spatiality, they fail to capture and clearly illustrate many other aspects of corridor resiliency, including travel-time and route-redundancy. This project proposes to create two maps for use by corridor users, transportation policy-makers and regional transportation researchers. The purpose of the central map in this project is to reinforce and demonstrate the idea that travel-times between key nodes within the corridor network is highly contingent on transportation mode and spatial location. Additionally, this map will allow University of Delaware- University of Transportation UD-UTC to demonstrate to the public and policy makers a novel presentation and research method related to corridor resiliency- one that provides a clear illustration of the rapidity and redundancy properties of regional resiliency as developed by Bruneau et al. KW - Cartography KW - Civil engineering KW - Computer online services KW - Digital mapping KW - Mapping KW - Policy making KW - Transportation corridors UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229540 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01363164 AU - Jackson, David AU - Cotton, Ben AU - Lopez-Bernal, Gabriel AU - Clark, Michael AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Department of the Interior TI - Sandy Hook Traveler Information System PY - 2010/09/01/Final Report SP - 74p AB - This report focuses on equipment and procedural solutions for gathering and disseminating a wide range of visitor information, including real-time traveler information data relating to traffic and parking at the Sandy Hook Unit of the Gateway Recreation Area. Based on an evaluation of the existing traveler information system (TIS) efforts, park geography, regional partner agencies, and other data and information opportunities available, this report describes the TIS concept recommended for Sandy Hook. A conceptual framework for a text-based communication platform is presented as a short-term, tangible solution for TIS communication. KW - Data management systems KW - Parking KW - Real time information KW - Sandy Hook (New Jersey) KW - Traffic KW - Traveler information and communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43500/43518/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-11-21.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1131864 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01544573 AU - Kawamura, Kazuya AU - Wittwer, Ernie AU - Varda, John AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Making Truck-Rail Intermodal More Competetive PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 28p AB - Truck-rail intermodal freight is a technique that can gain much of the benefit of truck service and rail efficiency. Despite the attraction of the mode choice and its benefit in reducing emissions and highway congestion, the mode typically is used only over long distances. While a number of environmental factors, such as the price of fuel and labor, are combining to make intermodal more attractive, the question remains as to what measures public policymakers might employee to speed the adoption of intermodal. To gain insight into this question, professionals from the logistics industries were interviewed. KW - Costs KW - Freight transportation KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Policy KW - Quality of service KW - Railroad transportation KW - Trucking UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0228.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1330893 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01516441 AU - Redington, Mike AU - Rutyna, Eve AU - Grace, Nathan AU - Shanahan, Felicity AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - MacroSys Research and Technology AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Drug and Alcohol Testing Results 2008 Annual Report PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 76p AB - This is the 14th annual report of the results of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Drug and Alcohol Testing Program. This report summarizes the reporting requirements for calendar year 2008, the requirements of the overall drug and alcohol testing program (49 CFR Part 40 and 49 CFR Part 655), the results from the data reported for 2008, and the random drug and alcohol violation rates (the percentage of persons selected for a random test who produced a positive specimen or refused to take the test) for calendar years 1995 through 2008. This report provides a brief overview of the drug and alcohol testing requirements for both safety-sensitive employers and employees. The official random rates for 2008 are provided, as well as the official random rate trends over the last 14 years. The results of alcohol and drug tests are provided by test type, employee category, and region. The positive testing rates for drugs and alcohol are also provided for each test type, employee category, and region. KW - Alcohol tests KW - Drug tests KW - Employees KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - U.S. Federal Transit Administration UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/50000/50100/50133/damis08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1290276 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01495194 AU - National Park Service AU - Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Incorporated AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Cape Lookout National Seashore: Passenger Ferry Transportation Feasibility Study PY - 2010/09 SP - 153p AB - The Cape Lookout National Seashore Passenger Ferry Transportation Study is a technical study documenting the capital investment and operational considerations associated with consolidation of passenger ferry service from Harkers Island and the Morehead City/Beaufort area to the national seashore’s outer banks. The study purpose is based on the following needs: (1) Determine how best to implement the recommendations of the Cape Lookout National Seashore Commercial Services Plan (CSP) which includes securing the longterm availability of a mainland departure facility for visitor access to the park by consolidating ferry service from Harkers Island and Morehead City/Beaufort to the national seashore through a gateway site. (2) Provide the technical background and guidance for determining the financial feasibility of a potential concessionaire agreement for consolidated ferry service from these locations. (3) Provide background in conducting a Value Analysis (VA) and an Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzing any environmental impacts of the proposal for consolidated ferry service from Morehead City or Beaufort. (4) Develop study document to allow for the compliance and procurement process to proceed towards potential implementation of new consolidated ferry service as early as Spring 2012. For the Morehead City/Beaufort area, the study analyzes eight different departure sites for the primary purpose of providing ferry service to Shackleford Banks. The anticipated result is to identify a site and local partner agency to facilitate a joint agreement on implementation of the ferry service along with the associated programmatic requirements (ie parking, docks, visitor contact, ticketing, etc.). KW - Beaufort (North Carolina) KW - Environmental impact analysis KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Ferry service KW - Financing KW - Harkers Island KW - Moorehead City (North Carolina) KW - Passenger transportation KW - Value engineering UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48100/48185/Cape_Lookout_Ferry_Passenger_Study.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263003 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472584 AU - Dong, Yangtao AU - Song, Ruiquiang AU - Liu, Helen AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Bridges Structural Health Monitoring and Deterioration Detection Synthesis of Knowledge and Technology PY - 2010/09 SP - 167p AB - Many United States bridges were built during the 1960s. Evaluating the structural condition of these bridges under today’s traffic loads and safety expectations is difficult. This project is developing a practical program for structural health monitoring of Alaska’s bridges. Researchers are conducting a literature review to summarize the current knowledge available in structural health monitoring (SHM) technology, surveying Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities staff to determine which technologies are currently in use, and making recommendations on what techniques should be pursued to implement a successful SHM suitable for cold regions. KW - Alaska KW - Bridge management systems KW - Bridges KW - Cold weather KW - Deterioration KW - Literature reviews KW - State of the practice KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/08/Final_Report_3090361.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46200/46233/Final_Report_309036.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1239144 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01470840 AU - Toniolo, Horacio AU - Duvoy, Paul AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Study to Compare the Performance of Two Designs to Prevent River Bend Erosion in Arctic Environments PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 201p AB - Messing with Mother Nature takes knowledge and work, and she is hard to outfox, especially when it comes to redirecting rivers. To protect infrastructure, however, sometimes river flow must be altered. This study focuses on two erosion-control projects built in Alaska using different design criteria. One was constructed by Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) at the Sagavanirktok River to protect the Dalton Highway; the other was built by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company at Hess Creek to protect the trans-Alaska pipeline. Though bank erosion along river bends is a natural process, lateral erosion, which causes streams to shift laterally, can expose infrastructure to serious risk. To avoid damaging or destroying the transportation system, researchers and engineers have developed several types of strategies to prevent streambank erosion, including watercourse realignment, that is, moving water away from the bank. Project researchers gathered hydraulic data, including continuous velocity measurements, at selected points in both streams. The project took an unexpected turn when the research team decided to include a hydraulic numerical model. This model is capable of simulating different flow conditions, calculates shear stress, velocity and Froude number, among other hydraulic parameters. Different scenarios were simulated by the model, showing how the river might behave under different flow conditions at different seasons . KW - Alaska KW - Banks (Waterways) KW - Erosion control KW - Frigid regions KW - Hydraulic models KW - Hydraulics KW - Protection against environmental damage KW - Realignment KW - Rivers KW - Scour KW - Streamflow KW - Velocity measurement UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/09/Final_Report_309009.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46800/46802/Final_Report_309009.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1238503 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01450871 AU - Dong, Yongtao AU - Song, Ruiqiang AU - Liu, Helen (He) AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Bridges Structural Health Monitoring and Deterioration Detection - Synthesis of Knowledge and Technology PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 182p AB - The objectives of this report are to synthesis the current knowledge and technologies available for health monitoring of civil infrastructures, and to simplify the process of selecting structural health monitoring (SHM) systems for applications to bridge structures. This report focuses on (a) the state-of-the-art of SHM systems and their capabilities and (b) companies that offer particular systems and services, special attention is paid on the potentials of these systems being implemented to bridges in cold, remote regions of Alaska. KW - Alaska KW - Bridges KW - Cold weather KW - Detection and identification KW - Deterioration KW - Rural areas KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46100/46191/Y.Dong-Final-Report-309036.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218221 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01450869 AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Bodke, Sujay AU - Dara, Brian AU - Lynch, James AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Safety Evaluation of SCATS Control System PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Since 1992, traffic signals in Oakland County and a portion of Macomb and Wayne Counties of Michigan have been converted to the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS). When compared to pre-timed signals, installation and maintenance cost of SCATS is almost two times greater. Therefore, there is a need to determine the added related benefits of SCATS. In this context, determination of crash benefit of SCATS can play a significant role. If congestion and crash related benefits are combined, then it is most likely the combined benefits will outweigh the cost. Crash data from 1999 to 2008 of two corridors, one controlled by SCATS and the other by the pre-timed signal system were examined to determine the effectiveness of SCATS. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of SCATS, intersections as well as segment crash data before and after the installation of SCATS signals were compared. In addition, a series of statistical tests were performed to compare safety performance of SCATS and pre-timed signal systems. It was observed that there was shift in severity types A and B to C, which is noteworthy. However, statistical tests were not able to identify any difference of significance at 95 percent confidence level. Finally, cost related information for both SCATS as well as pre-timed was also computed and compared. KW - Adaptive traffic systems KW - Before and after studies KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Crashes KW - Michigan KW - Pretimed traffic signal controllers KW - SCATS (Computer program) KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic safety KW - Traffic signal control systems UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-22/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS22p1-2_2010-Final_Rpt_Safety_Evaluation_of_SCATS_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218124 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01450867 AU - Tidwell, Amy AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on Flood Frequency Analysis for Transportation Design PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 38p AB - Planning for construction of roads and bridges over rivers or floodplains includes a hydrologic analysis of rainfall amount and intensity for a defined period. Infrastructure design must be based on accurate rainfall estimates: how much (intensity), how long (duration), and how often (frequency or probability). University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are updating this important design tool with support from Alaska University Transportation Center and Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. Measuring precipitation in an environment like Alaska’s is difficult. Challenges include poor gauge performance in windy environments, especially for solid precipitation (such as snow, sleet, and hail); and accessing and working in remote, sparsely populated, rough, and complex terrain. Another issue is the sparseness and distribution of the gauge stations. For example, the area north of the Brooks Range, known as the Arctic Slope of Alaska, is one of the least-understood climatic regions of the country. This region, with an area of over 230,000 square kilometers, has only a handful of long-term precipitation gauges, and many of the existing gauges are unattended. The quality of reported precipitation data varies due to gauge location, type, and whether or not a rain or snow gauge shield is present. KW - Alaska KW - Climate KW - Climate change KW - Design criteria KW - Flood frequency analysis KW - Floods KW - Hydrologic analyses KW - Hydrology KW - Measuring instruments KW - Precipitation (Meteorology) KW - Rainfall UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2012/09/207120-A.Tidwell-FINAL-Report-9.13.10-ineautc1102.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46100/46189/207120-A.Tidwell-FINAL-Report-9.13.10-ineautc1102.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218199 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449582 AU - Wies, Richard AU - Ellingson, Dalton AU - Elbert, Michael AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - LED Street Lights in Alaska PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 119p AB - This report documents results of testing light-emitting diode (LED) and high pressure sodium (HPS) street lights to determine if they meet AASHTO standards for illumination of roadways. Two power levels of LED, Everlight LED, and traditional HPS street lights were tested and compared to AASHTO roadway illuminance specifications. Each light was tested for road level illuminance, power consumption, and light spectrum at all possible settings with a 120 volt supply. A grid 40 feet along the roadway by 30 feet (20 feet across the roadway and 10 feet beside the roadway) was used for the illuminance testing. The light was mounted at a 10 foot height with the center of light located on one end of the 40 foot dimension and 20 feet from one side of the 30 foot dimension. Measurement points were set up at 2 foot intervals on radial lines from the center of light spaced 15 degrees apart. The results showed that LED street lights provide predominantly blue spectrum light with less than half the illuminance of HPS street lights, but at 20% to 75% of the power consumption. These findings suggest that LED street lights need improvement in illuminance and quality before these lights are recommended for use on Alaskan roadways. KW - Alaska KW - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials KW - Energy consumption KW - Feasibility analysis KW - High pressure sodium lighting KW - Illuminance KW - Light emitting diodes KW - Street lighting UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/07/RR10.1-Final_Report_AUTC_LED-_Wies-9-24-2010.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46100/46146/207099-Final_Report_AUTC_LED-_Wies-9-24-2010.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46200/46235/RR10.1-Final_Report_AUTC_LED-_Wies-9-24-2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1217177 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01363334 AU - Khasnabis, Snehamay AU - McElmurry, Shawn P AU - Elibe, Elibe A AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Tenazas, Eric AU - Wayne State University AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Incorporating Environmental Sustainability into Transit-Oriented Development on Detroit Light Rail Transit System PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 77p AB - The term 'sustainability' is being used increasingly in policy debates about future transportation, and evokes strong reactions among policy-makers, users, and experts. In a broad sense, sustainability implies the ‘capacity to endure over an extended period’, and has become a wide ranging concept applied to nearly every facet of life. Sustainable development implies conscientious use of resources to meet human needs, present and future, while ensuring the preservation of the natural environment. The topic of discussion in this report is the degree to which sustainability can be incorporated into certain types of development, namely transit-oriented development (TOD) at, or in proximity to, light-rail transit (LRT) stations. A set of goals, primarily from the existing literature for sustainable transportation is presented, and an effort is made by the project team to demonstrate how a majority of these goals can be achieved by proper planning of LRT systems. The project team contends that TOD can be used as a vehicle to attain sustainable LRT stations. When factors such as air quality and the depletion of natural resources are considered, LRT is thought to be superior to standard bus or bus-rapid transit (BRT) services. However, LRT systems are considered more capitally-intensive than BRT systems, a factor that would require a minimum population threshold value. The project team contends that environmental considerations should receive greater priority in the decision-making process for transportation projects. While the concept of environmental impact is based upon the minimization of adverse impacts, a stronger emphasis on sustainability can be realized by maximizing environmental performance. The purpose of this study was to incorporate environmental sustainability into TOD packages that have been developed for two proposed rail-transit stations in the metropolitan Detroit area: one located in the city of Detroit and one located near the border shared by the suburban cities of Troy and Birmingham. Environmentally sustainable design considerations are proposed for each of the TOD sites and planning, economic, and institutional mechanisms that may ease the implementation process are identified. KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Environmental impacts KW - Light rail transit KW - Rail transit stations KW - Sustainable development KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Transit oriented development UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-23-p2/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS23_Proj2_2011-Final_Rpt_Incorporating_Environmental_Sustainability_into_TOD_Detroit_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1131901 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357953 AU - Sayer, James R AU - Funkhouser, Dillon S AU - Bao, Shan AU - Bogard, Scott E AU - LeBlanc, David J AU - Blankespoor, Adam D AU - Buonarosa, Mary Lynn AU - Winkler, Christopher B AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Heavy-Truck Field Operational Test Methodology and Results Report PY - 2010/09 SP - 243p AB - This document presents the methodology and results from the heavy-truck field operational test conducted as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effect of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driving behavior and driver acceptance. The heavy-truck platform included three integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings) installed on a fleet of 10 Class 8 tractors and operated by18 commercial drivers for 10 months. Each truck was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through a post-drive survey and debriefings. The results indicate that integrated crash warning systems not only offer benefits relative to improved driver performance (e.g., improved headway keeping), but that the majority of commercial drivers accepted the system and reported subjective benefits from the integrated system they used. Of the drivers who participated, 15 out of 18 stated that they preferred a truck with the integrated system, stating that they would also recommend that their company consider the purchase of vehicles with integrated safety systems installed. No negative behavioral adaptation effects from the drivers‘ 10-month use of the integrated system were observed. KW - Acceptance KW - Behavior KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Data collection KW - Demonstration projects KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Integrated vehicle-based safety systems KW - Lane changing KW - Lateral drift KW - Rear end crashes KW - Test procedures KW - Truck drivers KW - Trucking safety KW - Warning systems UR - http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/84380 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122812 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357443 AU - Lynch, James AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Salari, Ezzatollah AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - University of Toledo AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Informatics: Advanced Image Processing Techniques for Automated Pavement Distress Evaluation PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 23p AB - Pavement condition assessment is a critical part of infrastructure management. Methods to reduce the time required to collect and analyze the data or to reduce the subjectivity in the interpretation of the data could be beneficial to parties responsible for the management of pavement structures. Two methods have been proposed, each of which addresses one of the limitations of the existing methods of pavement condition assessment. The first method is the development of a computerized interface and database for pavement condition assessment from digital photographs. The intent of using digital photographs rather than a windshield survey for data collection is to allow easier identification of conditions and re-evaluation in the event of discrepancies among results obtained by individual inspectors. The second method is to apply image processing techniques to the pavement condition assessment process from digital photographs. The intent of using digital photographs and image processing techniques is to automate the pavement condition assessment process, thereby removing the subjective nature of manual assessment. The researchers at the University of Detroit Mercy developed a computer interface which allows the user to review digital photographs from Google Earth, identify defects present. KW - Asset management KW - Automation KW - Condition surveys KW - Digitized photography KW - Image processing KW - Pavement Condition Index KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement management systems KW - Pavement performance UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545I_364106_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-18-p2/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS18p2_2010_Final_Rpt_Transportation_Informatics_Advanced_Image_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120960 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357442 AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Lynch, James AU - Dara, Brian AU - Bodke, Sujay AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Safety Evaluation of the SCATS Control System PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 36p AB - Since 1992, traffic signals in Oakland County and a portion of Macomb and Wayne Counties of Michigan have been converted to the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS). County traffic engineers have been adjusting various SCATS parameters to improve its effectiveness in terms of delay, traffic flow, queue length, and crash and injury occurrences. In 2008, a study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the SCATS system on M-59, between Pontiac Lake East to Pontiac Lake West in Waterford Township, Michigan, in terms of delay, flow, queue length, fuel consumption and emission. As a part of this study various performance parameters of SCATS system were compared with the Pre-timed signal system. Performance of the SCATS system was found to be superior for several of the performance measures during each Peak period. When compared to Pre-timed signal, installation and maintenance cost of SCATS system is almost two times greater. Therefore, there is a need to determine the added related benefits of SCATS system. In this context, determination of crash benefit of SCATS can play a significant role. If congestion and crash related benefits can be combined, then it is most likely combined benefits will overweigh the cost. Crash data from 1999 to 2008 of two corridors, one controlled by the SCATS and other by the Pre-timed signal system were examined to determine the effectiveness of SCATS system. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of SCATS signal system, intersections as well as segment crash data before and after the installation of SCATS signals were compared. In addition, a series of statistical tests were performed to compare safety performance of SCATS and pre-timed signal systems. It was observed that there was shift in severity types A and B to C, which is noteworthy. However, statistical tests were not able to identify any difference of significance at 95 percent confidence level. Finally, cost related information for both SCATS as well as Pre-timed was also computed and compared. KW - Adaptive control KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Measures of effectiveness KW - Michigan KW - Performance measurement KW - SCATS (Computer program) KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic signal control systems UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545K_364112_7.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120962 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357441 AU - Al-Holou, Nizar AU - Mohammad, Utayba AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - New Approach to Enhance and Evaluate the Performance of Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration and its Communication Systems PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 66p AB - Initial research studied the use of wireless local area networks (WLAN) protocols in Inter-Vehicle Communications (IVC) environments. The protocols’ performance was evaluated in terms of measuring throughput, jitter time and delay time. This research has developed a unique setup to evaluate IEEE802.11 protocols. This setup will reduce the cost of test beds that might be deployed to evaluate the performance of new IEEE802.11 protocols. To validate the concept, researchers have implemented the test bed at University of Detroit Mercy and evaluated the performance of IEEE802.11b/g. The developed WLAN-based test bed allows the testing of different IEEE802.11 protocols and yet keeps the cost at a reasonable level. Researchers investigated the impact of Doppler shift on the quality of the transmitted/received signal in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication system. The developed channel model that combines Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh channel representations to resemble a realistic transmission medium is presented. The model is validated by showing that the relation between Energy of Bit to Noise Ratio (Eb/N0) and Bit Error Rate (BER) is consistent with theoretical formulas. The degradation in signal quality as a result of increased vehicle speed is presented through graphical and analytical representation of BER with respect of applied Doppler shift. Moreover, a new methodology to reduce the impact of Doppler shift is proposed and simulations are performed to confirm the reduction of Doppler shift impact on the signal quality. KW - Computer network protocols KW - Dedicated short range communications KW - Doppler shift KW - Driver information systems KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Test beds KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications KW - Wireless communication systems KW - Wireless LANs UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545H_364103_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-15/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS15p1-2_2010-Final_Rpt_New_Approach_Enhance_and_Evaluate_VII_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120959 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353064 AU - Lucey, Anne AU - Barton, Susan AU - Bruck, Jules AU - Delaware Center for Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Public Perception and Attitudes about Roadside Vegetation: Pre‐ and Post‐Environmental Education PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 134p AB - Sustainably managed roadsides limit non-native turf grass and include meadows of native warm season grasses and flowering perennials, native shrubs, and trees. Sustainable roadside vegetation management strategies contribute to a matrix of economically conservative, environmentally responsible and aesthetically pleasing landscapes. Implementation of sustainable strategies results in cost savings, better water quality and conductivity, increased diversity of insect life and benefits to the socioeconomic health of the state. Lacking an awareness of associated benefits, the public is often hesitant to accept sustainable, but less manicured roadsides, causing many Departments of Transportation to revert to traditional management regimes. This research assessed perception and determined that acceptance could be increased with an awareness of associated benefits. An Internet survey was administered to three groups of participants. A control group rated eleven roadside images from least to most desirable and completed a brief survey. An experimental group read a list of information about traditional and sustainable strategies of roadside vegetation management before rating the images and completing the survey. Another experimental group viewed a 6 ½ minute video that delivered the same information as the list, but engaged the respondent differently. This group then rated the images and completed the survey, as did the previous two groups. Among those who read the list, a significant change in perception occurred for three of the images when compared to those in the control group. Among those who viewed the video, a significant change in perception occurred for four of the images when compared to those in the control group. When all images were compared to the baseline image (mown turf), Delaware’s current default vegetation management strategy, each response distribution was significantly different than that of mown turf. Respondents rated images of flowering meadows, meadow with a mown turf margin, turf with a wooded edge, shrubs and trees more desirable than mown turf and images with grassy meadows less desirable. When strategies were grouped according to similar attributes and compared to mown turf, respondents rated images with flowers (flowering meadows, shrubs and trees), and images with a mown turf margin more desirable than turf and grass meadows less desirable. KW - Aesthetics KW - Awareness KW - Benefits KW - Education KW - Environmental policy KW - Native plants KW - Roadside flora KW - Sustainable development KW - Vegetation control UR - http://www.ce.udel.edu/UTC/Barton_Bruck_Lucey_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117674 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01352441 AU - Zhao, Xi AU - Nelson, Alicia A AU - Chrysler, Susan AU - Zhang, Yunlong AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Automated Generation of Virtual Scenarios in Driving Simulator from Highway Design Data PY - 2010/09//Final Project Report SP - 62p AB - In 2008, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) began using a desktop driving simulator made by Realtime Technologies, Inc. This system comes with a library of different roadway segment types that can be pieced together to create driving scenarios. The current project explored ways to create custom roadway segments for use in the TTI driving simulator. The project initially attempted to use AutoCAD® Civil 3D® roadway drawings and export them for use in the simulator. This attempt was not successful because all roadway geometric design features could not be exported. Next, the project used commercially available three-dimensional modeling software (Road Tools by Presagis, Inc.) and was able to create new roadway segments that were drivable in the simulator. These new roadway segments are not as precise as those created in Civil 3D®, but for most driving behavior studies conducted in the TTI simulator, researchers judged them to be sufficient. KW - AutoCAD (Software) KW - Automobile driving KW - Behavior KW - Distraction KW - Driving simulators KW - Geometric design KW - Geometric segments KW - Highways KW - Instrumented vehicles KW - Roads KW - Three dimensional displays UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00018-1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42200/42281/476660-00018-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117041 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01350103 AU - Zhang, Chen AU - Jennings, Lance AU - Aultman-Hall, Lisa AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - More Robust Spatial Sampling Strategies for Non-motorized Traffic PY - 2010/09 SP - 21p AB - With the widespread promotion of New Urbanism and Smart Growth there is an assumption that levels of non-motorized traffic will increase. However, planners and analysts for non-motorized transportation modes still rely on very limited data resources and therefore are limited in identifying demand patterns and moving forward with more productive management and planning schemes. In this study the authors utilized continuous non-motorized traffic counts collected along four share use paths in Chittenden County, Vermont and analyzed the association between hourly (volume percentages of daily total) distribution patterns at each count station and land uses in the adjacent areas. The findings herein show the linkage is not as evident as expected between surrounding land use and the hourly patterns of the counts gathered, which is likely due to the insufficient diversity of the land use patterns around the count stations. Therefore, a dire need exists for the development of more robust sampling strategies which are essential to obtain counts efficiently that can extrapolate short period counts into region-wide travel estimates. This study proposes a spatial-based clustering analysis to identify the five land use categories to assist planning practitioners in selecting sampling locations that are representative for generating consistent non-motorized traffic counts for the entire network. KW - Chittenden County (Vermont) KW - Hourly KW - Land use KW - Location KW - Nonmotorized transportation KW - Shared use paths KW - Spatial clustering KW - Traffic counts KW - Traffic distribution UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-014.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113072 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345007 AU - Savolainen, Peter T AU - Ghosh, Indrajit AU - Wayne State University AU - NEXTRANS AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Using Detector Data to Identify and Examine Crashes and Incidents on Freeways PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 47p AB - Traffic incidents, such as crashes and vehicular breakdowns, result in reductions in roadway capacity and are the primary cause of non-recurrent congestion in urban areas. In addition to contributing to congestion and delay, incidents adversely affect the safety of other motorists, as well as first responders. To address these issues, transportation agencies have initiated incident management programs aimed at detecting and responding to incidents in order to restore freeways to full capacity by clearing the incident scene as soon as possible. Such programs play an important role in the operation of the transportation system and require collaboration and efficient communication among various agencies, including fire and rescue, police, towing and recovery, transportation engineers, and freeway service patrols. In the Detroit metropolitan area, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) operates a Freeway Courtesy Patrol (FCP) program as part of its freeway incident management program from the Michigan Intelligent Transportation Systems (MITS) Center in downtown Detroit. As a part of its operations, the MITS Center maintains a series of databases that detail freeway operations, as well as the activities of the FCP. However, to date these databases have been maintained independently of one another and no research has examined the interrelationships between freeway operations and the services of the FCP. This report details the activities from the first year of a two-year study aimed at analyzing operations and incident response on the Detroit freeway network. KW - Cooperation KW - Databases KW - Detroit (Michigan) KW - Freeway operations KW - Incident detection KW - Incident management KW - Incident response KW - Nonrecurrent congestion KW - Traffic crashes KW - Urban areas UR - http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/nextrans/assets/pdfs/Year%202%20Final%20Reports/Final%20Report%20051.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106001 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342068 AU - Abu Al-Rub, Rashid K AU - Tyson, Bryan M AU - Texas A&M University, College Station AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessment the Potential of Using Carbon Nanotubes Reinforcements for Improving the Tensile/Flexural Strength and Fracture Toughness of Portland Cement Paste for Damage Resistant Concrete Transportation Infrastructures PY - 2010/09//Technical Report SP - 155p AB - The focus of this study was on exploring the use of nanotechnology-based nano-filaments, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nanofibers (CNFs), as reinforcement in improving the mechanical properties of Portland cement paste as a construction material. Due to their ultra-high strength and very high aspect ratios, CNTs and CNFs have been used as excellent reinforcements in enhancing the physical and mechanical properties of polymer, metallic, and ceramic composites. Very little attention has been devoted to explore the use of nano-filaments in the transportation industry. Therefore, this study aimed to bridge the gap between nano-filaments and transportation materials. This was achieved by testing the integration of CNTs and CNFs in ordinary Portland cement paste through state-of-the-art techniques. Different mixes in fixed proportions (e.g. water-to-cement ratio, air content, admixtures) along with varying concentrations of CNTs or CNFs were prepared. Different techniques commonly used for other materials (like polymers) were used in achieving uniform dispersion of nano-filaments in the cement paste matrix and strong nano-filaments/cement bonding. Small-scale specimens were prepared for mechanical testing in order to measure the modified mechanical properties as a function of nano-filaments concentration, type, and distribution. With 0.1% CNFs, the ultimate strain capacity increased by 142%, the flexural strength increased by 79%, and the fracture toughness increased by 242%. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to discern the difference between crack bridging and fiber pullout. Test results showed that the strength, ductility, and fracture toughness can be improved with the addition of low concentrations of either CNTs or CNFs. KW - Carbon nanofibers KW - Ductility KW - Flexural strength KW - Fracture properties KW - Mix design KW - Nanostructured materials KW - Nanotubes KW - Portland cement KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Tensile strength UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00011-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104633 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338798 AU - Western Research Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Asphalt Surface Aging Prediction (ASAP) System PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 138p AB - The Asphalt Surface Aging Prediction (ASAP) project has been a 2.5 year effort to predict age-related embrittlement in asphalt pavement surfaces and to develop ground-based and airborne systems to measure key spectral indicators needed for prediction. The idea is to predict failure so that preemptive measures can be applied to the surface to extend the pavement life. Five tasks were involved in this effort. The first was concerned with determining the infrared spectral feature of aging asphalts that best correlate with physical properties of asphalts and with determining whether spectral manipulation methods could isolate the asphalt signature from aggregates. The second task examined field cores, mapped aging severity with depth, and examined surface aging. The third task developed a ruggedize fourier transform infrared spectrometer, an instrumentation vehicle, and supporting software to implement field analyses. At present the diffuse reflectance system does not provide sufficient signal, but modifications may be possible to correct the problem. The fourth and fifth tasks were to be field trials with completed systems. KW - Aging (Materials) KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Cores (Specimens) KW - Embrittlement KW - Forecasting KW - Fourier transforms KW - Infrared spectroscopy KW - Surface course (Pavements) UR - http://www.ncrst.org/ArchivePages/WY-WRI/AppendixA.pdf UR - http://www.ncrst.org/ArchivePages/WY-WRI/AppendixB.pdf UR - http://www.ncrst.org/ArchivePages/WY-WRI/FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100716 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337842 AU - Rahim, Ashraf AU - California Polytechnic State University AU - California State University, San Bernardino AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Waste Recycled Materials Applications in Highway Pavement in California: An Overview of Research PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 44p AB - Five different types of recycled materials used in highway paving projects are reviewed: crumb rubber (CR), recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), recycled asphalt shinges (RAS), and fly ash (FA). The extent to which these materials are used in California and seven other states is evaluated. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has used CR, RAP and RCA for asphalt pavements; RAS and FA have been used in other states. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - California KW - Crumb rubber KW - Fly ash KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Recycled materials KW - Shingles UR - http://leonard.csusb.edu/research/documents/2009-SGP-1043FinalReportPDF.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1084158 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337306 AU - Zuo, Qiuhai AU - Toutanji, Houssam A AU - Ueno, Shigeyuki AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Modeling Damage in Concrete Pavements and Bridges PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 27p AB - This project focused on micromechanical modeling of damage in concrete under general, multi-axial loading. A continuum-level, three-dimensional constitutive model based on micromechanics was developed. The model accounts for damage in concrete by statistically averaging the response (opening and shear) of an ensemble of microcracks under a three-dimensional stress state. The model is implemented in ABAQUS analysis code and can be utilized by ALDOT engineers to make an informed assessment of the damage in concrete pavements and bridges. KW - Concrete bridges KW - Concrete pavements KW - Constitutive modeling KW - Cracking KW - Damage (Bridges) KW - Damage (Pavements) KW - Microcracking KW - Micromechanical models UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35900/35990/Final_Report_09301.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097794 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337273 AU - Steciak, Judi AU - Beyerlein, Steve AU - Budwig, Ralph AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Aqueous Ethanol Ignition and Engine Studies, Phase I PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 72p AB - The authors' objectives were to design a micro-dilution tunnel for monitoring engine emissions, measure ignition temperature and heat release from ethanol-water-air mixtures on platinum, and initiate a computational fluid dynamics model of a catalytic igniter. All three efforts progress the understanding of catalytic ignition of alternative transportation fuels. The dilution tunnel used an ejector dilutor to entrain gases and mix them with exhaust. A portable gas analyzer and particle mass monitor sensed gaseous and particulate emissions. The transportable tunnel met design criteria including a user-friendly interface and can accommodate more sophisticated gas analyzers. The surface temperature and heat generation from reactions of ethanol-water-oxygen-nitrogen mixtures on the catalyst were determined using microcalorimetry. Ignition temperatures varied from 380 K to 570 K and heat generation from 0.8 to 11.8 W/cm2 depending on the relative and absolute amounts of ethanol and oxygen. Water showed little to no effect on either the ignition temperature or the heat generation. The authors used a Fluent® finite volume program to model flow during the filling of a catalytic igniter. To gain confidence in modeling, a series of progressively more difficult fluid mechanics problems were solved first. This initial model is an open system with a pressure inlet. Future models will represent a closed mass system with a moving boundary. KW - Catalytic ignitions KW - Combustion KW - Emissions modeling KW - Ethanol KW - Exhaust gases UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK761_N10-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097788 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333086 AU - Biton, Anna AU - Clark, Michael AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Park Service TI - John F. Kennedy National Historic Site General Management Plan Support: Transportation Study PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 92p AB - This report provides an overview of transportation and access issues related to the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site and the surrounding area in Brookline, MA. The study defines transportation-related goals for the site and provides support for development of the site's General Management Plan (GMP). It identifies and evaluates several potential transportation alternatives, and discusses their implementation in the context of one of the GMP alternatives, which would be to establish a satellite visitor center for the site. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - National parks KW - Public transit KW - Satellite parking lots KW - Shuttle service KW - Tourism KW - Transportation planning KW - Visitor centers UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35200/35216/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-10-12.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097264 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01332480 AU - Sullivan, Andrew J AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - University of Alabama, Birmingham AU - University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Emergency Dispatchers’ Survey. UAB UTC Domain 2: Development of a Dynamic Traffic Assignment and Simulation Model for Incident and Emergency Management Applications in the Birmingham Region, Aim 3a PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Traffic congestion is a primary concern during major incident and evacuation scenarios and can create difficulties for emergency vehicles attempting to enter and exit affected areas; however, many of the dispatchers who would be responsible for directing the movements of emergency response units during emergencies have not been trained to cope with severe congestion nor have they been given the tools that would allow them to consider traffic congestion in the dispatching process. This report presents the results of a survey of emergency dispatchers in Alabama conducted by the University Transportation Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The survey sought to assess the current practices of emergency dispatchers with respect to traffic congestion. The survey also solicited input from dispatchers regarding the degree to which they feel congestion is a problem in their jurisdiction along with recommendations for addressing the issue. Finally, the survey results were compared to the findings of a similar survey of emergency responders in Alabama which solicited their views on congestion and emergency response. KW - Alabama KW - Dispatchers KW - Dispatching KW - Dynamic traffic assignment KW - Emergency management KW - Simulation KW - State of the practice KW - Surveys KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic incidents UR - http://www.uab.edu/utc/Final%20Reports.html UR - http://www.uab.edu/utc/PDF%20Files/Domain%202%20Project%203a-%20%20Dispatchers%20Survey%20-Final%20Report UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096621 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328469 AU - Britanyak, Peter AU - Dixon, Dylan AU - Fuhrman, Alex AU - Den Braven, Karen AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of an Ethanol Blend Two-Stroke Direct-Injection Snowmobile for Use in the Clean Snowmobile Challenge and National Parks: University of Idaho’s Direct-Injected Two-Stroke Snowmobile Using E2X Fuel PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 36p AB - The University of Idaho’s entry into the 2010 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) was a direct-injection (DI) two-stroke powered snowmobile modified to use blended ethanol fuel. The modulated and battery-less direct-injection system used to decrease exhaust emissions and improve fuel economy maintained near stock power output of the engine. Noise from the engine compartment was reduced by custom placement of sound absorbing materials. Pre-competition testing had the snowmobile entering the 2010 SAE CSC competition weighing 507 lbs (230 kg) wet, before adding sound deadening material. KW - Ethanol KW - Recreational vehicles KW - Snowmobiles UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/NIATT//research/Final_Reports/KLK760_N10-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089445 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328190 AU - Schurr, Karen S AU - Gardner, Brian R AU - Rijal, Shashwat AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimal Design of Work Zone Median Crossovers PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 152p AB - The use of temporary median crossovers in work zones allows for the closure of one side of a multi-lane roadway while maintaining two-way traffic on the opposite side. This process provides the ability for construction and maintenance crews to construct, rebuild, or perform maintenance on a portion of one direction of a roadway segment while allowing roadway users continued access through the facility. A number of behavior studies were conducted on single-lane and dual-lane crossovers at work zone locations in the State of Nebraska resulting in general guidelines for optimal geometric design features of such work zone elements. KW - Geometric design KW - Median crossovers KW - Work zones UR - http://ne-ltap.unl.edu/Documents/NDOR/design_workzone_median.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46600/46651/FlippedPagesSchurr_P581_Optimal_Design_main_report_FINAL_COMBINED.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089376 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325007 AU - Jasek, Debbie AU - Storey, Beverly AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation for Humanity: Meeting the Needs in the Colonias PY - 2010/09//Technical Report SP - 27p AB - An estimated over 400,000 Texas residents, most of whom are legal citizens of the United States, currently live under poor conditions in colonias along the Texas-Mexico border. These communities have numerous problems, but one that transcends most other issues is the lack of reliable, safe and affordable transportation, both public and private. The 1996 Texas Colonias Van Project was an innovative initial effort to satisfy the public transportation needs of these unique communities; however, the van project is completed and the vehicles used during its course are depleted and not slated for replacement. The goal of the research was to assess the current transportation challenges facing residents of the colonias and determine the feasibility of vehicle procurement through donations or at-cost purchases from a variety of entities and/or individuals to support the program, and recommendations for alternative funding mechanisms to support the local community centers in their efforts to provide transportation to the colonias populations. KW - Low income groups KW - Needs assessment KW - Public transit KW - Socioeconomic areas KW - Texas-Mexico Border region KW - Transportation disadvantaged persons UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/167178-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086153 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324996 AU - Boyles, Stephen D AU - Gardner, Lauren AU - Waller, S Travis AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Robust Pricing of Transportation Networks Under Uncertainty PY - 2010/09 SP - 50p AB - Both public and private entities are concerned with the impacts of future toll revenue, and the effects of tolled facilities on system congestion. Due to the inherent complexity of transportation systems, it is impossible to predict travel demand and congestion conditions exactly, and simplistic attempts to account for this consistently underestimate true levels of congestion. Thus, in the context of roadway pricing, there is a need to develop mathematical models which explicitly account for both demand and supply uncertainty in both the short-term and long-term time scales. This project will develop these models, which will be suitable either to determine the best pricing policies to maximize revenue or minimize congestion, or to evaluate alternative toll policies according to these metrics. Thus, these models will produce more accurate predictions of toll revenues and congestion levels than are available using current methods. KW - Mathematical models KW - Road pricing KW - Toll roads KW - Tolls KW - Traffic congestion KW - Travel demand KW - Uncertainty UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/169206-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086186 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324979 AU - Al-Rub, Rashid K Abu AU - Masad, Eyad A AU - Graham, Michael A AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Physically Based Model for Predicting the Susceptibility of Asphalt Pavements to Moisture-Induced Damage PY - 2010/09 SP - 73p AB - This study presents a novel moisture-induced continuum damage model for asphalt concrete. Moisture-induced damage is treated realistically as two mechanisms: (1) degradation of the adhesive bond between the asphalt mastic and aggregates and (2) degradation of the cohesive strength of the mastic. The moisture-induced damage model is formulated in a novel way, accounting for the gradual, irreversible degradation of a mix using continuum damage mechanics. Different mechanistic evolution laws are proposed for predicting adhesive and cohesive moisture-induced damage. To the authors’ best knowledge, this model is the first continuum model to capture all facets of realistic asphalt mix response. Moreover, a time- and rate-dependent damage constitutive law is proposed to predict crack nucleation and propagation due to different mechanical loading conditions. The moisture-induced and mechanically-induced damage models are integrated into a three-dimensional nonlinear viscoelastic-viscoplastic constitutive model to allow for more realistic prediction of damage evolution in asphalt concrete under various traffic and environmental loading conditions. Numerical integration algorithms are presented for implementing the model in the well-known finite element code Abaqus. Finally, various aspects of the integrated continuum damage mechanics model are investigated and found to match the qualitative behavior of experiments. The current moisture-induced damage model can be used by pavement engineers to predict the time frame over which moisture-induced damage may occur and to rank asphalt mixtures for moisture damage susceptibility. KW - Adhesion KW - Asphalt concrete pavements KW - Cohesive strength KW - Continuum models KW - Finite element method KW - Mastic asphalt KW - Moisture damage KW - Viscoelasticity KW - Viscoplasticity UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00012-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085909 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324960 AU - Lindly, Jay K AU - Jones, Steven AU - Wilkes, Mary Beth AU - University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility of Developing a Pilot Car Training and Certification Program in Alabama PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 60p AB - The State of Alabama does not currently require certification for the pilot car drivers who escort oversize/overweight vehicles. The Alabama Department of Transportation contracted with The University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA) to investigate such certification, and this report summarizes the investigation. Efforts focused on three areas: (1) Update of escort requirements section of the Overweight & Overdimensional Permits Office Rules & Regulations, § 32-9-29, Code of Alabama (1975). Proposed modified text for the Rules & Regulations has been prepared in consultation with ALDOT Permits Office personnel. (2) Compile a Truckers Guide educates truckers about the permit requirements and pilot car requirements for oversize/overweight loads, in addition to other trucking issues. This 28-page booklet has been completed. (3) Submit an implementation plan and budget to ALDOT for a pilot car driver certification course. A proposal has been submitted and funded that encompasses preparing training materials and teaching the first sessions of the course. KW - Alabama KW - Certification KW - Escort service KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Heavy vehicles KW - Oversize loads KW - Overweight loads KW - Pilot car drivers KW - Pilot cars KW - Training programs UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=06411 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086123 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324951 AU - Sener, Ipek N AU - Eluru, Naveen AU - Bhat, Chandra R AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - On Jointly Analyzing the Physical Activity Participation Levels of Individuals in a Family Unit Using a Multivariate Copula Framework PY - 2010/09 SP - 62p AB - The report focuses on analyzing and modeling the physical activity participation levels (in terms of the number of daily “bouts” or “episodes” of physical activity during a weekend day) of all members of a family jointly. Essentially, the authors consider a family as a “cluster” of individuals whose physical activity propensities may be affected by common household attributes (such as household income and household structure) as well as unobserved family-related factors (such as family life-style and health consciousness, and residential location-related factors). The proposed copula-based clustered ordered-response model structure allows the testing of various dependency forms among the physical activity propensities of individuals of the same household (generated due to the unobserved family-related factors), including non-linear and asymmetric dependency forms. The proposed model system is applied to study physical activity participation of individuals, using data drawn from the 2000 San Francisco Bay Area Household Travel Survey (BATS). A number of individual factors, physical environment factors, and social environment factors are considered in the empirical analysis. The results indicate that reduced vehicle ownership and increased bicycle ownership are important positive determinants of weekend physical activity participation levels, though these results should be tempered by the possibility that individuals who are predisposed to physical activity may choose to own fewer motorized vehicles and more bicycles in the first place. The authors' results also suggest that policy interventions aimed at increasing children’s physical activity levels could potentially benefit from targeting entire family units rather than targeting only children. Finally, the results indicate strong and asymmetric dependence among the unobserved physical activity determinants of family members. In particular, the results show that unobserved factors (such as residence location-related constraints and family lifestyle preferences) result in individuals in a family having uniformly low physical activity, but there is less clustering of this kind at the high end of the physical activity propensity spectrum. KW - Activity choices KW - Bicycle travel KW - Cluster analysis KW - Copulas KW - Families KW - Lifestyle KW - Multivariate analysis KW - Physical activity KW - Residential location KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel surveys UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161020-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086148 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01322737 AU - Gabree, Scott AU - Yeh, Michelle AU - Jo, Young Jin AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Electronic Flight Bag (EFB): 2010 Industry Survey PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 132p AB - This document provides an overview of Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) systems and capabilities, as of June 2010. This document updates and replaces the April 2007 EFB Industry Review (Yeh and Chandra, 2007). As with the previous industry survey, the focus is on the human systems interface. The information for this report was gathered through industry contacts, demonstrations, websites, brochures, and trade journal reports. This report was conducted in support of the Federal Aviation Administration (AA), but the information is intended to be of use to anyone interested in EFBs. The report contains four sections. The first section provides an overview of the effort. The second contains tables summarizing the information collected from those manufactures who provide an integrated EFB system solution. The third provides details for products and services offered by EFB systems manufactures, i.e., those who develop physical EFB hardware and provide EFB software. The fourth contains detailed information for products offered by EFB software manufacturers who do not develop EFB hardware. Software manufacturers were classified into two categories: those who offer an integrated and customizable software package that integrates several functions/applications and those who provide commercial off-the-shelf software that has not been integrated, customized, or tailored for a particular EFB. References to FAA EFB regulatory and guidance material and links to Flight Standardization Board (FB) reports, which provide information regarding the operational suitability for particular EFB models are also included. KW - Civil aviation KW - Data collection KW - Electronic flight bags KW - Flight decks KW - Hardware KW - Information technology KW - Software KW - Technological innovations UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34400/34493/DOT-VNTSC-FAA-10-14.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34400/34493/EFB_Industry_Survey_2010_Final_10.06.2010_1_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1084094 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01322477 AU - Miele, Charles R AU - Plaxico, Chuck AU - Stephens, Denny AU - Simunovic, Srdjan AU - Battelle Memorial Institute AU - Oak Ridge National Laboratory AU - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - U26: Enhanced Finite Element Analysis Crash Model of Tractor-Trailers (Phase C) PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 276p AB - NTRCI sponsored the research team of Battelle, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) to conduct a three-phase investigation to enhance and refine a FE model for simulating tractor-semitrailer crash events involving roadside safety hardware such as bridge rails and median barriers. This report documents the work completed in the third phase of the project. The objective of this investigation led by Battelle was to validate and enhance computer models of a tractor-semitrailer combination for use in analysis, design, and evaluation of roadside safety hardware. The work completed during this project phase involved: 1) Continued enhancements of the tractor and semitrailer model, 2) Validation of the model by comparing model results to two full-scale tractor-semitrailer crash tests, and 3) Development of an interactive graphics based on-line user manual and FE model website. The tractor-semitrailer vehicle FE model developed in this project is the most advanced of this vehicle class in terms of physical function, geometric detail and material property accuracy. The model is computationally very robust given its complexity. It has been extensively debugged and exercised hundreds of times for the cases within the range of NCHRP Report 350 TL-5 speeds and impact angles. The model is reasonably accurate and may be used by the engineering community to design and develop roadside safety hardware that will improve overall safety of the travelling public. The model is available for download at http://www.ntrci.org. KW - Bridge railings KW - Crash analysis KW - Finite element method KW - Median barriers KW - Roadside safety hardware KW - Simulation KW - Tractor trailer combinations KW - Truck crashes KW - Trucking safety UR - http://www.ntrci.org/ntrci-50-2010-019 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1082901 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01321104 AU - Guarino, Jenny AU - Champaneri, Amrut AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Factors Involved in Fatal Vehicle Crashes PY - 2010/09//Technical Report SP - 6p AB - For every vehicle crash, there are numerous factors contributing to its severity. In 2008, 37,261 people were killed in an estimated 5.81 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes. While fatal crashes are not the most prevalent, they are the most consequential from a safety standpoint, making it vital to understand factors common to fatal incidents. This report examines factors that contribute to fatal crashes involving a motor vehicle (e.g., car, truck, or bus). Accident level data was obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database for 2004–20083. Analysis of the FARS database shows: 1) Single-vehicle crash fatalities are the most prevalent. 2) The main factors in single-vehicle fatal crashes involve the functionality of traffic controls and the first harmful event in a crash (e.g., rollover, traffic barrier, or ditch). 3) With regard to two-vehicle fatal crashes, main factors are traffic controls and the characteristics of the roadway (e.g., roadway alignment or surface type). 4) In multi-vehicle (three or more) fatal crashes, road characteristics, vehicle speed, and road type (e.g., interstate or country road) are the main factors involved. KW - Crash causes KW - Fatalities KW - Highway factors in crashes KW - Multiple vehicle crashes KW - Single vehicle crashes KW - Traffic crashes KW - Two vehicle accidents UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_technical_report/2010_008/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987506 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01208051 AU - Bertini, Robert AU - Ahn, Soyoung AU - Rayabhari, Manasa AU - Ou, Oing AU - Feng, Wei AU - Portland State University AU - Arizona State University, Tempe AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Characteristics of Transitions in Freeway Traffic PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 114p AB - This research seeks to understand the characteristics of transitions as freeway traffic changes from one state to another. This study addresses the features of two types of transitions; transitions near a merge and transitions along shock waves during the onsets and dissipations of queues at several freeway sites. Individual vehicle trajectory data were analyzed for studying the transitions near a merge. The length of a transition zone was measured by analyzing the spatial changes in flow, density and speed along kinematic waves near a merge. It was found that the length of transition in terms of flow, density and speed were respectively around 90m, 120m and 180m indicating that the transition in flow occurs over a short distance while the transition in speed occurs in much longer space. The dynamics of the transition zone were explored by analyzing the relationship among the transition durations, rates and various traffic and geometric variables at four freeway sites. Transition durations observed from the four sites vary from 10 to 24 minutes during the onsets of queues while the durations ranged from 10 to 30 minutes during the dissipations of the queues. At each site, formations and dissipations of queues displayed similar durations. Transition rates during the onsets of queues ranged from -7.6 to -2.2 kmph/min while they ranged from 2.0 to 6.2 kmph/min during the dissipations of queues. Some lane-specific features are observed in terms of initial speeds (just prior to transition), change in speed during transition, transition durations, and rates. It is also found that the structure of transition does not change in the absence of freeway interchanges as a queue expands and recedes. Finally, it is found that the transition rates tend to be larger upstream of an on-ramp while they tend to be smaller upstream of an off-ramp, indicating that inflows and outflows have different effects on transition characteristics. KW - Freeways KW - Merging traffic KW - Off ramps KW - On ramps KW - Pavement transition areas KW - Queuing KW - Shock waves (Highway traffic) KW - Time duration KW - Traffic density KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic speed UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/37 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34200/34223/OTREC-RR-10-12_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968880 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01208050 AU - de Rivera, Catherine E AU - Bliss-Ketchum, Leslie L AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Effectiveness of Vertebrate Passage and Prevention Structures: A Study of Boeckman Road in Wilsonville PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 46p AB - One of the most obvious impacts roads have on the natural world is direct mortality to individual animals that attempt to cross roads. A less obvious but likely more important impact of roads on many species is habitat fragmentation. The ability for individuals to travel between subpopulations is the key to genetic diversity as well as ultimately the survival of the species. Considering these impacts and management goals to increase habitat connectivity, increased attention has been given to creating road design that reduces wildlife collisions. Most studies, however, have been in other countries or regions and most focus on connectivity for just one or a few species and rarely in urban settings. This study examines the effectiveness of a variety of under-road passage structures for a community of animals in an urban wetland. Wildlife passage was taken into great consideration in the construction of the Boeckman Road Extension, the new road (2006) in Wilsonville, Oregon, examined in this study. As a result it includes a bridge, two box culverts and eleven round concrete culverts to facilitate wildlife passage as well as a mammal fence atop an amphibian/reptile wall. In order to monitor passage use the authors used a combination of sand-track monitoring and motion-detection cameras. They compared passage structure use to movement in the habitats surrounding the road by monitoring four habitat transects in addition to the passage structures (Road transect). They also conducted tag and release studies targeted to small mammals. Finally, camera data collected in passage structures were compared to camera monitoring at the end of the exclusionary fencing. A total of 26 species were detected in this study, 73% (19) of which were found to be using passage structures. 15% (4) of the identified species were detected on transects but not in passages and 11.5% (3) were detected in locations other than transects or passage structures. The bridge structure provided passage to the highest number of species (16), followed by the 24” and 18” culverts, which had a combined total of 11 species, and lastly the 9x4 culverts, which were flooded, with 2 species detected. The results indicate that large and medium mammals overall did not use passages less than would be expected based on their local movement in habitats. In pit and Sherman traps 16 of the 48 small mammals that were captured and tagged were re-caught, but only four of these moved from one transect to another, with two moving away from the road and the other two moving toward and under the road. Of the species detected with cameras at the passage structures and circumventing fencing, excluding small mammals, reptiles and amphibians (139), 19% (33) were found potentially crossing on the road surface. The proportion of deer detected using over-road crossings (23%) is of particular concern for driver safety. The bridge structure provided the greatest passage, in not only frequency of crossings but also species present. When maintenance factors, driver safety and species of greatest concern are included, the higher cost of the bridge structure would likely be even further balanced by the benefits. This study highlights the effectiveness and potential problems (and possible fixes) of some of the passage and prevention structures. Including passage and prevention structures such as these in road design is imperative for habitat connectivity and the need for this becomes even more apparent as Oregon’s native wildlife face an ever increasing urban landscape as well as the potential impacts of climate change. KW - Amphibians KW - Box culverts KW - Bridges KW - Cameras KW - Concrete culverts KW - Deer KW - Habitat (Ecology) KW - Habitat connectivity KW - Mammals KW - Monitoring KW - Reptiles KW - Road kill KW - Small mammals KW - Urban areas KW - Wetlands KW - Wildlife KW - Wildlife crossings KW - Wildlife fencing KW - Wilsonville (Oregon) UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/239 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34200/34225/OTREC-RR-10-14_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968900 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01208049 AU - Monsere, Christopher M AU - Ahn, Soyoung AU - Zheng, Zuduo AU - Portland State University AU - Arizona State University, Tempe AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Empirical Observation of the Impact of Traffic Oscillations on Freeway Safety PY - 2010/09//Final Report SP - 56p AB - Traffic oscillations are typical features of congested traffic flow that are characterized by recurring decelerations followed by accelerations (stop-and-go driving). The negative environmental impacts of these oscillations are widely accepted, but their impact on traffic safety has been debated. This report describes the impact of freeway traffic oscillations on traffic safety. This study employs a matched case-control design using high resolution traffic and crash data from a freeway segment. Traffic conditions prior to each crash were taken as cases, while traffic conditions during the same periods on days without crashes were taken as controls. These were also matched by presence of congestion, geometry and weather. A total of 82 cases and about 80,000 candidate controls were extracted from more than three years of data from 2004 to 2007. Conditional logistic regression models were developed based on the case-control samples. To verify consistency in the results, 20 different sets of controls were randomly extracted from the candidate pool. The results reveal that the standard deviation of speed (thus, oscillations) is a significant variable, with an average odds ratio of about 1.08. This implies that the odds of a (rear-end) crash occurring increases by about 8 percent with an additional unit increase in the standard deviation of speed. The average traffic states prior to crashes were less significant than the speed variations in congestion. KW - Crash data KW - Freeways KW - Logistic regression analysis KW - Rear end crashes KW - Speed variation KW - Standard deviation KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic oscillations KW - Traffic safety KW - Traffic speed UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/108 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34200/34224/OTREC-RR-10-13_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968898 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344986 AU - Burger, Charlotte AU - Mejias, Luis AU - Plosky, Eric AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Alternative Transportation Study: Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge PY - 2010/08/31 SP - 107p AB - This report provides an assessment of historic and current visitation, infrastructure, and transportation conditions at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and surrounding areas in southwest Oklahoma. The study defines transportation-related goals for the refuge, current issues, and identifies ten potential solutions that focus on alternative transportation, including pedestrian, bicycle, wayfinding and information, and transit. The analysis supports the development of the Wichita Mountains Comprehensive Conservation Plan. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Cyclists KW - Pedestrians KW - Public transit KW - Transportation planning KW - Wayfinding KW - Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36100/36141/DOT-VNTSC-FWS-10-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105441 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01337844 AU - Willson, Richard AU - Sirotnik, Barbara AU - Bockman, Shel AU - Ruiz, Christen AU - California State University, San Bernardino AU - California State Polytechnic University, Pomona AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Travel Behavior of Residents of Transit-Oriented Development in the Inland Empire PY - 2010/08/31/Final Report SP - 64p AB - This study examines the travel patterns of residents of multi-family housing and transit-oriented development in California's Inland Empire. These residents rely primarily on driving alone in private vehicles for their commuting and non-work trips. Residents of multi-family housing have higher reported bus/rail transit shares than county averages for all types of housing, however. Despite this, the percentage of work trips in single-occupant vehicles (SOV) is similar to county-wide averages, indicating less carpooling among the multi-family housing residents. Comparing survey respondents who live close to transit services with those who live farther away does not reveal significant differences in transit use, although those close to transit carpool more frequently. As expected, there was less transit use than found in mature transit-oriented developments elsewhere in California since Inland Empire transit service is less extensive. Although the housing developments near transit are reasonably dense, they lack other elements that reduce single occupancy trips such as diversity of land uses, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, transit service frequency, and parking pricing. KW - Carpools KW - Commuting KW - Housing KW - Inland Empire (California) KW - Population density KW - Single occupant vehicles KW - Transit oriented development KW - Travel behavior KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1084160 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01431182 AU - Ellis, Ralph D AU - Pesantes-Tavares, Eileen AU - Fisher, Kyle AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enhancement of a Network Analysis Tool to Accommodate Multiple Construction Work Zone Analysis (Initial Investigation) PY - 2010/08/30/Final Report SP - 45p AB - A major issue in transportation projects is capacity reduction due to lane closures. Calculating capacity for a specific project can be done using information from the Highway Capacity Manual, but how often should a lane closure be expected is still not well studied. In this preliminary research project, the authors present the percentages that a lane closure can be expected in highway resurfacing projects and in major bridge projects, such as replacement and structural improvements. These values, combined with the capacity of the highway segment and the traffic demand can reveal if during construction there will be traffic delays. Further research needs to be made to validate and expand this study. KW - Highway capacity KW - Highway projects KW - Lane closure KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Traffic delays KW - Travel demand KW - Work zones UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/ellis_2010-017_final_report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45656/ellis_2010-017_final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1197877 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467639 TI - Annual Driver Survey AB - These annual surveys provide demographic and other pertinent information about commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers for upcoming rulemakings. KW - Annual KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Demographics KW - Drivers KW - Highway safety KW - Surveys UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235875 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328462 AU - Sullivan, Jim AU - Aultman-Hall, Lisa AU - Troy, Austin AU - Azaria, Dale AU - Lawe, Stephen AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Resource Systems Group, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Land-Use, Transportation and Environmental Modeling: Validation Case Studies PY - 2010/08/23 SP - 44p AB - For decades the transportation-planning research community has acknowledged the interactions between the evolution of our transportation systems and our land-use, and the need to unify the practices of land-use forecasting and travel-demand modeling (TDM). Recognizing this interaction, TDMs are linked to land-use models to provide for an integrated land-use/transportation modeling environment. The construction of any modeling framework comes at a cost to its owner. Travel-demand and land-use models require, initially: specification/estimation of the model for a base-year, and calibration of the model with known base-year data; and, on an ongoing basis: improvement of model function (“training”) with improved coefficients, and checking of model results frequently for errors in consistency. Most travel-demand or land-use models are never considered factually “complete”, as the update/correction process is ongoing, due to the model complexity and the vast number of inputs, controls, coefficients, and outputs. So the critical factor in the decision to construct a model or augment an existing model is monetary cost or the level of effort required to do so. The relevant question becomes, first, “What will be the value added by this new cost?” and, second, “Does this added value justify the expenditure of effort?” This project sets out to initiate an analysis of the added validation-accuracy provided by the level of effort required to develop increasingly complex and increasingly disaggregate land-use and travel-demand models. This study examines the forecast output from a range of contemporary model integrations to assess how accuracy has been added relative to the effort required to develop the integrations. KW - Integrated transportation systems KW - Land use models KW - Land use planning KW - Travel demand KW - Travel demand management KW - Value added UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-008.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089572 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463806 TI - Sustainable Highways Strategic Outreach & Program Support AB - In support of the Office of Natural Environment's (HEPN) sustainable highways research that will develop criteria and tools for sustainable highways, HEPN will work with the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) for strategic outreach and program management support. The Criteria and Tools for Sustainable Highways Research (CTSH Research) being developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), under a separate contract with CH2M Hill, will encourage the use of specific measures and approaches in the planning, project development, design and construction process and throughout a project's lifecycle that result in sustainable roadways. An evaluation tool is being designed to serve as a system for assessing the sustainability of roadway projects. KW - Highway design KW - Highways KW - Planning and design KW - Project management KW - Strategic planning KW - Sustainable development KW - Sustainable transportation UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232033 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01503379 TI - FHWA Planning Capacity Building, Planning Methods, and Oversight AB - To aid in the implementation of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) current research program and future research programs, HEPP requires the support of and access to multi-disciplined teams to meet the transportation challenges for the twenty-first century. Services provided by the Volpe Center will be targeted at specific needs and areas of interest that will support FHWA work in transportation planning capacity building as well as innovation in transportation planning processes and decision-making, transportation and land use, and transportation and community impacts. This also includes advancing FHWA research activities under numerous emphasis areas of the Surface Transportation Environment and Planning Cooperative Research Program (STEP) established under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). KW - Decision making KW - Ground transportation KW - Impacts KW - Land use planning KW - Multidisciplinary teams KW - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users KW - Transportation planning UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1285460 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577875 TI - Creating Renewable Energy through Sustainable Nutrient Management Practices- Digestion of Manure and Cover Crops to Reduce Fossil Fuel Use in the Northeast AB - No summary provided. KW - Crops KW - Fertilization (Horticulture) KW - Fossil fuels KW - Fuel consumption KW - Northeastern United States KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Sustainable development UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371178 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328151 AU - Chi, Guangqing AU - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessing Economic and Demographic Impacts of Intermodal Transportation Systems PY - 2010/08/14/Final Report SP - 25p AB - There exists a large literature of transportation impacts on economic and demographic change. Prior studies have focused on single modes of transportation individually rather than integrating these modes. Yet, little work has been undertaken to study the economic and demographic impacts of intermodal transportation systems. This study fills the gap in the literature by examining intermodal passenger transportation impacts on demographic change. Specifically, this research investigates the effects of highways and airports on population change in the minor civil divisions of Wisconsin by adopting an integrated spatial approach. The results show that overall, airport accessibility and highway improvement affect population change, but highway accessibility and airport improvement do not. However, the effects exhibit variation across rural, suburban, and urban areas. Highway improvement acts as an investment input and airport accessibility uses the locational advantage to promote rural population growth. In suburban areas, airport accessibility promotes population growth but highway accessibility acts as a facilitator of out-migration. The effects on urban population change are not statistically significant and are likely constrained to land use policies and regulations. This study has important implications to transportation planning as transportation planning practices are focusing more attention on intermodal transportation systems as a whole rather than any single mode of transportation. Intermodal transportation systems have become increasingly important for transportation performance and efficiency. KW - Accessibility KW - Airports KW - Demographics KW - Economic impacts KW - Highways KW - Improvements KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Population KW - Rural areas KW - Suburbs KW - Urban areas UR - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086604 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01492265 TI - Assess Cty Annoyance from Road & Rail Noise AB - Apply the methods developed for assessing community annoyance due to exposure to noise from aircraft to the assessment of community annoyance from road and rail traffic noise and expand the current research to include these requirements. The desired analysis must parallel in all important technical detail the method developed for aircraft noise that is currently under consideration by ISO Working Group 45 for formalization in a new Draft International Standard on the Description, Measurement and Assessment of Environmental Noise. KW - Aircraft noise KW - Annoyance KW - Communities KW - Environmental impacts KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Noise KW - Railroad noise KW - Traffic noise UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261230 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340421 AU - Reid, John D AU - Lechtenberg, Karla A AU - Stolle, Cody S AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Advanced Finite Element Material Models for Cable Barrier Wire Rope PY - 2010/08/02/Final Report SP - 367p AB - An improved LS-DYNA model of ¾-in. (19-mm) diameter 3x7 wire rope commonly used in roadside cable guardrail installations has been developed. A Belytschko-Schwer beam element was selected along with material *MAT_166. Numerical noise was reduced using part stiffness damping with a coefficient of 2%, and frequency range damping with a coefficient of 12%. The optimum element length based on timestep, accuracy, and computational cost was determined to be between 0.4 and 0.8 in. (10-20 mm). Dynamic component tests were conducted on wire rope to determine material properties. These tests were simulated and the results compared to the physical tests. The new proposed wire rope model more accurately simulated the wire rope tension and bogie vehicle motion than other previously-developed wire rope models. The wire rope was also modeled in full-scale crash test models using a Chevrolet C2500 pickup model, consistent with NCHRP Report No. 350 TL-3 impact conditions. Results of the crash test and simulation were compared, and the wire rope response was determined to be accurate. Therefore the new wire rope model was determined to be an improvement over existing models of wire rope and is recommended for use in cable guardrail simulations. KW - Cables KW - Computer models KW - Guardrails KW - Highway safety KW - Impact tests KW - Wire rope UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Reid_DevelopmentofAdvancedFiniteElementMaterialModelsforCableBarrierWireRope.pdf UR - http://matc.unl.edu/research/research_projects.php?id=25 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101500 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01557747 TI - Accessibility, Location and Employment Center Growth AB - The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between accessibility and the growth of employment centers in order to improve our understanding of how transportation investments influence the spatial organization of metropolitan areas. Although research on the existence of employment centers and  concentrations of employment outside the tradition downtown is extensive, there is little understanding of how these centers emerge and grow, and what role transportation access may play in this process. Research on employment centers is limited mainly by data availability: there is no publicly available source for reliable, highly detailed and disaggregate employment data. In this research, time series establishment level data for California's four largest metropolitan areas will be used to identify employment centers and analyze relationships between center growth and transport access, including direct and indirect influence of highway and airport access. This project extends previous research, funded in part by prior National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research (METRANS) grants (e,g, project 06-16), in the following ways: (1) extends the analysis beyond the Los Angeles region; (2) uses establishment level geography, not census tract aggregates, allowing more precise measurement of centers and access measures; (3) provides detailed data on industry sector, business volume, employment, and firm births, deaths and moves; (4) uses time-series data, rather than comparisons across census years. The relationship between transportation and urban form has become a major public policy issue. Concerns about energy consumption, global climate change, and urban sprawl have led to proposals to use transportation investments to promote more concentrated land use patterns. Results of this research will contribute to the understanding of how the economic and spatial structure of metropolitan areas change over time and how these changes may be related to highway, transit, and air networks, offering valuable guidance for future policy. KW - Accessibility KW - Capital investments KW - City planning KW - Climate change KW - Employment centers KW - Energy consumption KW - Industrial location KW - Los Angeles (California) KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Planning and design KW - Urban form KW - Urban sprawl UR - http://www.metrans.org/research/11-06-accessibility-location-and-employment-center-growth UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1347215 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01522824 TI - Gathering of Vehicular Parameters in a Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Intelligent Transportation System AB - The overall vision of this project will include three different phases. Phase 1 is the Device Integration Phase, Phase 2 is the Device Installation Phase and Phase 3 is the Gathering and Analysis Phase. In the Device Integration Phase the project will obtain a couple On Board Diagnostics (OBD) tracking devices to use for integrating the additional sensors for vehicle emissions and tire slippage. After successfully creating the additional sensors, the Device Installation Phase will commence, allowing installation of up to 30 devices (including the additional sensors) in vehicles. As these vehicles travel during their normal commutes, the Gathering and Analysis Phase will allow us to create the four applications described in previous sections (assessing congestion, air quality impact due to cold weather, fuel consumption & operating cost analysis due to cold weather, and vehicle slippage identification). KW - Frigid regions KW - Fuel consumption KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Operating costs KW - Public transit KW - Tracking systems KW - Vehicle electronics KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/cem/ine/autc/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1307044 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333759 AU - Tsaftaris, Sotirios A AU - Katsaggelo, Aggelos K AU - Soyak, Eren AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Northwestern University, Evanston AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - iTRAC: Intelligent Video Compression for Automated Traffic Surveillance Systems PY - 2010/08/01/Final Report SP - 38p AB - Non-intrusive video imaging sensors are commonly used in traffic monitoring and surveillance. For some applications it is necessary to transmit the video data over communication links. However, due to increased requirements of bitrate this means either expensive wired communication links or the video data being heavily compressed to not exceed the allowed communications bandwidth. Current video imaging solutions utilize aging video compression standards and require dedicated wired communication lines. Recently H.264 (a newer standard) has been proposed to be used in transportation applications. However, most video compression algorithms are not optimized for traffic video data and do not take into account the possible data analysis that will follow either in real time at the control center or offline. As a result of compression, the visual quality of the data may be low, but more importantly, as the authors' research efforts in vehicle tracking has shown, the tracking accuracy and efficiency is severely affected. iTRAC aims to inject highway content- awareness in the H.264 encoding standard. The authors' technology operates within the computational limits of consumer grade hardware equipment. With the possible reduction in bitrate they envision that they can provide a portable, easy to deploy, low cost, low power, wireless video imaging sensor. KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Sensors KW - Traffic surveillance KW - Video compression KW - Video imaging detectors UR - http://www.ccitt.northwestern.edu/documents/Katsaggelos_itrac_report_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094755 ER - TY - SER AN - 01333661 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Jin, Wen-Long AU - Yuan, Daji AU - Yang, Hao AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - University of California, Irvine TI - A Study on Potential Environmental Benefits of Green Driving Strategies with NGSIM Data PY - 2010/08/01 SP - 17p AB - This paper examines potential environmental benefits of green driving strategies using Next-Generation Simulation (NGSIM) trajectory data collected on I-80 in the San Francisco Bay area and the VT-Micro macroscopic emission model. The authors describe the VT-Micro model, NGSIM data, and the procedure for computing emissions. They also examine the impacts of trajectory sampling and speed-acceleration adjustment on emissions, and propose a new model, Equation 13, to understand the relationships between emissions, fuel consumption and average speed. Green driving strategies to smooth traffic flow can achieve the best effects when average speed of traffic flow is about 50 km/hr. KW - Driving KW - Environmental impacts KW - Exhaust gases KW - Fuel consumption KW - Mathematical models KW - Microsimulation KW - NGSIM (Computer model) KW - Traffic speed UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-29.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1093755 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01474169 AU - Kamalanathsharma, Raj Kishore AU - Hancock, Kathleen L AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Arlington AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Congestion-Based Emergency Vehicle Preemption PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 114p AB - This research analyzed and evaluated a new strategy for preemption of emergency vehicles along a corridor, which is route-based and adaptive to real-time traffic conditions. The method uses dynamic offsets which are adjusted using congestion-levels to provide uninterrupted preempted green signal for the emergency vehicle throughout its route. By achieving a higher average emergency vehicle speed, this method promises faster emergency response which results in saving life and property as well as larger emergency service radius for the dispatch stations. The research evaluated the effectiveness of two possible algorithms for offset adjustment using measured vehicle queues. It is showed to reduce the emergency vehicle travel-time by 31 percent when compared to cases without preemption and 13 percent when compared to traditional method of individual-intersection preemption. KW - Algorithms KW - Emergency response time KW - Emergency vehicles KW - Offsets (Traffic signal timing) KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic signal preemption UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2009-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1244171 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01450865 AU - Li, Lin AU - Liu, Juanyu AU - Zhang, Xiong AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Resilient Modulus Characterization of Alaskan Granular Base Materials PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 108p AB - Resilient modulus (MR) of base course material is an important material input for pavement design. In Alaska, due to distinctiveness of local climate, material source, fines content and groundwater level, resilient properties of D-1 granular base course materials are significantly affected by seasonal changes. The presence of fines (P200) affects frost susceptibility of base materials and controls the aggregates’ ability to support vehicular load, especially during the spring-thaw period. A laboratory investigation was conducted on D-1 materials from Northern, Central, and Southeast Regions of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities at different temperatures, moisture and fines contents to systematically evaluate the impact of fines content on the resilient properties of D-1 base course materials with varied fines content, gradation, moisture content and temperature during thawing and provide regression coefficients ki which are required for the flexible pavement design, KW - Alaska KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Fines (Materials) KW - Flexible pavements KW - Freeze thaw durability KW - Frigid regions KW - Granular bases KW - Modulus of resilience KW - Pavement design KW - Temperature UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46100/46193/107045-Fines-Final-report-J.liu-ineautc1106.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46700/46790/107045-Fines-Final-report-J.liu-ineautc11061.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218225 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01379851 AU - Gorjestani, Alec AU - Menon, Arvind AU - Cheng, Pi-Ming AU - Shankwitz, Craig AU - Donath, Max AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Design of a Minimal Sensor Configuration for a Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System – Stop Sign Assist: CICAS-SSA Report #4 PY - 2010/08 SP - 215p AB - The Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System-Stop Sign Assist (CICAS-SSA) is an infrastructure-based driver support system that is used to improve gap acceptance at rural stop-controlled intersections. The SSA system will track vehicle locations on the major road and then display messages to the driver on the minor road. The primary goal of the current work was to evaluate several candidate CICAS-SSA concepts in order to identify a single sign that may provide the greatest utility in terms of driver performance and usability at a real-world rural intersection. A secondary goal of the current work was to determine the ideal physical characteristics (i.e., location and rotation of a sign relative to drivers) of the candidate CICAS-SSA at a test intersection to maximize comprehension (and subsequent use) of the sign. The primary goal was accomplished by conducting three studies. The first two studies examined icon use and word selection for three candidate CICAS-SSA signs. The third study evaluated driving performance and usability for three candidate SSA sign designs compared to a baseline condition for the purpose of identifying the final candidate sign to be field tested at the Minnesota test intersection. The secondary goal was accomplished by conducting two studies that determined the optimal physical characteristics for the sign’s location in order to maximize driver comprehension. KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Gap acceptance KW - Intersections KW - Location KW - Messages (Communications) KW - Rural highways KW - Sensors KW - Stop signs KW - Variable message signs UR - http://www.its.dot.gov/research_docs/pdf/cicas_tech_docrpt4.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147589 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361123 AU - Li, Dingqing AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Slab Track Field Test and Demonstration Program for Shared Freight and High-Speed Passenger Service - Final Report PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 126p AB - Two types of slab tracks were installed on the High Tonnage Loop at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing. Direct fixation slab track (DFST) and independent dual block track (IDBT) were installed into a 5-degree curve with 4-inch superelevation. The total slab track test section was 500 feet (ft) long, which consisted of 250 ft of IDBT and 250 ft of DFST. This program was conducted to demonstrate the durability of the slab track for 39-ton axle loads while maintaining the track geometry conditions of a Class 9 track. More specifically, the program was carried out to characterize slab track stiffness conditions, to quantify slab track dynamic responses and long-term performance under heavy axle load train operation, and to provide the test data for validating slab track analysis and design methodologies for shared heavy-freight and high-speed train service. KW - Axle loads KW - Concrete slab track KW - Demonstration projects KW - Design KW - Durability tests KW - Field tests KW - Freight trains KW - High speed rail KW - Performance tests KW - Railroad tracks KW - Shared tracks KW - Stiffness tests KW - Track geometry UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/109 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1126968 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343582 AU - Sears, Justine AU - Glitman, Karen AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Department of Energy AU - Vermont Department of Public Service AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Vermont Transportation Energy Report: Vermont Clean Cities Coalition PY - 2010/08 SP - 35p AB - The mission of the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition (VCCC) is to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels for transportation. This annual report provides policy makers with relevant and timely data on the status of fuel consumption, vehicle purchases, transportation expenditures, and travel behavior in Vermont. This information is intended to form the basis of data-driven policy discussions and initiatives. KW - Annual reports KW - Fossil fuels KW - Fuel consumption KW - Motor vehicles KW - Policy KW - Purchasing KW - Travel KW - Travel behavior KW - Vermont UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-017.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105602 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333758 AU - U.S. Census Bureau AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Exports: 2007 Economic Census, Transportation, 2007 Commodity Flow Survey: United States PY - 2010/08 SP - 68p AB - The 2007 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) is undertaken through a partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), U.S. Department of Transportation. This survey produces data on the movement of goods in the United States. It provides information on commodities shipped, their value, weight, and mode of transportation, as well as the origin and destination of shipments of commodities from manufacturing, mining, wholesale, and select retail and services establishments. For the purposes of this report, an export is considered a shipment from any of the 50 states and the District of Columbia to a foreign country. Shipments to U.S. possessions and territories are also treated as exports. Shipment characteristics, including value, tons, and ton-miles, are presented in summary form in this report. KW - 2007 Commodity Flow Survey KW - Census KW - Commodity flow KW - Economic indicators KW - Exports KW - Origin and destination KW - Shipments KW - Transportation modes KW - United States UR - http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/ec07tcf-ex.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094153 ER - TY - SER AN - 01333648 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Yang, Hao AU - Yuan, Daji AU - Jin, Wen-Long AU - Saphores, Jean-Daniel AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - University of California, Irvine TI - Simulation Evaluation of Green Driving Strategies Based on Inter-Vehicle Communications PY - 2010/08 SP - 23p AB - This paper examines two green driving strategies based on inter-vehicle communication (IVC) aimed at reducing tailpipe emissions. Excessive speed and stop-and-go traffic significantly increase fuel consumption and vehicle emissions. It is anticipated that IVC, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, will be available in the future to relay time-critical and location-based traffic information between vehicles allowing people to drive more smoothly and safely, which also affects fuel use. In this paper the authors study green driving strategies based on IVC and their effects on emission reductions in different traffic conditions. Newell’s car-following model and VT-Micro are integrated to establish a simulation platform. With higher market penetration of IVC-equipped vehicles, reduction of emissions and fuel consumption are greater. The greater the delay in communication, the smaller the reduction in emissions and fuel consumption. KW - Car following KW - Driving KW - Exhaust gases KW - Fuel consumption KW - Intelligent speed adaptation KW - Market share KW - Mathematical models KW - Simulation KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-28.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1093754 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330119 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Recker, Will AU - Marca, James E AU - Rindt, Craig AU - Dechter, R AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - University of California, Irvine AU - University of California, Irvine AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Personal Travel Assistant (PTA): Measuring the Dynamics of Human Travel Behavior PY - 2010/08 SP - 46p AB - A simple, continuously collected GPS sequence was investigated to determine whether it can be used to accurately measure human behavior. Hybrid Dynamic Mixed Network (HDMN) modeling techniques were applied to learn behaviors given an extended GPS data stream. A key design decision behind the proposed architecture was to use an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) to provide a communication infrastructure among various components of the application. Personal Travel Assistants running on mobile devices like cell phones could help travelers change their travel plans when routes are affected by crashes or natural disasters. KW - Advanced traffic management systems KW - Advanced traveler information systems KW - Algorithms KW - Cellular telephones KW - Global Positioning System KW - Mathematical models KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-31.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090753 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330118 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Guerra, Erick AU - Cervero, Robert AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Cost of a Ride: The Effects of Densities on Fixed-Guideway Transit Ridership and Capital Costs PY - 2010/08 SP - 29p AB - Transit projects are extremely costly and require high ridership levels in order not to incur large deficits. More than 50 transit investment projects built in the U.S. since 1970 were investigated and a strong relationship is found between costs and ridership. In addition, ridership and capital costs typically increase with job and population densities, leading to questions about whether municipalities should zone for minimum densities around existing or planned stations or for different types of investments. Many transit stations in the US do not have the surrounding job or population densities to support cost-effective transit service. KW - Capital costs KW - Cost recovery KW - Costs KW - Economic analysis KW - Mode choice KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Population density KW - Rail transit facilities KW - Ridership KW - Transit oriented development KW - Travel behavior KW - Zoning UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-32.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090754 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330116 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Boarnet, Marlon G AU - Ferguson, Gavin AU - Edwards, Rufus AU - Princevac, Marko AU - Bartolome, Christian AU - Pan, Hansheng AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - University of California, Irvine AU - University of California, Riverside AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Fine Particulate Concentrations Near Arterial Streets: The Influence of Building Placement and Wind Flow PY - 2010/08 SP - 18p AB - The placement of buildings influences the concentration of fine particulates by altering wind flow. The authors collected measurements of fine particulate concentration, wind speed, wind direction, and traffic levels around five Southern California arterials selected to represent a range of building densities. In some cases the difference in average concentrations between opposite sides of the street was on the order of 10 μg/m3. In most cases the concentration was higher on the upwind side of the street, where the wind wakes of buildings limit the dispersion of particulates. Although this work is exploratory in nature, it reveals that fine particulate concentrations can vary even within a single city block, a scale finer than those used in current policy models. KW - Arterial highways KW - Built environment KW - Particulates KW - Structures KW - Wakes KW - Wind UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-24.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090536 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330112 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Harsman, Bjorn AU - Quigley, John M AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Political and Public Acceptability of Congestion Pricing: Ideology and Self-Interest PY - 2010/08 SP - 37 AB - Previous research has found public and political opposition to congestion pricing. In this study, the experience of Stockholm, where congestion pricing was introduced for a seven-month trial period followed by a referendum, is investigated. Prior research analyzed public acceptance for congestion pricing based on consumer responses to sample surveys. In contrast, this analysis is based on the revealed preferences as found in the referendum. It also considers the variability in advantages, such as lower travel times, and disadvantages, such as cost of paying tolls. In the case of Stockholm, voters indicated that they valued travel time savings enough to approve the continuance of tolls. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Congestion pricing KW - Consumer preferences KW - Economic efficiency KW - Externalities KW - Public opinion KW - Regression analysis KW - Road pricing KW - Stockholm (Sweden) KW - Tolls KW - Travel time KW - Urban transportation policy UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-17.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090482 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330110 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Wang, Rui AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Leaders, Followers and Laggards: Adoption of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in California PY - 2010/08 SP - 28p AB - Little quantitative research has been devoted to voluntary climate actions at the local level in comparison to those at federal and state levels. It is unclear why some cities act as leaders in the fight against climate change, some act as followers, while others remain laggards. This study empirically tests some hypotheses about local political will to mitigate climate change. Applying a survival analysis to California cities’ adoption of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, this study examines the association between cities’ adoption of the Mayors Agreement and a broad range of characteristics, such as: local demographics, jurisdiction size, government structure, political preference and environmentalism, local air quality and congestion level, and behavior of neighboring jurisdictions. Results support the importance of income level, political preference and environmentalism of the local communities, as well as a city’s administrative capacity and autonomy. Congestion relief seems to be an important benefit motivating cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. KW - California KW - Demographics KW - Environmental protection KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Income KW - Local government KW - Political factors KW - Socioeconomic factors KW - Traffic congestion KW - U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement KW - Urban transportation policy UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-22.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090483 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330098 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Kanafani, Adib AU - Wang, Rui AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Measuring Multimodal Transport Level of Service PY - 2010/08//Final Draft SP - 44p AB - One of the challenges facing intermodal integration is that the planning framework needed for it lacks appropriate measures of level of service (LOS) that cut across the modes involved and the connections between them. In this study a framework and a set of metrics of LOS in a multimodal context is developed. Measures of performance are defined from the user’s perspective (demand side) and the provider’s perspective (supply side). A working definition of a “multi-modal corridor” is adopted and a methodology for defining and combining measures of performance for such a corridor is developed. The methodology is defined in the context of evaluation for the purpose of choosing among alternative corridors. The approach is grounded in utility theory and quantitatively these measures of performance are defined as indirect utility functions of the type used in choice models. Many LOS metrics are non-additive and their combination for a multimodal systems requires specific models that reflect the way the attributes impact users of different modes and during different segments of a multimodal journey. KW - Choice models KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Level of service KW - Mathematical models KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Performance measurement KW - Supply KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-26.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090537 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330096 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Gu, Weihua AU - Li, Yuwei AU - Cassidy, Michael J AU - Griswold, Julia B AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - University of California, Berkeley AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - On the Capacity of Isolated, Curbside Bus Stops PY - 2010/08 SP - 19p AB - The maximum rates that buses can discharge passengers at bus stops are examined. Models were developed to estimate these capacities for curbside stops that are isolated from the effects of traffic signals. The estimates account for key features of the stops, including their target service levels assigned to them by a transit agency. Among other things, the models predict that adding bus berths to a stop can sometimes return disproportionally high gains in capacity. There is value in reducing service-time variations via the improved management of passenger boarding and unloading such as wider doors and off-board fare collection. In contrast to formulas in professional handbooks, the present models also account for the effects of the bus arrival process at a stop. Knowledge of these cause and effect relations can be useful when choosing the number of berths to be deployed at a curbside stop. KW - Arrivals and departures KW - Boarding and alighting KW - Bus bays KW - Bus stops KW - Dwell time KW - Headways KW - Mathematical models KW - Schedules and scheduling KW - Traffic models UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-18.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090481 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330093 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Sivakumarana, Karthikgeyan AU - Li, Yuwei AU - Cassidy, Michael J AU - Madanat, Samer AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - University of California, Berkeley TI - Cost-Saving Properties of Schedule Coordination in a Simple Trunk-and-Feeder Transit System PY - 2010/08 SP - 18p AB - Coordination of vehicle schedules in a public transit system affects generalized costs. An idealized system that delivers its users to a common destination by requiring each to transfer from a feeder to a trunk-line vehicle is considered. Continuum models are used first to analyze cases in which the trunk-line vehicle schedule is given exogenously. When feeder vehicles are dispatched in coordination with this exogenous trunk-line schedule, the reduction in user cost often outweighs the added cost to the feeder operation. In cases when the frequencies of trunk and feeder services can be established jointly, the models show that coordination can be Pareto improving, meaning that operator and user costs both diminish. Conditions that give rise to these cost savings are specified. Practical implications are discussed. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Feeder services KW - Mathematical models KW - Public transit KW - Schedules and scheduling KW - Transit operating agencies KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-19.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090480 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330091 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Pan, Hansheng AU - Bartolome, Christian AU - Princevac, Marko AU - Edwards, Rufus AU - Boarnet, Marlon G AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Investigation of Roadside Particulate Matter Concentration Surrounding Major Arterials in Five Southern Californian Cities PY - 2010/08 SP - 21p AB - In order to study the influence of urban building form on flow and dispersion of vehicular emissions, field measurements were performed on major arterials in five Southern Californian cities with different building geometries. Local mean wind, turbulence, virtual temperature, roadside fine particulate matter concentration, and traffic flow data were collected. Observation shows the influence of building geometry on street level concentration of particulates. Tall buildings cause a strong downdraft which upon impinging the street level flushes street canyon from pollutants. Field experiments show the influence of local meteorological variables and their interaction with urban canopy to particle concentration. Concentrations at the windward side of buildings within urban canopy are extremely sensitive to wind direction. Turbulent flux, sensible heat flux and turbulent velocity affect concentrations by enhancing vertical transport. KW - Air pollution KW - Arterial highways KW - Atmospheric turbulence KW - Built environment KW - Exhaust gases KW - Multistory structures KW - Particulates KW - Southern California KW - Speed KW - Traffic flow KW - Wind UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-23.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090484 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330090 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Boriboonsomsin, Kanok AU - Vu, Alexander AU - Barth, Matthew AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - University of California, Riverside AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Eco-Driving: Pilot Evaluation of Driving Behavior Changes among U.S. Drivers PY - 2010/08 SP - 18p AB - On-board eco-driving devices provide instantaneous fuel economy feedback that can affect driving behaviors, and consequently fuel economy, of gasoline-engine vehicle drivers in the U.S. under real-world driving conditions. The results from 20 samples of drivers in Southern California show that on average the fuel economy on city streets improves by six percent while the fuel economy on highways improves by one percent. This group of drivers is willing to adopt eco-driving practices in the near future (mean score of 7.4 out of 10); 40 percent have already practiced eco-driving, and that penetration rate could go up to 95 percent if price of gasoline increases to $4.40 per gallon. KW - Advanced driver information systems KW - Driver information systems KW - Drivers KW - Ecodriving KW - Feedback control KW - Fuel consumption KW - Gasoline KW - Mathematical models KW - Navigation devices KW - Prices KW - Vehicle electronics UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-20.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090479 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330086 JO - UCTC Research Paper AU - Jin, Wen-Long AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Modeling Connectivity of Inter-Vehicle Communication Networks along Discrete Traffic Streams PY - 2010/08 SP - 29p AB - Rapid developments in telecommunications and information technologies could yield next-generation Intelligent Transportation Systems that rely on inter-vehicle communications (IVC) to disseminate time-critical and location-based traffic information. IVC-based systems are less costly to deploy than existing centralized transportation information systems. A new model is presented for computing the instantaneous connectivity and end node probability for vehicles in a transportation network where vehicle distribution may not be uniform and the positions of the vehicles may depend on one another. While it yields results consistent with those in the literature, it is simpler in formulation and computation. The model provides a means for studying how the distribution patterns of vehicles may affect the propagation of information. KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - Mathematical models KW - Nodes (Networks) KW - Optimization KW - Traffic flow KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2010-27.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090539 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01329779 AU - Rakauskas, Michael AU - Creaser, Janet AU - Manser, Michael AU - Graving, Justin AU - Donath, Max AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Validation Study – On-Road Evaluation of the Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System – Stop Sign Assist Sign: CICAS-SSA Report #5 PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 107p AB - The CICAS-SSA sign is a roadside driver support system that is intended to improve gap rejection at rural stop-controlled intersections. The CICAS-SSA system tracks vehicle locations on a major roadway and then displays a message to a driver on the minor road via an active LED icon-based sign. The basis of this sign is a “Divided Highway” sign that is commonly presented in traffic environments. Overlaid on the roadways of the sign are yellow or red icons that represent approaching vehicles that are at a distance at which the driver on the minor road should proceed with caution or at a distance that is considered unsafe to enter the intersection. Previous research conducted in a driving simulation environment indicated potentially beneficial changes in driver decision-making relative to approaching vehicle gap sizes and indicated that drivers perceive the system as being both useful and satisfying. While simulation-based evaluations provide a wealth of useful information, their ability to replicate the full array of behavioral, cognitive, and perceptual elements of a driving environment do have some limitations. It is because of these limitations that it is useful to confirm simulation-based findings in a real-world environment. The primary goal of the current work was to evaluate the candidate CICAS-SSA sign in a real-world setting to confirm previously identified benefits and identify any unintended consequences of sign usage. This goal was accomplished through a validation field test performed at the intersection of US Highway 52 and County Road 9 in Southern Minnesota. The findings of the work are summarized in this report. KW - Behavior KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System KW - Countermeasures KW - Field studies KW - Gap acceptance KW - Highway safety KW - Intersections KW - Rural highways KW - Stop signs KW - Traffic crashes KW - Warning signs UR - http://www.its.dot.gov/research_docs/pdf/cicas_tech_doc5.pdf UR - http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1452 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090902 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01329731 AU - Gorjestani, Alec AU - Menon, Arvind AU - Cheng, Pi-Ming AU - Shankwitz, Craig AU - Donath, Max AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Design of a Minimal Sensor Configuration for a Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System—Stop Sign Assist: CICAS-SSA Report #2 PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 61p AB - The deployment of a Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System – Stop Sign Assist (CICAS-SSA) can save lives by addressing the causal factor of crashes at rural thru-Stop intersection: drivers who stop on the minor leg of the intersection, improperly assess the gaps in the traffic on the major leg, proceed, and are then hit. The prototype CICAS-SSA system consisted of a network of sensors covering both the minor and the major legs of the intersection. Sensors on the minor road monitored the approach of vehicles and classified them based on their length and height. Sensors along the major road were arrayed to track vehicles (and the gaps between them) approaching the crossroads from 2000 feet away as a means to ensure that the tracking algorithm had sufficient time to “lock on” and track all approaching vehicles. Because cost is a primary concern for any highway safety application, the development of a “minimal sensor set” which would provide adequate safety performance for minimum cost was paramount to the success of the CICAS-SSA program. This report documents the development of this minimal sensor configuration. KW - Arterial highways KW - Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System KW - Gap acceptance KW - Highway safety KW - Intersections KW - Rural highways KW - Secondary roads KW - Sensors KW - Stop signs KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/pdfdownload.pl?id=1446 UR - http://www.its.dot.gov/research_docs/pdf/cicas_tech_docrpt2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090892 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328164 AU - Strawderman, Lesley AU - Usher, John M AU - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Implications of System Usability on Intermodal Facility Design PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 56p AB - Ensuring good design of intermodal transportation facilities is critical for effective and satisfactory operation. Passenger use of the facilities is often hindered by inadequate space, a poor layout, or lack of signage. This project aims to improve the design of transportation facilities by first understanding how passengers use the facilities. A cognitive model was created for three common airport tasks: departing, transferring, and arriving at an airport. The model, which defines the physical and cognitive steps required for a passenger to complete each task, was validated using focus groups. Researchers then visited 10 airports to assess the ability of a passenger to complete the tasks using those exact steps at each facility. The results of the model, focus groups, and airport visits were used to develop a number of design guidelines addressing multiple aspects within a facility, including signage, facility layout, and user tasks and processes. KW - Airports KW - Design KW - Intermodal facilities KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Passengers KW - Usability UR - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086608 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328117 AU - Strawderman, Lesley AU - Eksioglu, Burak AU - Mississippi State University, Mississippi State AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of an Intermodal Training Program for Disaster Relief Agencies PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 22p AB - Natural disasters impact society on a broad level, often leading to both financial damage and the loss of human life. This project seeks to improve the design and operation of disaster relief chains by providing agencies with an intermodal transportation decision making and training tool, focusing on the use of air, rail, and trucks in providing aid (cargo and personnel) following a disaster. Building upon knowledge gained from a previous NCIT project regarding factors that impact choice of transportation modes in disaster relief, the product of the current project is an intermodal transportation training program for disaster relief agencies. The program, viewed as a Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow, allows users to investigate the benefits of intermodal transportation, allowing trainees to make informed transportation decision in disaster relief agencies. KW - Decision making KW - Disaster preparedness KW - Disaster relief KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Training programs UR - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086611 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325139 AU - Sayer, James R AU - Bogard, Scott E AU - Funkhouser, D AU - LeBlanc, David J AU - Bao, Shan AU - Blankespoor, Adam D AU - Buonarosa, Mary Lynn AU - Winkler, Christopher B AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems Heavy-Truck Field Operational Test Key Findings Report PY - 2010/08 SP - 124p AB - This document presents key findings from the heavy-truck field operational test conducted as part of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems program. These findings are the result of analyses performed by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to examine the effect of a prototype integrated crash warning system on driving behavior and driver acceptance. The heavy-truck platform included three integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings) installed on a fleet of 10 Class 8 tractors and operated by 18 commercial drivers for 10 months. Each truck was instrumented to capture detailed data on the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Data on driver acceptance was collected through a postdrive survey and debriefings. The key findings indicate that integrated crash warning systems not only offer benefits relative to improved driver performance (e.g., improved headway keeping), but that the majority of commercial drivers accepted the system and reported subjective benefits from the integrated system they used. Of the drivers who participated, 15 out of 18 stated that they preferred a truck with the integrated system, stating that they would also recommend that their company consider the purchase of vehicles with integrated safety systems installed. No negative behavioral adaptation effects from the drivers’ 10-month use of the integrated system were observed. KW - Behavior KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Crash warning subsystems KW - Data collection KW - Field tests KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Integrated vehicle-based safety systems KW - Traffic safety KW - Truck drivers KW - Warning systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35000/35094/102672.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085888 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325024 AU - Conway, Alison J AU - Walton, C Michael AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Road Pricing Methodology for Infrastructure Cost Recovery PY - 2010/08 SP - 296p AB - The purpose of this research is to provide a theoretical framework for future commercial vehicle user-charging using real-time vehicle weight and configuration information collected using weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems. This work provides an extensive review of both mechanisms and technologies employed for commercial and passenger vehicle user-charging worldwide. Existing commercial vehicle-user charging structures use only broad vehicle classifications to distinguish between vehicles for the pricing of user-fees. The methodology proposed in this study employs highway cost allocation methods for development of an “Axle-Load” toll structure. A theoretical case study, based on information from Texas State Highway 130, is performed to explore the equity improvements that could be achieved through implementation of this proposed structure. Some sensitivity analysis is also performed to examine the potential revenue impacts due to uncertainties in different data inputs under existing and proposed structures. KW - Axle loads KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Cost allocation KW - Cost recovery KW - Infrastructure KW - Revenues KW - Road pricing KW - Sensitivity analysis KW - Trucks KW - Weigh in motion UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00064-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086099 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325018 AU - Thompson, Melissa AU - Unnikrishnan, Avinash AU - Conway, Alison J AU - Walton, C Michael AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Comprehensive Examination of Heavy Vehicle Emissions Factors PY - 2010/08 SP - 143p AB - This report summarizes the findings from reviewing the literature on several topics that are related to heavy vehicle emissions including engine and fuel types, vehicle technologies that can be used to reduce or mitigate vehicle emissions, the factors that affect vehicle emissions, vehicle emissions modeling, and current and future policy requiring accurate accounting of heavy vehicle emissions. The pollutants present in diesel exhaust are known to have undesirable effects on both human health and the environment. There are many engine and fuel alternatives for current and prospective vehicle owners to consider that have differing effects on a vehicle’s pollutant output. In addition, new technologies, such as diesel particulate filters, auxiliary power units, and selective catalytic reduction, are being used in the production of new vehicles, and can often be installed on used vehicles, to reduce emissions and/or improve fuel economy. Accurate heavy vehicle emissions modeling is important in forming policies designed to reduce pollutants from heavy vehicle operation at both the vehicle and regional level. Such policies can include cap-and-trade schemes, carbon taxing, and road user charging. All of these policy types have been implemented in the European Union to varying degrees, but only some have been implemented in the United States. However, all of these are now being considered in the U.S., and could be implemented in the future. KW - Air quality management KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Environmental policy KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Heavy vehicles KW - Pollutants UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00067-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086091 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325005 AU - Cherrington, Linda AU - Arndt, Jeffrey AU - Edrington, Suzie AU - Taylor, Ryan AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Texas Transit Leadership Initiative PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 82p AB - The purpose of this project was to research and develop a leadership development program that addresses the needs of rural and small urban transit managers at each stage of a career along a continuum from new employees just entering the industry to senior staff members who are anticipating retirement. The project goal was to establish a sustainable leadership development program that has value to the transit industry in Texas. The project was a collaborative effort of Texas Transportation Institute and the Texas Department of Transportation, Public Transportation Division (TxDOT-PTN). KW - Leadership KW - Managerial personnel KW - Public transit KW - Rural areas KW - Small cities KW - Texas UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Cherrington_09-38-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085894 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325003 AU - Eluru, Naveen AU - Paleti, Rajesh AU - Bhat, Chandra R AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Examining the Influence of Tolls on Commute Departure and Route Choice Behavior in the Chicago Region PY - 2010/08 SP - 39p AB - In the United States, a significant number of individuals depend on the auto mode of transportation. The high auto dependency, in turn, has resulted in high auto travel demand on highways. The resulting traffic congestion levels, surging oil prices, the limited ability to address increased auto travel demand through building additional transportation infrastructure, and the emphasis on reducing GHG emissions has led to the serious consideration and implementation of travel demand management (TDM) strategies in the past decade. Congestion pricing is a frequently considered TDM option to alleviate travel congestion in urban metropolitan regions. Congestion pricing might induce changes in activity location, travel route, departure time of day, and travel mode. The current study contributes toward understanding the influence of congestion pricing on commuter behavior by specifically examining what dimensions of commuter travel behavior are affected as a response to congestion pricing. Specifically, the authors formulate and estimate a joint disaggregate model of commute departure time and route choice drawing from the 2008 Chicago Regional Household Travel Inventory (CRHTI). The empirical analysis demonstrates the significance of individual and household socio-demographics on commuter behavior. The results also highlight how vehicle availability plays an important role in determining individual’s sensitivity to travel time and travel cost. To demonstrate the applicability of the joint modeling framework to determine optimal toll fares, the authors compute value of travel time measures for different demographic groups. KW - Chicago Metropolitan Area KW - Commuters KW - Congestion pricing KW - Departure time KW - Route choice KW - Tolls KW - Travel behavior KW - Urban areas UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/169200-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086164 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324969 AU - Pappas, Eleni AU - Machemehl, Randy AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Predicting the Incremental Effects on Transit Ridership Due to Bus-On-Shoulder Operations PY - 2010/08 SP - 87p AB - Bus-On-Shoulder (BOS) operations are an extremely effective method for increasing the quality of a bus service; allowing for a bus to use a freeway shoulder as a bypass lane not only decreases bus travel time but also increases the bus service’s overall performance. BOS has also been found to increase bus ridership. The modern BOS system began in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area almost 20 years ago. Using the extensive data available from Minneapolis-Saint Paul, ridership changes due to BOS operations were explored. The data showed that with 90% confidence, ridership will increase by at least 4.5% and as much as 14.3%. This report explores how the citizens of Austin, Texas would respond to a BOS operation on local freeways. A stated preference survey was administered to a sample of Austin commuters. It was determined that potential riders would desire a time savings of 7 or more minutes. Typically, it is challenging for persons to accurately predict time savings, therefore it was concluded that, for a BOS operation to be successful, it was necessary for there to be a perceived time savings. KW - Bus on shoulder operations KW - Bus transit KW - Bus transit operations KW - Bypass lanes KW - Ridership KW - Road shoulders UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00073-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086096 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324964 AU - Quadrifoglio, Luca AU - Shen, Chung-Wei AU - Texas Transportation Institute AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Performance Analysis of the “Zoning” Strategies for ADA Paratransit Services PY - 2010/08 SP - 53p AB - ADA paratransit systems are dial-a-ride services providing public transportation to disabled customers. In large metropolitan areas, these services might adopt zoning strategies to simplify their management. The objective of this research is to provide a more in-depth evaluation and comparison between centralized and decentralized zoning strategies for the city of Houston, Texas, by developing a simulation model to evaluate the effect of zoning strategies on the productivity and service quality for the ADA paratransit service. Three decentralized zoning strategies are compared to a centralized no-zoning strategy. Results show that the decentralized “Four-zone” strategy, as opposed to the centralized no-zoning strategy, needs a fleet larger by 17 percent, its empty trip miles are larger by 11 percent, values for the passenger trips per vehicle revenue hour are lower and its average waiting time is 3.7 percent lower. KW - Americans with Disabilities Act KW - Paratransit services KW - Performance measurement KW - Persons with disabilities KW - Quality of service KW - Strategic planning KW - Zoning UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/169114-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086160 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324958 AU - Conway, Alison J AU - Walton, C Michael AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - State Commercial Vehicle Security Enforcement: Operations, Technologies, and Barriers PY - 2010/08 SP - 66p AB - This report details the results of a survey of state enforcement agencies concerning past, present, and future enforcement practices and advanced technology use for commercial vehicle security, as well as recommendations for future improvements. The study examines practices in 19 states, including 7 land border crossing states and 11 states with one or more major marine ports of entry. Current technology applications, future needs, and past and existing barriers to implementation are all identified. The study also examines both successes and needs for cooperation between federal, state, and industry stakeholders. Particular focus is also placed on identifying changes that have occurred since 9/11. KW - Commercial vehicle operations KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Cooperation KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Law enforcement KW - Security KW - State government agencies KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucks UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/473700-00074-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086086 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01322463 AU - LaClair, Tim AU - Knee, Helmut AU - Franzese, Oscar AU - Arant, Michael AU - Hathaway, Richard AU - Keil, Mitch AU - Pape, Doug AU - Rhoda, Dale AU - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - U24: Heavy Truck Rollover Characterization (Phase C) PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 342p AB - The effect of changes in the suspension of a cargo tank semitrailer on its roll stability was studied in experiments and modeling. Three configurations were considered: a typical design; a design with a wider track; and a design with wider track and greater separation between the air bags. All configurations used new generation wide base single tires (NGWBST). The experiments consisted of a steady state “ramp” steer, a transient “step” steer, and a more challenging dynamic “double lane change” maneuver. Lumped parameter and flexible body models of the combination vehicle were developed and exercised. Widening the track of the semitrailer’s axles raised the threshold for lifting a tire from the pavement, as predicted. Moving the suspension’s air bags farther apart changed several characteristics of the behavior, with no consistently measurable changes in wheel liftoff threshold. Limited testing with electronic stability control (ESC) showed that the suspension changes did not affect ESC performance. The damping of the trailer roll oscillation provided by the suspension itself was greater than the damping provided by the shock absorbers. This auxiliary damping was generated, at least in part, by the restricted movement of air between the suspension air bags. This work is the final in a series of studies funded by NTRCI to characterize the roll behavior of heavy vehicles and develop computer simulation models to explain that behavior. Previous studies have explored the behavior of a van semitrailer, a flatbed semitrailer, and a tank semitrailer. KW - Electronic stability control KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Rollover crashes KW - Simulation KW - Stability (Mechanics) KW - Suspension systems KW - Trucking safety KW - Vehicle dynamics UR - http://www.ntrci.org/ntrci-50-2010-018 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1082777 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01321090 AU - Ferguson, Erin M AU - Duthie, Jennifer AU - Waller, S Travis AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Network Methods for Project Selection Based on Optimizing Environmental Impact PY - 2010/08 SP - 149p AB - Traditionally, transportation road networks have been designed for minimal congestion. Unfortunately, such approaches do not guarantee minimal vehicle emissions. Given the negative impacts of vehicle pollutants as well as tighter national air quality standards, it is critical for regions to be able to identify capacity modifications to road networks such that vehicle emissions are minimal. This ability combined with land use changes and opportunities for non-auto travel are paramount in helping regions improve air quality. However, network design research has yet to directly address this topic. To fill this apparent gap in network design research, an emissions network design problem and solution method are proposed in this report. Three air pollutants are considered: hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. The proposed model is applied to two road networks: Sioux Falls, ND and Anaheim, CA. The model is a bi-level optimization problem solved using a genetic algorithm and incorporates the influence of demand uncertainty. Findings indicate designing for minimal congestion tends to increase emissions of criteria air pollutants. However, not adding capacity to a road network also increases emissions of pollutants. Therefore, an optimization problem and solution method, such as the model presented here, is useful for identifying capacity additions that reduce vehicle emissions. It is also useful for understanding the tradeoffs between designing a network for minimal congestion versus minimal vehicle emissions. KW - Air pollution KW - Air quality management KW - Environmental impacts KW - Exhaust gases KW - Highway capacity KW - Highway design KW - Optimization KW - Road networks KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/161026-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1082275 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01220483 AU - Gao, H Oliver AU - Stasko, Timon H AU - Cornell University AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Diesel Retrofit Assessment for NYS DOT to Retrofit its Existing Engine Fleet PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 121p AB - The NYS DEC has required the use of retrofit technologies for various state agency, state public authority, and regional public authority heavy duty vehicles, as well as heavy duty vehicles used on behalf of such agencies and authorities. This report was compiled to assist NYS DOT in its efforts to comply in the most cost effective manner possible, without compromising its core functions. The results of the literature review and key points from conversations with fleet managers and retrofit/engine manufacturers form the basis of the quantitative analysis of benefits and costs calculated for various retrofit technologies. These benefits and costs naturally depend on many aspects of the vehicle in question, such as its size, model year, and usage pattern. In the long term, the most cost effective way to reduce PM emissions is to replace the oldest trucks. Another decently cost effective option is to install level 1 retrofits on relatively new class 8 dump trucks, starting with the newest which are compatible. While the long term cost effectiveness should be a key factor in developing emission reduction strategies, there are several other important factors to consider: near-term budget constraint; other possible options; and vehicle and duty cycle compatibility. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Diesel engines KW - Environmental impacts KW - Environmental mitigation KW - New York (State) KW - Retrofitting UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/159/DOT_Diesel_Retrofit1.pdf UR - https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C-07-12%20Final%20report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/980829 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01220474 AU - Gao, H Oliver AU - Sonntag, Darrell AU - Morse, Patrick AU - Cornell University AU - New York State Department of Transportation AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Air Quality and Energy Impacts of NYSDOT Highway ROW Management PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 101p AB - Mowing the highway right-of-way is important for the safety of roadway users and maintaining the highway infrastructure. However, little quantitative data are available on the energy use and air quality impacts of highway mowing activities. In this report, fuel usage and exhaust emission rates are reported from a study that monitored tractors operating in real-world conditions by the New York State Department of Transportation. The emissions and fuel consumption from the mowing practices of twelve tractors were compared based on miles-mowed per hour and acres-mowed per hour. The distance-based comparison revealed that there was substantial variability in emissions and fuel rates due to the technology of each tractor. Due to the high fuel rates of the relatively newer (2004) and larger tractors, the absolute emissions levels from these tractors were comparable to the older 1980’s era tractors. In the area-based comparison, the operating conditions and mower type were the dominant variables determining the emission and energy rates. The sickle bar, flail and rotary equipped mowers had comparable fuel consumption and emission rates. Mowing over the guiderails, which use a large tractor and a small cutting head, had fuel consumption and emission rates 2 to 4 times higher than the other mowing activities. Highway mowing activities are an important source of air-borne pollutants and this study showed that mowing the median or highway roadside can be equivalent to 20-60 passes of a 1990’s era heavy-duty diesel truck for CO2 and NOx emissions, and 50-60 passes for PM emissions. KW - Air quality KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Energy consumption KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fuel consumption KW - Maintenance equipment KW - Mowing KW - New York (State) KW - Right of way (Land) UR - http://www.utrc2.org/research/assets/160/DOT_Modeling_Emission1.pdf UR - https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C-07-13_NYSDOT%20ROW%20Emissions%20Final_Report_Sept_2_2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/980825 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01208056 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Bureau of Transportation Statistic Special Report: Effects of the February 2010 Snowstorms on Airline Performance PY - 2010/08 SP - 5p AB - Several snowstorms in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast during February 2010 disrupted air travel not only at airports blanketed with snow but at airports across the United States and its territories. Altogether, more than 20,000 flights, or 4.2 percent of all flights scheduled during the month, were canceled due to weather. This was the highest weather cancellation rate for any month since the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) began collecting data on the extent and causes of cancellations in June 2003. The national ramifications shows the origin and destination for air travel segments (originating from a major airport) canceled because of weather on Feb. 10, 2010 the day with the most scheduled flight disruptions in February. From the 35 major airports, all flights were canceled on 510 segments, accounting for 20 percent of all scheduled departures (2,350 flights) from the 35 airports. All flight segments departing from two major airports Baltimore Washington (BWI) and Washington Reagan (DCA), and two small airports Long Island-Islip (ISP) and Atlantic City (ACY) were canceled due to weather. In looking at the impacts of weather on on-time airline performance in February 2010, this report uses BTS Airline On-Time Performance data. Analysis shows: February 2010 had the greatest proportion of weather-related cancellations on record, with 4.2 percent of flights canceled (20,206 flights). The previous record was 2.8 percent (15,872 flights) in February 2007. On the peak day, February 10, 23 percent of all scheduled flights (3,932 flights) were canceled nationwide due mainly to the near or complete closure of several large Northeastern hub airports. Cancellations from storms over the entire month are estimated to have cost $80100 million. KW - Air transportation KW - Aviation safety KW - Blizzards KW - Economic impacts KW - Flight cancellations KW - Flight delays KW - Inclement weather KW - Snowstorms KW - Travel disruptions KW - Weather conditions UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2010_07/html/entire.html UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2010_07/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968949 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01207197 AU - Washburn, Scott S AU - Li, Jing AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Simulation Program for Two-Lane Highway Analysis PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 63p AB - In this project, the objective of implementing into CORSIM the ability to model two-lane highways was accomplished. More specifically, the modeling capabilities and features incorporated into CORSIM under this project include: (1) Basic two-lane highway segments with passing maneuvers (including passing one vehicle or multiple vehicles at a time) in the oncoming lane; (2) Two-lane highway segments with a passing lane; (3) Two-lane highway segments connecting to signalized intersections; (4) New TRF file inputs that allow the user to modify certain parameters of the two-lane highway modeling logic; and (5) New performance measure outputs [e.g., Percent Time-Spent-Following (PTSF) and follower density] and passing maneuver data outputs. With this new simulation capability in CORSIM, traffic operations on complex two-lane highways (e.g., two-lane highway with occasional signalized intersections) can be analyzed. KW - CORSIM (Traffic simulation model) KW - Highway operations KW - Passing KW - Passing lanes KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic simulation KW - Two lane highways UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/cms_2008_002_final_report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45638/cms_2008_002_final_report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968126 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01206864 AU - Hale, W Micah AU - Tackett, Andrew M AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Examining the Effects of Mixer Type and Temperature on the Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 97p AB - Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a highly advanced material that has been created as a result of many years of concrete research and development. UHPC addresses a number of concerns that plague most concrete types by taking advantage of today’s latest technology in order to produce this innovative product. Although UHPC is known for producing many beneficial qualities for concrete users, because of the unique makeup of the material, there are some areas that remain unexplored. For instance, the mixer typically specified to batch UHPC is a high shear/energy mixer (e.g., pan). Currently, little information is known as to whether a beneficial or negative impact may be experienced in concrete properties [e.g., flow, strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE)] when a lower shear/energy mixer (e.g., drum/ready-mix truck) is used. Another point of interest that has not been explored is the effect on fresh concrete temperature produced when the dry constituent mixing materials (also referred to as premix), such as portland cement, aggregate, silica fume, and ground quartz, are placed at some specific temperature and batched with ice as a replacement for mixing water. Because of these two uncertainties, the goal of this thesis is to rectify such unknowns. Two studies were fashioned addressing the issues listed above. Both studies documented UHPC fresh (flow and temperature) and hardened properties (MOE and compressive strength) to gather information for analysis purposes. The influence of ice on resultant batch temperature could not be determined for the small pan made batches. The drum mixed batches, with their larger volume of materials, proved more beneficial for analysis. Flows for both mixers were erratic over time, but were generally within the acceptable specifications; this fact was dependent upon the type of mixer used. Two different curing procedures were used during the research period. The type of curing regimen used largely influenced UHPC hardened properties. Depending upon the type of curing method used, a stark difference in ultimate strength and MOE values could be observed. KW - Compressive strength KW - Concrete curing KW - Concrete flowability KW - Concrete mixers KW - Fresh concrete KW - Hardened concrete KW - Modulus of elasticity KW - Temperature KW - Ultimate strength KW - Ultra high performance concrete UR - http://www.arkansastrc.com/MBTC%20REPORTS/MBTC%203012.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34000/34057/MBTC_DOT_3012.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968066 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01206859 AU - Mason, Scott J AU - Pohl, Edward A AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Network Design Analysis for Special Needs Student Services PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 40p AB - Population growth can lead to public school capacity issues, as well as increased school bus utilization. This increased utilization, in turn, can result in longer school bus transport times for both regular and special needs/medically fragile students. Special needs or medically fragile students are children with special health care needs who are at increased risk for a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition. These students require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by typical children. It is common practice to provide special needs students with specially equipped buses and/or special classroom environments with specific facilities or services. However, the assignment of student services to schools is regularly made without regard to bus transportation considerations for special needs students. Considering the potentially negative impact of long school bus rides on these students, the authors present the first systematic, integrated analyses of special needs student busing and classroom assignments. The authors provide models and algorithms for maintaining administration-based transportation financial performance measures while simultaneously designing smarter transportation networks. The smarter networks produced by these models assign special needs services to schools in concert with considering both student geographical location and service needs. In the future, the authors hope to pilot these model results in local school districts to assess the efficacy of the proposed methods in practice. KW - Algorithms KW - Bus transit KW - Mathematical models KW - Network design KW - School children KW - Special needs school children KW - Travel time KW - Trip length UR - http://www.arkansastrc.com/MBTC%20REPORTS/MBTC%203019.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34000/34056/MBTC_DOT_3019.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968065 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01206821 AU - Qiao, Pizhong AU - Washington State University, Pullman AU - TransNow, Transportation Northwest AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seismic Performance and Smart Health Monitoring of Concrete with Recycled Aggregate: Part I: Smart Health Monitoring of Concrete with Recycled Aggregate PY - 2010/08//Final Research Report SP - 69p AB - Concrete is one of the most widely used artificial materials in construction, and the consumption of cement and concrete is maintained at a rapid rate of increase. According to statistics from the European Cement Society, the world's cement production was about 10 million tons in 1900, but it increased to 6,400 million tons in 1998. Concrete is a composite material, consisting of aggregates and paste. Paste is a continuous phase matrix, in which granular aggregates are embedded. To produce the granular aggregates in concrete, not only a lot of the natural resource of stone materials is needed, but also the ecological environment is adversely impacted. On the other hand, when concrete structures reach the limit of their service life, a large amount of old constructions need to be dismantled in addition to natural disasters’ destructive effects, leading to plenty of waste concrete. As a sort of waste produced by demolishing old buildings, waste concrete will result in serious environmental pollution and vast resource extravagance if it is not reutilized or recycled. To protect the environment and maintain sustainable development in construction, the technology of recycled concrete is becoming one of the demanding research fields. The frame construction using recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has been commonly considered in engineering practice, and its ability to resist earthquake loading is important. However, little or no research on seismic performance of RAC structures has been explored. The objectives of the proposed study are two-fold: (1) to evaluate the seismic performance of RAC structures, and (2) to assess the condition and detect damage in RAC using embedded smart piezoelectric sensors/actuators. A combined experimental, theoretical and numerical approach will be considered to evaluate the seismic performance of RAC and develop the condition assessment and damage detection strategy using smart materials. KW - Earthquake engineering KW - Piezoelectric sensors KW - Recycled concrete KW - Recycled materials KW - Smart materials KW - Smart structures KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Sustainable development UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33900/33994/TNW2010-05.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/935542 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173909 AU - Hanson, Elyse M AU - Connolly, Nicholas J AU - Janssen, Donald J AU - TransNow, Transportation Northwest AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluating and Optimizing Recycled Concrete Fines in PCC Mixtures Containing Supplementary Cementitious Materials PY - 2010/08//Final Research Report SP - 66p AB - Portland cement concrete (PCC) is used throughout transportation infrastructure, for roads as well as bridges and other structures. One of the most effective ways of making PCC more “green” is to replace a portion of the portland cement (the portion of a PCC mixture with the greatest carbon footprint) with a supplementary cementitious material such as flyash or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Since these supplementary cementitious materials are waste byproducts, they can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of PCC. A consequence of using these materials, however, is that they can reduce the rate of early PCC strength gain. This reduced rate of strength gain can cause problems, especially in urban areas where user costs from delayed construction must be considered when evaluating a project’s overall cost. Previous work (Janssen, et al., 2006) demonstrated that the use of recycled concrete fines could offset some or all of the delayed strength‐gain effects from cement‐GGBFS blends. Current work appears to indicate that the use of such fines could allow for increased cement replacement with no additional reduction in early strength gain. Unfortunately, recycled concrete fines can be quite variable from batch to batch. To effectively utilize recycled concrete fines to offset delayed strength gains associated with the use of supplementary cementitious materials, a procedure must be developed that: 1) evaluates the effectiveness of a specific recycled concrete fines source, and 2) determines PCC mixture proportions that utilize the recycled concrete fines to offset reduced strength‐gain effects associated with the use of supplementary cementitious materials as cement replacement. This procedure must be rapid and inexpensive so that ready‐mix concrete producers could easily perform the procedure whenever a new recycled concrete fines source is obtained. KW - Early strength (Concrete) KW - Granulated slag KW - Mix design KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Recycled concrete KW - Recycled materials UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33900/33992/TNW2010-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/934646 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173853 AU - Sheffield, John W AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Missouri S&T Hydrogen Transportation Test Bed Equipment & Construction PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 22p AB - Investments through the National University Transportation Center at Missouri University of Science and Technology have really scored on the Center’s mission areas and particularly Transition-state fuel vehicle infrastructure leading to a hydrogen economy. Already this investment has produced three programs, Hydrogen Fueling Station, the EcoCAR Garage and the Renewable Energy Transit Depot, that have led to a new 2008 Missouri S&T major strategic theme. Chancellor Carney calls it “E3=C” Challenge, i.e., Energy, Environment, and Education equals Civilization. With the strong start empowered by NUTC funds, a new transportation test bed at Missouri S&T, coined “E3 Commons,” is being constructed to develop, demonstrate and deploy hydrogen vehicles and supporting infrastructure including hydrogen production from renewable energy sources. Another round of investment is needed to keep this momentum going and to capitalize where success has grown much more than anticipated. The hydrogen transportation test bed serves as a focal point for the Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety - National University Transportation Center at Missouri University of Science and Technology, focusing on the overarching goals of collecting and evaluating the real-world performance and utility of hydrogen-powered vehicles and benchmarking issues related to the safety, operation, and maintenance of hydrogen-powered vehicles with other alternative fuel-powered vehicles. NUTC funds, along with specific project matches, have allowed Missouri S&T to accomplish Phase I. Tackling Phase II requires complementary capabilities for these three program areas and the Commons: EcoCAR Garage, Hydrogen Fueling Station, Renewable Energy Transit Depot, and the E3 Commons as a whole. KW - Construction KW - Equipment KW - Hydrogen fueled vehicles KW - Hydrogen fuels KW - Hydrogen infrastructure KW - Hydrogen production KW - Missouri KW - Performance KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Test beds KW - Vehicle infrastructure UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/RE254_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/930620 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173811 AU - Guarino, Jenny AU - Firestine, Theresa AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Effects of the February 2010 Snowstorms on Airline Performance PY - 2010/08//Special Report SP - 5p AB - Several snowstorms in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast during February 2010 disrupted air travel not only at airports blanketed with snow but at airports across the United States and its territories. Altogether, more than 20,000 flights, or 4.2 percent of all flights scheduled during the month, were canceled due to weather. This was the highest weather cancellation rate for any month since the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) began collecting data on the extent and causes of cancellations in June 2003. In looking at the impacts of weather on on-time airline performance in February 2010, this report uses BTS Airline On-Time Performance data. Analysis shows: (1) February 2010 had the greatest proportion of weather-related cancellations on record, with 4.2 percent of flights canceled (20,206 flights). The previous record was 2.8 percent (15,872 flights) in February 2007. (2) On the peak day, February 10, 23 percent of all scheduled flights (3,932 flights) were canceled nationwide due mainly to the near or complete closure of several large Northeastern hub airports. (3) Cancellations from storms over the entire month are estimated to have cost $80–100 million. KW - Airlines KW - Flight cancellations KW - On time performance KW - Schedule maintenance KW - Snowstorms KW - Weather conditions UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/ UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2010_07/html/entire.html UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/special_report/2010_07/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35388/Snowstorms.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/934608 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01167045 AU - Figliozzi, Miguel AU - Tufte, Kristin AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Oregon Freight Data Mart PY - 2010/08//Final Report SP - 64p AB - Increasing freight volumes are adding pressure to the Oregon transportation system. Monitoring the performance of the transportation system and freight movements is essential to guarantee the economic development of the region, the efficient allocation of resources, and the quality of life of all Oregonians. Freight data is expensive to collect and maintain. Confidentiality issues, the size of the datasets, and the complexity of freight movements are barriers that preclude the easy access and analysis of freight data. Data accessibility and integration is essential to ensure successful freight planning and consistency across regional partner agencies and planning organizations. In relation to Internet-based mapping technology in freight data collection and planning, the main objectives of this project are: (a) address implementation issues associated with data integration, (b) present a system architecture to leverage existing publically-available interfaces and web applications to accelerate product development and reduce costs, (c) describe an existing web-based mapping prototype and its capabilities, (d) state lessons learned and present suggestions to streamline the integration and visualization of freight data, and (e) discuss load-time and display quality issues associated with the visualization of transportation data on internet-based mapping applications. The strategies and methodologies described in this report are equally applicable to the display of areas such as states or counties as well as linear data such as highways, waterways, and railways. Despite data integration challenges, Internet-based mapping provides a cost effective and appealing tool to store, access, and communicate freight data as well as enhance our understanding of freight issues. Institutional barriers, not technology, are the most demanding hurdles to widely implementing a freight data web-based mapping application in the near future. KW - Data accessibility KW - Data files KW - Data integration KW - Data mapping KW - Data marts KW - Freight data KW - Freight transportation KW - Implementation KW - Institutional issues KW - Internet KW - Oregon KW - System architecture KW - Visualization UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/131 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/927668 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01370136 AU - Ashour, Mohamed AU - Ardalan, Hamed AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Road Embankment and Slope Stabilization PY - 2010/07/31/Final Report SP - 88p AB - This report and the accompanying software are part of efforts to improve the characterization and analysis of pile-stabilized slopes using one or two rows of driven piles. A combination of the limit equilibrium analysis and strain wedge (SW) model technique is employed to assess the stability of vulnerable slopes before and after using driven piles to improve the slope stability. This report focuses on the entry of input data, interpretation of the output results, and description of the employed technique. In addition to a comparison study with a full-scale load test, the finite element (FE) analysis using a general-purpose FE package, “PLAXIS,” is performed to verify the results. The characterization of lateral load induced by slipping mass of soils can be accomplished using the modified SW model technique. The SW model for laterally loaded pile behavior is a new predictive method (recommended as an alternative method by AASHTO [2007]) that relates the stress-strain behavior of soil in the developing three-dimensional passive wedge in front of the pile (denoted as the strain wedge) under lateral load to the one-dimensional beam-on-elastic foundation parameters. Two failure scenarios are employed in the developed computer program to include pile stabilization for 1) existing slip surface of failed slope and 2) potential failure surface. The two scenarios evaluate the distribution of the soil driving forces with the consideration of the soil flow-around failure, soil strength, and pile spacing. The developed procedure can also account for the external pile head lateral load and moment along with the driving force induced by the sliding mass of soil. The developed computer program is a design tool in which the designer can select an economic pile size to stabilize slopes. In addition to the external lateral loads applied at the pile head, the presented research work determines the mobilized driving force caused by sliding mass of soil that needs to be transferred via installed piles to stable soil layers below the slip surface. The side and front interaction between piles and sliding mass of soil is one of the main features of this project. The work presented also evaluates the appropriate pile spacing between the piles in the same pile row (wall) and the spacing between the pile rows. The computer program provides a flexible graphical user interface that facilitates entering data and analyzing/plotting the results. The finite element analysis (using PLAXIS) was used to investigate the results. A field test for pile-stabilized slope is used to validate the results obtained from the finite element analysis and the developed technique. KW - Computer programs KW - Deformation curve KW - Embankments KW - Piles (Supports) KW - Slope stability UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44000/44095/09305_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1136641 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349501 AU - Gransberg, Douglas AU - Zaman, Musharraf AU - Riemer, Caleb AU - Pittenger, Dominique AU - Aktas, Bekir AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Quantifying the Costs and Benefits of Pavement Retexturing as a Pavement Preservation Tool PY - 2010/07/31/Final Report SP - 112p AB - The objective of the study is to build on the research done overseas and conduct a comparative field evaluation of various methods used to restore pavement skid resistance by retexturing the existing surface with either a surface treatment, chemical treatment or a mechanical process. In Phase 1, 16 field test sections were constructed on State Highway 77 between Oklahoma City and Norman. Monthly microtexture and macrotexture measurements were taken over a period of 22 months. The field data was reduced to create deterioration models based on loss of both micro and macrotexture over time. The models were then used to calculate effective service lives for each treatment which was then used as input for a life cycle cost analysis. A new lifecycle cost analysis model for pavement preservation treatments based on equivalent uniform annual cost rather than net present value was developed and is used to process the pavement texture change data. This will allow pavement managers to have the required information to be able to make rational engineering design decisions based on both physical and financial data for a suite of potential pavement preservation tools. Each treatment alternative has been evaluated under the same conditions over the same period of time by an impartial research team. The project will continue for a third year under the Phase 2 OTCREOS9.1-21 contract. Upon its completion, a pavement preservation treatment toolbox for a total of 23 different treatments will be developed and furnished to ODOT for use by its division maintenance engineers in the state-wide pavement preservation program. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Life cycle costing KW - Macrotexture KW - Microtexture KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Preservation KW - Skid resistance KW - Texture UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-16-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107981 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349481 AU - Khoury, Charbel AU - Miller, Gerald A AU - Abousleiman, Younane N AU - University of Oklahoma, Norman AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Effect of Suction Hysteresis on Resilient Modulus of Fine-Grained Cohesionless Soil PY - 2010/07/31/Final Report SP - 101p AB - The mechanical behavior of subgrade soil is influenced by the seasonal variations in moisture content. To better understand this behavior, it is crucial to study the relationship between soil moisture content and matric suction known as the Soil Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC). This relationship is hysteretic, i.e., at a given suction the moisture content differs depending on the drying and wetting paths. Research described in this report represents the beginning effort to understand the relationship of the SWCC to resilient modulus of subgrades. The behavior of the SWCC has been widely studied and various models have been developed to capture this hysteretic behavior, but limited experimental data are available under different applied stresses. The lack of SWCC experimental data is due to the long testing time required for unsaturated soils. A new procedure was developed to shorten equilibrium time and obtain SWCC data as fast as possible. This new approach was used and SWCC tests under different stress states on silty soil specimens under drying, wetting, secondary drying, and along scanning curves were performed. Results from this study helped improve and validate existing models briefly described in this report. The primary focus of this study was the effect of hydraulic hysteresis on the resilient modulus (Mr) of a cohesionless silty soil. Suction-controlled Mr tests were performed on compacted samples along the primary drying and wetting, secondary drying and wetting paths. A relationship between resilient modulus (Mr) and matric suction identified as the resilient modulus characteristic curve (MRCC) was developed. MRCC results indicated that Mr increased with suction along the drying curve. On the other hand, results of tests along the primary wetting curve indicated higher Mr than along the primary drying and the secondary drying curves. A new model to predict the MRCC results during drying and wetting (i.e., hydraulic hysteresis) is proposed based on the SWCC hysteresis. The model predicted favorably the drying and then the wetting results using the SWCC at all stress levels. KW - Fine grained soils KW - Granular soils KW - Hysteresis KW - Modulus of resilience KW - Soil suction UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-27-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108014 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01449579 AU - Hazirbaba, Kenan AU - Cox, Brady R AU - Wood, Clinton M AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - University of Arkansas, Fayetteville AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Shear Wave Velocity Profiling in High Seismicity Areas of Cold and Warm Permafrost PY - 2010/07/22 SP - 149p AB - This work was performed in support of the Alaska University Transportation Center project “Utilization of Screw Piles in High Seismicity Areas of Cold and Warm Permafrost” under the direction of Dr. Kenan Hazirbaba. Surface wave testing was performed at 30 sites in the City of Fairbanks, Alaska from August 9-13, 2009 by personnel from the University of Arkansas. The goal of the testing was to develop shear wave velocity profiles at selected research sites and at various areas of cold and warm permafrost. The shear wave velocity profiles provide a key parameter in determining the dynamic response of piles and soil-pile interaction under dynamic loading. The Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW) method (Stokoe et al., 1994) was used to determine shear wave velocity profile at each site to a depth of between 30 and 60 meters. KW - Dynamic loads KW - Fairbanks (Alaska) KW - Permafrost KW - Rayleigh waves KW - S waves KW - Seismicity KW - Shear wave velocity KW - Soil-pile interaction KW - Spectral analysis of surface waves KW - Spectrum analysis KW - Surface wave tests UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2012/10/309031.UAR_.Cox-AUTC-Shear-Wave-Velocity-FinalReport7.23.10-ineautc1112.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46100/46147/309031.UAR_.Cox-AUTC-Shear-Wave-Velocity-FinalReport7.23.10-ineautc1112.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1217180 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01547678 TI - Multistate Freight Corridor Organizations AB - Freight trips often involve multiple modes and trips that cross multiple states. To move efficiently, freight movement -- regional, national, and global -- must cross jurisdictional boundaries with as few impediments as possible. To make it possible to plan and invest to assure reliable freight trips, multi-state freight corridor organizations are needed, especially where project costs are borne by a single state, but benefits accrue to several states. Existing organizations such as the I-95 Corridor Coalition have considerable experience conducting analyses of highway, rail, and maritime freight movement but are not constituted to pan and implement an investment program. At present no multi-state corridor organizations exist with the necessary authority and capacity to carry out a long-term program of freight planning and investment. Research completed under National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) Report 2, Institutional Arrangements in the Freight Transportation System, relates directly to this issue. The objective of this research is to identify and evaluate existing multi-state coalitions, analyze key legal and financial issues, describe roles and responsibilities for multi-state freight organizations, and produce a report that specifies the necessary legal and financial frameworks as well as the preferred composition, organizational structure, and decision-making processes of multi-state freight organizations capable of developing and implementing a long-term investment plan. KW - Coalitions KW - Decision making KW - Financing KW - Freight traffic KW - Industry structure KW - Legal factors KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Organizational factors UR - http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3052 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1335310 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01492388 TI - USDOT Climate Change AB - No summary provided. KW - Climate change KW - Environment KW - Environmental policy KW - Environmental protection KW - Global warming UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261581 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01363165 AU - Rasmussen, Benjamin AU - Linthicum, Alex AU - Lopez-Bernal, Gabriel AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Department of the Interior TI - New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Alternative Transportation Systems Evaluation and Analysis PY - 2010/07/08 SP - 92p AB - This study evaluates the feasibility of a shuttle system that would connect sites within New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and surrounding sites as well. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Feasibility analysis KW - National parks KW - Passenger transportation KW - Shuttle buses KW - Shuttle service UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/43000/43500/43517/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-10-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1131865 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01578000 TI - Assessing Switchgrass Establishment Problems AB - No summary provided. KW - Cultivation KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Grasses UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371383 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577937 TI - Carbon-Neutral Perennial Grass Biofuels Production from Biosolids Amended Degraded Forest and Marginal Lands in Ohio AB - No summary provided. KW - Agricultural wastes KW - Biomass fuels KW - Forests KW - Grasses KW - Land use KW - Ohio KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371308 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577877 TI - Conversion of North Eastern Macro Algae to Liquid Biofuels and Bioproducts AB - No summary provided. KW - Algae KW - Biomass KW - Biomass fuels KW - Energy conversion UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371181 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577057 TI - Genome-Enabled Selection and High-Throughput Screening of Microbial Accessory Enzymes for Enhanced Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Cellulose KW - Energy conversion KW - Genetics KW - Lignin UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370372 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575932 TI - On-Farm Biomass Densification Education AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Densification KW - Education KW - Farms UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368940 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575929 TI - Producing Butanol from Syngas with Hollow-Fiber Reactors AB - No summary provided. KW - Butane KW - Fuel gas KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368934 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575541 TI - Low cost Granulation of Lignocellulosic Biomass AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Cellulose KW - Granular materials KW - Production methods UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368003 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575535 TI - Optimization and Control of a Coculture System for Ethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Cellulose KW - Ethanol KW - Optimization KW - Production methods UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367952 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569180 TI - Mobility and Livability: Season and Built Environmental Impacts: Bicycle Travel - Part 2A AB - Recognition of disadvantages of automobile-focused transportation systems, such environmental and public health impacts, has motivated a focus on options. Non-motorized transport modes such as bicycling have multiple advantages in these respects, but barriers to expanded use of these options need to be better understood. This study will document factors influencing choice of bicycling as a transportation mode for commuting to work in a northern climate. Results will contribute to methods for estimating demand for these services. KW - Bicycle travel KW - Built environment KW - Environmental impacts KW - Mobility KW - Nonmotorized transportation KW - Planning and design UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359735 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569170 TI - Livability, Mobility and Seasonality (Part 2) AB - The climate and development patterns of rural northern communities make mobility particularly challenging and often cost prohibitive. This project focuses on how weather impacts three aspects of mobility: un-served travel demand, bicycle travel and pedestrian transportation. First, in partnership with the New England Transportation Institute (NETI), using new survey data and existing Center for Rural Studies (CRS) built environment data; team members are measuring and describing the effects of weather on both revealed and un-served travel demand in rural northern communities. Focus groups and surveys are measuring the seasonal variation in bicycle travel demand as well as the associated causes of this variation in order to recommend policies and programs that might promote year-round use. A continuing analysis of pedestrian volume data has already indicated that weather can account for 30% of volume variation. KW - Bicycle travel KW - Mobility KW - Pedestrian traffic KW - Rural areas KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359725 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01486630 TI - Stabilization of Erodible and Thawing Permafrost Slopes with Geofibers and Synthetic Fluid AB - Instability of erodible slopes due to extreme climate events and of permafrost slopes due degradation and thawing is a significant engineering problem for northern transportation infrastructure. Engineers continually look for mitigation alternatives to stabilize erodible slopes and reduce thaw instability and related hazards in permafrost areas. Traditional stabilization techniques tend to be costly as they require specialized skills and equipments to ensure adequate performance. Additionally, the effectiveness of traditional slope stabilization methods becomes limited in cold climatic conditions. Recently, geofibers and synthetic fluid have been used to improve very loose sandy soils. The project proposes to conduct a large-scale field investigation to study the feasibility of stabilizing erodible and thawing permafrost slopes with geofibers and synthetic fluid. The research will be coordinated between the Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) and AK Department of Transportation (DOT)&PF. The proposed research will greatly help minimize the problems & risks posed by thawing permafrost slopes instability in cold regions. The outcome of this research will be useful in ensuring a reliable, safe and economic design. The followings are expected to be accomplished: (1) large-scale testing of the proposed technology on an in-situ slope, 2) development of design guidelines for producing plans and specifications for geofiber/synthetic fluid reinforced slopes, 3) a guidance manual (based on the experience throughout this research) for construction installation and maintenance of the constructed slope, 4) implementation of research findings in the geo-materials and transportation curriculum, 5) completion of a master degree by the student involved in the research, and 6) a final report on the research. KW - Alaska KW - Degradation (Hydrology) KW - Erosion control KW - Freeze thaw durability KW - Geofibers KW - Permafrost KW - Sandy soils KW - Soil stabilization KW - Synthetic fluids UR - http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/cem/ine/autc/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1256371 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01486628 TI - Performance of Dust Palliatives on Unpaved Roads in Rural Alaska AB - Dust control in many rural Alaska communities is becoming a priority. Fugitive dust impacts health, quality of life and increases road maintenance costs as material is lost from the road surface. Over the last several years several agencies in Alaska including the Alaska Department of transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF), local governments, and several native corporations have been working on solutions to the problem of fugitive dust. One viable solution these agencies have been attempting is to control dust through the use of chemical palliatives applied to unpaved roads and runways. This method can be expensive depending on the palliative used on the unpaved surface. Agencies are currently focusing on calcium chloride (CaCl2), synthetic fluids and a few promising other products such as enzymatic fluids. While experience in Alaska with CaCl2 is extensive, the longevity of the product on unpaved surfaces under different conditions is only known qualitatively: when is the road getting to dusty from a visual perspective. Hence reapplication is either on a set time schedule (such as done on the Elliot Highway) or when the road becomes too dusty and complaints are received from area residents (as is most likely done on some shorter more rural roads). These methods might work well given the experience, but may not be cost effective. In some cases, reapplication of CaCl2 may come too soon when the previous application is still performing adequately. Further, the longevity of other products on rural Alaska roads is still unknown. The first objective of this project is to assess the longevity of different palliatives newly applied to rural Alaska village roads over two summer seasons. For this study we will monitor three villages (Tanana, Fort Yukon, and Galena) that have or will be receiving palliatives all of which are close to Fairbanks making frequent measurements possible. In addition we will also monitor palliatives that will be applied to sections of road and monitored in North Pole & in Point McKenzie, Alaska. We will monitoring and asses palliative performance using an instrument we developed to measure dust that can be lofted off of unpaved roads (loftable dust) and runways known as UAF-DUSTM. In addition to the proposed project described above the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) has requested that we try to associate dust concentrations measured with UAF/DUSTM to measurements made using stationary monitors of the type used by regulatory agencies to monitor compliance with the regulatory standard. Hence, the second objective of this proposal is to correlate loftable dust concentrations measured with UAF- DUSTM to fugitive dust concentrations measured with static monitors. This proposed study will take place on the new test track proposed in the North Pole area & possibly in one more of the proposed study villages (Tanana, Galena, or Fort Yukon, Alaska). Developing this correlation will enable us to determine how much of the measured fugitive dust is due to unpaved roads, a controllable emission source and how much is due to uncontrollable sources. KW - Airport runways KW - Alaska KW - Asset management KW - Dust control KW - Pavement design KW - Pavement performance KW - Quality of life KW - Rural highways KW - Unpaved roads UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/projects/performance-of-dust-palliatives-on-unpaved-roads-in-rural-alaska/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1256369 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349485 AU - Ley, Tyler AU - Ghashgesh, Mostafa AU - Patil, Siddharth AU - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater AU - Oklahoma Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Investigations of a Precast Bridge Deck System PY - 2010/07/01/Final Report SP - 76p AB - Improved methods of bridge deck construction are greatly needed. Bridge decks are often the first element to require repair or replacement because of its direct exposure to the elements and tire wear. This report presents a new precast overhang system that allows for significant improvements in construction speed, economy, and safety while meeting the AASHTO requirements and providing a serviceable structure. Results also indicate that the system will allow a support beam to be removed in certain circumstances. Welded wire reinforcing were also investigated to replace tied reinforcing bars with partial depth panels to improve the economy, constructability, and construction speed of bridge decks. Bridge decks have been constructed and tested that have used tied reinforcing and welded wire mats. The improved ability of the wire mat to help resist cracking could allow an owner either greater construction tolerances for the reinforcement placement or improved crack control and hence long term durability. KW - Bridge construction KW - Bridge decks KW - Constructability KW - Overhangs KW - Precast concrete KW - Prestressed concrete KW - Reinforcing materials KW - Welded wire fabrics UR - http://www.oktc.org/otc/files/finalReports/OTCREOS7.1-31-F.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108022 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484774 AU - Goodall, Noah AU - Smith, Brian AU - University of Virginia, Charlottesville AU - Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) Behavior in High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Facilities PY - 2010/07//Final Report SP - 54p AB - High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are in operation, under construction, and planned for in several major metropolitan areas. The premise behind HOT lanes is to allow single occupant vehicles (SOVs) to access high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes (and theoretically, a higher level of service) if they are willing to pay a toll. To maintain a high level of service in the HOT lanes, the toll rate is set dynamically to restrict the number of SOVs which access the facility as it nears capacity. Thus, HOT facilities provide operators of transportation systems with an additional tool: pricing. In order to effectively use pricing, it is critical to understand driver behavior when faced with a set of tra c conditions and toll levels. This thesis presents the results of an empirical investigation into the relationship between toll rate, traffic conditions, and SOV driver behavior, based on data from the dynamically-tolled I-394 HOT facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Analysis of the empirical data indicated that of the SOVs using the HOT lanes, 87.5% use the HOT lanes at predictable rates throughout the AM peak period, even when there is no clear travel time advantage. After accounting for these “regular" users, the remaining "price-sensitive" SOV drivers utilize the HOT lanes at greater rates when the cost per hour of commute time saved is lowest. A model was developed that incorporates both of these endings, predicting HOT lane usage rates based on time savings, time of day, and toll rates with an R2 value of 0.684, n = 27831. When compared to the historic HOT utilization rates only, i.e. assuming all HOT lane SOVs are "every day" drivers, the resulting model has an R2 value of 0.675, n = 27831. Thus, the pricing structure as in place at this facility, appears to have a negligible influence on behavior. This may indicate serious implications, as many HOT facilities are two under consideration partly for their potential as track management tools. KW - Behavior KW - Dynamic tolls KW - High occupancy toll lanes KW - I-394 HOT Lane Project KW - Lane distribution KW - Minneapolis (Minnesota) KW - Periods of the day KW - Pricing KW - Rates KW - Single occupant vehicles KW - Toll facilities KW - Traffic conditions KW - Travel time UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/UVA-2008-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252318 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380276 AU - Hossain, Mustaque AU - Manepalli, Vikranth S AU - Rahman, Shaidur AU - Musty, Haritha Y AU - Kansas State University, Manhattan AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Extending Pavement Life Using Thin Surfacing To Counter the Effect of Increased Truck Traffic Due to Freight Movements on Highways PY - 2010/07//Final Report SP - 82p AB - The highways in the Midwest are experiencing a considerable amount of truck traffic due to increased freight transportation. There is clearly a risk to the highway infrastructure caused by this additional truck traffic that will also have an increasingly detrimental effect on the safety of the citizens, the traveling public in terms of congestion, and the economy of the entire region. Traditionally the life of the pavements has been extended by a variety of rehabilitation techniques. For example, techniques used by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) include route and crack seal, chip seal, 1- to 4-inch overlay, 1- to 4-inch inlay, heater scarification, cold in-place recycling (4-inch), and cold milling. Recently, due to a tight maintenance budget, thin surfacing, like the ultra-thin bonded bituminous surface (NovaChip), and modified slurry seal (microsurfacing), is being used increasingly. The thin-surfacing strategy has been touted as one of the most cost-effective measures that can extend pavement life, improve ride quality, correct surface defects (leveling), improve safety characteristics, enhance appearance, and reduce road-tire noise. This report discusses performance of pavements treated with two commonly used types of thin surfacing: ultrathin bonded bituminous surface and microsurfacing. KW - Bituminous mixtures KW - Microsurfacing KW - NovaChip KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavement performance KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Surface course (Pavements) KW - Thin textured surfacings KW - Truck traffic UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45687/Hossain_113_Thin_Surfacing_FINAL_COMBINED.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1147982 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356712 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Report to Congress: Challenges of Building a Hydrogen Infrastructure PY - 2010/07 SP - 64p AB - This report is a synthesis of already published work, as well as an identification of the policy decisions and commitments needed to make hydrogen fuels an integral part of how this nation moves its citizens and commercial goods. It is organized to: 1) set the context of why hydrogen is important to transportation’s transition from fossil fuels and to the nation’s climate change mitigation efforts, 2) explore the major challenge areas this transition presents, 3) discuss the Federal progress made to date, 4) highlight the studies that underpin today’s strategic thinking on the topic, and 5) identify key areas for future action. KW - Climate change KW - Environmental policy KW - Future KW - Hydrogen fuels KW - Infrastructure KW - Literature reviews KW - Policy KW - Strategic planning UR - http://www.rita.dot.gov/publications/challenges_of_building/hydrogen_infrastructure.html UR - http://www.rita.dot.gov/publications/challenges_of_building/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1121490 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354086 AU - Troy, Austin AU - Voigt, Brian AU - Sadek, Adel AU - Lawe, Stephen AU - Yu, Jun AU - Yang, Yi AU - Hershey, David AU - Grady, Brian AU - Broussard, John AU - Lobb, John AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Phase I Report: Integrated Land Use, Transportation and Environmental Modeling PY - 2010/07 SP - 36p AB - As of September 2009, the TRC Signature Project No. 1 is treated as two separate components under the Land Use and Transportation Modeling focus area: • The Integrated Modeling Project • The Environmental Metrics Project The Integrated Modeling Project seeks to implement several versions of an integrated land use/transportation model for Chittenden County, Vermont. Based on those results, the TRC project team hopes to evaluate the benefits of increased complexity and disaggregation in modeling of land use, travel demand, and travel supply (route choice and traffic assignment) relative to the costs. Working collaboratively with local and regional planners, the project also seeks to develop alternative policy scenarios that can be evaluated using these different model configurations. By evaluating the sensitivities of baseline and alternative policy scenarios to different configurations and complexity levels for the integrated model, the aim of the project is to gain insight about how the appropriateness of model disaggregation and complexity may also vary with policy application. Towards this end the project team will compare an integration of the dynamic UrbanSim land use model with a static traffic assignment (TransCAD) to a more complex integration of UrbanSim with a traffic simulation (TRANSIMS) and trip generation from TransCAD. For simplicity, from here on, the former integration will be referred to as the "2-way model" and the latter as the "3-way model". Finally, the Environmental Metrics Project seeks to develop tools for generating environmental indicators from the outputs of the integrated models, which will allow for evaluation of scenarios on the basis of environmental metrics. KW - Disaggregate analysis KW - Environmental impacts KW - Land use KW - Route choice KW - Traffic assignment KW - Traffic simulation KW - Transportation modeling KW - Travel demand UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-006.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1115918 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01350100 AU - Coogan, Matthew AU - Gibson, Lucy AU - Campbell, Margaret AU - New England Transportation Institute AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Design and Collection of the NETI New England Travel Survey PY - 2010/07 SP - 45p AB - The purpose of the New England Transportation Issues Study was to create a “portrait” of rural transportation patterns in the Northeast. Applying the concepts of both “mobility” and “accessibility,” the study explored the issue of “rural isolation,” and how perceptions of isolation differ given age and location of residence in rural versus suburban and urban areas. The New England Transportation Institute (NETI) is conducting a multi-year research project that seeks to improve the understanding of rural isolation and levels of mobility in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. It examines in some detail the potential for residents in isolated locations to move to a location nearer to traditional town centers, examines the constraints to such a change in location, and applies the logic of both “smart growth” and “livability” strategies to Northeastern rural states. The data collection described in this report is one part of the larger effort. This report documents the survey research process undertaken, and documents the format of the data describing the settlement patterns of the rural built environment developed as part of the NETI research program. KW - Accessibility KW - Data collection KW - Land settlement patterns KW - Maine KW - Mobility KW - New Hampshire KW - Northeastern United States KW - Quality of life KW - Rural areas KW - Smart growth KW - Social isolation KW - Surveys KW - Travel patterns KW - Vermont UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1113070 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333291 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Hazardous Materials. 2007 Economic Census. Transportation. 2007 Commodity Flow Survey PY - 2010/07 SP - 103p AB - The 2007 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) is undertaken through a partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), U.S. Department of Transportation. This survey produces data on the movement of goods in the United States. It provides information on commodities shipped, their value, weight, and mode of transportation, as well as the origin and destination of shipments of commodities from manufacturing, mining, wholesale, and select retail and services establishments. The CFS data are used by policy makers and transportation planners in various federal, state, and local agencies for assessing the demand for transportation facilities and services, energy use, and safety risk and environmental concerns. Additionally, business owners, private researchers, and analysts use the CFS data for analyzing trends in the movement of goods, mapping spatial patterns of commodity and vehicle flows, forecasting demands for the movement of goods, and determining needs for associated infrastructure and equipment. The CFS was conducted previously in 2002, 1997, and 1993. KW - 2007 Commodity Flow Survey KW - Commodity flow KW - Data collection KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Hazardous materials KW - Mapping KW - Origin and destination KW - Risk analysis UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35400/35456/Hazardous.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096609 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324997 AU - Lewis, Carol Abel AU - Moseley, Brandon AU - Wynn, Garlin AU - Texas Southern University, Houston AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Thinking Critically About Models Used to Predict Emergency Evacuation in Gulf Coast State PY - 2010/07 SP - 42p AB - Evacuations from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005 illuminated issues with clearing large numbers of residents via urban area roadways and public transportation systems. In addition, other events including potential terrorists’ attacks or wildfires need to better understand and predict community evacuation. Much work has been done to improve evacuation times and experiences when the need to evacuate occurs. A number of models exist that forecast evacuation under a variety of scenarios. This work examines the application of these models in Gulf Coast states and discusses future direction for improving their use by government officials. Further, an assessment of evacuations during Hurricanes Rita and Ike is included that makes use of an index comparing evacuation travel time to average daily peak travel time. KW - Disaster preparedness KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Evacuation KW - Evacuation modeling KW - Gulf Coast (United States) KW - Hurricane Ike, 2008 KW - Hurricane Katrina, 2005 KW - Hurricane Rita, 2005 KW - Hurricane Wilma, 2005 KW - Hurricanes UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/476660-00041-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085916 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01321173 AU - Hellman, Adrian D AU - Ngamdung, Tashi AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Low-Cost Warning Device Industry Assessment PY - 2010/07 SP - 47p AB - Under direction of the Federal Railroad Administrations Office of Research and Development, the U.S. Department of Transportations Research and Innovative Technology Administrations John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center conducted a technology assessment of low-cost active warning devices for application at passive highway-rail grade crossings. The objective of this research was to present an objective assessment of the available low-cost warning device technologies and recommend a migration path that would facilitate implementation in the United States. KW - Grade crossing protection systems KW - Low cost technology KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety KW - Technological innovations KW - Warning devices UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/113 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35500/35539/Low-Cost-warning-Device-Report-Final-RR97A1-FG276.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987574 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01207853 AU - Arant, Michael AU - Kurfess, Thomas AU - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - U21: Co-Simulation of Heavy Truck Tire Dynamics and Electronic Stability Control (Phase B) PY - 2010/07//Final Report SP - 69p AB - In the past decade, electronic stability controls (ESC) have become increasingly common on vehicles operating in the United States. The acceptance of this technology has progressed to the point where all new passenger vehicles sold in the US are required to have an ESC system. With this successful adoption of ESC technology by the passenger car market, there is increasing interest by both the industry and government in having ESC systems developed for and implemented in the heavy truck market. As the typical commercial vehicle is much heavier and has a higher center of gravity compared to a passenger car, the migration of ESC from passenger cars to heavy trucks will require a re-assessment of the demands placed on the ESC system and the corresponding reactions of the ESC system. The research presented here has been conducted to help identify and document the needed performance capabilities of an ESC system for a class 8 tractor and semi-trailer. The procedure used for assessing the performance of a tractor and semi-trailer with a yaw control ESC system was to adapt a typical passenger car yaw stability system to a class 8 commercial tractor and trailer vehicle. Several configurations of the ESC system were assessed using two different maneuvers. It is intended that the research presented here be used as the starting point for the development of a comprehensive yaw and roll ESC system for a class 8 tractor and semi-trailer. KW - Electronic stability control KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Motor vehicle dynamics KW - Rolling KW - Simulation KW - Stability (Mechanics) KW - Tire mechanics KW - Yaw UR - http://www.ntrci.org/ntrci-50-2010-017 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33800/33867/U21-Co-Simulation_of_Heavy_Truck_Tire_Dynamics__ESC__Phase_B__FINAL.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968392 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01206822 AU - McCormack, Edward AU - Ta, Chilan AU - Bassok, Alon AU - Fishkin, Emily AU - TransNow, Transportation Northwest AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Truck Trip Generation by Grocery Stores PY - 2010/07//Final Research Report SP - 45p AB - Information about truck movements on our transportation system is important for understanding and supporting freight mobility. Unfortunately, there is relatively little information available on how different land uses generate truck trips. Such information is necessary as input into travel forecasting models as well as needed to plan for a range of freight-oriented infrastructure construction projects. The project would use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools to explore innovative means of linking a diverse set of transportation, land use, economic, and business location databases to develop a non survey-based truck trip generation tool. Truck transportation is a derived demand so each truck trip is filling an economic need by linking a resource extraction site, a crop, a manufacturer, a supplier, or an intermodal terminal with a consignee. By using GIS tools, this relationship between a land use that generates trucks trips and truck volumes on roadways could be explored. Such tools that estimate and forecast the relationship between land use and trip generation exist in the passenger planning world but have not been widely applied to freight. The Puget Sound region, as well as Washington State as a whole, has a number of diverse databases that potentially could be used. This includes commercial and residential land use at a parcel level, employment data, restaurant locations from health department records, agricultural and forest products land use, on-line telephone directories, and truck licensing information from the Department of Licensing. This information could be used in conjunction with roadway-based truck volume data available from a variety of agencies to derive trip generation information. This proposed project would borrow from trip generation methodologies used in the passenger planning world. KW - Forecasting KW - Freight mobility KW - Freight transportation KW - Geographic information systems KW - Grocery stores KW - Land use KW - Logistics KW - Puget Sound Region KW - Trip generation KW - Truck trips KW - Trucking KW - Washington (State) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33900/33993/TNW2010-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/935541 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173728 AU - Dill, Jennifer AU - Mohr, Cynthia AU - Portland State University AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Long Term Evaluation of Individualized Marketing Programs for Travel Demand Management PY - 2010/07//Final Report SP - 80p AB - This research examines the use of individualized marketing as a transportation demand management (TDM) strategy, using the City of Portland’s SmartTrips program. This research project has two specific aims: (1) to evaluate whether the benefits of these individualized marketing programs continue to at least one year after the project ends; and (2) to examine whether the theory of planned behavior (TPB) can help explain the behavioral changes identified. Surveys of residents conducted one or two years after the original program found that the share of daily trips made driving alone, walking, and bicycling was comparable to that found in the previous follow-up surveys, still significantly lower (for driving alone) or higher (for walking and bicycling) than the pre-surveys. This may indicate that the SmartTrips program was effective at changing behavior for a longer time period than previously measured. The TPB models were effective at explaining travel behavior. The models showed that attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control explain a large share (45-55%) of the variance in travel behavior. The relative influence of each component of the model differed some by mode. The findings support previous research that individualized marketing programs can be effective at changing people’s travel behavior. The findings indicate that the benefits of the programs may extend beyond one year and up to at least two years. However, the research also found that the programs may not be as effective in environments that are less conducive to walking, bicycling, and transit. The research also found that that attitudes, norms, and perceptions play a large role in travel decisions. To be most effective, individualized marketing programs need to influence these factors, though efforts that focus on social norms to influence travel behavior may be less effective than those that include attitudinal and behavioral control components. Sensitivity to regional characteristics and the specific travel mode that is the target of interest is also warranted. KW - Attitudes KW - Before and after studies KW - Behavior modification KW - Bicycling KW - Marketing KW - Portland (Oregon) KW - Public transit KW - Single occupant vehicles KW - Social norms KW - Theory of planned behavior KW - Travel behavior KW - Travel demand management KW - Walking UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/160 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/934616 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01162470 AU - Anderson, Neil AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Louisville Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project, Kentucky East End Approach Tunnel PY - 2010/07//Final Report SP - 33p AB - Missouri University of Science and Technology acquired electrical resistivity and refraction tomography at the Kentucky Department of Transportation tunnel site, Louisville, Kentucky. These geophysical data were processed, analyzed and interpreted with the objective of mapping and characterizing soil and bedrock at this construction site. The main project deliverables were a suite of maps and geologic cross-sections depicting variations in soil thicknesses and lithology and rock quality. Maps showing the locations and orientations of solution-widened joints and other potential engineering hazards were also presented. Six independent geophysical data sets were acquired along predetermined traverses at the Drumanard Estate Site, Louisville, Kentucky. These included the following: conventional seismic refraction; gravity; self-potential; ground-penetrating radar; electrical resistivity; and multi-channel surface wave. KW - Bedrock KW - Bridge approaches KW - Electrical resistivity KW - Geological surveying KW - Geophysical prospecting KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Lithologic composition KW - Louisville (Kentucky) KW - Multi-channel analysis of surface waves KW - Rock quality KW - Seismic refraction KW - Soil mapping KW - Tomography KW - Tunnels UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R202_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/923471 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485901 AU - Rochat, Judith L AU - Read, David R AU - Fleming, Gregg G AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - California Department of Transportation TI - Caltrans Thin Lift Study: Effects of Asphalt Pavements on Wayside Noise PY - 2010/06/30 SP - 267p AB - A long-term study to assess several types of pavement for the purpose of noise abatement was conducted in Southern California. Several asphalt pavement overlays were examined on a 6.4-km (4-mi) section of 2-lane highway. Acoustical, meteorological, and traffic data were collected in each pavement overlay section, where microphones were deployed at multiple distances and heights. Single vehicle pass-by events were recorded for three vehicle types: automobiles, medium trucks, and heavy trucks. Data were analyzed to determine the noise benefit of each pavement as compared to the reference dense-graded asphalt pavement; this includes a modified Statistical Pass-By Index as well as average LAFmx values for each vehicle type. In addition, 1/3-octave band data were examined. Results from the study indicate that applying a quieter pavement overlay can reduce wayside-measured sound levels. KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Bituminous overlays KW - California KW - Noise control KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Tire/pavement noise UR - http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/env/noise/pub/Volpe_CT_LA138_AC_WaysideNoise_Jun10_FINAL.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46400/46464/Caltrans_thin_lift-study.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1239145 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01470849 AU - Lee, Ming AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Performance Analysis of the Dowling Multi-Lane Roundabouts in Anchorage, AK PY - 2010/06/30/Final Report SP - 113p AB - The first multi-lane roundabouts in Alaska were constructed in 2004 at the ramps of the Dowling Road/Seward Highway interchange in Anchorage. These serve as junctions for commuters accessing the Seward Highway. As vehicle traffic in Anchorage continues to grow, however, use of the Dowling roundabouts also increases. The roundabouts are currently operating at or near capacity, with long vehicle queues at their entrances during peak traffic hours. This research project examined the performance of multi-lane roundabouts and how drivers use them. Analysis showed that extended queues were due to unbalanced flow patterns at the roundabouts, causing high circulating flow in front of one roundabout. This high circulating flow resulted in low-capacity, high-delay queue values. Researchers also found that accident rates and danger to pedestrians had increased in the past two years. Modeling traffic flow patterns for several possible alternatives suggested that reducing the eastbound flow rate “upstream” of the roundabout by 70% of the original flow could result in an acceptable level of delay and queue length at the eastbound approach of the west roundabout. KW - Anchorage (Alaska) KW - Crash rates KW - Multilane highways KW - Peak hour traffic KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Performance KW - Roundabouts KW - Traffic circles KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic measurement KW - Traffic queuing KW - Traffic safety UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2012/09/RR08.08.Final-Report-Dowling-Multi-lane-Roundabout-July-11-20101.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46800/46808/RR08.08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1238501 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462189 TI - Truck Idling Scoping Study AB - Truck idling has been identified as a significant source of local air pollution around highway rest areas, major freight terminals, ports, and in freight-intensive areas such as Southern California. Restrictions on idling have been proposed and programs for encouraging deployment of stand-by power systems to reduce truck idling have been developed. While data exist on truck emissions while idling, data on the time trucks spend idling are anecdotal or speculative, and time spent idling could change significantly with recent and expected increases in fuel costs. Robust estimates of the time spent by trucks standing still with the engine running are needed by decision makers who are considering idle-reduction strategies to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this research is to develop the scope, methods, and cost estimates for obtaining national and regional estimates of the time spent idling by trucks, categorized by type of truck and activity served. KW - Air pollution KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Idle time KW - Pollutants KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucking KW - Trucks UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2671 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230410 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461192 TI - Supply Chain Training/Education Report AB - The research report will provide a summary of existing sustainability programs/certificates. The paper will develop taxonomy of programs by type, credibility, and institution. The aim of the research project is to be a resource to help organizations make more informed decisions about which sustainability programs best fit them. KW - Certification KW - Decision making KW - Education and training KW - Supply chain management KW - Sustainable development KW - Taxonomy UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229411 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461185 TI - Proposal for ADMIN 590, MGNT 405, MGMT 650 and SCM 445 Course Development and Support AB - ADMIN 590 course will be offered to a group of CSUSB/CBPA students, where they would learn about sustainability impact analysis of global supply chain and logistics, with a case study of Jaipur Rugs. The travel is funded from the program fee charged to the students who will enroll in the course.The students will go to India for a field visit, there they would be mentored bu Jaipur Rugs executive and gain first--hand experience of their supply chain and logistics. KW - Education and training KW - Logistics KW - Management KW - Supply chain management KW - Sustainable development KW - Training courses UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229404 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338807 AU - Ahlborn, T M AU - Shuchman, R AU - Sutter, L L AU - Brooks, C N AU - Harris, D K AU - Burns, J W AU - Endsley, K A AU - Evans, D C AU - Vaghefi, K AU - Oats, R C AU - Michigan Technological University, Houghton AU - Michigan Tech Research Institute AU - Center for Automotive Research AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The State-of-the-Practice of Modern Structural Health Monitoring for Bridges: A Comprehensive Review PY - 2010/06/30/Task 2 Report SP - 70p AB - Since the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) was first conducted, structural health monitoring (SHM) of the United States bridge infrastructure has consisted largely of labor-intensive, subjective measures like chain dragging and the tap test. Recent developments in a variety of sensor technologies and an improvement of computing and networking capabilities have allowed for the installation of in-situ sensor networks responsible for monitoring—among other parameters—the strain and deformation of structural members and concrete deck cracking. These relatively new techniques are quite costly, however, and in many cases are infeasible for SHM because they require installation in hard-to-reach places or during construction, limiting their application to the small number of bridges being built today compared to the current population of in-service bridges. Stand-off SHM techniques such as radar, electro-optical, laser scanning and other remote sensing technologies may offer an innovative, cost-effective method of monitoring the dynamic conditions of U.S. bridges in real-time. This paper investigates the state of the practice of SHM and provides summaries of existing technologies, both in-situ sensors and networks and remote techniques, as well as case studies of instrumented bridges. KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge members KW - Bridges KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Remote sensing KW - Sensors KW - State of the practice KW - Structural health monitoring KW - United States UR - http://www.mtri.org/bridgecondition/doc/State-of-PracticeSHMforBridges(July2010).pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101239 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01226067 AU - Gifford, Jonathan AU - George Mason University Transportation and Economic Development Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Institutional Challenges in the Development of Intelligent Transportation Systems: Route 1 Corridor in the National Capital Region PY - 2010/06/30/Final Research Report SP - 31p AB - This paper explores the key institutional challenges confronting the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems along the Route 1 corridor in the National Capital Region. The primary analysis focuses on two ongoing ITS projects – the Transit Signal Priority Project in Fairfax County, and the ITS Real-Time Transit Enhancement Pilot Project in the City of Alexandria. It will both serve as a case study and afford insights to transportation officials currently planning for technology upgrades along this corridor. Another goal of this study is to identify ITS experience and lessons learned from the institutional perspective that could be useful to similar transportation projects in other areas. Based on a series of interviews and an extensive review of the existing literature related to institutional barriers in ITS applications, the findings highlight five core areas that require particular attention at the institutional and policy level: multi-jurisdictional relationship; multi-organizational coordination and cooperation; ongoing operation and maintenance; earmark funding and regulatory requirements; and human resources. The study concludes with some strategic recommendations aimed at overcoming these institutional challenges. ITS projects at the regional level call for in-depth multi-jurisdictional and organizational collaborations in the form of new or virtual organizations. The new regional leadership may expose metropolitan regions to smooth regional coordination and cooperation on transportation planning and operations issues, including ITS applications. KW - Alexandria (Virginia) KW - Bus priority KW - Cooperation KW - Coordination KW - Earmarks KW - Fairfax County (Virginia) KW - Human resources KW - Institutional barriers KW - Institutional issues KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Interorganizational relations KW - Interviewing KW - Literature reviews KW - Multijurisdictional traffic control KW - Operation and maintenance KW - Policy KW - Transportation corridors KW - Transportation enhancements KW - Transportation operations KW - Transportation planning KW - Washington Metropolitan Area UR - http://www.gmupolicy.net/transport-econ/research-projects.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987389 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01226066 AU - Button, Kenneth AU - Benson, Brien AU - George Mason University Transportation and Economic Development Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Dealing with Mis-Forecasting in Transport Appraisal PY - 2010/06/30/Final Research Report SP - 15p AB - Forecasting demand for and cost of transportation infrastructure has been notoriously inaccurate, partly because of limitations in forecasting methodology but more importantly because of political biases in the forecasting process. Possible solutions include disregarding forecasts where their value added to decision-making is marginal; adopting new methodologies that have proven their worth; applying a correction factor, in particular to consistently low cost estimates; engaging the public and subject matter experts in the forecasting process; transferring decision-making to the private sector, whose forecasting record is superior to that of the public sector; and adopting a more flexible strategy for infrastructure investment that phases in construction of major projects. These various strategies should be thought of as options and used only as appropriate. KW - Cost estimating KW - Decision making KW - Demand KW - Forecasting KW - Infrastructure KW - Private enterprise KW - Strategic planning UR - http://www.gmupolicy.net/transport-econ/research-projects.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987365 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01226065 AU - Kulkarni, Raj AU - Haynes, Kingsley AU - George Mason University Transportation and Economic Development Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Effect of Gasoline Prices on VMT: An Exploratory Analysis of Northern Virginia Traffic Based on Granger Causality PY - 2010/06/30/Final Research Report SP - 24p AB - From the 2nd quarter of 2007 onwards through much of 2008, U.S. consumers experienced an unprecedented hike in gasoline prices. It is believed that this may have changed the travel demand behavior resulting in less vehicular travel traffic. For example, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT's) monthly statistics at the state and national level have shown a net decline of more than 100 billion Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in 2008 compared to 2007. The U.S. DOT statistic is based on a few thousand locations spread across more than tens of thousands of miles of road network. In other words, while such measurements when aggregated to national level may be representative of the travel demand at the national level, it is difficult to gauge how VMTs change at the regional and sub-regional level due to changes in regional gasoline prices. In this paper the authors propose a novel approach based on a simple but powerful concept of Granger causality. This unique approach will help determine whether the relationship between gasoline prices and VMTs is characterized by simultaneity or there exists a direction of causality such that increased gasoline prices result in reduced VMTs. In the later case, the extent to which VMTs respond to gasoline prices will be determined. For this purpose the authors use weekly traffic counts on major traffic corridors in the Northern Virginia region as a proxy for the VMTs and determine their relationship with the regional weekly gasoline prices based on the Granger causality. The weekly traffic counts are computed based on actual vehicle counts collected at vehicle sensors throughout the year on major corridors in the Northern Virginia road network. For the first time, the authors evaluate data from Reversible High Volume Occupancy (RHOV) lanes. The study results are presented through a series of tables, charts and maps. KW - Econometrics KW - Gasoline KW - Granger causality test KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Highway corridors KW - Northern Virginia KW - Prices KW - Traffic counts KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.gmupolicy.net/transport-econ/research-projects.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987390 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01226064 AU - Gifford, Jonathan AU - Chen, Zhenua AU - Li, Jing AU - Kelekar, Uma AU - Zebrowski, Nathaniel AU - Zhou, Xin AU - George Mason University Transportation and Economic Development Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Mega-regions and Freight: Evidence from Commodity Flow Survey and Freight Analysis Framework PY - 2010/06/30/Final Research Report SP - 32p AB - The mega-region as a level of urban agglomeration has aroused great interest in the field of regional studies in the last decade. This study analyzes the flow of freight tonnage and value inside and outside mega-regions in the United States for 2002 and 2007. While areas outside mega-regions generate larger volumes of freight tonnage than those within, freight within mega-regions has a higher value per ton after controlling for population, income and gas prices. Further, freight data at the industry-level is also compared between mega-regions and non mega-regions. Wholesale trade, regional management, and publishing industries dominate in creation of freight in mega-regions. The mining industry makes up a substantial portion of freight tonnage and value in non mega-regions. KW - Agglomeration KW - Commodity flow KW - Freight data KW - Freight transportation KW - Megaregions KW - Regional economics KW - Tonnage KW - United States KW - Urban freight KW - Urban goods movement UR - http://www.gmupolicy.net/transport-econ/research-projects.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987388 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01160584 AU - Sullivan, James AU - Aultman-Hall, Lisa AU - Novak, David AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Application of the Network Robustness Index to Identifying Critical Road-Network Links in Chittenden County, Vermont PY - 2010/06/14 SP - 21p AB - A pilot application of the Network Robustness Index (NRI) for the Chittenden County Regional Transportation Model was conducted. Using the results, improvements to the method to increase its effectiveness for more widespread use will be made. The test described here consisted of a real-world application, coupled with a careful analysis of the results. The road network of the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) provided a suitable opportunity to test a real-world application of the NRI. The CCMPO represents the 18 municipalities of the Chittenden County, Vermont region. Serving about 145,000 people (approximately 25% of the state's population), the CCMPO is Vermont's only MPO. KW - Chittenden County (Vermont) KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Network analysis (Planning) KW - Network Robustness Index KW - Regional planning KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-009.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921475 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01342758 AU - Chandler, Brian AU - Beasley, Kari Adkins AU - Rephlo, Jennifer AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Evaluation of the SafeTrip-21 Initiative: I-95 Corridor Coalition Test Bed, Final Evaluation Report: North Carolina Deployment of Portable Traffic-Monitoring Devices PY - 2010/06/11/Final Evaluation Report SP - 26p AB - The purpose of this document is to present the findings of the national evaluation of the deployment of portable traffic monitoring devices (PTMDs) at a variety of locations in North Carolina conducted under the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT’s) SafeTrip-21 Initiative. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) tested the use of PTMDs in work zones. During this testing, the USDOT conducted an evaluation to gain an understanding of the technical and institutional issues associated with using these types of devices. The purpose of the evaluation is both to learn how highly portable, temporary traffic sensors with a small footprint can provide real-time traffic conditions in work zones and to determine how that information can be used effectively by State Departments of Transportation (DOT) to improve safety and mobility in work zones. Based on their experience during this test, NCDOT personnel reported that the PTMDs were easy to install and maintain. The devices enabled them to focus their activities on the areas that needed the most attention while still monitoring areas that needed less active involvement. Based on the findings from NCDOT users interviewed about PTMDs, the devices appear to be a cost-effective, safe, and flexible means for an agency to monitor traffic conditions on their roadways remotely. KW - Highway safety KW - North Carolina KW - Portable equipment KW - Portable traffic monitoring devices KW - Real time information KW - SafeTrip-21 KW - Traffic surveillance KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control KW - Work zones UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36061/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/36000/36000/36061/ptmd_nc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1104511 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577884 TI - Community Germination Studies for Bioenergy Feedstocks in New York State: an Outreach Module for Student-Driven Authentic Research in High School Science Classrooms AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Communities KW - Cultivation KW - High school students KW - High schools KW - New York (State) KW - Outreach KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Research UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371190 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576038 TI - Influence of Varietal Differences in Shrub Willow Crop Biomass Composition on Biochemical Conversion Yield AB - No summary provided. KW - Biochemistry KW - Biomass KW - Grasses KW - Shrubs UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1369880 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575944 TI - Miscibility of Lignins Isolated from Different Feedstock Types AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Lignin UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368979 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461323 TI - The Effect of Learning through the Arts on Transportation Knowledge and Skills of Elementary School Students, University Students and Classroom Teachers - Phase 2 AB - The purpose of this study is to enhance knowledge of geographic concepts, particularly transportation, through the lens of dance and theater. Students and their teachers will gain knowledge through an interdisciplinary approach that combines the teaching of geography with the arts. This project will benefit current and future educators, artists, and geography researchers. The participants will include elementary and middle school students attending schools in Newark, Delaware, their teachers, and University of Delaware students with expertise in the arts and geography. This project will build on the work of the previous grant cycle, by adapting and augmenting curricula for middle school students. KW - Curricula KW - Education and training KW - Elementary school students KW - Geography KW - Knowledge KW - Learning KW - Middle school students UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229542 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01365269 AU - Steiner, Ruth L AU - Srinivasan, Siva AU - Provost, Russell E AU - Mackey, Jessica AU - Arafat, Abdulnaser A AU - Anderson, Nicole AU - DeLarco, Lauren AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - VMT-Based Traffic Impact Assessment: Development of a Trip Length Model PY - 2010/06/01/Final Report SP - 69p AB - This report develops models that relate the trip-lengths to the land-use characteristics at the trip-ends (both production- and attraction-ends). Separate models were developed by trip purpose. The results indicate several statistically significant and intuitively reasonable effects of land-use patterns. High residential densities and a good mixing of complementary land-uses are associated with shorter trips. Larger establishments attract longer trips and the home-based other (HBO) trip lengths decrease with increased number of convenient-commercial land-use parcels in the neighborhood. The connectivity provided by the roadway network and the urban-form of the area (measured in terms of number of intersections and cul-de-sacs) also affect trip lengths. In addition to the local land-use characteristics, the trip lengths also vary significantly by the location of the neighborhood with the region. All these results hold even after controlling for several trip and traveler characteristics. Trip length models are applied within a regional, neighborhood and project context to estimate trip lengths of a hypothetical development. Two simplified tools are presented that utilize the proposed models within an Excel and Geographical Information System environment that enable a user to estimate trip length as a metric of demand on the transportation network from a proposed project. KW - Land use KW - Neighborhoods KW - Travel demand KW - Trip length KW - Trip purpose KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/Steiner_CMS_2008-007_final.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44100/44184/Steiner_CMS_2008-007_final.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45643/Steiner_CMS_2008-007_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1134189 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173253 AU - Puckett, Darryl D AU - Vickich, Michael J AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Bluetooth®-Based Travel Time/Speed Measuring Systems Development PY - 2010/06/01/Final Report SP - 56p AB - Agencies in the Houston region have traditionally used toll tag readers to provide travel times on freeways and High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, but these systems require large amounts of costly and physically invasive infrastructure. Bluetooth is a widely used technology embedded in cellular telephones and in-vehicle applications for exchanging data over short distances. The initial demonstrations of wireless address matching were primarily designed to prove the ability for Bluetooth technology to produce matches between two points on a roadway outfitted with the proper Bluetooth reader equipment, with a resulting travel time and speed calculated. Costs for Bluetooth travel time measurement systems are one to two orders of magnitude below costs for traditional toll tag reader equipment, depending on the application. This cost advantage could significantly lower the threshold for hundreds of agencies and private entities to enter the travel time measurement market, but there is little guidance on the application. Development and testing of various prototype software and hardware platforms were conducted to use the anonymous Media Access Control (MAC) address from each Bluetooth device to measure and report real-time traffic conditions. Several issues were examined and resolved in order to develop a true first generation “product.” The development of this method and process is pending patent approval. KW - Bluetooth technology KW - Cellular telephones KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Houston (Texas) KW - Infrastructure KW - Media access control addresses KW - Real time information KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic speed KW - Travel time KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33764/Puckett_09-00-17.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/933259 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01560867 AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Concept of Operations – Dallas Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Demonstration Project PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 143p AB - This concept of operations (Con Ops) for the US-75 Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Program has been developed as part of the US Department of Transportation Integrated Corridor Management Initiative, which is an innovative research initiative that is based on the idea that independent, individual, network-based transportation management systems—and their cross-network linkages—can be operated in a more coordinated and integrated manner, thereby increasing overall corridor throughput and enhancing the mobility of the corridor users. This document provides a high-level Con Ops for the US-75 Corridor in Dallas consisting of freeway, arterial, bus and rail networks, and serving a central business district. The purpose of this Con Ops is to answer the questions of who, what, when, where, why and how for the application of an Integrated Corridor Management System (ICM) within this corridor. Given that an ICM is a “system of systems” involving multiple agencies and stakeholders, this document also defines the roles and responsibilities of the participating agencies and other involved entities. KW - Arterial highways KW - Bus transit KW - Dallas (Texas) KW - Freeways KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Stakeholders KW - Transportation corridors KW - Transportation operations UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54100/54130/US-75_ICMS_Concept_of_Operations_-_Demo_Phase_FINAL_Formatted.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1339961 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01457313 AU - Liu, Juanyu AU - Li, Peng AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Characterization of Asphalt Treated Base Course Material PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 103p AB - Asphalt-treated bases (ATB) are often used in new pavements; the materials are available and low-cost, but there is little data on how these materials perform in cold regions. This study investigated four ATB types (hot asphalt, emulsion, foamed asphalt, and reclaimed asphalt pavement) popular for treating base course materials. The research team collected data on stiffness, fatigue, and permanent deformation characteristics under different temperatures. This study produced a detailed literature review, including information from ongoing research projects, to compile the latest information concerning ATB characterization. Also completed were resilient modulus tests of ATB material commonly used for Alaska’s northern and central regions, as well as rutting tests using a Georgia Loaded Wheel Test apparatus. Researchers conducted resilient modulus tests on specimens of foamed asphalt-treated base material, fabricated in ADOT&PF labs, in all three Alaska regions; an additional test was performed in the central region using different binder contents and soaked conditions. Statistical analysis of the effects of aggregate properties on the resilient modulus were completed and incorporated into the finalized model. Study recommendations noted that based on the predicting equations for resilient modulus (MR), the moduli of treated base course materials can be calculated according to treatment technique, ambient temperature, aggregate properties, and binder content. KW - Alaska KW - Asphalt emulsions KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Flexible pavements KW - Foamed asphalt KW - Frigid regions KW - Modulus of resilience KW - Pavement design KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/09/Characterization-of-Asphalt-Treated-Base-Course-Material-Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1225282 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01360656 AU - Sharif, Hamid AU - Hempel, Michael AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Study of RF Propagation Characteristics for Wireless Sensor Networks in Railroad Environments PY - 2010/06//Final Research Report SP - 79p AB - The freight railroad industry in North America is exerting efforts to leverage wireless sensor networks (WSN) to monitor systems and components on railcars. This allows fault detection and accident prevention even while a train is moving. Railcars, constructed mostly of ferrous materials such as steel, are expected to severely impact signal propagation. To better understand this effect, the authors first evaluated the signal characteristics when sensor nodes are placed in various locations around railcars. They used EM-Field modeling and evaluation techniques to obtain these results and found that node placement selection is critical for the nodes communication distance. As a second research area, the authors therefore aimed at understanding the protocol requirements and limitations of current WSN technologies. Based on the results of the study, the authors found ZigBee to be inadequate for freight WSNs and developed a solution that remedies the observed problems. The evaluation of this new multi-tier approach shows a significant performance and network lifetime gain, making freight train wireless sensor networks feasible. KW - Computer network protocols KW - Fault monitoring KW - Freight trains KW - Nodes (Networks) KW - Radio frequency KW - Radio frequency interference KW - Radio wave propagation KW - Railroad cars KW - Sensors KW - Steel KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/finalreports/Sharif_PropagationCharacteristicsWirelessSensorNetworks.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125853 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353058 AU - Croope, Silvana AU - McNeil, Sue AU - Deliberty, Tracy AU - Nigg, Joanne AU - Delaware Center for Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Resiliency of Transportation Corridors Before, During, and After Catastrophic Natural Hazards PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 153p AB - The Nation’s capability for maintaining and improving infrastructure systems and assuring continued critical infrastructure systems’ services has received special attention in the United States of America, largely due to recent disasters with significant impacts. A large number of research and policy studies have been conducted to develop methods to improve protection of critical infrastructure. One approach is to reduce the vulnerability of places and infrastructure systems through mitigation strategies that increase system resilience or resistance to the stresses imposed by disasters. Improving resiliency requires a systems approach because of its complexity. Critical infrastructure not only responds to the needs of society for the smooth daily continuation of activities, but also provides the basis on which society exists and relies. To address this complex problem a decision support system to develop critical infrastructure resilience strategies is needed. One such decision support system analyzes the problem using system dynamics. The Critical Infrastructure Resilience Decision Support System (CIR-DSS) developed in this research recognizes the impact of disasters, including damage and disruption to critical infrastructure and loss of life. CIR-DSS development involves: a) understanding the operations and management of critical infrastructure, b) development of a framework to capture these processes, c) development of the model framework, d) development of the model, e) development of the model’s interface, and f) the communication of the model results including risk and a cost benefit analysis of alternative strategies. A case study is used to test and validate the approach of the CIR-DSS framework. The CIR-DSS development takes advantage of existing software such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Hazards U.S. Multi-Hazard (HAZUS-MH), a tool to assess the impacts of natural hazards, and Structural Thinking, Experiential Learning Laboratory with Animation (STELLA), a tool to build Systems Dynamics models. The case study used to test and validate the CIR-DSS approach is based on a real disaster that occurred in Sussex County, Delaware in 2006. The case study demonstrates: 1) the wide range of data and resources required in supporting decision making, 2) how the concepts can be integrated into a decision support system, and 3) the insights gained in using system dynamics to structure this CIR-DSS complex problem. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Case studies KW - Critical infrastructure KW - Decision support systems KW - Disasters KW - Infrastructure KW - Risk analysis KW - Strategic planning KW - Sussex County (Delaware) KW - System dynamics KW - Systems analysis KW - Transportation corridors UR - http://www.ce.udel.edu/UTC/Croope_McNeil_Deliberty_Nigg_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117583 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01349714 AU - Steimetz, Seiji S C AU - Yamarik, Steven J AU - Malatesta, Christopher AU - University of Southern California, Los Angeles AU - METRANS Transportation Center AU - California State University, Long Beach AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Accident Rates and Safety Policies for Trucks Serving the San Pedro Bay Ports PY - 2010/06//Draft Final Report SP - 36p AB - This study estimates three distinct measures of truck-related accident risk for several California urban highways. The risk measures are average risk (the number of accidents divided by total traffic volume), marginal risk (the change in average risk resulting from a marginal increase in truck traffic volume), and external risk (the product of marginal risk and total traffic volume). Special attention is paid to comparisons of these risk measures between "drayage routes", which carry the highest concentrations of drayage traffic, and other urban routes. This is done to investigate the notion that drayage trucks present a greater threat to highway safety than do other types of heavy commercial trucks. Estimation results suggest that drayage routes are indeed relatively hazardous in terms of average risk. The marginal and external risks exhibited by these routes, however, are considerably smaller than those of several other urban routes. These latter findings suggest that the exclusive targeting of drayage routes, and the trucks that travel them, may not offer the most effective approach to designing highway safety policies that target heavy commercial truck traffic. KW - California KW - Crash rates KW - Drayage KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Highway safety KW - Risk analysis KW - Routing KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucks UR - http://www.csulb.edu/~ssteimet/papers/METRANS%2009-01%20-%20Steimetz%20Yamarik%20-%20Draft%20Final%20Report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42500/42543/09-01_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1108752 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343583 AU - Sears, Justine AU - Glitman, Karen AU - Aultman-Hall, Lisa AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Quantifying Vermont Transportation Safety Factors: Young Drivers and Departure from Lane PY - 2010/06 SP - 24p AB - In Vermont, between 1999 and 2003, 25 to 30% of major crashes involved young drivers under the age of 21 years. Young drivers are at increased risk for crashing due to their inexperience driving and propensity for risky behavior. In this research the authors identify factors which increase the likelihood of young drivers being at fault and those factors which contribute to more severe (fatal or incapacitating) crashes involving young drivers. The authors combined all drivers from single vehicle crashes and all at fault drivers involved in head-on collisions in Vermont to create a departure from lane crash dataset for 2003-2008. Because departure from lane crashes often involve vehicles colliding with fixed objects, this crash type is associated with a high degree of severity and is thus a priority for safety research. The research objective was to identify factors that impact departure from lane crash severity. Driver distraction is assumed to be an important factor in many crashes, including departure from lane. Addressing the effect of distracted driving, in addition to other contributing factors, on departure from lane crash severity was the second primary objective of this study. KW - At-fault drivers KW - Crash severity KW - Data files KW - Distraction KW - Frontal crashes KW - Lane departures KW - Ran off road crashes KW - Safety factors KW - Single vehicle crashes KW - Teenage drivers KW - Vermont UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-011.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105592 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333783 AU - Capar, Ismail AU - Narayanan, Arunachalam AU - Natarajarathinam, Malini AU - Texas A&M University, College Station AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Intermodal Transportation System for Asian Goods to U.S. via Mexico: An Analysis PY - 2010/06 SP - 29p AB - U.S. shares more than 2000 miles of international border with Mexico. Texas has more number of border crossing ports than any other state in the U.S. The transit time for the goods to reach the U.S. west coast from Asia is around 12.3 days and the west coast alone handles 75% of the goods from Asia. The major ports of entries to the U.S. in the west coast are Los Angeles/ Long Beach ports. Due to increase in the volume of imports these ports are facing challenges in handling the goods. It is predicted that by 2020 these ports would receive around 40 million containers. This would increase the lead time, transportation cost and lead to congestion in the highways in the state of California. The problem can be solved if other ports in the west share a portion of the total imports. The ports along the west coast of Mexico are capable to handle the imports from Asia. It is highly essential to analyze the advantages of these ports and their intermodal capabilities to handle the increased volume of imports. KW - Asia KW - Container terminals KW - Freight traffic KW - Imports KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Mexico KW - Ports KW - Shipments KW - Texas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35500/35578/Eksioglu__B__Capar_I_Narayanan_A____2010__Asian_Goods_to_Mexico_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1094746 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333275 AU - Chambers, Matthew AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Gulf Coast Ports Surrounding the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill PY - 2010/06 SP - 4p AB - This fact sheet provides a snapshot of two major seaports (New Orleans, LA, and Mobile, AL) and summary tables of other Gulf coast seaports close to the Deepwater Horizon mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) explosion and oil spill. New Orleans is approximately 132 miles from the site, and Mobile is approximately 136 miles from the site. KW - Coast and river protective works KW - Deepwater harbors KW - Environmental impacts KW - Harbors KW - Mobile (Alabama) KW - New Orleans (Louisiana) KW - Oil spills KW - Port operations KW - Seaports UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35383/Gulf_Coast.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097257 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01330477 AU - Sullivan, Andrew J AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - Surhabi, Suman Reddy AU - University of Alabama, Birmingham AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impacts of Signal System Timings on Rain Related Congestion PY - 2010/06 SP - 38p AB - It is known that inclement weather can affect traffic volumes, vehicle speeds, speed variance, saturation flow rates, and sometimes discharge rates from traffic signals. These parameters in turn can have a significant impact on the efficiency of traffic signal timing plans. Timing plans developed for dry conditions with good visibility may not be as effective under wet conditions with poor visibility, even for the same traffic volumes. Previous studies have looked at the effects of poor weather on traffic signal efficiency but they have focused primarily on winter weather conditions involving snow and ice, which have much more dramatic impacts on traffic flow. In regions like the South, rain is the primary adverse weather event and even though its effects on traffic flow may be smaller than snow or ice, its impacts can still be seen. This study sought to assess the impact of rain on traffic flow and determine whether there can be a meaningful benefit to developing and implementing signal timing plans specifically for rain events. Using simulations for two study corridors in Birmingham, Alabama, it was found that moderate and heavy rain events do impact traffic flow, increasing stops and average delays up to 6% compared to dry conditions. Signal timing plans optimized for wet conditions were found to reduce these delays, though in absolute terms the benefits were modest. It was found, however, that the effectiveness of rain-specific timing plans depended to a large extent on prevailing traffic volumes. An evaluation of potential costs and benefits resulting from rain-optimized signal timing plans found that the net benefits, at least in the two study corridors, are questionable. The analysis found that projected costs over a five-year life cycle would significantly exceed potential benefits. Rain-specific timing plans may have useful applications in certain corridors but the potential benefits and costs should be carefully evaluated beforehand. KW - Highway traffic control KW - Rain KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic signal timing UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/09/Final-Report-07211.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1090980 ER - TY - SER AN - 01330117 JO - MTI Report AU - Da Silva, Nancy AU - Virick, Meghna AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Facilitating Telecommuting PY - 2010/06 SP - 48p AB - Many factors can help or hinder the adoption of telecommuting by employees. This study explores the attitudes and behaviors of telecommuters and non-telecommuters. It looks at supervisor attitudes and human resources practices and policies. It also considers how the number of days per week an employee telecommutes affects employee satisfaction. Telecommuters were found to be more committed to the organization and expressed greater life satisfaction than non-telecommuters. There were no differences in the two groups in terms of job satisfaction or likelihood to leave the organization. Findings indicate that moderate levels of telecommuting may be the best strategy for organizations seeking to implement large scale telecommuting. KW - Employees KW - Families KW - Hours of labor KW - Human resources management KW - Job satisfaction KW - Management KW - Psychological aspects KW - Silicon Valley (California) KW - Telecommuting UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/2803_09-14.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1084126 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01329752 AU - Watts, Richard AU - Belz, Nathan AU - Fraker, Joseph AU - Gandrud, Lauren AU - Kenyon, Jennifer AU - Meece, Melissa AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Increasing Carpooling in Vermont: Opportunities and Obstacles PY - 2010/06 SP - 25p AB - Growth in car ownership, dispersed land settlement patterns, highway investments, travel behavior and socio‐economic changes have all contributed to a dramatic increase in automobile use in the U.S. over the last 80 years. The resulting health, environmental and energy impacts related to automobile dependence are of concern to policy‐makers in the US and Vermont. Proposed solutions range from increasing the use of public transportation, walking and biking, shifting vehicle fuels from petroleum to other sources or even encouraging changes in the built environment to reduce car trips. One proposed solution is to increase the number of people in each vehicle which does not require extensive investment of public capital, relying instead on the existing infrastructure and already owned private automobiles. Carpooling can increase personal mobility, access to services, reduce environmental and infrastructure impacts, reduce individual transportation costs and save energy. For example, average vehicle occupancy rates in the US for work trips are about 1.1 per vehicle, down from 1.3 in 1977. Slight increases in the number of people per vehicle could provide the same energy savings as switching to an alternative fuel, without building new fueling stations or making any new additional investments. However, the percentage of commuters carpooling has significantly decreased since 1980 both nationally and in Vermont. Factors in that decline include increasing car ownership, decreases in household size, changes in travel behavior, the relatively low cost of energy and other sociodemographic changes. The purpose of this research is to examine potential obstacles and opportunities to increasing carpooling for the journey‐to‐work commute in Vermont and provide research‐based information for state policy‐makers regarding programs and policies designed to increase carpooling in Vermont. KW - Carpools KW - Commuters KW - Travel demand management KW - Vehicle occupancy KW - Vermont KW - Work trips UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089802 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328131 AU - Capar, Ismail AU - Narayanan, Arunachalam AU - Natarajarathinam, Malini AU - Texas A&M University, College Station AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Intermodal Transportation Systems for Asian Goods to U.S. via Mexico: An Analysis PY - 2010/06 SP - 29p AB - U.S. shares more than 2000 miles of international border with Mexico. Texas has a greater number of border crossing ports than any other state in the U.S. The transit time for the goods to reach the U.S. west coast from Asia is around 12.3 days and the west coast alone handles 75% of the goods from Asia. The major ports of entries to the U.S. in the west coast are Los Angeles/ Long Beach ports. Due to increase in the volume of imports these ports are facing challenges in handling the goods. It is predicted that by 2020 these ports would receive around 40 million containers. This would increase the lead time, transportation cost and lead to congestion in the highways in the state of California. The problem can be solved if other ports in the west share a portion of the total imports. The ports along the west coast of Mexico are capable to handle the imports from Asia. It is highly essential to analyze the advantages of these ports and their intermodal capabilities to handle the increased volume of imports. KW - Asia KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Imports KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Mexico KW - Port capacity KW - Ports KW - United States UR - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086849 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324986 AU - Turner, Daniel AU - Lindly, Jay K AU - Kumlachew, Menasse T AU - Hauser, Edd AU - Elmes, Sherry AU - University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transit Evacuation Planning: Two Case Studies PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 89p AB - This project addresses the transit emergency evacuation of individuals without personal vehicles or the means to acquire them, during coastal extreme events. It is a joint effort of the University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA) and the Center for Transportation Policy Studies (CTPS) at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, and uses Mobile, Alabama and Wilmington, North Carolina as simultaneous case studies. The research provided insight into the population most at risk (vulnerable population) and key factors in planning for transit evacuation of that group. Some of the primary contributions of this research were: (1) identification of characteristics of members of the vulnerable population, (2) use of current guidance to estimate the potential size of the transit-dependent population during a major hurricane event, (3) documentation of the large gap between the estimated number of evacuees and the much smaller number that actually evacuated in recent Alabama and North Carolina hurricanes, and (4) providing information on how to effectively communicate with these individuals before, during, and after an emergency evacuation. In addition to conducting these case studies, the authors identified multiple topics that should be resolved to improve transit evacuation of the vulnerable population. These include the need for a research framework to identify and prioritize major issues that hinder transit evacuation, the lack of involvement by emergency communication experts, the lack of evaluation of the effectiveness of evacuation communication plans, and the need for a national clearinghouse of information on communication with and evacuation of the vulnerable population. KW - Case studies KW - Disaster preparedness KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Evacuation KW - Hurricanes KW - Public transit KW - Transportation disadvantaged persons KW - Transportation planning UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=08112 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086120 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01324886 AU - Chou, Eddie Y J AU - Salari, Ezzatollah AU - University of Toledo AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Novel Image Database Analysis System for Maintenance of Transportation Facility - Phase I PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 29p AB - Transportation is critical to the global economy and plays a particularly vital role in this region’s economic growth. Transportation infrastructures such as highways, streets, and bridges represent one of the largest public investments of many governments. Maintaining and managing the vast and aging transportation infrastructures with limited resources is a most challenging task for nearly all transportation agencies. Monitoring and evaluating the physical condition of the transportation infrastructure and scheduling for timely repair are essential for effective infrastructure management. However, human inspection can be time consuming and prone to inconsistent results due to differences in judgments. Digital imaging technology has been proposed as a viable alternative to human inspection and provides automated inspection, monitoring, and pattern recognition, as the cost of imaging technologies has become more affordable. The objective of this research was to assist transportation agencies efficiently record, monitor and evaluate the conditions of transportation infrastructure assets so as to more effectively managing the needs for maintenance or rehabilitation with minimum total costs and least interruptions of services. The researchers reviewed relevant literature and designed the framework of a prototype imaging system to systematically and automatically extract features from digital images of pavement surfaces. The focus was on processing and transforming the roadway images for analysis, and extracting visible cracking data including crack length, width, and patterns from the processed roadway images. A new crack connectivity algorithm to rebuild the crack pattern after noise reduction was developed and implemented. This study was jointly funded by UT-UTC and MIOH-UTC. Phase II of this project, which continues the development of the prototype and focuses on improved quantification of cracking in terms of its length and width, and uses wavelet transformations to extract and identify different crack patterns in order to match the imaging processing results with human ratings, was subsequently funded by both sponsors. KW - Algorithms KW - Defects KW - Digital images KW - Flaw detection KW - Image analysis KW - Image processing KW - Imaging systems KW - Pavement cracking KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement maintenance KW - Pavements UR - http://www.utoledo.edu/research/UTUTC/docs/UT-UTC-IU-5_Final_Report_6-201.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086224 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173731 AU - Pullman, Madeleine E AU - Fenske, Robin AU - Wakeland, Wayne AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Food Delivery Footprint: Addressing Transportation, Packaging, and Waste in the Food Supply Chain PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 128p AB - Transportation of food accounts for a significant fraction of the carbon dioxide emissions believed to be adversely impacting climate and the environment. This impact is increasing as food supply chains become longer and more complex, and as food packaging requirements lead to increased waste. Many organizations such as hospitals and upper level education are becoming increasingly concerned about sustainability. In this study, college, university, and hospital food purchasing behavior were assessed using interviews, surveys, and modeling to evaluate the environmental implications of decisions regarding food transportation and packaging. Current purchasing practices, corresponding transportation modes, packaging, recycling, and waste removal were assessed for a representative sample of these institutions. The results of the study compare the most popular institutional purchasing practices for three product categories' carbon footprints. In addition, this study indicates that buyer-customer alignment, buyer-organization alignment, facility flexibility, and contract flexibility are positively related to sustainable practices, which are in turn positively related to a number of outcomes: food waste reduction, packaging reduction, and local/sustainable food increase in percentage of whole. KW - Carbon dioxide KW - Carbon footprint KW - Delivery service KW - Environmental impacts KW - Food KW - Hospitals KW - Packaging KW - Sustainable development KW - Universities and colleges KW - Wastes UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/154 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/934617 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01167130 AU - Han, Lee D AU - National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - License Plate Recognition (Phase B) PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 60p AB - License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology has been used for off-line automobile enforcement purposes. The technology has seen mixed success with correct reading rate as high as 60 to 80% depending on the specific application and environment. This limitation can be, and is often, remedied through human verification after the fact and before a citation is issued. Armed with advanced text-mining algorithms, this study enables LPR technology for real-time enforcement by matching plates whether correctly or incorrectly read at various locations in a network or along a corridor and, hence, tracking the movement and speed of vehicles. The focus of the project is on heavy vehicles as they are required to enter weigh stations, where the LPR tracking information can be used, in real time, for speed enforcement and/or as a triggering factor for other inspection activities. The initial objective of the study was to devise an inexpensive and effective means for helping improve air quality in non-attainment metropolitan areas through speed enforcement. The successful deployment of such a measure can also potentially lead to improved highway safety, fuel efficiency, and national security. It is desirable to deploy this technology in a larger scale to realize the benefits and potential. KW - Air quality management KW - Automatic license plate readers KW - Heavy duty vehicles KW - Real time information KW - Speeding KW - Traffic law enforcement KW - Trucking KW - Weigh stations UR - http://www.ntrci.org/ntrci-50-2009-007 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/926108 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01166626 AU - Anderson, Jon T AU - Larsen, Randolph K AU - Lacouture, Richard AU - Morgan State University AU - National Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessing the Magnitude of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Loading from Road Surface Runoff and Its Effect on Algal Productivity PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 28p AB - The hypothesis of the study was that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) washing off roads would retard the growth of aquatic life-supporting algae and promote the growth of harmful, toxin-producing algae in estuaries, such as the Chesapeake Bay. Runoff from various road surfaces was tested for PAH concentrations. The tests revealed PAHs but also heavy metals in various concentrations. The research results show that road surface runoff does not seem to affect algae detrimentally after a few days under normal summer conditions. Either the chemicals in the runoff degrade over time or bacteria in the runoff break down the chemical pollutants. In both cases, once the PAHs degrade, they seem to stimulate algal growth. The one exception is Chaetoceros, a beneficial algae, which was negatively affected by both 1 percent and full strength concentrations on newly paved and low traffic asphalt. Since PAH levels were relatively low for those two sites, it is possible that the response was not due to PAHs from these road surfaces but to heavy metals instead. Brackish water algae, such as Chaetoceros, may experience toxicity from the PAHs and heavy metals. Chaetoceros contains significant fat reserves in which PAHs and heavy metals could accumulate. As those algae are consumed by an aquatic organism, such as oysters, the PAHs and heavy metals may become concentrated in the organism. KW - Algae KW - Aquatic life KW - Chesapeake Bay KW - Environmental impacts KW - Estuaries KW - Heavy metals KW - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons KW - Runoff KW - Toxicity UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44000/44074/Assessing_Anderson_0910.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/927274 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01165319 AU - Wall, Richard AU - Frenzel, James AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Commercialization and Field Distribution of Smart Pedestrian Call Signals PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 45p AB - The research on this project resulted in a new design for an accessible pedestrian system (APS) that uses Ethernet communications to implement a distributed control system. Present APS designs represent a safety risk factor by APS systems having undetectable failure modes that may play incorrect audible messages. The systems consists of a controller unit housed in the traffic controller cabinet and interfaces to existing NEMA TS1 and TS2 traffic controller cabinets at the field terminals. It supports from one to 16 pedestrian stations. The controller unit uses a Linux based single board computer with dual Ethernet ports. The pedestrian stations use a resource rich NXP processor reducing the number of components and size of circuit board. All configuration and diagnostics is accomplished using a PC with a standard web browser and an Ethernet connection. This interface reduces the size and cost of the unit mounted in the controller cabinet. The web page provides real-time status of all controller inputs and the state of all pedestrian stations and the audio message currently being played. SNMP and STMP custom objects are used in such a way that each communications transaction is verified. A network protocol is implemented that follows the guidelines for NTCIP custom objects. KW - Audible pedestrian signals KW - Distributed control KW - Ethernet KW - Pedestrian safety KW - Persons with disabilities KW - Traffic control devices KW - Traffic signal control systems UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK715_N09-09_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925100 ER - TY - SER AN - 01165096 JO - MTI Report AU - Agrawal, Asha Weinstein AU - Nixon, Hilary AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - What Do Americans Think About Federal Transportation Tax Options? Results From a National Survey PY - 2010/06//Final Report SP - 50p AB - A national public opinion poll asked 1,545 respondents if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues. None of the tax options achieved majority support, but three did fairly well: a $.05 sales tax (43 percent support), a $.10 gas tax increase with revenue dedicated to reducing the transportation system’s impact on global warming (42 percent support), and a $.10 gas tax increase spread over five years (39 percent support). The report also compares public support for alternative versions of the mileage and gas taxes. The base cases tested against alternatives were a flat-rate mileage tax of $.01 per mile and a $.10 gas tax with no additional information given about the tax. All variants of these base cases increased support levels, in most cases significantly. Varying the mileage tax by the vehicle’s pollution level increased support by 12 percentage points. For the gas tax, all four alternatives to the base case received higher support. Most notably, spreading the gas tax increase over five years increased support by 16 percentage points, and linking the increase to global warming reduction increased support by a full 19 percentage points. KW - Demographics KW - Fees KW - Finance KW - Fuel taxes KW - Public opinion KW - Revenues KW - Sales tax KW - Socioeconomic factors KW - User charges KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/2928%20-%20Annual%20Trans.%20Survey%20(6.24.2010).pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925735 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164284 AU - Martin, Peter T AU - Zlatkovic, Milan AU - University of Utah, Salt Lake City AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Transit Signal Priority Strategies for Bus Rapid Transit on 5600 West Street in Salt Lake County, Utah PY - 2010/06 SP - 198p AB - Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a flexible, high performance rapid transit mode that uses buses or specialized rubber tired-based vehicles operating on pavement, and combines a variety of physical, operating, and system elements into a permanently integrated system. Because of its benefits and lower costs, Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has decided to begin BRT implementations in Salt Lake County, where a total of 106 miles of BRT lines are planned for construction and implementation in future years. Transit Signal Priority (TSP) usually supports BRT operations. TSP provides priority for transit vehicles on signalized intersections along a main corridor. Many studies and implementations have proven its efficiency. On the other hand, providing priority along the main corridor has impacts on other vehicular traffic. For each TSP implementation, it is very important that the optimum balance between the priority provided to transit vehicles be weighed against the negative impacts on vehicular traffic. This research evaluates BRT and TSP implementations along 5600 West Street in Salt Lake County through micro-simulation. This road is an important north–south arterial, and it has been chosen for a full phase BRT implementation. The study area consists of a 5-mile corridor with seven signalized intersections along 5600 W that represents the busiest section of the arterial, and where special design changes, with center running BRT lanes, are planned for construction. Evaluations are based on VISSIM simulation models, which were created for this network, based on the real traffic and transit data from the field, and planned design changes and traffic estimations for the target year 2030. Full phase BRT will be implemented along the 5-mile corridor, from 2700 S to 6200 S. It will consist of a dedicated center running BRT guideway and six BRT stations, each direction located near signalized intersections. This study analyzes the effects of the design changes, BRT implementation, and different TSP strategies on general purpose traffic and future transit operations. The study also analyzes two separate TSP strategies, the Green Extension/Early Green and Phase Rotation strategies, and a combination of these two. The final results show that if no action is taken along this corridor, a major worsening in traffic conditions can be expected. Minor improvements bring certain benefits to traffic operations. With the planned design changes and BRT implementation, the negative effects of the No Action alternative will be minimized, especially along the busiest corridor segments. An implementation of the Green Extension/Early Green TSP strategy creates the most benefits for BRT operations, when: 1. The BRT travel times are approximately 7% lower than if no TSP were provided. 2. Intersection delays for BRT are significantly reduced. 3. The impacts on general purpose traffic would be minor to neutral. Some of the methods and techniques applied in this project were used in presentations given at the National BRT Institute Workshop, held June 23, 2009, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Solutions Summit Public Transportation Workforce Development, held September 10, 2009, in Fargo, N.D., and a paper titled Evaluation of Transit Signal Priority in RBC and ASC/3 Software-in-the-Loop Simulation Environment, presented at the 89th TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., January 12, 2010. KW - Bus priority KW - Bus rapid transit KW - Evaluation KW - Salt Lake City (Utah) KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic signal preemption KW - Traffic signal timing KW - Travel time UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC09-213A.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/923819 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164257 AU - Chen, Suren AU - Wu, Jun AU - Chen, Feng AU - Colorado State University, Fort Collins AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility Study of Mobile Scanning Technology for Fast Damage Detection of Rural Bridge Using Wireless Sensors PY - 2010/06 SP - 63p AB - This research aims at conducting a feasibility study on detecting damage of bridges through using passing vehicles and wireless sensors. As the first step, the finite element program has been compiled and some explorative tests have been conducted. It is found that the damage detection process is affected by the parameters of the vehicles and bridge, such as mass ratio, stiffness ratio, vehicle speed, bridge type, road roughness, etc. The theoretical results showed satisfied results of the proposed approach. Because of the scope and limitation of the testing in this study, however, further study will be needed to validate the applicability of this approach with advanced testing in the future. KW - Bridges KW - Deterioration KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Inspection KW - Rural areas KW - Sensors KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Wireless sensors UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-219.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/923812 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343590 AU - Novak, David C AU - Sullivan, James AU - Aultman-Hall, Lisa AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Advanced Development and Calibration of the Network Robustness Index to Identify Critical Road Network Links PY - 2010/05/31 SP - 17p AB - Previously researchers tended to use complete link removal to measure network robustness (100% capacity reduction). The use of a capacity reduction value less than 100% allows networks with isolating links to be evaluated using the Network Robustness Index (NRI) methodology. This research shows that capacity-disruption levels lower than about 50% are not likely to result in stable, accurate NRI values and should not be considered for analyses of this type. A more realistic lower limit of about 70% is recommended. This analysis indicates that, due to the presence of Braess’ Paradox, which states that adding a small capacity link to a transportation network may actually decrease the performance of the network instead of improving it, a realistic upper limit of 99% on the disruption levels should be used. However, it should be acknowledged that, as the level of connectivity of the network increases, the upper limit on the range of desirable disruption levels decreases, and may fall as low as 95%. Therefore, a practical capacity-disruption range for robustness analysis is between 70% and 99%, but a more realistic range of between 70% and 95% is recommended. KW - Braess' Paradox KW - Connectivity KW - Highway capacity KW - Links (Networks) KW - Network Robustness Index KW - Robustness analysis KW - Traffic disruption KW - Traffic signal control systems UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-019.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105614 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173805 AU - Solaimanian, Mansour AU - Chang, Chieh-Tang AU - Chehab, Ghassan AU - Milander, Scott AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of Guidelines to Minimize Moisture Damage in HMA with PennDOT District 1 Local Aggregates PY - 2010/05/31/Final Report SP - 94p AB - The sources delivering quality aggregate for use in hot-mix asphalt concrete have been depleting in Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 1. There is currently a shortage of quality Type A aggregate in this district. The local aggregates don't meet the required criteria on soundness or absorption level, or both. Furthermore, stripping and moisture damage in these gravel aggregates are of concern even though most of these aggregates exhibit excellent skid resistance and durability. A research project was initiated to evaluate performance of hot-mix asphalt concrete using District 1-0 aggregates, specifically in regard to stripping and moisture damage. Research included modifications that could be applied to improve performance of such aggregates in hot-mix asphalt. Four Type C aggregates and one Type A aggregate, all sources located in District 1-0, were selected for evaluation. Mixes were prepared as control, with liquid anti-stripping agent, with lime, and with a gravel-limestone blend for the #8 material at equal proportions. The tests included PennDOT's modified version of AASHTO Test Method T283 (Tensile Strength Ratio), Model Mobile Load Simulator, 3rd Scale (MMLS3), and dynamic modulus after repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Overall, it was concluded that four of the five aggregate sources could pass the requirement on moisture damage resistance based on the PennDOT version of the AASHTO T283 test method, with one of the four being right at the pass/fail boundary. It was also found that the specific liquid anti-stripping agent used with these mixes improved the moisture damage resistance significantly. The study indicated improvement of moisture damage resistance using the limestone-gravel blend to a much lesser degree compared to the improvement gained through the liquid anti-stripping agent. Testing with the MMLS3 provided valuable information. Only three control mixes were included in this part of the study, and testing was conducted under both dry and wet conditions. A higher rutting level was found in wet tested specimens compared to dry specimens, even though the significance of the moisture impact on rutting level has yet to be determined. In summary, it seems that use of the specific liquid anti-stripping agent with the mixes in this study causes significant improvement in performance of mixes using these local aggregates. KW - Aggregates KW - Antistrip additives KW - Freeze thaw tests KW - Hot mix asphalt KW - Mobile load simulator KW - Moisture damage KW - Pennsylvania KW - Rutting KW - Stripping (Pavements) KW - Tensile strength KW - Wetting and drying tests UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/933387 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577821 TI - Development of On-line Educational Programming and Agricultural Bio-Energy AB - No summary provided. KW - Agriculture KW - Biomass fuels KW - Computer aided instruction KW - Distance learning KW - Education UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370862 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467992 TI - Validating Traffic Flow-detectors using Manual Counting from Video Data (FAST Freeway Flow Detectors Verification) AB - According to the FAST/NDOT inter-local agreement for the freeway management system (FMS) scope of service, tra&#64259;c volumes from freeway &#64258;ow detectors (FDD) need to be compared and veri&#64257;ed. The total lane-by-lane tra&#64259;c counts need to be veri&#64257;ed to assure that the FDD is properly aligned and calibrated. This Scope of work outlines tasks for the implementation of tra&#64259;c count veri&#64257;cation for the freeway &#64258;ow detectors on segments of I-15, US-95 and CC 215. FAST provided tra&#64259;c counts and corresponding videos of tra&#64259;c &#64258;ow extracted from the FMS database and freeway surveillance videos of the same time periods and locations to be veri&#64257;ed. The University of Las Vegas (UNLV) Transportation Research Center (TRC) veri&#64257;ed the tra&#64259;c counts (lane-by-lane) from the videos. Data analysis was applied to the tra&#64259;c counts and veri&#64257;cation, and this report was generated to document the veri&#64257;cation results. This report provides various methods for analysis and hypothesis testing for paired data where one source of data has to be tested against a noisy source for validation. In this work, tra&#64259;c counts for some highway locations obtained from &#64258;ow detectors have to validated against the data obtained by manual counting of video data obtained from those sites. However, the video data has various levels of clarity that is recorded by the human observers, and hence a technique that performs validation with such recorded noisy data is needed. The various techniques that have been developed include weighted percent di&#64256;erence test, and combined variance test. The techniques are applied to the sample data and results presented. The research obtained the mean percent di&#64256;erence between the detector data and the normalized observed data to be 0.858%, and the 95% con&#64257;dence interval for the mean to be (0.855%, 0.860%). KW - Data verification KW - Freeway management systems KW - Nevada KW - Traffic counts KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic surveillance KW - Traffic volume KW - Vehicle detectors KW - Video cameras UR - https://sites.google.com/site/fastdetectors/home UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236228 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328121 AU - Sherry, Patrick AU - Durr, Rob AU - University of Denver AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Identification of a Leadership Competency Model for Use in the Development, Recruitment & Retention of Intermodal Transportation Workers PY - 2010/05/15 SP - 7p AB - The purpose of this research was to determine the competencies that predict highly effective performance in intermodal transportation managers and that will pave the way for development of a core competency model that can be used to recruit, train, and retain effective transportation leaders. Three separate samples were included in this four-phase study that followed leading methodology in competency research (Spencer & Spencer, 1993): 1) an expert panel of 11 human resource managers in transportation, 2) 62 mid-level managers (41 males and 21 females) and 3) 228 manager peers/colleagues. The managers and their peers/colleagues completed the Intermodal Transportation Managerial Competency Questionnaire (ITMCQ). Results from the expert panel indicated 9 core competency areas that are thought to be essential for training effective leaders in intermodal transportation. Quantitative results yielded from the 360 degree questionnaire indicated several essential areas of leadership acumen in transportation including high personal standards, achievement orientation, and ability to build trust. Combining this data allowed the researchers to collapse all categories into three general competency clusters: Self-Effectiveness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, and Technical Industry-Specific Effectiveness. KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Leadership KW - Managerial personnel KW - Personnel development KW - Personnel retention KW - Recruiting KW - Training UR - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089296 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01464991 TI - A Realistic Driving Simulator Based on Parallel Computing AB - This research project will develop a driving simulator using Parallel Computing. A no cost extension was approved. Two solicitations are being considered for the proposal: the Information and Intelligent Systems: Advancing Human-Centered Computing, Information Integration and Informatics, and Robust Intelligence (NSF 07-577), and Computer Systems Research (NSF 07-504). KW - Driving simulators KW - Human-centered systems KW - Information technology KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Vehicle design UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1233224 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494986 TI - Highway Capacity Manual Methodologies to Assess Advanced Traffic Management Strategies that Influence Traffic Demand AB - No summary provided. KW - Advanced traffic management systems KW - Highway capacity KW - Highway Capacity Manual KW - Highway traffic control KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Travel demand UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1264397 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01467630 TI - Minimizing Contaminant Impact for Road and Parking Lot Runoff AB - The purpose of this research initiation project was to investigate natural or passive methods for the treatment of stormwater runoff from roads and paved surfaces in northeastern Kansas. Mitigating the negative impact of these contaminants in storm water runoff is a Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) priority. Treatment methods using native plants is a vegetated best management practices (BMPs). Plants that intercept and treat this runoff have the potential to provide long-lasting, low maintenance and low-cost options protection of local receiving waters under a wide range of field conditions. However, data on BMPs is limited, particularly in the Great Plains region. Based on the preliminary sampling results, Kansas University and the City of Lenexa will fund a $180,000 two-year extension study of bioretention cell performance and the effects of planting water tolerant plant species on the cell surface. KW - Best practices KW - Bioretention KW - Contaminants KW - Kansas KW - Native plants KW - Runoff KW - Vegetation control UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1235866 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01322461 AU - Boile, Maria AU - Theofanis, Sotirios AU - Golias, Mihalis AU - Dougherty, Patrick AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - University Transportation Research Center AU - New York Metropolitan Transportation Council AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation and Testing of Regional Models - Phase I: Sensitivity Analysis, Task B PY - 2010/05/10/Final Report SP - 151p AB - New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), an association of governments, transportation providers, and environmental organizations, handles the metropolitan transportation planning throughout New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley. In the early 1990s, NYMTC developed a transportation model, the New York Best Practices Model (NYBPM), in response to federal regulations on surface planning, specifically the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and the Clean Air Act (CAA). The NYBPM was created to analyze adjusting traffic patterns due to changes within demographic agendas and other changes in transportation systems in the area, and has become a very valuable tool to planners. The purpose of the work presented in this report is to test and demonstrate the capabilities of NYMTC's Best Practices Model for policy analysis in the New York Metropolitan Region, through peer reviewed sensitivity analysis. The scenarios that were selected for this set of sensitivity tests examine and demonstrate the utility of the NYBPM as a tool for policy analysis by looking at a detailed level at how the model responds to network or policy changes. The first scenario that was tested (B1) showed the impact of truck demand changes on the network. The purpose of testing this scenario was to show the zonal and link-level effects on passenger travel on the major corridors into Manhattan as the level of traffic rises on the network. The second scenario that was tested (B2) showed the impact of tolling policy changes on a major link of the network. For this scenario several changes in tolling policies on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge were tested and the impacts these changes had on other NYC crossings were analyzed. The third scenario that was tested (B3) showed the impacts of a disruption of infrastructure on the network. This scenario tests how travel choices change at the facility level if the capacity of a bridge is reduced due to construction, maintenance, or unplanned events. KW - Best practices KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - New York Metropolitan Area KW - New York Metropolitan Transportation Council KW - Policy analysis KW - Regional transportation KW - Sensitivity analysis KW - Transportation policy UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1083506 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576079 TI - Improving Woody Biomass Feedstock Logistics by Reducing Ash and Moisture Content AB - No summary provided. KW - Ash content KW - Biomass KW - Logistics KW - Moisture content KW - Wood UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370151 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569172 TI - Network Robustness Index: A Comprehensive Spatial-Based Measure for Transportation Infrastructure Management (Part 2) AB - This project investigates the robustness, redundancy and resiliency of the transportation network under current and future conditions. Transportation planning efforts, especially those involving highway capacity expansions, have traditionally relied on the Volume/Capacity (V/C) ratio to identify congested or critical links, resulting in localized solutions that do not consider system-wide impacts related to congestion, security and emergency response. Members of the research team recently developed the Network Robustness Index (NRI): a new, comprehensive, system-wide approach for identifying critical links and evaluating transportation network performance. It relies on readily available sources of data from travel demand forecasting models. Analysis of three hypothetical networks has demonstrated that NRI-based solutions yield far greater system-wide benefits than traditional (V/C) solutions, as measured by travel-time savings (Scott et al. 2006). While the NRI has been tested on hypothetical networks, it has not yet been applied to a real world road network. As part of the current project, it is proposed to utilize actual road networks and origin/destination (O/D) pairs as input data to assess which network links are considered the most vulnerable in Chittenden County, Vermont. The integrated UrbanSim/TRANSIMS model will provide the inputs needed to calculate the NRI for Chittenden County. This will include information about specific road networks, traffic volumes and link capacities, and origin-destination flows. Researchers will use the NRI to identify specific road links that are the most critical or valuable with respect to maintaining the robustness of the overall road network system within Chittenden County based on average peak period traffic conditions. The most critical links identified by the NRI will be compared for overlap with those identified by other more traditional measures. KW - Chittenden County (Vermont) KW - Emergency response time KW - Highway capacity KW - Network Robustness Index KW - Origin and destination KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic simulation KW - Traffic volume UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/network-robustness-index-a-comprehensive-spatial-based-measure-for-transportation-infrastructure-management/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359727 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01330441 AU - Leonard, Kathleen M AU - University of Alabama, Huntsville AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Engineering Advancement and Mentoring Program Phase I PY - 2010/05/01/Final Report SP - 19p AB - The numbers of female and minority students enrolled in engineering schools are increasing slowly; however, there are still relatively small percentages drawn to the field of transportation civil engineering. As a consequence, there is a need to educate young people about the profession to encourage individuals from under-represented groups to appreciate the contributions of engineers to society and encourage them to become civil engineers. This summer institute project consisted of bringing middle-school students, after recommendations by their teachers, to the University of Alabama in Huntsville campus to learn about engineering as a career and to experience a variety of transportation-engineering design topics. The participants gained knowledge about the role of engineers in society and learned how engineers use their knowledge in design applications. An additional program was held this year in which the instructors visited local schools during engineers’ week to promote the design build challenge held at the university in the fall. UAH female faulty members and professionals from the Society of Women Engineers acted as team mentors. KW - Civil engineering KW - Design build KW - Education KW - Females KW - Mentoring KW - Middle school students KW - Technology transfer KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/research/projects/?id=09306 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1091027 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01594307 AU - Adams, Teresa M AU - Bekkem, Kaushik AU - Bier, Vicki M AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Operational Resilience of I-90/94 Corridor PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 99p AB - This research identified the top 10 high-risk (low operational resilience) segments along the I-90/94 Interstate Highway Corridor from Hudson to Beloit, Wisconsin. Resiliency in this project is a function of the vulnerability, economic importance and the alternate routes. The analysis considered both freight trucks carrying top 10 commodities and passenger vehicles. The corridor was divided into 43 segments, each starting and ending at interchanges with the state trunk highway. The evaluation metrics included alternate route distance, alternate route travel time, change in traffic volumes on the alternate routes and the change in level of service for the traffic. The vulnerabilities of the bridges, culverts, and road segments of each corridor segment were assessed for various failures modes ranging from scouring, flood scouring, traffic overloads, snow storms, and ice accumulation using a basic analysis method of FMEA (failure mode and effects analysis). The FMEA analysis resulted in risk priority numbers, which provided a rating for each corridor segment on a scale of 10 (high) to 1 (low). The evaluation metrics, along with vulnerability ratings were used to determine an overall resiliency rating for each corridor segment, thus resulting in a prioritization of the segments based on their risk resiliency. KW - Commodity flow KW - Failure analysis KW - Highway operations KW - Interstate 90 KW - Interstate 94 KW - Resilience (Materials) KW - Risk assessment KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_01-09_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1398459 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01499708 AU - Wu, Nien-Chun AU - Chase, Stephen AU - University of Virginia, Charlottesville AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Exploratory Data Analysis of National Bridge Inventory PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 138p AB - The National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database is the largest collection of bridge data in the world. This database contains detailed information on more than 600,000 United States highway bridges and large culverts over a period of several decades. The NBI is owned and maintained by the United States Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). There has been very little analysis performed on the NBI from the perspective of data mining and knowledge discovery; therefore, the objectives of this study are to compile and consolidate all available historical NBI data into a data warehouse, and to discover previously unknown patterns, trends and relationships hidden inside the data. The scope of the study includes data integration, summary and descriptive statistics, and knowledge discovery process for temporal and spatial patterns. Advanced analytical methods such as exploratory data analysis and knowledge discovery are utilized as research methodologies for this study. The combination of these methods, coupled with geographic information system (GIS) software, is effective in extracting information from the datasets and representing the visual patterns. KW - Culverts KW - Data analysis KW - Data mining KW - Data warehouses KW - Databases KW - Highway bridges KW - National Bridge Inventory KW - United States UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/UVA-2009-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1276845 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491338 AU - Guo, Jessica Y AU - Gong, Qi AU - Obernesser, Andrew AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessment of Multimodal Freight Bottlenecks and Alleviation Strategies for the Upper Midwest Region PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 129p AB - The freight that passes through the Mississippi Valley Region is high volume and has a substantial impact on the economy of the region. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)-sponsored Commodity Flow Survey, trucks carried almost 2.5 billion tons of freight across the highways of the ten states of the Mississippi Valley region in 2002. During that same year, the region’s rails moved 540 million tons of freight, and the region’s waterways moved approximately 250 million tons of freight. Efficient movement of freight through this region is critical to the economic competitiveness of the nation. The Upper Midwest Freight Corridor Study, completed by the Midwest Regional University Transportation Center (MRUTC) and six states, revealed that major bottlenecks exist in all modes of the freight transportation system throughout the region. According to the 2005 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-sponsored report “An Initial Assessment of Freight Bottlenecks on Highways”, more than 60 highway-related freight bottlenecks exist in the region. Three of the largest bottlenecks in the country are in Chicago and total over 38.4 million annual hours of delay for all vehicles. With current estimates indicating that by the year 2020 a 62% and 44% increase in the amount of freight carried on the nation’s highways and rail, respectively, it is clear that steps must be taken to improve the efficiency of the freight network. Bottlenecks also account for long delays at the ports of entry, intermodal freight terminals and yards, and locks and dams. These delays result directly in additional expenditures for shippers, carriers and for the public in general. Furthermore, as global economic competitors have invested heavily in their transportation infrastructure, the transportation cost advantages historically held by the United States are beginning to decline. Bottlenecks in all modes are significantly increasing the cost of transporting goods through the region, which in turn is contributing to the decline of the nation’s transportation cost advantage. The Mississippi Valley Freight Coalition (MVFC) Executive Committee agreed at its July 10th, 2007 meeting that addressing regional freight bottlenecks is one of the most significant projects for the coalition to undertake. KW - Bottlenecks KW - Freight traffic KW - Highways KW - Midwestern States KW - Mississippi Valley Freight Coalition KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Waterways UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/MVFC05_CFIRE_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257331 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485009 AU - Miller-Hooks, Elise AU - Nair, Rahul AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Fleet Management for Vehicle Sharing Operations PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Transit, touted as a solution to urban mobility problems, cannot match the addictive flexibility of the automobile. 86.5% of all trips in the U.S. are in personal vehicles (USDOT 2001). A more recent approach to reduce automobile ownership is through the use of vehicle sharing programs (VSPs). A VSP involves a fleet of vehicles located strategically at stations across the transportation network. In its most flexible form, users are free to check out vehicles at any station and return them to stations close to their destinations. Vehicle fleets can be comprised of bicycles, low emission cars or electric vehicles. Such systems offer innovative, low-cost, and flexible solutions to the larger mobility problem and can have positive impacts on the transportation system as a whole by reducing urban congestion. To match automobile flexibility, users are free to determine all trip characteristics (where to checkout and return vehicles, duration of travel and time of travel). This places exceptional logistical challenges on operators who must ensure demand in the near future is met. Since flow from one station to another is seldom equal to flow in the opposing direction, the VSP fleet can become spatially imbalanced. To meet near-future demand, operators must then redistribute vehicles to correct this asymmetry. The focus of this report is to provide efficient, cost-effective operational strategies for fleet management. A stochastic, mixed-integer program (MIP) involving joint chance constraints is developed that generates least-cost vehicle redistribution plans for shared-vehicle systems such that a proportion of all near-term demand scenarios are met. The model aims to correct short term demand asymmetry in shared-vehicle systems, where flow from one station to another is seldom equal to the flow in the opposing direction. The model accounts for demand stochasticity and generates partial redistribution plans in circumstances when demand outstrips supply. This stochastic MIP has a non-convex feasible region that poses computational challenges. To solve the proposed program two solution procedures are developed. The first procedure is based on enumerating p-efficient points, used to transform the problem into a set of disjunctive, convex MIPs. A novel divide-and-conquer algorithm for generating p-efficient points that handles dual-bounded chance constraints is developed. This technique has a smaller memory and computational footprint than previously proposed methods. Since this method can be computationally prohibitive for large shared-vehicle systems, the authors develop a faster cone-generation method that assumes that the random demand at each station is independent. Finally, using an equal-failure apportionment assumption, the authors develop a bound on the problem that can also be used to generate redistribution strategies. KW - Algorithms KW - Fleet management KW - Mixed integer programming KW - Mobility KW - Redistribution KW - Stochastic programming KW - Traffic congestion KW - Vehicle sharing UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/UMD-2008-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253553 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01469956 AU - Peterman, Robert J AU - Hammerschmidt, Steven AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessing the Damage Potential in Pretensioned Bridges, Caused by Increased Truck Loads Due to Freight Movements (Phase 1) PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 35p AB - When evaluating the condition of existing bridges, determining in situ stresses in the members provides valuable information about the condition of the structures. In this study, a method of surface strain relief was investigated whereby the change in strain at the surface of concrete members is used to determine the in situ stress. The method involved mounting a linear electrical-resistance strain gage along the axis of maximum stress, coring around the gage, and then relating the change in strain to the corresponding stress in the member. Members were fabricated and varying stresses were applied in order to determine the accuracy of the method. Results were then compared to the global stresses and to the theoretical local stresses predicted by two different finite element models. In order to improve the accuracy of the surface-strain relief method, a procedure was introduced whereby the core was fractured along its base and subsequently removed from the member. This served to eliminate possible shear stresses between the core and surrounding member, allowing for the full release of strains. KW - Bridge members KW - Concrete bridges KW - Cores (Specimens) KW - Field tests KW - Finite element method KW - Strain (Mechanics) KW - Strain gages KW - Stresses KW - Structural analysis UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/finalreports/Peterman_AssessingtheDamagePotentialinPretensionedBridgesCausedbyIncreasedTruckLoadsDuetoFreightMovements%28PhaseI%29.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236946 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01457113 AU - Venkataramanan, Giri AU - Guo, Jessica Y AU - Lesietre, Bernie AU - Mallette, Megan AU - Smick, Anthony AU - Getter, Chris AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Consumer Adoption and Grid Impact Models for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Wisconsin PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 241p AB - This proposed study focuses on assessing the demand for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in Wisconsin and its economic impacts on the State’s energy market and the electric grid. PHEVs are expected to provide a range of about 40 miles per drive cycle using plug-in recharging from the electric grid, in addition to the virtually unlimited range offered by conventional and hybrid vehicles. Given the concern over global warming and the need for reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, PHEVs are among the emerging ‘green’ alternatives to conventional fossil-fuel vehicles. Although they are recognized to have the potential to play a key role in climate change and energy security strategies, projected levels of market adoption, charging patterns, and impacts on electricity market and infrastructure supply are uncertain. KW - Demand KW - Economic impacts KW - Energy consumption KW - Global warming KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Plug-in hybrid vehicles KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-01_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224417 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01456643 AU - Bittner, Jason AU - Hidayat, Dadit AU - Jordan, Benjamin AU - Levine, Joshua AU - Pudloski, Stephen AU - Rosen, Howard AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing a Local Roads Website Compendium of Best Practices PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 28p AB - The compendium that was developed serves as an Internet clearinghouse for selected local road issues important to local transportation stakeholders. The compendium allows local officials to quickly access existing manuals, reports, ordinances, policies, articles, best practices, and projects pertaining to local roadway issues. Having full access to local roads related resources is particularly important. Currently, valuable local roads information is scattered around the Internet, accessible from a variety of locations and search engines, with some more visible than others. This compendium consolidates available information and efficiently maintains it. It provides current and applicable content for a variety of transportation officials’ needs in a user-friendly format. In the long run, the compendium strives to encourage an online community of local roads professionals to be actively involved generating and maintaining the content that comprises it. For the purpose of protecting the quality of the website, the levels of participation are informed by membership levels tied to specified permission levels. KW - Best practices KW - Computer network resources KW - Information organization KW - Internet KW - Local transportation KW - Roads KW - Websites (Information retrieval) KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-07_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224926 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01364060 AU - Keskin, Burcu AU - Parrish, Allen AU - University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimal Traffic Resource Allocation and Management PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 42p AB - In this paper, the authors address the problem of determining the patrol routes of state troopers for maximum coverage of highway spots with high frequencies of crashes (hot spots). They develop a mixed integer linear programming model for this problem under time feasibility and budget limitation. They solve this model using local and tabu-search based heuristics. Via extensive computational experiments using randomly generated data, the authors test the validity of their solution approaches. Furthermore, using data from the state of Alabama, they provide recommendations for i) critical levels of coverage; ii) factors influencing the service measures; and iii) dynamic changes in routes. KW - High risk locations KW - Police patrol KW - Police traffic services KW - Resource allocation KW - Routing KW - Tabu search UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/12/09104-final-report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1132802 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359709 AU - Lacombe, Annalynn AU - Piccolo, Dennis AU - Khan, Mokbul AU - Bannister, William AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration TI - Agricultural Commodity and Utility Carriers Hours of Service Exemption Analysis PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 46p AB - The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 compares the safety performance of agricultural and non-agricultural carriers for the period 2005 through 2008, and also examines two additional industries: livestock and utility carriers, whose operations were not exempt from Hours Of Service (HOS) regulations prior to the 2005 passage of SAFETEA-LU. The Phase 1 analysis used carrier registration, inspection, and crash data from the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). Key findings were that, nationally, agricultural carriers operating within a 100-air-mile radius had lower crash rates per 100 power units than those operating beyond this radius, except for 2008, when there was no difference in the crash rates. Also, agricultural carriers exempt from HOS had higher out of service (OOS) and/or violation rates than non-exempt carriers for regulations pertaining to driver qualifications, vehicle maintenance, and improper loading and securement. For the Phase 2 analysis, inspection data of agricultural commodity and utility carriers was collected during a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) special study of a sample of States. These data included only those inspections occurring during the States’ planting and harvesting seasons. Key finding were that agricultural carriers in the survey operating beyond a 100-air-mile radius had a statistically higher driver OOS rate than those driving within a 100-air-mile radius, but those operating within a 100-air-mile radius had a statistically higher vehicle OOS rate. Also, agricultural carriers in the survey that were subject to the HOS requirements had higher crash rates per 100 power units than agricultural carriers that were exempt from the HOS requirements. Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 analyses have data limitations. KW - Crash rates KW - Highway safety KW - Hours of labor KW - Inspection KW - Motor Carrier Management Information System KW - Safety performance KW - Vehicle maintenance UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125681 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01357440 AU - Schumack, Mark AU - Bodke, Sujay AU - Elahinia, Mohammad AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - University of Toledo, Ohio AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improving the Energy Density of Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles (HHVs) and Evaluating Plug-In HHVs PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 19p AB - This report describes analyses performed by researchers at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) to augment the project “Improving the Energy Density of Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles (HHVs) and Evaluating Plug-In HHVs” led by the University of Toledo (UT). UT researchers proposed a way to increase the energy density of standard hydraulic hybrid vehicles through an air tank/switching design. Their analysis showed that the design was impractical because too much energy was lost in the accumulator switching process and too much power from the engine was required to recharge the air tank. Their conclusions were based on a MATLAB/Simulink model of a Class VI delivery truck powered by a 7.3 liter diesel engine and a hydraulic pump/motor unit. The scope of the UDM analysis included two tasks: verification of UT’s results through some relatively simple thermodynamic calculations, and evaluation of the “plug-in” feature of a modified air system. The calculations confirmed UT’s conclusions about the infeasibility of the original design, and a Simulink model developed to evaluate the plug-in feature demonstrated that even with some design improvements, the air system still results in significant energy loss through the venting that must occur as part of the accumulator switching process. Simulations of a truck and two passenger vehicles were performed. KW - Energy consumption KW - Hybrid automobiles KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Hydraulics KW - Plug-in hybrid vehicles KW - Simulation KW - Thermodynamics UR - http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research__Report_RC-1545C_364050_7.pdf UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/af-12/pdf/MIOH_UTC_AF12p1-2_2010-Final_Rpt_Improving_Energy_Density_of_HHVs_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1120908 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354553 AU - Morrow, Stephanie AU - Walsh, Benjamin AU - Badiee, Manijeh AU - Stentz, Terry AU - Nash, David AU - Clark, Vicki Plano AU - Barnes-Farrell, Janet AU - Impara, James AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - University of Connecticut, Storrs AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Work Schedule Manager Gap Analysis: Assessing the Future Training Needs of Work Schedule Managers Using a Strategic Job Analysis Approach PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 117p AB - This report documents the results of a strategic job analysis that examined the job tasks and knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) needed to perform the job of a work schedule manager. The strategic job analysis compared information from subject matter experts (SMEs) about best practices in work scheduling to job incumbents’ reports of current practices in their scheduling job duties. Data were collected through interviews and surveys with 17 SMEs in academia and consulting and 16 job incumbents within 11 organizations representing a wide array of industries. Gaps between the job tasks and KSAOs that should be important for future work schedule management and the job tasks and KSAOs currently used in work schedule management were assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results pointed to a need for additional training in understanding how work scheduling affects employee health, safety, and performance. In addition, scheduling managers should be better informed about ergonomic schedule designs and empowered to evaluate their scheduling systems so as to identify and address problems with the system. The report discusses the critical gaps in job tasks and KSAOs and how those gaps should be ameliorated through the development of a certification for work schedule managers. KW - Abilities KW - Hours of labor KW - Human factors KW - Job analysis KW - Knowledge KW - Managerial personnel KW - Needs assessment KW - Scheduling KW - Training UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2939 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118237 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01330479 AU - Sisiopiku, Virginia P AU - Sullivan, Andrew AU - Abro, Abdul Muqueet AU - Shinouda, Michael AU - Mouskos, Kyriacos AU - Barrett, Curtis AU - University of Alabama, Birmingham AU - Alabama Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model to Evaluate Lane-Reversal Plans for I-65 PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 64p AB - This report presents the methodology and results from a project that studied contra-flow operations in support of hurricane evacuations in the state of Alabama. As part of this effort, a simulation model was developed using the VISTA platform for I-65 from the Alabama Gulf Coast region to Montgomery, AL and alternate evacuation routes. The model was used to test the current lane-reversal plan under a variety of evacuation scenarios and assess the potential impacts of modifications to this plan. Special attention was given to the development of realistic evacuation demand profiles to account for user preferences and seasonal (tourist) demand. The report discusses traffic and evacuation data requirements and acquisition, model development and calibration approach, evacuation scenarios considered and results from the systems analyses and scenarios evaluation. Moreover, it highlights some of the challenges in the development of large scale mesoscopic model for evacuation analyses. A summary of recommendations is also included that can be used to improve current practices and assist future traffic management under evacuation conditions. KW - Alabama KW - Contraflow lanes KW - Dynamic traffic assignment KW - Evacuation KW - Hurricanes KW - Interstate 65 KW - Reversible traffic lanes UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35800/35810/07408_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1091024 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01167127 AU - Schurr, Karen S AU - Sitorius, Daniel L AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Nebraska Department of Roads AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Safety and Driver Behavior Studies at Multiple Lane Approaches to Stop-Controlled Intersections PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 126p AB - Multiple-lane approaches (MLAs) controlled by stop signs are becoming increasingly common in Nebraska. Installation of MLAs occurs when a single approach lane can no longer adequately serve the minor road traffic volume, and a signal is unwarranted because Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) warrants are not satisfied (7, FHWA, 2003). A common example of a location at which MLA stop-controlled intersections can occur in Nebraska is the rural intersection of two state or federal highways. Forty such intersections in Nebraska were available for study in this research. Additionally, such intersections are often located in suburban areas of Nebraska municipalities where the local-collector network of a residential development connects to an arterial roadway. The objective of this research was to investigate driver safety and behavior at two-way stop-controlled MLA intersections. The reason for the investigation is to gain a better understanding of potential sight distance limitations due to side-by-side stopped vehicles at stop signs, as described earlier. Below is a summary of recommendations based upon safety study aspects of the project: 1) Results of the before-after comparison group safety studies concerning crash frequency indicated that signalization of MLA-type intersections results in improved safety, however no statistically significant difference was found at the 95 percent confidence level. 2) Results of the before-after comparison group safety study of the conversion of one MLA-type intersection to an SLA configuration showed that the crash frequency was reduced when the approach was changed to a single lane. However, the study of average crash rates indicated that the MLA-type intersection had a statistically significant lower average than the SLA intersection at the 95 percent level of confidence. Also, the reduction of the number of approach lanes from two to one can increase driver delay and user costs. 3) Comparison of 3-year average crash rates at MLA intersections with 2-lane major roads with similar statewide intersection averages indicates that they have a higher than average rate when the roadway design necessitates a horizontal curve along the major road or minor road horizontal alignment in the near proximity of the point of intersection. 4) Comparison of 3-year average crash rates at MLA intersections with 4-lane major roads with similar statewide intersection averages indicates that they have a higher than average rate when in urban areas. Therefore, use of this type of intersection along 4-lane urban roadways should be limited. If MLA-type intersections are determined to be the intersection type of choice: 1) Provide consistent and redundant positive visual guidance to promote the positioning of right-turning drivers in advance of left-turning drivers at MLA-type intersections. Each visual cue issue, recommendation for improvement, explanation of recommendation and official guideline resource is summarized following FIGURES 38 and 39 in TABLE 24. FIGURE 40 shows a plan view of the proposed recommendations. 2) Develop a combined text and iconic STOP AT LINE sign. Several designs should be tested with a pool of Nebraska drivers to determine the most easily interpreted design. Positioning of the sign should follow the guidelines in FIGURE 39 and TABLE 24. 3) Provide better driver information about the new proposed sign and the appropriate stop position at a stop bar location in the Nebraska Driver’s Manual. Additional information should be provided on page 40 of the current Nebraska Driver’s Manual to better inform drivers about the desired stopping position at a painted stop bar on the pavement of a driving lane. 4) Update an MLA-type intersection using the proposals defined in the research report and conduct a before-after field study. To better understand if the proposed recommendations result in a significant improvement in driver behavior, it is highly recommended that a field study be performed to quantify the improvement, if any. KW - Approach lanes KW - Highway design KW - Highway safety KW - Intersections KW - Multilane traffic KW - Nebraska KW - Sight distance KW - Stop controlled intersections KW - Stop signs UR - http://ne-ltap.unl.edu/Documents/NDOR/Behavior_Studies_at_MLA_Intersections.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45684/Schurr_P574_Design_Guidelines_Final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/927281 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01165350 AU - Andrews, Brock AU - Brown, Shane AU - Montfort, Devlin AU - Dixon, Michael AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - An Investigation of Student and Transportation Professionals Understanding of Geometric Design: Student Understanding of Sight Distance in Geometric Design: A Beginning Line of Inquiry to Characterize Student Understanding of Transportation Engineering PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 29p AB - While many students demonstrate considerable aptitude in manipulating equations and variables within academic environments, research consistently shows that they lack a construct called conceptual understanding, which accounts for their difficulties in choosing appropriate equations, or understanding basic phenomena that undergird such equations. This study investigates undergraduate understanding of sight distance and stopping sight distance in introductory transportation courses. Although sight distance and stopping sight distance are fundamental concepts in transportation engineering, students demonstrated considerable difficulty in their understanding of these concepts, often relying on previous experience or preferred equations without relating them to specific phenomena of interest. This paper concludes with suggested approaches to improve student conceptual understanding for transportation engineering educators. KW - Conceptual reasoning KW - Education KW - Sight distance KW - Stopping sight distance KW - Students KW - Transportation engineering KW - Understanding UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925113 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01165277 AU - Long, Diana AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Skills Gap Analysis: West Virginia Transit Training Partnership Maintenance Training Asset Map PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 20p AB - In the coming years, the public transportation industry will experience the loss of a number of skilled mechanics to retirement and other opportunities. With advances in technology it has become increasingly difficult to recruit adequately prepared replacement workers, and to train the incumbent workforce to the highest level of proficiency. In late 2009 a consortium of five transit agencies in partnership with their Amalgamated Transit Union locals began a joint labor-management initiative to address the current and future skill needs of their bus maintenance workforce. The report identifies how prepared the State's Technical and Educational institutions are to customize and deliver workforce training to meet the growing needs for a skilled workforce in West Virginia. The competition to access the resources required to develop, customize and deliver workforce training increases as the dollars shrink. This mapping process identifies the existing links and networking that is already in place that would enhance how the CTC and the WVSCTC institutions can work together to provide the training that the employers need for their workers. KW - Labor force KW - Maintenance personnel KW - Partnerships KW - Personnel development KW - Public transit KW - Training KW - Transit buses KW - West Virginia UR - http://www.njrati.org/wp-content/plugins/research_projects/reports/210144.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925237 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01165271 AU - Yoo, Sang Hong AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility Study of Integrating WVDOT Linear Referencing System Center Line with Statewide Addresses and Routing Information PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 49p AB - State DOTs use road centerlines to manage extensive transportation system data such as road physical conditions, traffic measurements, and highway projects. The WVDOT has recently completed a GIS base map project to create a linear referenced road centerline, and wants to develop a single, comprehensive, statewide road centerline dataset that can serve the entire DOT GIS needs. The objective of this project is to review technical issues regarding the feasibility of road network integration in West Virginia which incorporates linear referencing, addressing, and routing capabilities. This study reviews existing transportation models and identifies implementation issues as well as DOT needs. The study shows that the revised/improved UNETRANS data model can be successfully implemented accommodating WVDOT RIL system requirements. Using the advantage of Edit and Publish geodatabase design practices, the DOT can continuously develop and perfect the data model and migrate from the old system in stages. Creating and maintaining a statewide dataset that includes the attributes (e.g., one way roads, turn restrictions, etc.) required to support full automated routing (traversing) would be challenging and costly. The DOT should approach the routing requirement as a long-term project and develop an action plan. KW - Center lines KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Geographic information systems KW - Linear referencing systems KW - Referencing KW - West Virginia UR - http://www.njrati.org/wp-content/plugins/research_projects/reports/210031.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925621 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164277 AU - Rakha, Heshan AU - Park, Sangjun AU - Arafeh, Mazen AU - El-Shawarby, Ihab AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Alternative Truck Lane Management Strategies Along a Section of I-81 PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 93p AB - I-81 is one of the top eight truck routes in the U.S. In the state of Virginia, I-81 traverses 325.51 miles from Tennessee in the south to the West Virginia border in the north and passes through 12 counties. The highway was designed for a 15 percent truck volume, however trucks now account for somewhere between 20 to 40 percent of the total traffic volume. In 2001, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) developed a list of key improvements for I-81. Some of the key findings of the study were: (a) 2004 traffic volumes will nearly double by 2035; (b) Nearly the entire corridor needs additional capacity by 2035; (c) Estimates of future traffic volume do not support building two additional lanes in each direction for use only by trucks. Such a design would provide too much roadway capacity for trucks and not enough capacity for cars; and (d) Up to 37% of I-81 requires one additional lane in each direction, while much of the remainder may need up to two additional lanes in each direction to handle future traffic. KW - Highway capacity KW - Interstate 81 KW - Interstate highways KW - Traffic volume KW - Truck lanes KW - Truck traffic KW - Virginia UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2008-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921535 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164268 AU - Rakha, H AU - Arafeh, M AU - Abdel-Salam, A G AU - Guo, F AU - Flintsch, A M AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Linear Regression Crash Prediction Models: Issues and Proposed Solutions PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 21p AB - The paper develops a linear regression model approach that can be applied to crash data to predict vehicle crashes. The proposed approach involves novice data aggregation to satisfy linear regression assumptions; namely error structure normality and homoscedasticity. The proposed approach is tested and validated using data from 186 access road sections in the state of Virginia. The approach is demonstrated to produce crash predictions consistent with traditional negative binomial and zero inflated negative binomial general linear models. It should be noted however that further testing of the approach on other crash datasets is required to further validate the approach. KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Highway safety KW - Linear regression analysis KW - Mathematical prediction KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2008-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921327 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164248 AU - Rakha, Hesham AU - Gao, Yu AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Calibration of Steady-State Car-Following Models Using Macroscopic Loop Detector Data PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 24p AB - The paper develops procedures for calibrating the steady-state component of various car following models using macroscopic loop detector data. The calibration procedures are developed for a number of commercially available microscopic traffic simulation software, including: CORSIM, AIMSUN2, VISSIM, Paramics, and INTEGRATION. The procedures are then applied to a sample dataset for illustration purposes. The paper then compares the various steady-state car-following formulations and concludes that the Gipps and Van Aerde steady-state car-following models provide the highest level of flexibility in capturing different driver and roadway characteristics. However, the Van Aerde model, unlike the Gipps model, is a single-regime model and thus is easier to calibrate given that it does not require the segmentation of data into two regimes. The paper finally proposes that the car-following parameters within traffic simulation software be link-specific as opposed to the current practice of coding network-wide parameters. The use of link-specific parameters will offer the opportunity to capture unique roadway characteristics and reflect roadway capacity differences across different roadways. KW - Calibration KW - Car following KW - Links (Networks) KW - Loop detectors KW - Macroscopic traffic flow KW - Software KW - Traffic models KW - Traffic simulation UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2008-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921360 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164218 AU - Abbas, Montasir M AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improvement of Supervisory Control Intelligent Adaptive Module (SCIAM) for Intersection Safety and Efficiency PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 47p AB - The authors continued their studies on the safety and dilemma zone issues at signalized intersection. Dilemma zone is an area where motorists can neither stop before stop line comfortably nor pass the intersection safely at the yellow onset. It is a leading cause for crashes and casualties at intersections. To improve the safety at intersection, the research team deployed a series of researches on how to better protect those vehicles caught in the dilemma zone. They further developed a model to measure the unsafe level of those vehicles in the dilemma zone according to their instantaneous positions and speeds, helping us better understand the driving behaviors and dilemma zone issues at signalized intersections. KW - Adaptive control KW - Behavior KW - Dilemma zone KW - Drivers KW - Highway safety KW - Signalized intersections KW - Supervisory control systems KW - Traffic crashes UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921333 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164205 AU - Gurram, Sashikanth AU - Rakha, Hesham AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation and Development of a University Visitor Parking Management Framework PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 6p AB - Visitors constitute an important component of a university business. Given that visitors are typically unfamiliar with university campus layouts, special assistance may be needed to assist them with their parking needs. For example, personal and follow-up interviews conducted with Virginia Tech visitors revealed that approximately 28% of the visitors did not know the location of the most convenient parking lot to access their destination and approximately 32% of the visitors had to visit at least two parking lots before finding a parking space. This paper attempts to develop a simple web-based interactive parking management framework that uses the PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) and My Structured Query Language (MySQL) platform. This framework identifies the best possible parking lot(s) for a selected destination considering various factors including – the distance of the parking lot to the visitor’s destination and historical occupancy of the parking lot at specific times-of-the-day and days-of-the-week. The web-based interactive system is designed to provide the visitor with two or more choices for parking that meet the visitors search criteria. KW - Database management systems KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Parking guidance systems KW - Parking management KW - Universities and colleges KW - Virginia Tech University UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2008-06.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921328 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164061 AU - Qu, Tongbin AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Investigating the Effect of Freeway Congestion Thresholds on Decision-Making Inputs PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 168p AB - Congestion threshold is embedded in the congestion definition. Two basic approaches exist in current practice for setting the congestion threshold. One common approach uses the “free-flow” or unimpeded conditions as the congestion threshold. Another approach uses target or “acceptable” conditions. The limited research that has been conducted on the congestion threshold issue focuses on operational problems or policy debates, but relatively little investigation of the effect on decision-making for transportation investment and resource allocation. This research investigated the differences inherent in the threshold choices using detailed freeway data from seven metropolitan areas. Congestion performance measures of delay per mile, Travel Time Index and Planning Time Index were evaluated. This research specifically examined: 1) the ranking values of congestion measure for different congestion thresholds under a variety of real-world travel time distributions, 2) the relationship between change of congestion threshold and change of performance measure, and 3) the appropriateness of using speed limit as a congestion threshold choice by evaluating the peak and off-peak average speed changes in relation to a speed limit change in Houston, Texas. The rankings of congestion measures for freeway segments hold steady across the congestion thresholds ranging from 60 mph to 30 mph and across the congestion measures. From an investment point of view, the congestion threshold speed used is not a concern for funding allocation. The relationship between the delay values for an alternative threshold and the 60 mph threshold has a quadratic form. As the alternative threshold decreases further away from 60 mph, the increment is larger. The more congested a section is, the less the threshold affects measured congestion. For very congested sections, most of the delay is associated with speeds below 30 mph. The posted speed limit affects travel time distribution in the free flow driving condition but does not affect travel time distribution during congested driving conditions. However, if the speed limit or a percentage of speed limit is used to estimate the congestion, the amount of congestion may be underestimated because the free flow speed is higher than the speed limit. KW - Congestion thresholds KW - Decision making KW - Freeways KW - Investments KW - Resource allocation KW - Speed limits KW - Traffic congestion KW - Travel time UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Qu_09-12-11.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33762/Qu_09-12-11.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/924657 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01163736 AU - Earsom, Stephen AU - Hallett, Robert AU - Perrone, Theresa AU - Poe, Carson AU - Greenfield, Maggie AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program Results: Estimated Land Available for Carbon Sequestration in the National Highway System PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 24p AB - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established the Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program (CSPP) in 2008 to assess whether a roadside carbon sequestration effort through modified maintenance and management practices is appropriate and feasible for state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) when balanced against ecological and economic uncertainties. CSPP findings are expected to inform DOTs that may be considering the implications of future climate change legislation or that independently want to evaluate the cost effectiveness of using National Highway System (NHS) right of way (ROW) to generate revenue from the sale of carbon credits, offset their own emissions, or meet statewide greenhouse gas emissions objectives. The project team used data from Minnesota and several other states to estimate the amount of unpaved NHS ROW available for carbon sequestration—marking the first time that a rigorous study has been conducted to quantify the amount of state DOT-managed soft estate acreage. In the first of two analytical approaches used, ROW widths at random locations in nine states were manually measured on property maps to provide a distribution of common ROW dimensions and observed vegetation types. A subsequent geographic information system (GIS) analysis of 1,000 random locations nationwide provided insight into the types of land cover in close proximity to the NHS. Results indicate that there are approximately 5.05 million acres in the NHS nationwide, with a likely range of 1.4 to 8.7 million acres. Roughly 68 percent, or 3.4 million acres, is unpaved. Evidence shows that the land cover has undergone little change since 1992. The project team estimates the NHS ROW has approximately 91 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon currently sequestered in vegetation and is currently sequestering approximately 3.6 MMT of carbon per year, or 1.06 metric tons of carbon per acre per year. This equals the annual carbon dioxide emissions of approximately 2.6 million passenger cars. At its carbon equilibrium, the entire NHS ROW is estimated to be able to sequester between 425 and 680 MMT of carbon. Using a hypothetical carbon price of $20 per metric ton, this equates to a total potential value of $8.5 to $14 billion nationwide. KW - Carbon credits KW - Carbon sequestration KW - Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program KW - Climate change KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Greenhouse gas emission offsets KW - Land cover KW - National Highway System KW - Real property KW - Revenues KW - Right of way (Land) KW - State departments of transportation KW - Vegetation UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climate/carbon_sequestration/final_cs_pilot_report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33500/33596/Carbon_Sequestration_Pilot_Program.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/924304 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01163177 AU - Nassif, Hani AU - Suksawang, Nakin AU - Davis, Joe AU - Gindy, Mayrai AU - Salama, Talat AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Monitoring of the Construction of the Doremus Avenue Bridge Structure PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 155p AB - Starting in 2007, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) adopted the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Bridge Design Specifications as the mandatory standard by which all future bridge structures should be designed. New Jersey committed itself to adopting the LRFD Specifications in January 2000. The LRFD Specifications consider the variability in the behavior of structural elements through extensive statistical analyses and, therefore, continue to be improved. However, many of the LRFD Specifications’ design approaches and methodologies have been adopted with limited or virtually no experimental validation. Hence, there became a need to validate these new design procedures and models as well as the behavior of LRFD designed bridge structures. The main objective of this study was to validate the AASHTO LRFD Specifications through field testing of the Doremus Avenue Bridge, New Jersey’s first AASHTO LRFD (1998) design. In addition, long-term monitoring of the bridge fatigue life was also implemented. In particular, the study evaluates the AASHTO criteria for composite design with respect to the requirements for shear connectors, the effects of designing for deflection control as well as using higher concrete strengths on deck stiffness and stresses. Results included new simplified equations for calculating Girder Distribution Factors (GDF) and effective flange width criteria in addition to establishing major live load spectra for various weigh in motion (WIM) NJ sites. Deflection measurements and simulation using Extreme Value Theory (EVT) show that the 75-year maximum deflection is within the New Jersey Department of Transportation deflection limit of L/1000. However, future research is needed to establish if the L/1000 limit is indirectly helping to control vibration of the superstructure. Moreover, a new procedure for predicting the remaining fatigue life is established using WIM truck data, rain flow, and structural analyses. KW - AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications KW - Bridge superstructures KW - Deflection KW - Extreme value theory KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Fatigue life prediction KW - Field tests KW - Load and resistance factor design KW - New Jersey KW - Service life KW - Shear connectors KW - Simulation KW - Stiffness KW - Stresses KW - Validation KW - Vibration control UR - http://cait.rutgers.edu/files/FHWA-NJ-2005-013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/923670 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159572 AU - Earsom, Stephen AU - Hallett, Robert AU - Perrone, Theresa AU - Poe, Carson AU - Greenfield, Maggie AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Estimated Land Available for Carbon Sequestration in the National Highway System PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - v.p. AB - The potential for land managers to generate revenue from biological carbon sequestration through sustainable forestry and replacing traditional ground cover with native grasses was the genesis of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program (CSPP). Federal statutes allow state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to generate revenue from their land holdings. Since DOTs must retain unused buffers in their right-of-way (ROW) for safety, operations, and maintenance purposes, FHWA recognized that an opportunity might exist to shape the future of a burgeoning ecosystem service market. The National Highway System (NHS) is approximately 163,000 miles of roadway consisting of the Interstate Highway System and other roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. The NHS includes only 4% of the nation's roads but carries more than 40% of all highway traffic, 75% of heavy truck traffic, and 90% of tourist traffic. In 2007, approximately 69% of the NHS was classified as being located in rural areas. FHWA developed the CSPP to assess whether a roadside carbon sequestration effort on the NHS through modified maintenance and management practices is appropriate and feasible for DOTs when balanced against the economic and ecological uncertainties. The goals of the pilot were to: (1) Develop estimates of the amount of revenue that DOTs could earn if they undertook such a effort using native vegetation; (2) Determine the cost-effectiveness of a similar effort on a national scale; and, (3) Create decision support tools that DOTs could use to determine the efficacy of programs in their states. This paper addresses the first two purposes, refining a coarse estimate of the unpaved NHS ROW available for carbon sequestration that FHWA had made when establishing the merits of a pilot program. Results from the analysis include more accurate estimates of several variables for each state and for the nation as a whole, including: Total acres of ROW owned in fee simple; Total acres of unpaved ROW; Total acres of paved ROW; Total acres of ROW in woody vegetation; Total acres of ROW in grassland; and Total acres of ROW that could be converted to native woody vegetation. An approximation of the carbon currently sequestered in NHS ROW is also presented. It should be noted that estimates here for the amount of land that could be converted to management for carbon sequestration constitute an upper bound. Net availability will undoubtedly be less, due to considerations for safety, operations, and maintenance. The findings can inform leadership at DOTs that are considering the implications of future climate change legislation and the transportation reauthorization bill or that might independently want to evaluate the cost effectiveness of using highway ROW for carbon sequestration and carbon offset trading. KW - Carbon sequestration KW - Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program KW - Climate change KW - Cost effectiveness KW - National Highway System KW - Native plants KW - Revenues KW - Right of way (Land) KW - State departments of transportation UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climate/carbon_sequestration/index.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920098 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159365 AU - McMullen, B Starr AU - Monsere, Christopher M AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Freight Performance Measures: Approach Analysis PY - 2010/05//Final Report SP - 135p AB - This report reviews the existing state of the art and also the state of the practice of freight performance measurement. Most performance measures at the state level have aimed at evaluating highway or transit infrastructure performance with an emphasis on passenger transportation. Freight performance measurement ultimately requires evaluation of performance of the entire freight transportation system, which includes highways, waterways, rail, air, and modal connections. This requires considerable expansion of thinking beyond the traditional focus of state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) on highway performance. This project builds upon past and current work in the area of freight performance measurement and incorporates recent literature on the development of these measures. A thorough review of state practices is conducted by surveying state DOT web sites and reporting on the measures most frequently recommended and used by individual states for planning purposes. The emphasis is on the application of performance measures to freight transportation, and the usefulness and limitations of these measures are discussed. Recommendations are made for potential freight performance measures for each freight mode (air, rail, trucking, and water/marine), including initial information on data availability, validity, and feasibility, given existing data for Oregon. Future research needs discussed include additional data collection and development required to support performance measures, what is needed to track system performance changes over time, and testing of measures for their sensitivity and usefulness for policy and decision-making. KW - Freight transportation KW - Literature reviews KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Oregon KW - Performance measurement KW - State departments of transportation KW - State of the art KW - State of the practice KW - Surveys UR - http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/ResearchReports/Freight_Performance_Measures.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/919923 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159358 AU - McCormack, Edward AU - Ma, Xiaolei AU - Klocow, Charles AU - Curreri, Anthony AU - Wright, Duane AU - TransNow, Transportation Northwest AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing a GPS-Based Truck Freight Performance Measure Platform PY - 2010/05//Final Research Report SP - 69p AB - Although trucks move the largest volume and value of goods in urban areas, relatively little is known about their travel patterns and how the roadway network performs for trucks. Global positioning systems (GPS) used by trucking companies to manage their equipment and staff and meet shippers’ needs capture truck data that are now available to the public sector for analysis. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Transportation Northwest (TransNow) at the University of Washington (UW), and the Washington Trucking Associations (WTA) have partnered on a research effort to collect and analyze GPS truck data from commercial, in-vehicle, truck fleet management systems used in the central Puget Sound region. The research project is collecting commercially available GPS data and evaluating their feasibility to support a state truck freight network performance monitoring program. WSDOT is interested in using this program to monitor truck travel times and system reliability, and to guide freight investment decisions. This report discusses the steps taken to build, clean, and test the data collection and analytic foundation from which the UW and WSDOT will extract network-based truck performance statistics. One of the most important steps of the project has been to obtain fleet management GPS data from the trucking industry. Trucking companies approached by WSDOT and the UW at the beginning of the study readily agreed to share their GPS data, but a lack of technical support from the firms made data collection difficult. The researchers overcame that obstacle by successfully negotiating contracts with GPS and telecom vendors to obtain GPS truck reads in the study region. The next challenge was to gather and format the large quantities of data (millions of points) from different vendors’ systems so that they could be manipulated and evaluated by the project team. Handling the large quantity of data meant that data processing steps had to be automated, which required the development and validation of rule-based logic that could be used to develop algorithms. KW - Algorithms KW - Data collection KW - Decision making KW - Fleet management KW - Freight transportation KW - Global Positioning System KW - Information processing KW - Motor carriers KW - Performance measurement KW - Puget Sound Region KW - System reliability KW - Travel patterns KW - Travel time KW - Trucking KW - Urban areas UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/748.1.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33000/33033/TNW2010-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/919920 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01156894 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Achieving the Vision: From VII to IntelliDrive PY - 2010/04/30/Policy White Paper SP - n.p. AB - This white Paper traces the strategic evolution of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) plans for IntelliDriveSM research. As this White Paper was being written, in Spring 2010, DOT was embarking on the ITS Strategic Research Plan, 2010-2014 - IntelliDrive research comprises a major portion of the research program. Launched in the mid 1990s, with roots stemming back to earlier DOT research in the 1960s, the U.S. DOT ITS Program adapts emerging technology innovations to the needs of the surface transportation community. The ITS Program initially focused on applying processes and technologies that had been developed by the defense community - such as surveillance technologies and systems engineering - to transportation systems. In the early 2000s, it became apparent to the DOT ITS Program and its partners that the interaction between vehicles (Vehicle to Vehicle or V2V) and between vehicles and the roadway (Vehicle to Infrastructure or V2I) held tremendous potential to address the highway safety problem and other difficult transportation challenges. Building from earlier ITS research, DOT launched the Vehicle-Infrastructure-Integration (VII) Program in 2003. The VII vision was to use wireless communication with and between vehicles to achieve dramatic safety and mobility improvements. The VII program was rebranded as IntelliDriveSM in January 2009. KW - Highway safety KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration KW - Vehicle to infrastructure communications KW - Vehicle to vehicle communications KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://152.122.41.186/connected_vehicle/508/Library/Library-Policy-Reports/White%20Paper%20-%20From%20VII%20to%20IntelliDrive%20_04_28_10_final.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916528 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01491279 AU - DeZort, Neil AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing a Crash Prediction Model for Deer-Vehicle Collisions PY - 2010/04/28 SP - 33p AB - The information on the locations where deer-vehicle collisions are likely to occur is of great use to transportation safety officials. Knowing the relationship between average daily traffic, deer population density, and deer-vehicle collisions will allow officials to identify the locations of greatest concern so they can implement mitigation techniques with increased success. This study is the first to specifically investigate the joint relationship in an attempt to create a crash prediction model that will estimate the number of deer-vehicle collisions a roadway segment will experience based on the combination of traffic volumes and deer population density. Data were collected from the Montana Department of Transportation and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and used to develop several models that attempted to identify a relationship. These models were then analyzed using statistical tests to see if the models were statistically significant. The models showed, based on Montana data, that the deer population surrounding a roadway segment does not have a significant effect on the number of deer-vehicle collisions observed when used in a model combined with the average annual daily traffic. These results suggest that perhaps when a deer population stays within a certain range, the crash rate depends solely on the traffic volume observed. Understanding the relationship between average annual daily traffic, deer population, and the number of collisions observed will help transportation safety officials create a driving environment that is safer for the motorists using a road network. KW - Average daily traffic KW - Crash rates KW - Crash risk forecasting KW - Deer KW - Montana KW - Traffic volume UR - http://www.coe.montana.edu/ce/patm/pubs/files/2010dezort.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1257428 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461550 TI - Multimodal Freight Transportation Within the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Basin AB - The Great Lake's Saint Lawrence Basin of the United States contains a unique transportation system with the nation's largest rail hub in Chicago; the border with our largest trading partner, Canada; a robust ports and waterways system; and an extensive highway infrastructure that all serve the major industrial and agricultural heart of the nation, as well as providing vital transportation connections to the rest of North America and the world. The economic productivity of the Basin is dependent on a well-functioning variety of transportation modes, and there has been limited investment in new transportation infrastructure, especially the marine sector. The Basin consists of eight states and two provinces, each with its own internal needs; and although there is a bi-national Great Lakes Commission, its efforts have historically focused on water quality issues. Research is needed to document the contribution of the Basin to the economic vitality of North America. The objectives of the research are to describe the current multimodal freight transportation system and its performance in the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Basin (i.e., Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario, and Quebec), including the economic impact of the freight transportation system on regional, U.S., and Canadian economies, and to identify opportunities and constraints in the Basin for meeting projected freight flows.
KW - Canada KW - Economic analysis KW - Freight flow KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Great Lakes Region KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Saint Lawrence River KW - United States KW - Water quality management KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2923 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229769 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01492608 TI - Development of Course Design Guides for Commercial Vehicle Drivers and Inspectors on Hydrogen Safety AB - This project will develop a set of instructional design guides for training drivers of commercial vehicles on hydrogen hazard awareness and training inspectors on examining the safety of hydrogen systems onboard commercial vehicles. KW - Driver training KW - Hydrogen fueled vehicles KW - Hydrogen fuels KW - Inspection KW - Inspectors KW - Motor carriers KW - Safety education KW - Training programs KW - Vehicle safety UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1261851 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461576 TI - Public-Sector Sustainability Strategies Addressing Supply Chain Air Emissions AB - Economic activity is driven by trade. Material flows, or supply chains, are highly complex, dynamic, time-sensitive, and integrated systems. Freight transportation networks are used to move goods, and must offer rapid, reliable, and efficient service to meet the demands of today's volatile global marketplace. If a transportation supply chain becomes uncompetitive, it quickly loses market share and suffers immediate economic consequences. Global supply chains also have significant impacts on the world environment and local communities. The increased recognition of the environmental and human impacts of supply chain activities has led to public pressure for rapid action, leading to fragmented, conflicting, and multi-layered regulatory structures. The complex nature of these regulations can make compliance challenging, impede supply chain innovation, and, ultimately, may not achieve the desired environmental outcomes. Because an efficient supply chain is a critical component for economic competitiveness at both a regional and national level, it must be considered when developing environmental policies and regulations; otherwise, economic growth and job creation can be hampered. There is growing recognition that the concept of sustainability is not limited to environmental issues. Sustainability requires a systemic approach that integrates environmental, economic, and social responsibility factors. This approach can result in a successful "triple-win" outcome. Research is needed to identify successes and develop strategies and tools that will help decisionmakers reach sustainable outcomes that will enhance economic development and improve the environment in a socially responsible manner. A plan for communicating key findings to decisionmakers is also important. Because of the current high level of concern and regulatory activity at all government levels regarding air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, research should first focus on these environmental issues. KW - Air quality management KW - Economic growth KW - Environmental impacts KW - Exhaust gases KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight traffic measurement KW - Governments KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Supply chain management KW - Sustainable development UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2921 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229795 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461575 TI - Alternative Technologies for Container Freight Movements AB - Currently, container freight moving to or from ocean ports is transported by diesel trucks or diesel-powered railroad locomotives. Communities around these ports are demanding cleaner and more efficient methods to move this freight. Passenger car commuters who have to share the roads with heavy trucks moving the freight in metropolitan areas are looking for options that could remove much of the truck traffic destined for intermediate freight destinations such as off-dock rail yards and warehouse facilities. The objective of this research is to conduct an industry review of alternative technology to move ocean containers or truck trailers, such as magnetic levitation, the Texas Transportation Institute's Universal Freight Shuttle, and future concepts still on the drawing board. The outcome would be an effective methodology to provide an unbiased evaluation of current and future technologies using pr oven benefit-cost analysis techniques.
KW - Container terminals KW - Containers KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Diesel locomotives KW - Diesel trucks KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Railroad transportation KW - Truck tractors KW - Trucking KW - Warehouses KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2922 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229794 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461574 TI - The Great Lakes Region Impacts on the Intermodal Freight System AB - The Great Lakes region of the country is a unique transportation system, with the nation's largest rail hub in Chicago; the border with our largest trading partner, Canada; numerous waterways and ports; an extensive highway infrastructure, that all serve the major industrial and agricultural heart of the nation. However, there is a need to clearly understand the Great Lakes' current contribution to the intermodal freight system. The proposed research would describe the current state of freight transportation in the Great Lakes region, the impediments that lead to inefficiencies, and practical steps that could raise intermodal freight performance in the region.
KW - Canada KW - Chicago Metropolitan Area KW - Freight transportation KW - Great Lakes Region KW - Intermodal terminals KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Port operations KW - Truck tractors KW - Trucking KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2923 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229793 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577863 TI - Development and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers for Puccinia Emaculata, a Rust Pathogen of Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum) AB - No summary provided. KW - Genetics KW - Grasses KW - Pathology KW - Rusting UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371104 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461312 TI - Travel Model Improvement Program Support AB - The purpose of this Intra-Agency Agreement (IAA) is for the Volpe Center to support the Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP) activities related to webinars and its web site, travel forecasting and peer reviews and peer exchanges. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) TMIP relies heavily on webinars to promote good practices in travel demand modeling. The Volpe Center will provide technical support for its Knowledge Information Exchange webinar series. This will include support for two webinars per month. The Volpe Center will coordinate the administrative activities necessary to deliver and document each of these 24 Knowledge Information Exchange webinars. KW - Information dissemination KW - Information technology KW - Technical assistance KW - Technical support KW - Traffic forecasting KW - Travel demand KW - Travel Model Improvement Program KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229531 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01535761 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - New Trends in Transportation and Land Use Scenario Planning: Five Case Studies of Regional and Local Scenario Planning Efforts PY - 2010/04 SP - 48p AB - This report summarizes important findings from a literature review on scenario planning processes and a scan of stakeholders. It also presents case studies on innovative, ‘next generation’ scenario planning efforts. The project team defined next generation scenario planning efforts as those that seek to capture a broader range of issues and challenges than previously considered in transportation and land use scenario creation and analysis. The purpose of the report is to identify key issues and practices to provide direction for future scenario planning workshops. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Planning sponsors scenario planning workshops for staff of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and other transportation agencies. The workshops have been offered around the country since 2004. FHWA now seeks to update the workshop agenda and workshop content to highlight new best practices and show how scenario planning can address emerging challenges facing state DOTs, MPOs, and other transportation agencies. In support of this effort, the Volpe Center: (1) Conducted a brief literature review and scan of key stakeholders to identify recent trends in transportation planning (particularly long-range transportation planning) at transportation agencies, focusing on MPOs. Chapter 2 details the trends findings from this review and scan. The trends are grouped into three categories: regional development, risks, and reporting. (2) Conducted a literature review and scan of key stakeholders to identify recent scenario planning processes at transportation agencies, focusing on MPOs, which address the recent planning trends. (3) Documented through case studies innovative scenario planning efforts at five transportation agencies. The scan of trends and review of scenario planning practices conducted were not intended to be an exhaustive review. Rather, the scan and review sought to identify key issues and practices to provide direction for future workshops. KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - Land use planning KW - Literature reviews KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Regional planning KW - Stakeholders KW - State departments of transportation KW - Transportation planning KW - Workshops UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/51000/51700/51740/New_trends_ngscenplanrpt.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1317673 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472525 AU - Hastings, Aaron L AU - Rochat, Judith L AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Ground and pavement effects using FHWA's Traffic Noise Model 2.5 PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 41p AB - The Volpe Center Acoustics Facility, in support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has been conducting a study to investigate the effects of using different ground types based on an improved understanding of the characteristics of the ground types defined in FHWA’s Traffic Noise Model (TNM) version 2.5. This study also investigates the effects of using specific pavement types, as opposed to Average pavement, when the pavement type is known. The results of this study indicate that improvements in the correlation between predicted and measured results can be achieved by selecting the best ground type and pavement type for the model. KW - Ground KW - Pavements KW - Soils by properties KW - Sound absorption KW - Sound transmission KW - Traffic noise KW - Traffic Noise Model UR - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/noise/traffic_noise_model/model_validation/ground_and_pavement_effects/gpeffects.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46400/46465/DOT-VNTSC-FHWA-10-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1239154 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461504 TI - Strategic and Program Plan for Research Communication and Information Dissemination AB - This project seeks the professional technical services of the Volpe Center in analysis, evaluation and development of a comprehensive strategic plan and program for communicating and disseminating information about the Federal Transit Administration's research and results of that research. The services include enhancing the content and design of the public website--the portal for communicating FTA research and technology program and project results worldwide. Services also include an evaluation defining and describing the functional responsibilities of the FTA staff assigned to the communication and information dissemination function within the Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation (TRI), with recommendations for improving performance of those functions. Ultimately, the plan will reflect Federal Transit Administration (FTA) interest in federal research and development and its continuing commitment of facilitate the dissemination and implementation of transit research results to the transportation community and the general public. KW - Communication systems KW - Implementation KW - Information dissemination KW - Knowledge KW - Public transit KW - Research KW - Strategic planning UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229723 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01456644 AU - Wittwer, Ernie AU - Gollnik, Robert AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Minnesota Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - North/West Passage Corridor-Wide Commercial Vehicle Permitting PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 23p AB - The efficient movement of freight is a key to the economic success of any state, region, or nation. Rising transport costs will tend to make products from the region more expensive and less competitive in the national and global markets. This trend can be addressed by adding capacity, a very expensive and long-term solution; improving the management of the highway and rail systems; and by easing the regulatory burden on carriers. Some states have organized themselves into compacts or coalitions to issue permits for these routine loads on a regional basis. While permitting is one of the issues often raised by truckers as a costly and frustrating process, a number of concerns over exactly how individual state rules can be harmonized to facilitate regional permitting must be resolved before multi-state agreements can be put into place. To better understand the nature of regional permitting processes, existing compacts or agreements must be reviewed and their rules, processes, and administrative procedures documented. In addition, members of those compacts must be interviewed to measure their perceptions of the costs and benefits entailed in regional agreements. This project team aims to identify how the North/West Passage states might pursue a regional permitting agreement, what such an agreement would mean for each state’s Department of Transportation, and the level of industry demand in the eight states of the North/West Passage Corridor for regional permitting services. KW - Coalitions KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Freight traffic KW - Highway corridors KW - Interstate 90 KW - Interstate 94 KW - Interstate compacts KW - North/West Passage Corridor KW - Northwestern United States KW - Oversize loads KW - Overweight loads KW - Permits KW - Regional transportation KW - Trucking UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-09_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224928 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01365340 AU - Cotton, Benjamin AU - Clark, Michael AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail: Alternative Transportation Study Support to Comprehensive Management Plan PY - 2010/04//Technical Support SP - 38p AB - This study utilizes a geographic information systems (GIS) inventory to evaluate alternative transportation feasibility throughout the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail region. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Geographic information systems KW - National Historic Trails KW - National parks KW - Regional planning UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44100/44190/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-10-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1133947 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01353060 AU - McNeil, Sue AU - Li, Qiang AU - Oswald, Michelle AU - Gallis, Michael AU - Kreh, Erik AU - Peterson, Zach AU - Trimbath, Susanne AU - Flaxman, Michael AU - Skancke, Tom AU - Delaware Center for Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing an Infrastructure Index – Phase I PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 112p AB - The Phase I work focused on concepts for sector specific infrastructure indices for transportation, energy, water and broadband, exploring strategies to combine the sector specific indices into a composite infrastructure index, identifying possible sources of data, and developing a prototype index for transportation. Significant barriers were identified and ways were found to overcome them. KW - Broadband KW - Energy KW - Infrastructure KW - Performance measurement KW - Transportation KW - Water UR - http://www.ce.udel.edu/UTC/current%20Research/McNeil_Li_Oswald_FinalReport.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1117580 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333257 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - 2007 Economic Census. Transportation. 2007 Commodity Flow Survey PY - 2010/04 SP - 254p AB - The 2007 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) is undertaken through a partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), U.S. Department of Transportation. This survey produces data on the movement of goods in the United States. It provides information on commodities shipped, their value, weight, and mode of transportation, as well as the origin and destination of shipments of commodities from manufacturing, mining, wholesale, and select retail and services establishments. The CFS data are used by policy makers and transportation planners in various federal, state, and local agencies for assessing the demand for transportation facilities and services, energy use, and safety risk and environmental concerns. Additionally, business owners, private researchers, and analysts use the CFS data for analyzing trends in the movement of goods, mapping spatial patterns of commodity and vehicle flows, forecasting demands for the movement of goods, and determining needs for associated infrastructure and equipment. The CFS was conducted previously in 2002, 1997, and 1993. KW - 2007 Commodity Flow Survey KW - Commodity flow KW - Data collection KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Mapping KW - Origin and destination KW - Transportation modes UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35400/35455/CFS2007.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1096608 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325022 AU - Yu, Lei AU - Wang, Ziqianli AU - Shi, Qinyi AU - Texas Southern University, Houston AU - Southwest Region University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - PEMS-Based Approach to Developing and Evaluating Driving Cycles for Air Quality Assessment PY - 2010/04//Research Report SP - 94p AB - A driving cycle is the fundamental concept in conducting emission testing and modeling. The quality of a driving cycle is directly associated with the accuracy of any air quality analysis, and therefore whether the emission reductions can be achieved. However, the widely used driving cycles bring considerable uncertainties when the emission estimation is carried out for a specific city or region. Further, the existing driving cycles have been developed based only on the driving activities, without capturing the characteristics of emission profiles. In this context, this research is intended to achieve two primary objectives. The first objective is to develop driving cycles for classified roads incorporating both a vehicle’s driving activities and its emission characteristics, using the data collected by Portable Emission Measurement System (PEMS), which was neither available nor has ever been used in developing driving cycles. A comprehensive database is established for the collected data and a sophisticated computer program is developed to generate the specific driving cycles. The second objective is to develop an evaluation approach of driving cycles in which Vehicle Specific Power (VSP), a parameter that can readily connect the driving modes with emissions, is used to evaluate how well the driving cycles can represent the driving and emission characteristics on real roads. The proposed methodology for generating driving cycles is then evaluated for its effectiveness on the emission estimation based on a comparative analysis with the current emission inventory and traditional methodologies. KW - Air quality management KW - Data collection KW - Driving cycles KW - Emissions testing KW - Exhaust gases KW - Portable Emissions Measurement System KW - Vehicle specific power UR - http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/169300-1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085903 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01206850 AU - Dixon, Michael AU - Abdel-Rahim, Ahmed AU - Kyte, Michael AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improved Simulation of Stop Bar Driver Behavior at Signalized Intersections PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 62p AB - The Federal Highway Administration’s Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM) program has identified a set of priority algorithms that are yet to be developed. These algorithms include starting/stopping behavior and permitted left turns at signalized intersections. The project has two objectives: 1. Document characteristics of stop bar behavior at both the beginning and ending of green and 2. Determine the level of precision with which car following algorithms can be expected to represent vehicle headways and speed. Some errors were found and corresponding corrections were made, resolving most of the errors. However, problems exist for individual driver stop bar behavior data. It was found that the primary cause for this shortcoming is the accuracy of the phase status time stamps. Efforts to correct these time stamps did not remove errors and, as a result, driver behavior measurements, such as the response to the onset of yellow, were unrealistic. Overall, for each of the errors found, suggestions are given to control or remove these errors in future data collection efforts. Fortunately, the data do seem to relate vehicle-vehicle interactions realistically. This is especially the case after filtering out spurious changes in velocity. KW - Algorithms KW - Car following KW - Data collection KW - Drivers KW - Headways KW - Next Generation Simulation program KW - Operating speed KW - Signalized intersections KW - Starting (Driving) KW - Stopping KW - Traffic simulation UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK712_N10-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/967865 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173821 AU - Sauthoff, Anjali P AU - Meier, Paul J AU - Holloway, Tracey A AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Assessment of Biodiesel Scenarios for Midwest Freight Transport Emission Reduction PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 25p AB - There are trade-offs when attempting to reduce both greenhouse gas and criteria air pollutants for freight transport, as the control strategies are not necessarily complimentary. While emission controls can remove ozone precursors and particulate from vehicle exhaust streams, greenhouse gas emission can only be mitigated by either reducing fuel consumption or switching to lower carbon-content fuel.. One near-term alternative that can readily reduce fuel consumption is the reduction of freight vehicle speed. To lower the carbon-content of freight transportation fuel, the primary near-term alternative is to increase blending of biodiesel. The cost-effectiveness of the emission reduction strategy will be characterized from the freight carriers viewpoint, by comparing the direct costs to estimates of indirect costs and fuel savings. Multiple scenarios will be modeled using EPA’s MARKAL model to simulate implementation of the proposed measures. MARKAL will be used to quantify the system-wide effects of changes in resource supply, technology availability, and account for CO2, SO2, NOX, PM, and VOC emissions. KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Diesel engine exhaust gases KW - Diesel trucks KW - Environmental mitigation KW - Exhaust gases KW - Freight transportation KW - Fuel consumption KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Speed UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_02-10_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/927768 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173200 AU - Scarpone, Christopher J AU - Hastings, Aaron L AU - Fleming, Gregg G AU - Lee, Cynthia S Y AU - Roof, Christopher J AU - U.S. Department of Transportation AU - National Park Service TI - Exterior Sound Level Measurements of Snowcoaches at Yellowstone National Park PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 198p AB - Sounds associated with oversnow vehicles, such as snowmobiles and snowcoaches, are an important management concern at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center’s Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division (Volpe Center) is supporting the National Park Service (NPS) with its on-going Winter Use Plan (WUP) program. As part of this support, acoustic measurements of twenty-five snowcoaches were made at three locations in Yellowstone National Park in January 2009. Measurement methodologies were guided by SAE J1161 with recommended improvements from 2008 measurements also performed for NPS by the Volpe Center. Data collected will be used to 1) refine and finalize snowcoach sound level testing procedures recommended from the 2008 Volpe Study, 2) determine which snowcoaches have the Best Available Technology (BAT) with respect to noise emissions, 3) determine any site-specific measurement bias, 4) develop a sound level versus speed relationship to determine if any measures could be taken for vehicles exceeding BAT requirements, and 5) develop OSV noise-distance relationships for use in a modified version of Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Integrated Noise Model (INM) developed for NPS in a previous study. KW - Environment KW - Ground effect KW - INM (Integrated Noise Model) KW - National parks KW - Noise sources KW - Snowmobiles KW - Sound level KW - Sound transmission KW - Yellowstone National Park KW - Yellowstone-Teton region UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33710/Exterior_Sound_Level_Snowcoaches.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/930625 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01162964 AU - Chambers, M AU - Bureau of Transportation Statistics TI - International Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea: Hindering Maritime Trade and Water Transportation Around the World PY - 2010/04 SP - 4p AB - Over the 11-year period, 1998-2008, more than 3,600 acts of international piracy and armed robbery at sea have occurred. Piracy affects all corners of the globe-from the Caribbean, to the Mediterranean, to the South China Sea. In 2008, East Africa accounted for the greatest number of incidents with 134, followed by the South China Sea (72 incidents) and West Africa (50 incidents). The overall number of attacks has been on the decline in many parts of the world with acts of piracy occurring at a rate of about 25 per month in 2008, down from a peak of nearly 40 incidents per month in 2000. This decline was global in nature with one notable exception-the waters surrounding East Africa (e.g., Gulf of Aden, Red Sea) saw a 123 percent (74-incident) increase from the prior year. KW - Incidents KW - International trade KW - International transportation KW - Maritime safety KW - Ocean travel KW - Piracy KW - Robbery KW - Security KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2010_04_22/ UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2010_04_22/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35389/Piracy.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920686 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159569 AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - IntelliDriveSM Rural Risk Warning System (IRRWS): A North/West Passage Rural Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Demonstration Project PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 43p AB - This document is the final report for the North/West Passage Rural Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Demonstration Project. It summarizes the work conducted by the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University to develop a demonstration concept for the IntelliDriveSM Rural Risk Warning System (IRRWS), on behalf of the North/West Passage Pooled Fund States. The primary components of this report include: A background section that provides an introduction to the concept of Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII), a description of the North/West Passage Pooled Fund, and an overview of previous research that served as a foundation to this project; The goals and objectives of the research; A summary of the initial literature review; A summary of the use case analysis, including a listing of the VII use cases identified as potentially appropriate for deployment in a rural setting; The outcomes of the North/West Passage pooled fund meeting, at which researchers presented the initial concept and solicited input for further development; Operational scenarios, which describe how the system could benefit a range of users under a variety of circumstances; A summary of impacts and benefits; and Subsequent development and deployment efforts by project stakeholders. KW - Applications KW - Benefits KW - Demonstration projects KW - Impacts KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Literature reviews KW - Rural areas KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/documents/reports/4W2489_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920078 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01156881 AU - Young, Peg AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Upward Trend in Vehicle-Miles Resumed During 2009: A Time Series Analysis PY - 2010/04 SP - 2p AB - After a 2-year interruption to a long-term upward trend, the number of vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) on the Nation’s highways appears to have resumed a pattern of upward growth in 2009. While VMT rises and falls seasonally, the years 2007 and 2008 showed significant monthly declines in VMT after the effects of seasonal fluctuations were extracted from the data. This report looks at recent shifts in the long-term upward trend in monthly U.S. vehicle-miles traveled (VMT). KW - Statistical analysis KW - Time series analysis KW - Travel behavior KW - Trend (Statistics) KW - United States KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_transportation_trends_in_focus/2010_04_01/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35400/35448/Upward.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917556 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01156673 AU - Garay-Vega, Lisandra AU - Hastings, Aaron AU - Pollard, John K AU - Zuschlag, Michael AU - Stearns, Mary D AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - Quieter Cars and the Safety of Blind Pedestrians: Phase I PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 151p AB - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recognizes that quieter cars such as hybrid-electric vehicles in low-speed operation using their electric motors, may introduce a safety issue for pedestrians who are blind. This study documents the overall sound levels and general spectral content for a selection of hybrid-electric and internal combustion vehicles in different operating conditions, evaluates vehicle detectability for two ambient sound levels, and considers countermeasure concepts that are categorized as vehicle-based, infrastructure-based, and systems requiring vehicle-pedestrian communications. Overall sound levels for the hybrid-electric vehicles tested are lower at low speeds than for the internal combustion engine vehicles tested. There were significant differences in human subjects’ response time depending on whether electric or internal combustion propulsion was used at both the lower and higher levels of ambient sound. Candidate countermeasures are discussed in terms of types of information provided (direction, vehicle speed, and rate of speed change, etc), useful range of detection of vehicles by pedestrians, warning time, user acceptability, and barriers to implementation. This study provides baseline data on the acoustic characteristics and auditory detectability of vehicles; however, the results cannot be generalized to more complex environments, as for example when multiple target vehicles are present. KW - Acoustic properties KW - Auditory perception KW - Blind persons KW - Countermeasures KW - Electric vehicles KW - Hybrid automobiles KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Sound level KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2010/811304rev.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42800/42886/DOT_HS_811304.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917705 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155727 AU - Elmore, Cecilia AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Women in Science & Engineering and Minority Engineering Scholarhips: Year 4 PY - 2010/04//Final Report SP - 9p AB - Support will make scholarships available to minority and women students interested in engineering and science and will increase significantly the number of minority and female students that the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) can recruit to its science and engineering programs. Recipients of scholarships will also be exposed to career opportunities in transportation. Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) scholarships are awarded to support female Missouri S&T students studying science and engineering. Missouri S&T’s WISE program provides a campus focal point for increasing the number of women in science, engineering, math, and technology fields through outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts from middle school age through undergraduate levels. WISE provides support programs such as mentoring, advising, professional/technical workshops, and social activities, with the goal of providing a rich academic and social experience for young women at Missouri S&T. Minority Engineering and Science Program (MEP) scholarships provide critical financial support for under-represented students majoring in engineering and science programs at Missouri S&T. MEP scholarship students receive professional and academic support through the close-knit MEP network of friends, mentors, and Missouri S&T staff. MEP has a rich 30 year tradition of sponsoring events, activities and organizations that ensure its students are prepared for personal and professional success. KW - College students KW - Engineering KW - Females KW - Minorities KW - Missouri University of Science and Technology KW - Recruiting KW - Scholarships KW - Science KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/ETT251_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916399 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159751 AU - Richard, Christian M AU - Campbell, John L AU - Lichty, Monica G AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Osborne, Leon AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Human Factors Analysis of Road Weather Advisory and Control Information: Final Report PY - 2010/03/31/Final Report SP - 301p AB - The amount of available weather information and the methods by which this information can be disseminated to travelers have grown considerably in recent years. This growth includes weather gathering devices (sensors, satellites), models and forecasting tools for predicting weather conditions, and electronic devices used by drivers (Internet, in-vehicle devices, roadway signage). This project was initiated in order to best-align available weather information content and presentation to travelers’ information needs and wants, as well as being communicated in ways that travelers will use. The specific objectives of this project were to: 1. Identify the weather information requirements of travelers across a representative number of travel scenarios. 2. Evaluate the current state of the practice in weather-responsive traffic advisory and control strategies in terms of meeting those information requirements. 3. Recommend ways to improve those practices including the development of communication and messaging standards. A set of improvements and guidelines have been recommended to support Transportation officials in communicating both pre-trip and en route road weather information effectively, consistently and timely to meet the needs of drivers and travelers for different weather conditions and travel scenarios. KW - Advanced traveler information systems KW - Human factors KW - Information dissemination KW - Needs assessment KW - Road weather information systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33000/33047/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33000/33047/rev_final_hf_analysis_road_weather.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920265 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01156655 AU - Lin, Pei-Sung AU - Lee, Chanyoung AU - Kourtellis, Achilleas AU - Saxena, Meeta AU - University of South Florida, Tampa AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Camera-Based Systems to Reduce Transit Bus Side Collisions PY - 2010/03/31/Final Report SP - 90p AB - The camera-based system has great potential to reduce transit bus side crashes. This study reviewed and compared mirror-based, sensor-based, and camera-based systems for side collision avoidance. It evaluated the effectiveness of camera-based systems to reduce transit bus side crashes through measuring the reduction of blind zones and analyzing the results of controlled driving tests and driver surveys using sideview video systems. The result from measurements of blind zone reduction showed that the camera-based system with a regular angle lens (no distorted image) can reduce about 64 percent of the blind zones of a flat mirror system. It can reduce about 43 percent of blind zones of a common combined flat and convex mirror system. Using a wide-angle lens, the blind zones on the both sides of transit buses can be completely eliminated. The result of the controlled driving test from 28 bus drivers was positive on distance/depth perception and lane change maneuvers using sideview video systems. Most bus drivers were able to adapt to the sideview video system and quickly learn how to use the system to drive without mirrors. While using the video system, the bus drivers could perceive distance similar to the mirrors while the bus was in motion. By using the sideview system, bus drivers could still see the vehicle in the blind zone of mirrors. The driver survey results confirmed that bus drivers participating in the study valued the benefits of sideview video systems, with some reservations about system reliability due to unfamiliarity with the new system. It was recommended that the sideview video system in this study be further enhanced for evaluation through actual deployments to ensure its reliability and effectiveness. KW - Blind spots KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Side crashes KW - Testing KW - Transit buses KW - Video cameras KW - Wide-angle lenses UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BDK85_977-08_rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/77905.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917676 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461184 TI - Mitigating Moisture Susceptibility of Asphalt Mixes AB - The objective of this proposal research is to investigate the use of waste by product materials in mitigating moisture susceptibility (stripping) in hot asphalt mixes through a laboratory testing program. Two types of aggregates from different sources will be investigated while hydrated lime and two new liquid anti-stripping agents will be added. The performance of asphalt mixtures with these three additives will be compared with a control asphalt mixture in which neither the aggregate nor the binder is treated. A cost effectiveness analysis will be conducted to evaluate the economics of these three agents. KW - Asphalt mixtures KW - Laboratory tests KW - Moisture content KW - Moisture susceptibility KW - Stripping (Pavements) KW - Wastes UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229403 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461605 TI - Guidebook for Sharing Freight Transportation Data AB - Public infrastructure managers, environmental planners, freight shippers, and carriers need to understand and anticipate freight flows between regions, in corridors, and on particular links. They rely on freight data for management, planning, and improving supply-chain efficiency. This requires a variety of data describing the types of freight; volumes; origins, interchanges, and destinations; and the characteristics of modes (air, truck, rail, maritime, and pipeline) that carry that freight (e.g., quality and cost of service). Individual shippers and carriers capture and archive information on shipments, commodity type, volume, schedule, mode, and levels of service in the logistics system. There are also vendors that collect real-time data for carriers and shippers, as well as consultants who analyze and transform those data into useful management information. Although many parties collect and use freight data, there are several significant barriers to data sharing that reduce the effective use of such data. First, private entities may be reluctant to share proprietary data because they may expose themselves to disclosure risks that can lead to competition or self-incrimination problems. Another barrier is the cost associated with collecting, organizing, storing, and submitting data. In some cases, the private sector may be prepared to share data, but public agencies may be unwilling or unable to sign strong confidentiality agreements. Research is needed to identify systematic and strategic approaches to facilitate the sharing of freight data for both public and private sectors to gain the full benefit of data sharing. The objective of this research is to develop a guidebook to help government agencies, non-government organizations, and the private sector share freight data. The guidebook should include a description of current practices for sharing data, sample agreements, guidelines for enabling an efficient freight data-sharing program, data-sharing agreement templates, and procedures for overcoming potential obstacles. KW - Best practices KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Handbooks KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Shipping KW - Supply chain management KW - Transportation UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2919 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229824 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461310 TI - Gulf Coast Study, Phase II, Interagency Agreement Between Research & Innovative Technology Administration and Federal Highway Administration AB - The Gulf Coast Study, Phase 1, completed in 2008, studied how changes in climate over the next 50 to 100 years could affect transportation systems in the U.S. central Gulf Coast region and discussed how to account for potential impacts in transportation planning. Phase 2 will build on the information developed in Phase 1 to develop more definitive information about impacts at the local level in a particular Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) or smaller region and will focus analysis on the key transportation links, for day to day systems operations and emergency management. The study will develop more precise tools and guides for State departments of transportation (DOTs) and MPO planners to use in deciding how to adapt to potential climate impacts and determine vulnerability for key links for each mode. Phase 2 will also develop a risk assessment tool to allow decision makers to understand vulnerability to climate change and develop a process to implement transportation facility improvements in a systematic manner. KW - Climate change KW - Decision making KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Emergency management KW - Environmental impacts KW - Gulf Coast (United States) KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Planning and design KW - Risk assessment KW - Technological innovations KW - Transportation planning UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229529 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01359713 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Point-to-Point Commercial Space Transportation in National Aviation System PY - 2010/03/10/Final Report SP - 33p AB - The advent of suborbital transport brings promise of point-to-point (PTP) long distance transportation as a revolutionary mode of air transportation. In 2008, the International Space University (ISU) of Strasbourg, France, published a report documenting its appraisal of PTP transportation technology. This report describes the conditions that should be put in place to foster and sustain the growth of this industry from the technical, market, financial, infrastructure, safety, and legal perspectives. The ISU study calculates that transatlantic flight times for suborbital vehicles from London to New York would take less than 1¼ hours, less than one-third the travel time required by the supersonic aircraft Concorde and a fraction of that required by conventional commercial aircraft. This potential for the rapid global transport of passengers and the fast distribution of goods and services make PTP transportation an attractive space technology concept worth exploiting. Based on ISU findings, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) recognized a need to identify issues and approaches for integrating PTP systems into the National Airspace (NAS) and International Air Space (IAS). The goal of this study is to provide FAA AST with technical support in formulating effective policies and regulations that address issues associated with the air traffic management (ATM) of commercially-operated, suborbital PTP transportation focused on the long distance delivery of both humans and cargo. The Volpe Center examined the issues associated with integrating PTP Systems into the NAS and international airspace by: KW - Air traffic control KW - Air transportation KW - Long distance travel KW - National Airspace System KW - Point-to-point services KW - Suborbital launches KW - Technological innovations UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42700/42779/point_to_point.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1125694 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01578001 TI - Assessing Interspecific Competition in a Loblolly Pine-Switchgrass Co-culture System for Biomass Production AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Production KW - Trees UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371385 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01557635 TI - Development of a Self-sustained Wireless Integrated Structural Health Monitoring System for Highway Bridges AB - A joint research team by the University of Maryland (UMD) and North Carolina State University (NCSU) with URS Corporation will develop a scalable Integrated Structural Health Monitoring (ISHM) system with remote sensing capability, particularly suited for fatigue condition assessment of highway steel bridges with a potential to extend to evaluate other types of bridge damages, such as breaks and corrosion of steel strands of pre-stressed concrete bridges. The ISHM system based on wireless sensor networks with self-sustained power supplies holds promise of system scalability and autonomousness in remote monitoring large complex highway infrastructures. The proposed system will integrate recent advancements in civil, aerospace, and electrical disciplines to develop a transformational system that will have high-rewards in reducing the operating and maintenance costs by providing an accurate quantification of damage and degradation at an early stage. The novelty of the proposed ISHM system resides in the following aspects: (1) (Sensor technology) Reconfigurable piezo paint sensor dots; (2) (Acoustic emission [AE] diagnostics) Passive interrogation of evolving damage; (3) (Energy scavenging) Hybrid-mode energy scavenger; (4) (Wireless sensing) Multi-media wireless smart sensor; and (5) (Prognostics) Prognostics using Bayesian nets and remote sensing data. The ISHM will be implemented on bridges at North Carolina and Maryland for field demonstration. If successful, this system will be used in other states. By advancing the state-of-the-art technology in remote infrastructure sensing, condition diagnosis and prognosis, the proposed ISHM system will reduce life cycle costs while significantly maintaining the sustainability of civil infrastructures. Under the terms of this agreement, the University of Maryland will assist Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) with the following tasks: Task 1: Establishing weak point identification maps and conducting baseline field tests. Task 2: Fabrication and characterization of piezo paint AE sensor with reconfigurable sensing dots. Task 3: Development of a time-reversal (T-R) method for AE source identification. Task 4: Development of a wireless smart sensor with a hybrid-mode energy harvester and embedded T-R algorithms. Task 5: Developing ISHM in both laboratory and field environments and implementation with Bridge Management System. Task 6: Project Website, Report and Project Assessment KW - Acoustic emission KW - Failure KW - Highway bridges KW - Integrated systems KW - Prestressed concrete bridges KW - Remote sensing KW - Steel bridges KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.ncrst.umd.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1347138 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01468195 TI - Modeling and Predicting Traffic Accidents at Signalized Intersections in the City of Norfolk, VA AB - The proposed research is an extension of the previously completed studies on the accident-patterns in the City of Norfolk, VA in which a multiple-regression model was developed using a selected set of intersections data from the City. The objective of this proposal is to develop comprehensive a statistical exploratory and predictive model for intersections accidents in the City. The previous models were based on a selected set of variables like driveway density, some road geometry variables such as number of lanes and safety features including median. Data on many roadway geometry factors and roadway hazards were either not collected or not available at the time of study. Also, the multiple-linear regression technique used in the previous models has presented limited predictive capability. The proposed research will improve the previously developed models by including additional variables and advanced statistical modeling. The available literature suggests road geometry and other related controllable factors influence the traffic accident rate and can be delineated using statistical methods. This research will utilize a two-step statistical analysis methodology. In the first step, exploratory statistical models will be developed from a randomly selected set of intersections in the City of Norfolk using generalized linear model (GLM) technique. These models will be validated using similar variables from the other randomly selected set of the intersections in the City. The best fit model will be proposed as the predictive model for the City. The major deliverables from the proposed research will include the following: * A validated exploratory statistical model that will include variables which provide the most valid explanation of traffic accidents. The model development process will include a set of geometrical and roadside hazard factors as independent variables. * A predictive statistical model resulting from step one could be used for accident prediction for similar road conditions in the City. The proposed research will commence in May 1, 2010 and will conclude on May 29, 2011. The major elements of the work are shown below along with the expected start and finish time for each work element. * Research Preparation: Complete literature review on the recent articles in traffic safety as well statistical modeling. (May 1, 10- June 30, 10) * Data Collection: Data collection on road geometry, road hazard and other related road variable data. (July 1, 10- Sept 15, 10) * Development of Exploratory Models: Using generalized linear modeling technique develop multiple regression models. (Sept 16, 10-Dec 31, 10) * Model Validation: Using different set of intersection validate the statistical models. (Jan 2, 11-March, 31, 11) * Select Predictive Model: Selection of best statistical model. (April 1, 11-April 30, 11) * Review of the Results and the Model: Review of the results and the statistical model. (May 1, 11-May 15, 11) * Report preparation: Prepare final report (May 17, 11- May 29, 11) KW - Curves (Geometry) KW - Driveway density KW - Highway safety KW - Intersections KW - Linear models KW - Norfolk (Virginia) KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic density KW - Traffic safety UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1236431 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463959 TI - Investigation of NOx and Tropospheric Ozone Transport around a Major Roadway AB - The objective of the proposed research is to obtain data on the variation of ozone concentrations simultaneously with data on weather, traffic, and nitrogen oxide concentrations; to model the ozone and nitrogen dioxide concentrations near major roadways using CALINE4; and to validate the model with the obtained 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, like ozone, 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. These stations are generally located sufficiently away from heavily traveled roadways, so that they provide background data and 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. Two recent developments highlighted the importance of this work. The first one is the proposed revisions to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for nitrogen dioxide announced on June 26, 2009. EPA is proposing a new 1-hour standard at a level between 80 and 100 ppb while retaining the current average NO2 standard of 53 ppb. This proposal increases the importance of measuring the peak concentrations over shorter time periods especially near major roads in urban areas. The second development is the January 7, 2010 announcement by EPA proposing to change the standard for ground level ozone to no more than 0.06 to 0.07 ppm from the current value of 0.075 ppm. Since ground level ozone is formed by the reaction of nitrogen oxides with volatile organic compounds, the proposed change emphasizes the importance of the investigation of nitrogen oxide and ozone concentrations around major roadways. Therefore, to address these issues, in this research project, we are proposing (1) To add an ozone analyzer to the mobile NOx analyzer-weather monitoring unit built during the project performed last year. (2) To obtain coordinated measurements of NO, NO2 and ozone concentrations and meteorological conditions at varying distances from the roadway, together with the traffic volume and vehicle type data, taking into account the experience gained during the project performed last year. (3) To use CALINE4 to estimate the NO2 and ozone concentrations at receptors located at the measurement points. (4) To analyze the data obtained to elucidate the adequacy of CALINE4 in predicting the local NO2 and ozone concentrations near roadways and perform a sensitivity analysis on the input variables, which are not directly measured, to suggest possible improvements. A summary of the tasks and schedule for the proposed work is presented below: 1. Completion of literature review on ozone: March - April, 2010 2. Calibration of equipment: March - April, 2010 3. Training of student researchers March - May 2010 4. Creation of the CALINE4 model of the new I-64 section and receptor locations March - April, 2010 5. Measurement of NO2, NO and O3 concentrations at receptors: May - December 2010 6. Evaluation of data: June 15, 2010 - January 2011 7. Sensitivity analysis using CALINE4: October 2010-January 2011 8. Analysis of results and preparation of the final report: December2010-February 2011. KW - Air quality management KW - Exhaust gases KW - National Ambient Air Quality Standards KW - Nitrogen dioxide KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Ozone KW - Pollutants KW - Tropospheric Ozone Management Areas UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232187 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463958 TI - Non-Destructive Bridge Testing With Advanced Micro-II Digital AE system AB - The Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center (ESITAC) at Hampton University, with its stated goals to utilize University resources in partnership with state and city governments, local transit companies, private industries, and regional universities, aims to conduct research on current transportation problems facing Hampton Roads, and to advance U. S. technology and expertise that will provide safe, secure, efficient, and interconnected transportation systems. These goals incorporate U. S. DOT's stated priority for improving the safety of the nation's highway bridges. Research on and utilization of non-destructive test (NDT) and monitoring technologies for bridge safety is one of the focus areas in ESITAC's strategic planning. During the research period of January 1 - December 31, 2009, two bridges were identified as potential test candidates for NDT using the acoustic emission (AE) technology: 1. the bridge on I-164 at the Coast Guard Blvd. in the City of Portsmouth (built in 1991) that has an average daily traffic of 22,276 with 4% truck traffic according to the latest data in comparison to an average daily traffic of 11,337 with 4% truck traffic in 2004; and 2. a bridge located in the city of Williamsburg (Virginia Department VDOT Display structure 018 - 1917 (built in 1939) that has an average daily traffic of 2230 but with 5% daily average of truck traffic. Metal and non-metal bridge structure components were investigated using NDT of acoustic emission (AE) with the objective to monitor health of these bridges in collaboration with VDOT's District Structure and Bridge Engineering Department. It was proposed to develop accurate, reliable and durable NDT methods of structural health monitoring of highway bridges to help prevent spread of structural failures. In view of the changes made in the VDOT display structure 018 - 1917, research was focused on the bridge on I-164 situated near a cargo terminal at the Coast Guard Blvd. in the City of Portsmouth with the objective to investigate bridge structure element ACTIVE defects during periods of low and/or no traffic and peak and/or heavy traffic in short areas of the AE sensors. Hence, the study focused on areas with higher potential of damage. Discussions were held with the VDOT/Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC) bridge engineers to finalize a plan of action to utilize AE sensors on the potential inspection sites, both on the Suffolk bound and Norfolk bound lanes of the Interstate. Potential test sites were identified based on the results from a monitoring system consisting of 2 AE sensors and the data acquisition (DAQ) system. The following has already been achieved during this period: * Potential sites for monitoring and for analyzing AE were identified. * An 8 sensor system for monitoring the test sites has been designed. * Integration of the existing 4 channel hardware with the newly acquired AE system. * The newly designed AE monitoring system is based on 12V rechargeable batteries and inverters. * The DAQ, computerization and power systems are designed for their operational capability under conditions of unavailability of power. * The designed equipment is under fabrication and is being acquired by ESITAC with RITA approval. The following is being proposed for the period of 2010: * To continue studies on Virginia bridges (i.e. Figure 1) using the newly acquired 8 channel AE sensor and DAQ system. * AE monitor both the metal and non-metal (e.g. concrete) bridge structural components. * Analyze the AE data in a linear and 2D framework to locate the damages including in areas where accessibility is a challenge for the inspection team. * Establish an bridge inspection procedure and methodology based on the studies during quiet/low and peak traffic periods. * Investigate the role of thermal factors and incorporate in the inspection procedure. * Monitor, record and analyze the AE data on a near real time basis.  This proposed research on the bridge at the Coast Guard Blvd. in the City of Portsmouth is tentatively planned to commence in March, 2010 and conclude in December, 2010. The major elements of the work are shown below along with the expected start and finish dates. * Research Preparation: review of the updated status of the bridge monitoring based on the database from VDOT (MAR 2010 - APR 2010) * Data collection (MAY 2010 - AUG 2010) * Analysis of Results (SEP 2010 - OCT 2010) * Prepare and submit the final report (NOV 2010 - DEC 2010) KW - Acoustic emission KW - Annual average daily traffic KW - Bridge engineering KW - Data collection KW - Hampton Roads (Virginia) KW - Highway bridges KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Traffic data KW - Truck traffic UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1232186 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461330 TI - Modeling Effective, Efficient and Sustainable Emergency Medical Service System for Rural Areas AB - The overall goal of this project is to develop one or more model response systems for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in rural areas that are regional, coordinated, accountable, and sustainable. KW - Coordination KW - Emergency medical services KW - Regional development KW - Regional planning KW - Rural areas KW - Sustainable development UR - http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/research/4w3019.aspx UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229549 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01495178 AU - Van Schalkwyk, John AU - Green, Kevin AU - Pickrell, Don AU - Harrington, Ryan AU - Shaulov, Mark AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TI - 2012 – 2016 Corporate Average Fuel Economy Compliance and Effects Modeling System Documentation PY - 2010/03//Operational Handbook SP - 128p AB - The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) of the United States Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration has developed a modeling system to assist the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the evaluation of potential new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. Based on externally-developed inputs, the modeling system estimates how manufacturers could apply additional fuel-saving technologies in response to new CAFE standards, and estimates how doing so would increase vehicle costs, reduce national fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, and result in other effects and benefits to society. The modeling system can also be used to estimate the stringency at which an attribute-based CAFE standard satisfies various criteria. For example, the system can estimate the stringency that produces a specified average required fuel economy level, or that maximizes net benefits to society. KW - Air quality management KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Carbon dioxide KW - Compliance KW - Corporate average fuel economy KW - Exhaust gases KW - Fuel consumption KW - Standards KW - Vehicles UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/48000/48200/48217/CAFE_Model_Documentation_March_2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263002 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01484411 AU - Schrock, Steven D AU - Mulinazzi, Thomas AU - Wang, Ming-Heng AU - University of Kansas, Lawrence AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Feasibility of Using Cellular Telephone Data to Determine the Truckshed of Intermodal Facilities PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 73p AB - In order to determine the feasibility of using cellular telephone location data in deriving the geographic extent (truckshed) from intermodal facilities, this study was conducted to determine the feasibility analysis in three aspects: technology, penetration analysis and truck tracking methodology. A preliminary test was also conducted to demonstrate the cell phone tracking and traveling characteristics identification process using Washington, D.C. metropolitan area data provided by AirSage, Inc. The preliminary feasibility analysis found that cell phone locations could be located within an average of 100 meters or less of their actual position, which is feasible to use for a long haul truckshed tracking from the intermodal facilities. Cell phone penetration analysis showed that only partial cell phone data were available for the truckshed tracking system. Thus, a long time period of observations are needed in order to increase the number of cell phones tracked. The research team developed a process and conducted a program for tracking cell phone trajectories and identifying the cell phone characteristics (truck or not). However, a database which covers possible truck traveling objectives, such as truck stops, rest area or warehouse, and land use categories, has to be established in order to identify the characteristics of the cell phones from the anonymous cell phone database. The preliminary test illustrates several examples for tracking cell phones and identifying the characteristics of cell phones based on the proposed tracking and identification process. The results show that the vendor provided data can provide enough cell phone data points for tracking the trajectory of cell phones. It also demonstrates that the developed tracking and filtering process and computer program are able to track every individual cell phone data point and identify the traveling characteristics based on the trajectory and destination of cell phones. KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - Cellular telephones KW - Detection and identification systems KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Intermodal facilities KW - Mobile phone trajectories KW - Trip length KW - Trucking KW - Washington Metropolitan Area UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/matcfinal/Schrock_FeasibilityofUsingCellularTelephoneDatatoDeterminetheTruckshedofRail-TruckIntermodalFacilities.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1252659 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01457112 AU - Vonderohe, Alan P AU - Hintz, Cassie AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - 3D Design Terrain Models for Construction Plans and GPS Control of Highway Construction Equipment PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 109p AB - Research was conducted with the objectives of (1) identifying and characterizing benefits and technological, institutional, cultural, and legal impediments associated with adoption of 3D design and construction technologies, identifying strategies to overcome the impediments, and making recommendations to the target transportation organizations; (2) determining the relationship between surface-to-surface and average-end-area methods for earthwork calculations; and (3) describing, and providing examples of, methods for describing the functionality of 3D design software with the intent of suggesting techniques that could assist in evaluation of software products for those organizations considering adoption of them. The research was motivated by rapid development of 3D technologies for highway design and construction, but slow adoption of them by state highway agencies (SHAs). A web-based survey, with 70 percent response rate, was conducted of all 50 SHAs and seven class one regional railroads. Analysis of the results yielded ranked benefits and impediments, and associated information, for 3D design methods and automated machine guidance. Based upon survey results, three exemplary SHAs were selected for in-depth case studies, yielding strategies that have been used to successfully overcome some of the impediments. A comparison was made between average-end-area and surface-to-surface methods calculation of earthwork volumes at six roadway construction sites in North Carolina and Wisconsin. Data were provided by the respective SHAs and by two Wisconsin contractors. In general, differences between the results of the two methods increase as cross section intervals increase, although the relationship is not linear. Differences as great as 5% were observed. This results in significant cost differences for large projects. Three methods for describing 3D design software functionality were described with examples. Such methods can be useful for SHAs doing comparisons of software alternatives. A total of 26 recommendations for SHAs are presented in five groups, depending upon the SHAs’ objectives. The recommendations address buy-in and commitment from upper management, development of specifications for automated machine guidance, adoption of 3D highway design technology, development or improvement of 3D data flows from design to construction, and broader implementation of 3D technologies for design and construction, in general. KW - Construction equipment KW - Earthwork KW - Global Positioning System KW - Highway design KW - Mathematical models KW - Road construction KW - Technological innovations UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_02-05_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224259 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01457063 AU - Adams, Teresa M AU - Toledo-Duran, Edwin AU - Pavuluri, Ravi T AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - American Transportation Research Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Exploratory Data Project: Freight Resiliency Performance Measures PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 20p AB - Exploratory Data Project: Freight Resiliency Performance Measures. (2009-10) the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Office of Freight Management and Operations, through a partnership with the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), established a Freight Performance Measurement Program (FPM) to assess the performance of freight significant highways and US international land border crossings. The end-goal of this program is to utilize these data and information to identify areas of significant freight congestion and bottlenecks and guide decision-making on future transportation improvement. This project explored the use of FPM data for quantifying the robustness and responsiveness measures for resiliency. FPM date before, during, and after two major weather events was used to plot the resiliency of highway segments along the I-90/94 Corridor from Hudson to Beloit, Wisconsin. Results include recommendations for evaluating freight transportation resiliency. KW - Border regions KW - Bottlenecks KW - Decision making KW - Freight transportation KW - Performance measurement KW - Resilience (Materials) KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/CFIRE_03-23_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224985 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01345237 AU - Dixon, Michael AU - Abdel-Rahim, Ahmed AU - Wall, Richard AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Traffic and Controller Data Collection System Enhancement PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 38p AB - The primary objective of this project was to enhance the National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology's (NIATT’s) ability to obtain high-quality traffic operations data at one or more signalized intersections. This project finalized an upgrade to NIATT’s existing portable video data collection system. The first phase of the upgrade acquired and assimilated the primary data collection system components, such as cameras, portable power sources, video servers, and wireless video transmission. Specifically, this project acquired the means and knowledge for NIATT researchers to professionally store, transport, and install the equipment at the site. In addition, controller data logging capabilities were built to be integrated with the data collection system in the future. This final report constitutes a summary of the system components, instructions regarding their use for field data collection, field experience regarding their installation, and beta test results to demonstrate system feasibility. KW - Beta tests KW - Data collection KW - Data logging KW - Data quality KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Installation KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic data KW - Video cameras KW - Video data KW - Wireless communication systems UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK711_N10-05.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1107429 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340160 AU - Boyle, Linda Ng AU - Peng, Yiyun AU - Neyens, David M AU - Short, Jeffrey AU - University of Washington, Seattle AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Safety Climate of Commercial Vehicle Operation PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 31p AB - Enhancing the safety culture within trucking and motor coach industries has become a key area of concern given the potential impact it has on crashes and overall safety. Many organizations recognize that safety is compromised if the culture within their organization does not promote safety. Unfortunately, the specifics of a good safety culture and the methods by which safety culture is fostered are relatively ambiguous. A key reason for this is the general lack of standardization of the highly qualitative term 'safety climate' within the trucking and motor coach industries. A survey was completed by 31 organizations within these industries as part of a Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP) Synthesis No. 14. The results provide some insights into the safety beliefs and attitudes of these drivers and the organizational needs to maintain a stable workforce and positive safety climate. The report provides descriptions of the data collected but lack any derived inferences that can help shape the safety culture. The results of this research project are the development of a set of key factors that capture the essence of a safety climate within the truck and busing industries. This is achieved through factor analysis of the existing survey data that has been made available to the principal investigator. The result reveals a four factor model that is grouped based on the overall safety culture in the industry, the financial impact, internal awareness, and demand for safety. This outcome suggests that there are both internal and external factors that may affect a safety manager's perception of safety and the safety climate within an organization, and provides insights for the trucking industry to communicate a safety culture to their employees. This, thereby, translates into a stable workforce, and reduces truck crashes. Future studies may need to consider how to both create and maintain a climate of safety. KW - Bus transportation KW - Buses KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Highway safety KW - Safety climate KW - Truck crashes UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/finalreports/Boyle_SafetyClimateofCommercialVehicleOperation.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1101706 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338806 AU - O'Hara, Charles AU - Brooks, Colin AU - Dumas, Jeremiah AU - Franzese, Oscar AU - Holland, Joseph AU - Nobrega, Rodrigo AU - Stich, Bethany AU - Mississippi State University, Starkville AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Validating Commercial Remote Sensing and Spatial Information (CRS&SI) Technologies for Streamlining Environmental and Planning Processes in Transportation Projects PY - 2010/03//Final Porject Report Technical Guide SP - 79p AB - Transportation corridor-planning processes are well understood, and consensus exists among practitioners about common practices for stages and tasks included in traditional environmental impact statement (EIS) approaches. However, traditional approaches do not typically employ full use of Commercial Remote Sensing and Spatial Information (CRS&SI) technologies. Case studies deploying best practices are needed to enable state departments of transportation, practitioners, and consultants to effectively transition practices for enhanced use of CRS&SI technologies. As a guide to help plan and conduct case studies for deploying best practices for benefit to practitioners, this document presents research results relevant to developing, integrating, and deploying case studies needed to understand, document, and refine best practices in terms of requirements, definitions, characteristics, and specifications. KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - Environmental impact statements KW - Environmental streamlining KW - Remote sensing KW - Spatial analysis KW - Transportation corridors UR - http://www.ncrste.msstate.edu/project_reports/reports/NCRST-SEPP-Final-Report-2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100819 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328122 AU - Ratner, Keith A AU - Goetz, Andrew R AU - Salem State College AU - University of Denver AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Reshaping of Land Use and Urban Form in Denver through Transit-Oriented Development PY - 2010/03 SP - 31p AB - This project funded by the National Center for Intermodal Transportation at the University of Denver examines the current state of transit-oriented development (TOD) in Denver, Colorado. It begins with a review of the return of rail transit to the city and an evaluation of how Denver defines TOD. It then examines the status of TOD in the city as presented by the Regional Transit District (RTD). These data are then used as a starting point for a detailed analysis focused on how TOD is reshaping the land use and urban form throughout the entire Denver region. This analysis begins with an in depth review of how TOD development differs at the five individual station types as identified by RTD in their TOD Strategic Plan. It then continues with an examination of the planning efforts oriented to TOD ongoing throughout the region, and a comparison of these efforts to planning efforts ongoing in non-TOD areas. This is followed by a review of TOD oriented rezoning activities within the region, both at individual stations as well as within a recodification of the entire zoning bylaw currently ongoing within the city. Analyses of station-area population densities and mixed use development follows. The analysis concludes with an examination of mobility performance measure changes since the reintroduction of rail transit into the region. These measures were found in the 2009 Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute. Upon concluding the project, a number of issues became clear about TOD in Denver with the most obvious that the nearer to the downtown one is, the more impact TOD has had. It was also found that urban neighborhood, urban center, and major urban center stations all seem to be following their description within the RTD TOD typology. Development at urban neighborhood stations is mostly residential, at urban center stations more retail, office and government, and at major urban center stations more focused on larger mixed-use projects. The individual transit corridors are seen to be attracting different types of development depending upon their location, and overall office development regionally now seems now to have a more transit oriented focus. Though TOD has become an integral piece of the Denver planning process, it is really too early to evaluate the fruits of these efforts. From station area plans to the entire rezoning of the City and County of Denver, TOD or TOD concepts are now part of the equation. Mobility performance measures of the Denver region have also improved since the opening of Denver’s second transit line in 2000. This improvement cannot be specifically attributed to the reintroduction of rail transit into the region, but is an interesting coincidence to be investigated. KW - Denver (Colorado) KW - Land use KW - Mobility KW - Rail transit KW - Rail transit stations KW - Transit oriented development KW - Transportation planning KW - Urban form UR - http://ncit.msstate.edu/publications/publications_01.html UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089297 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173872 AU - Shaheen, Susan A AU - Rodier, Caroline AU - Murray, Gail AU - Cohen, Adam AU - Martin, Elliot AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Carsharing and Public Parking Policies: Assessing Benefits, Costs, and Best Practices in North America PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 90p AB - At present, local jurisdictions across North America are evaluating how best to provide parking spaces to carsharing vehicles in a fair and equitable manner. Some have initiated implementation of carsharing parking policies, and many continue to evolve as the demand and need for carsharing grows. Many others are seeking guidance on carsharing parking, based on the fledgling experience of other cities. This study documents the state of the practice with respect to carsharing and parking policies in North America. The study begins by providing background on the evidence of carsharing benefits and an overview of carsharing and parking policy internationally. This is followed, in Section Three, by a more detailed description of carsharing parking policies in North America that highlights key policy attributes, including parking allocation, caps, fees and permits, signage, enforcement, public involvement processes, and impact studies. In Section Four, in-depth case studies are presented for more advanced carsharing parking policies in the United States, including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Washington, D.C.; and the San Francisco Bay Area and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District. In Section Five, the results of a survey exploring the public’s opinion about the provision of on-street parking for carsharing in the San Francisco Bay Area is presented. Finally, in Section Six, key results are summarized to provide policy guidance to local governmental agencies considering the implementation of carsharing parking policies. KW - Benefits KW - Best practices KW - Costs KW - Parking KW - Policy KW - State of the practice KW - Vehicle sharing UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/09-09/2612_Carsharing-Parking.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/929240 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173864 AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Current Uses of Web 2.0 Applications in Transportation: Case Studies of Select State Departments of Transportation PY - 2010/03 SP - 50p AB - “Web 2.0” is an umbrella term for websites or online applications that are user-driven and emphasize collaboration and user interactivity. The trend away from static web pages to a more user-driven Internet model has also occurred in the public sector, where these dynamic web pages are known as “government 2.0” applications. The goals of government 2.0 applications are to promote transparent governance and citizen involvement in decision-making, often through sharing government data online through web-based applications. Overall, web applications termed 2.0 are distinguished from earlier generation online resources because they emphasize: (1) Users’ participation in content creation, editing, or distribution. (2) The ability to provide customized information to users that is tailored to their specific interests, preferences, or requests. In this report, the term “2.0” is used to refer to both web 2.0 and government 2.0 applications, since both types of initiatives share similar functionalities, albeit government 2.0 websites focus specifically on user participation in a government context. This report presents and synthesizes the findings from seven case studies that assess how select state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are applying 2.0 tools to meet various business objectives. The report identifies best practices, benefits, challenges, and lessons learned in the use of these technologies. It also describes the participating transportation agencies’ decision-making processes regarding the implementation and management of 2.0 applications. Observations made in the case studies are expected to support transportation officials in their efforts to consider the pros and cons of 2.0 use, as well as to determine how 2.0 tools might be best utilized. The project team case prepared case studies for DOTs in Massachusetts (MassDOT), Mississippi (MDOT), Missouri (MoDOT), North Carolina (NCDOT), Rhode Island (RIDOT), Texas (TxDOT), and Washington (WSDOT). KW - Benefits KW - Best practices KW - Challenges KW - Information systems KW - Interactive computer systems KW - Lessons learned KW - State departments of transportation KW - Web 2.0 KW - Web applications KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - http://www.gis.fhwa.dot.gov/documents/web20report/web20report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35700/35779/web20report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/927797 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173228 AU - Eby, David W AU - Molnar, Lisa J AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - M-CASTL 2008 Synthesis Report: Volume 1, Older Adult Mobility PY - 2010/03//Annual Report SP - 37p AB - The purpose of the annual M-CASTL synthesis report is to identify short and long-term research needs that support M-CASTLs theme and reflect the United States (US) Department of Transportations (DOTs) and other National organizations transportation research agendas. The intent of the report is to synthesize current relevant knowledge to help focus the Centers research program and to maintain continuity over each year of the grant. The synthesis report also serves as the background for the annual M-CASTL Transportation Research and Education Conference. The report begins with a review of empirical findings indicating that older adults are at higher risk of a fatal crash and tend to suffer many negative consequences when driving privileges are taken away. Issues of aging and mobility are conceptualized as having three complementary and interdependent goals: (1) to understand and better manage the effects of medical conditions and medications on skills needed for safe driving; (2) to help those who are able to drive safely continue to do so; and (3) to identify and provide community mobility support to those who are no longer able or choose not to drive. The report reviews background and recent research in several areas related to the three goals: medical conditions; screening and assessment; law enforcement; rehabilitation; technology; roadway design; caregiver economics; and community mobility. The research reviewed was gathered from a search of articles published in 2009 through February, 2010 in several peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. The report builds upon three recent reviews of the aging and mobility literature (Eby, Molnar, & St. Louis, 2008; Eby, Molnar, & Kartje, 2009; Eby, Molnar, & Vivoda, 2009) and serves as a companion to those reports. KW - Aged KW - Aged drivers KW - Diseases and medical conditions KW - Highway design KW - Mobility KW - Technological innovations KW - Traffic safety KW - Transportation UR - http://m-castl.org/files/2010SynthesisReport-Vol1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/927788 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164856 AU - Bennert, Thomas AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Forensic Testing of Stone Matrix Asphalt Rubber Material PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 27p AB - The project encompassed forensic testing on extracted cores of the stone matrix asphalt rubber (SMAR) material placed on I295. Cores were provided to the Rutgers Asphalt/Pavement Laboratory (RAPL) via Advanced Infrastructure and Design (AID). Performance testing on cores determined the following volumetric and mechanical properties: bulk specific gravity and air voids, permeability, fatigue cracking, rutting resistance and moisture sensitivity. KW - Air voids KW - Asphalt rubber KW - Cores (Specimens) KW - Fatigue cracking KW - Moisture sensitivity KW - Performance tests KW - Permeability KW - Rutting KW - Specific gravity KW - Stone matrix asphalt UR - http://cait.rutgers.edu/files/SMAR-RU0473_0.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33500/33579/SMAR-RU0473_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925816 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164229 AU - Yin, Weihao AU - Murray-Tuite, Pamela AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Virginia Transportation Research Council AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Link State Relationship under Incident Conditions: Using CTM-based Linear Programming Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 40p AB - Urban transportation networks, consisting of numerous links and nodes, experience traffic incidents such as accidents and road maintenance work. A typical consequence of incidents is congestion which results in long queues and causes high travel time variability. In order to combat the negative effects due to congestion, various mitigation strategies have been proposed and implemented in the United States and worldwide. The effectiveness of these congestion mitigation strategies for incident conditions largely depends on the accuracy of information regarding network conditions. Therefore, an efficient and accurate procedure to determine the link states, reflected by flows and density over time, is essential to incident management. This research project constructs a user equilibrium Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) model using linear programming (LP) that incorporates the Cell Transmission Model (CTM) to evaluate the temporal variation of flow and density over links, which accurately reflect the link states of a transportation network. The proposed model adopts a scheme of bi-level optimization in which the upper level program determines the flows over the network while the lower level program (CTM) propagates flows according to widely-accepted traffic flow theory. Encapsulation of the CTM equips the model with the capability of accepting inputs of incidents like duration and capacity reduction. Moreover, the proposed bi-level model is capable of handling multiple origin-destination (OD) pairs, which is a strength that most LP-based DTA models do not possess. By using this model, the temporal variation of flows over links can be readily evaluated and thus it can be used to predict the time-dependent link states. The results of numerical examples show that the flow pattern preserves the user equilibrium principle and satisfies the First-In- First-Out (FIFO) condition. The link-based encapsulation of CTM is able to temporally capture the queue between links and fully mimics the spillback within links. The flow pattern resultant from the proposed LP-DTA procedure can be transformed to density variation diagrams of links. These visualized density predictions provide insights to link state relationships by graphically describing the states of all the links of a transportation network. The impact of incidents on links can be reflected by their density and flow variations during and after the incidents. The results of the numerical examples, by isolating the effects of the incident, show that the parallel routes of a specific OD pair display the relationship of substituting for each other, which is consistent with general expectations. A closer examination over the density variations confirms the existence of a substitution relationship between the unshared links of the two routes connecting an OD pair. Quantitative information about the additional traffic on the diversion route in terms of amount and duration of diverted traffic is also obtained. Two levels of application of link state relationships are identified for real-world situations. Information about link states for different incident scenarios can be aggregated and mined to derive general patterns for the link state relationships. These patterns can be used as general guidance for incident management purposes. A microscopic level of application involves usage of flow and density predictions for a specific incident to determine which specific incident management strategy (e.g. opening the HOV lane to all traffic or changing signal timing) is most beneficial. KW - Dynamic traffic assignment KW - Incident management KW - Linear programming KW - Links (Networks) KW - Origin and destination KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic models UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/VT-2008-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921551 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164063 AU - Lomax, Tim AU - Wang, Bruce AU - Schrank, David AU - Eisele, William AU - Turner, Shawn AU - Ellis, David AU - Li, Yingfeng AU - Koncz, Nick AU - Geng, Lauren AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Improving Mobility Information with Better Data and Estimation Procedures PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 90p AB - The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) continues to be a national leader in providing congestion and mobility information. The information produced by TTI is used to communicate the issues of urban mobility at all levels of government in the U.S. and by both industry and non‐industry professionals when discussing mobility topics. The transportation field continues to evolve with more technological advancements affecting travel on the roadways and the data collected. This project incorporates the speed data from some of these new technologies into the Urban Mobility Report (UMR) to ensure that the report remains the preeminent source on the subject. The 2009 Urban Mobility Report will utilize the current speed estimation methodology, but future reports may be able to incorporate some archived speed information in place of the current estimated speeds. With the fuel price increases of the past few years, an updated analysis of the effects of fuel price fluctuations on travel demand and congestion are being included in the UMR. TTI has developed a methodology for estimating the commodities that are flowing in trucks and the associated traffic delay throughout our nation’s cities. However, at this time, it is unclear how to utilize this information in decision‐making. Some analysis is being performed to determine how to utilize this truck commodity flow information. KW - Commodity flow KW - Fuel prices KW - Mobility KW - Speed data KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic delays KW - Travel demand KW - Urban areas UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Lomax_09-17-09.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33760/Lomax_09-17-09.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/924647 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01162926 AU - Zuschlag, Michael AU - Chandra, D AU - Helleberg, J AU - Estes, S AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Research and Special Programs Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Symbols for Cockpit Displays of Traffic Information PY - 2010/03 SP - 78p AB - A web-based study assessed pilots ability to learn and remember traffic symbols that may be shown on a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI). These displays convey data obtained from Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS B) and related Aircraft Surveillance Applications System (ASAS) technologies, as well as other surveillance data sources. Three aspects of using the traffic symbols were evaluated: intuitiveness, ease of learning, and ease of remembering the symbols. Four symbol sets were tested, each with approximately 22 symbols. Each participant saw only one of the four symbol sets. The sets used different visual features of the traffic symbol to represent the Directionality, Data Quality, Air/Ground State, Alert Level, Selection State, and Pairing State of nearby aircraft. A total of 623 pilots with a broad range of experience participated. Results showed that while some conventions are well understood, such as the use of red and yellow for warnings and cautions (respectively), other conventions may be confusing and should be avoided. Results of the study were considered by a Federal Advisory Committee that develops standards for these traffic displays (RTCA Special Committee 186). KW - Air traffic control KW - Aircraft operations KW - Aircraft pilotage KW - Approach control KW - Cockpit display of traffic information KW - Cockpits KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Warning systems UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920714 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01160583 AU - Glitman, Karen AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Workforce Development at Community Colleges PY - 2010/03 SP - 35p AB - Community college participation and endorsement will be integral to the success of a National Transportation Workforce Development Strategy. The University of Vermont Transportation Research Center (TRC) analyzed the results of a survey conducted with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) that sought to quantify existing community colleges’ programs, infrastructure and partnerships preparing students for careers in transportation. Building upon data from this survey, the TRC has analyzed what transportation training exists at community colleges today and how that curriculum is supported by both investments in specialized equipment and through strategic partnerships. As detailed in this report: 1) The majority of schools reported having programs that develop skills relevant to the transportation sector, especially general skills (finance, technologies, operations and maintenance) that are transferrable to non-transportation industries; 2) Where schools are planning to expand or initiate transportation curriculum, it is primarily in technical areas, such as engineering, where the skills may extend to sectors other than transportation; 3) Similarly, where schools indicated having specialized equipment, most of the investment was for tools that could be leveraged beyond transportation studies, and few schools reported owning or having access to transportation-specific equipment, such as training ships, rail cars, or airplane fuselages; and 4) The majority of schools reported having strategic partnerships with other schools; federal, state, and municipal government entities; and private companies – supporting their transportation-related efforts. Collectively, these data suggest that there is a solid foundation within community colleges to deliver transportation-related training, but that additional investment and coordination likely will be necessary to support future workforce needs. To that end, this report lays out both best practices for community colleges looking to increase their transportation programs and recommendations for how the U.S. Department of Transportation can best stimulate and support the evolution of community colleges as a key pillar in the transportation workforce development infrastructure. KW - Best practices KW - Community colleges KW - Curricula KW - Education and training KW - Equipment KW - Partnerships KW - Recommendations KW - Surveys KW - Transportation careers KW - Universities and colleges KW - Workforce development UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/trc_reports/UVM-TRC-10-002.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921471 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01160558 AU - Eby, David W AU - Molnar, Lisa J AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - M-CASTL 2010 Synthesis Report—Volume 1: Older Adult Safety and Mobility PY - 2010/03//Annual Report SP - 37p AB - The purpose of the annual Michigan Center for Advancing Safe Transportation throughout the Lifespan (M-CASTL) synthesis report is to identify short and long-term research needs that support M-CASTL’s theme and reflect the U.S. Department of Transportation’s and other national organizations' transportation research agendas. The intent of the report is to synthesize current relevant knowledge to help focus the Center’s research program and to maintain continuity over each year of the grant. The synthesis report also serves as the background for the annual M-CASTL Transportation Research and Education Conference. The report begins with a review of empirical findings indicating that older adults are at higher risk of a fatal crash and tend to suffer many negative consequences when driving privileges are taken away. Issues of aging and mobility are conceptualized as having three complementary and interdependent goals: (1) to understand and better manage the effects of medical conditions and medications on skills needed for safe driving; (2) to help those who are able to drive safely continue to do so; and (3) to identify and provide community mobility support to those who are no longer able or choose not to drive. The report reviews background and recent research in several areas related to the three goals: medical conditions; screening and assessment; law enforcement; rehabilitation; technology; roadway design; caregiver economics; and community mobility. The research reviewed was gathered from a search of articles published in 2009 through February, 2010 in several peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. The report builds upon three recent reviews of the aging and mobility literature (Eby, Molnar, & St. Louis, 2008; Eby, Molnar, & Kartje, 2009; Eby, Molnar, & Vivoda, 2009) and serves as a companion to those reports. KW - Aged KW - Aged drivers KW - Aging (Biology) KW - Diseases and medical conditions KW - Driver licensing KW - Driver rehabilitation KW - Driving KW - Driving cessation KW - High risk drivers KW - Law enforcement KW - Medication KW - Mobility KW - Research KW - Research needs KW - Syntheses KW - Technology UR - http://m-castl.org/files/2010SynthesisReport-Vol1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921330 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01158860 AU - Jenkins, Brian Michael AU - Butterworth, Bruce R AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Department of Homeland Security AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Explosives and Incendiaries Used in Terrorist Attacks on Public Surface Transportation PY - 2010/03 SP - 105p AB - This report provides data on terrorist attacks against public surface transportation targets and serious crimes committed against such targets throughout the world. The data are drawn from the MTI database of attacks on public surface transportation, which is expanded and updated as information becomes available. This analysis is based on the database as of February 20, 2010. Data include the frequency and lethality with which trains, buses, and road and highway targets are attacked; the relationship between fatalities and attacks against those targets; and the relationship between injuries and attacks against them. The report presents some preliminary observations drawn from the data that can help stakeholders—governments, transit managers, and employees—to focus on the ways the most frequent and/or most lethal attacks are carried out as they consider measures to prevent or mitigate attacks that may be considered likely to happen in the United States. KW - Bombs KW - Databases KW - Explosives KW - Fatalities KW - National security KW - Public transit KW - Security KW - Terrorism UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/mtiportal/research/publications/documents/MTI-IEDreport%203-31-10%20%28with%20Covers%29.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/918697 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01158844 AU - Jenkins, Brian Michael AU - Butterworth, Bruce R AU - Shrum, Karl S AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Department of Homeland Security AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Terrorist Attacks on Public Bus Transportation PY - 2010/03 SP - 116p AB - This report provides data on terrorist attacks against public bus transportation targets and serious crimes committed against such targets throughout the world. The data are drawn from the MTI database of attacks on public surface transportation, and this analysis is based on the database as of December 17, 2009. Data include the frequency and lethality with which buses, bus stations, and bus stops are attacked; the relationship between fatalities and attacks against bus targets and the relationship between injuries and attacks against those targets; how often, relative to other surface transportation targets, buses are attacked, first with all weapons and then with only explosive and incendiary devices; the relative lethality of attacks; and the distribution of attacks. It then presents some preliminary observations drawn from those data that can help stakeholders such as governments, transit managers, and employees, to focus on the ways the most frequent and/or most lethal attacks are carried out as they consider measures to prevent or mitigate attacks that may be considered likely to happen in the United States. KW - Bus stops KW - Bus terminals KW - Bus transit KW - Bus transportation KW - Databases KW - Explosives KW - Fatalities KW - Injuries KW - Passenger security KW - Security KW - Terrorism UR - http://transweb.sjsu.edu/mtiportal/research/publications/documents/MTI-Bus-Interim%20Bus%20Report%20FINAL%204-6-10%20%28with%20Covers%29.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/918705 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01156925 AU - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010: Safety Measurement System (SMS) Methodology PY - 2010/03//Version 1.2 SP - 95p AB - This report documents the Safety Measurement System (SMS) methodology developed to support the Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) Initiative for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The SMS is one of the major tools for measuring the safety of individual motor carriers and Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) drivers. Such measures help identify and monitor safety problems as part of the CSA 2010 safety improvement process. The SMS design builds on the lessons learned from developing and implementing SafeStat for Compliance Reviews (CR) prioritization. However, the SMS also incorporates new CSA 2010 requirements for identifying specific types of unsafe behaviors that the entities exhibit. A more specialized set of interventions will now address these unsafe behaviors and the system will also expand the use of on-road safety violation data. In January 2008, FMCSA started an Operational Model (OM) Test of the CSA 2010 Initiative, which includes using the SMS to identify and monitor unsafe carrier and CMV driver behavior. Version 1.2 of the Methodology incorporates feedback from the OM Test and was implemented in the OM Test in April 2009. This revision further clarifies some of the SMS features originally documented in April 2009, but does not represent any changes to the methodology. Future SMS development will be part of a continuous improvement process based on results and feedback from this OM Test. KW - Bus drivers KW - Commercial vehicles KW - Compliance KW - Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 KW - Highway safety KW - Measurement KW - Methodology KW - Motor carriers KW - Truck drivers KW - Trucking safety UR - http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/smsmethodology.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917684 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01156594 AU - Strathman, James G AU - Simmons, Elizabeth AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Financing Mechanisms for Capital Improvements: Interchanges PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 81p AB - This report examines the use of alternative local financing mechanisms for interchange and interchange area infrastructure improvements. The financing mechanisms covered include transportation impact fees, tax increment financing, value capture financing, local improvement districts, transportation corporations, state infrastructure banks, local option transportation taxes, fair share mitigation, and transportation concurrency. The financing alternatives are assessed in the context of Interchange Area Management Plans, which are required by the Oregon Transportation Commission, as well as in the context of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s responsibilities under the state’s Transportation Planning Rule. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Corporations KW - Fair share KW - Financing KW - Impact fees KW - Improvements KW - Interchanges KW - Local government KW - Oregon KW - State infrastructure banks KW - Taxes KW - Transportation concurrency KW - Value capture UR - http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/ResearchReports/Financing_Mechanisms_for_Capital_Improvements.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917299 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155733 AU - Joslin, Ann AU - National Center for Transit Research AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Regional Fare Policy and Fare Allocation, Innovations in Fare Equipment and Data Collection PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 128p AB - Changing demographic, land use, and social characteristics are prompting transit agencies to rethink the traditional business model of operating in a fairly independent manner within their jurisdictional boundaries. As a result, the planning and implementation of regional fare programs ranging from simple interagency agreements to allow for free transfers between systems to complex multi-agency programs with a technology focus have increased in recent years. The continued evolution and increasingly widespread usage of electronic payment technologies have facilitated fare integration efforts by making possible a greater range of payment options and offering a more efficient means of distributing fare media. This report documents recent experiences related to regional fare programs in the United States, with an emphasis on institutional arrangements, technological impacts, customer acceptance, data processing enhancements, and costs and benefits. Five case studies are included to demonstrate a variety of approaches to regional fare coordination. A summary of best practices for the implementation of regional fare programs identified in the literature review and case studies is included for agencies who may be evaluating regional fare program options. KW - Automatic fare collection KW - Best practices KW - Case studies KW - Fare collection KW - Fares KW - Innovation KW - Policy KW - Public transit KW - Regional fare management programs KW - Transit operating agencies KW - United States UR - http://www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BD549-51_rpt.pdf UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/pdf/77705.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916348 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155731 AU - Washer, Glenn A AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Long-Term Remote Sensing System for Bridge Piers and Abutments PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 40p AB - Scour and other natural hazards have the potential to undermine the stability of piers in highway bridges. This has led to bridge collapse in the past, and significant efforts have been undertaken to address the potential danger of scour and other hazards. However, there remains a lack of reliable, cost-effective, long-term monitoring devices capable of determining the structural stability of bridge piers. Research and development proposed within this project is intended to develop a unique and robust monitoring system for highway bridge piers. This system will be designed to measure changes in tilt and vertical displacement of bridge piers using an array of low-cost sensors mounted on the bridge pier and superstructure. Signal processing correlation algorithms will be developed that use sensor density and location to better measure long-term bridge rotations and displacements. The use of a high-density sensor array will provide a redundant, autonomous and stable measurement system. Unique and innovative aspects of the proposed system include 1) the ability to measure vertical displacement of a pier that may occur without tilt, 2) special signal processing algorithms that will reduce temperature and drift problems common to long-term monitoring systems, and 3) the implementation of a redundant sensor array to reduce costs and increase long-term system reliability. The prototype system will be tested in cooperation with the New York State Department of Transportation. KW - Algorithms KW - Bridge abutments KW - Bridge piers KW - Highway bridges KW - Monitoring KW - Prototypes KW - Redundancy KW - Remote sensing KW - Scour KW - Signal processing KW - Structural stability KW - Tilting (Bridges) KW - Vertical displacement (Structures) UR - http://transportation.mst.edu/media/research/transportation/documents/R195_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916396 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153259 AU - Cox, Brady R AU - McCartney, John S AU - Trowler, Christina N AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Accelerated Characterization of Full-Scale Flexible Pavements Using a Vibroseis PY - 2010/03//Final Report SP - 101p AB - Geosynthetic basal reinforcement has been used in flexible pavements to limit the occurrence of rutting, fatigue, and environmental-related cracking, and to permit reduction in base course thickness. However, the lack of an accelerated test to evaluate the behavior of full-scale pavement test sections in an economical and representative manner has limited the understanding of the role of variables that may affect the performance of basally-reinforced flexible pavement. Current accelerated tests involve either cyclic plate load tests or heavy vehicle simulators. Cyclic plate load tests often have scale effects, while heavy vehicle simulators require significant space, high construction cost, and long durations. These shortcomings have prevented parametric analyses of important variables such as pavement geometry, geosynthetic properties, depth of geosynthetic placement, stress state, and load (magnitude and frequency). The research objective of this study is to develop and validate a new accelerated testing approach to characterize full-scale pavement models with the capability of considering these variables in a timely manner. Specifically, this study will involve construction of full-scale pavement test sections which will be characterized using a vibroseis (shaker truck). The vibroseis can apply static wheel loads as well as dynamic normal and shear loads at selected frequencies. In the tests, dynamic loads will be applied to the pavement surface, and nonlinear stiffness-strain relationships for the pavement layers (base, geogrid, and subgrade) will be inferred using geophones and suction sensors embedded at different depths in the pavement section. This information will be useful to perform long-term dynamic modeling of pavements Cycles of ESALs will then be applied until pavement failure is observed, similar to traditional heavy vehicle simulator tests. Accordingly, this test is expected to be faster and yield more useful information than existing tests, while still maintaining representative loading conditions. An important component of this study will be the selection of the geometry of the test sections and the characteristics of the applied loads to ensure test conditions representative of actual pavements. This study will only involve the development and validation of this testing approach. However, future projects will apply this new test in parametric evaluation of design alternatives, permitting selection of the optimal pavement design before implementation in the field. Information from such tests can be used to develop design guidelines for reinforced pavements, perform cost-benefit design analyses, evaluate the impact of environmental variables in a controlled setting, and calibrate design codes for lifetime prediction of reinforced pavements. KW - Accelerated tests KW - Base course (Pavements) KW - Dynamic loads KW - Equivalent single axle loads KW - Flexible pavements KW - Geogrids KW - Geophones KW - Geosynthetics KW - Static loads KW - Subgrade (Pavements) KW - Test sections KW - Vibratory equipment UR - http://www.arkansastrc.com/MBTC%20REPORTS/MBTC%203013.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914832 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159762 AU - Kandarpa, Ram AU - Sangillo, Jeff AU - Burgess, Lisa AU - Toppen, Alan AU - Booz Allen Hamilton AU - Kimley-Horn & Associates, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Real-Time Traveler Information Market Assessment White Paper PY - 2010/02/22 SP - 160p AB - This report takes a multi-modal look at the “lay of the land” of the real-time traveler information market in the United States. This includes identification and characterization of the gaps in the domestic industry with respect to data coverage, data quality, data procurement methods, and data usage. Ultimately, the focus is to identify the gaps in real-time information across different modes (i.e., traffic, transit, parking, and intermodal/freight). The analysis also documents the institutional, technical, and cost issues associated with collecting real-time data from these modes; opportunities for closing the gaps; and utility of real-time data for uses beyond traveler information. Although each mode offers a unique set of challenges, an important objective of this study is to identify opportunities to best leverage resources and innovative approaches that span multiple modes. KW - Advanced traveler information systems KW - Data collection KW - Data quality KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Real time information UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32900/32927/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32900/32927/rtti_wp.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920264 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461700 TI - Overcoming Barriers to Sharing Freight Transportation Data AB - Public infrastructure managers, environmental planners, freight shippers, and carriers need to understand and anticipate freight flows between regions, in corridors, and on particular links. This requires a variety of data describing the types and volume of freight moved between areas of production and attraction and the characteristics of modes that carry that freight (e.g., quality and cost of service). Key elements of those data come from individual shippers and carriers; the originators of data on shipments by commodity type, volume, and schedule; flows by mode; and levels of service in the logistics system. It has become almost standard for private carriers and shippers to track shipments and vehicles in near-real-time to support operations management. Such detailed and accurate data, in both real-time and archived form, are of high value to public infrastructure operators for management and planning purposes. In particular, these data are essential for modeling freight flows and their environmental and energy consequences, and for testing policies to manage and moderate those consequences. Stakeholders in freight data sharing also include the vendors that collect real-time data for carriers and shippers, as well as consultants who analyze and transform those data into useful management information. However, there are several important barriers to be overcome to collect, share, and make effective use of such private freight flow data. The objective of this research is to provide a general framework for agreements for public-private sharing of freight data to support planning and management decisions. The products will include samples and case studies of successful pubic-private freight data sharing arrangements, identification and analysis of the safeguards included to protect all stakeholders, and model data sharing agreements. KW - Data collection KW - Freight corridors KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Public private partnerships KW - Quality of service KW - Research projects UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2919 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229920 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154170 AU - Lawphongpanich, Siriphong AU - Yin, Yafeng AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Pricing Approach for Mitigating Congestion in Multimodal Transportation Systems PY - 2010/02/19/Final Report SP - 16p AB - The problem addressed in this research is to determine usage prices for a system with multiple modes of transportation with the objective of reducing congestion. With multiple modes, these prices can take on several forms. On road networks, the usage prices refer to the tolls collected from motorists for access to certain streets and highways. On a transit system, the usage prices are the fares the riders have to pay to travel on, for example, buses and subways. The basic concept in this proposal is to employ the market force to allocate limited road and transit capacities among travelers by their need to travel and their willingness to pay. The idea involves charging congested routes higher prices. When willing to pay higher prices, travelers can travel with reduced congestion during peak periods, using the modes, and along the routes of their choosing. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Fares KW - Market forces KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Tolls KW - Travel needs KW - Willingness to pay UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/Lawphongpanich_CMS_Final_Report_2008-006.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45642/Lawphongpanich_CMS_Final_Report_2008-006.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915692 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01325124 AU - Cardosi, Kim AU - Chase, Stephanie AU - Eon, Danielle AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Runway Safety PY - 2010/02/12 SP - 37p AB - Information provided through analysis of runway incursions is useful in many ways. Analysis of the errors made by pilots, controllers, and vehicle drivers is the first step toward developing error mitigation strategies. Furthermore, successful design of future systems requires knowledge of characteristics of the incursions experienced today as well as the successes and limitations of previously implemented strategies This paper explores what is known about the human errors and other factors that have been identified as contributing to runway incursions, and offers some error mitigation strategies. The data presented will be useful in helping to design the most effective tools for safety, increasing capacity, and for estimating the safety benefits of proposed system enhancements. KW - Air traffic control KW - Air traffic controllers KW - Air transportation crashes KW - Aircraft pilotage KW - Airport runways KW - Flow control (Air traffic control) KW - Human error KW - Runway incursions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35000/35095/Cardosi_Runway_Safety_2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1085884 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577980 TI - Biotechnological Improvement of Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum) for Higher Biomass Yield AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Grasses KW - Technology UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1371344 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01577446 TI - Evaluating the Economics of Incorporating Preprocessing Facilities in Biomass Supply Logistics with an Application in East Tennessee AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Economic factors KW - Facilities KW - Logistics KW - Processing (Materials) KW - Supply chain management KW - Tennessee UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370572 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01576084 TI - Identification of Ma1, a Gene that Prevents Flowering of Biomass Crops AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Crops KW - Genetics KW - Plants UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1370157 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575843 TI - Technical and Economic Impact of Multiple Biomass Feeds on Ethanol Production at a Repurposed Kraft Pulp Mill AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Economic impacts KW - Ethanol KW - Mills KW - Production UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368766 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575545 TI - Integrated Biorefinery Optimization through Biomass Fractionation, Gasification, and Advanced Catalytic Conversion Processes AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Catalysis KW - Energy conversion KW - Gasification KW - Optimization KW - Refining UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368010 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575539 TI - Microemulsions for Enhanced Biomass Pretreatment AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Emulsions KW - Production methods UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367961 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575348 TI - Transgenic Wood with Genetically Built-In Hyperthermophilic Endo-1, 4-Beta-D-Xylanase/Beta-Xylosidase and Reduced Lignin for Direct Biological-Based Saccharification AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Wood waste UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1367545 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462057 TI - Freight Transportation Cost Data Elements AB - A critical requirement of transportation planning and management is to understand the performance of transportation systems and facilities. Transportation system performance and related data can be used to monitor and assess existing freight transportation efficiency and to target system improvements. Accurate freight transportation cost data are required for cost-benefit comparisons, impact and systems analyses, and modal optimization. Measures previously used have included freight bill costs and cargo value, or shipper costs which may include indirect broker costs and other supply chain profit margins. These measures may have little connection to the direct and discrete marginal costs to users of a given facility. One useful measure or performance indicator is the freight carrier costs that accrue while using a particular transportation system or facility. While the direct freight user costs associated with the use of any particular transportation facility may not be a direct consequence of the facility itself, the marginal costs that accrue can provide a good indicator or surrogate for how user costs can change within a system, or as a tool for comparing costs across systems. Transportation decisionmakers have two methods for obtaining freight cost data: either from primary sources or indirectly through ad hoc estimation. However, many primary sources of freight transportation cost data disappeared with deregulation or because of budget constraints. Estimated freight transportation cost data used today typically derive from secondary data, aggregated piecemeal data, facility-specific surveys, or broad cost indices. While freight transportation cost data can fluctuate dramatically, the relevant cost data elements are relatively stable across modes and time. Consequently, research and guidance is needed on (1) the freight cost data elements required for different transportation planning objectives and (2) the sources of those data elements. The objectives of this research are to (1) identify the specific types of direct freight transportation cost data elements required for public investment, policy, and regulatory decisionmaking and (2) describe and assess different strategies for identifying and obtaining the needed cost data elements. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Capital investments KW - Cost data KW - Decision making KW - Freight bills KW - Freight documents KW - Freight transportation KW - Policy KW - Policy making KW - Public investment KW - Research projects KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2669 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230277 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554422 AU - Dhindsa, Albinder AU - Alexiadis, Vassili AU - Kumar, Saurabh AU - Calandra, Mike AU - Vasudevan, Meenakshy AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Integrated Corridor Management I-15 San Diego, California – Model Validation and Calibration Report PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 50p AB - The Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) initiative requires the calibration and validation of simulation models used in the Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation of Pioneer Site proposed integrated corridors. This report summarizes the results and process for the calibration of microsimulation network for the I-15 Corridor in San Diego, California. As one of the Pioneer Sites for the ICM project, the I-15 Corridor was simulated in TransModeler microsimulation. Various versions of TransModeler were utilized as additional capabilities became available. The work was conducted by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (CS), in partnership with San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The eventual model was satisfactorily calibrated according to the guidelines set forth in the Experimental Plan. The report is organized into two major parts. The first part provides the final calibration results, and provides a quick summary of the model calibration criteria and comparison against real data. The second section provides further insights into the calibration process, including details on the software used, challenges faced, and key lessons that can be carried forward in future projects. KW - Calibration KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Microsimulation KW - San Diego (California) KW - Software KW - Transportation corridors KW - Validation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54300/54341/I-15_San_Diego_ICMS_Model_Validation_and_Calibration__FHWA-JPO-10-038_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342148 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554203 AU - Papayannoulis, Vassilis AU - Poe, Christopher AU - Abdelghany, Khaled AU - Le, Minh AU - Snyder, Dena AU - Wunderlkich, Karl AU - Alexiadis, Vassili AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Integrated Corridor Management: U.S. 75 Dallas, Texas – Analysis Plan PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 62p AB - This Analysis Modeling and Simulation (AMS) Analysis Plan for the U.S. 75 Pioneer Corridor outlines the various tasks associated with the application of the Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) AMS tools and strategies to the corridor, in support of a benefit-cost assessment of the proposed strategies. The report provides a brief description of the Pioneer Corridor in Dallas, Texas, and the methodology used for the AMS. It lays out ICM strategies that will be tested, and provides a list of the AMS scenarios. This report then defines performance measures that will be utilized in the analysis of the ICM strategies on the Pioneer Corridor and sets out the simulation model validation requirements and the data needs for this calibration. Finally, the last two sections of this report present an overview of the Pioneer Corridor AMS document that will be developed to summarize the results of the AMS effort and provides a schedule and a resource guide for the AMS tasks. KW - Analysis KW - Calibration KW - Dallas (Texas) KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Performance measurement KW - Simulation KW - Transportation corridors UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54300/54353/U.S._75_Dallas_ICMS_Analysis_Plan__FHWA-JPO-10-035_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342223 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554171 AU - Chiu, Yi-Chang AU - Bustillos, Brenda I AU - Papayannoulis, Vassilis AU - Hickman, Mark AU - Head, K Larry AU - Wang, Shuo AU - Alexiadis, Vassili AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) for Minneapolis Site Model Calibration and Validation Report PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 87p AB - This technical report documents the calibration and validation of the baseline (2008) mesoscopic model for the I-394 Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pioneer Site. DynusT was selected as the mesoscopic model for analyzing operating conditions in the I-394 corridor study area, and the report provides details on the network development, traffic flow model calibration, origin-destination (OD) demand calibration, and model validation. In addition, the report provides a modeling methodology for simulation of transit, as well as the results of a sensitivity analysis, utilizing information from a known incident, undertaken to verify the ability of the validated model to replicate operating conditions for incident scenarios. In summary, the DynusT model for the I-394 corridor replicated the 2008 baseline operating conditions well as evidenced by the comparisons of observed and modeled volumes, travel times, and speed contours on I-394. Furthermore, the simulated known incident exhibited consistent traffic diversions, speed reductions, duration, and queue propagation with the actual data. KW - Analysis KW - Calibration KW - Incident management KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Mesoscopic traffic flow KW - Methodology KW - Minneapolis (Minnesota) KW - Public transit KW - Sensitivity analysis KW - Simulation KW - Transportation corridors KW - Validation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54300/54345/I-394_Minneapolis_ICMS_Model_Validation_and_Cal.__FHWA-JPO-10-036_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342208 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01554160 AU - Dhindsa, Albinder AU - Alexiadis, Vassili AU - Estrella, Alex AU - Miller, Mike AU - Vasudevan, Meenakshy AU - Calandra, Mike AU - Allegre, Ellison AU - Kumar, Saurabh AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Integrated Corridor Management I-15 San Diego, California – Analysis Plan PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 92p AB - This Analysis Modeling Simulation (AMS) Analysis Plan for the I-15 Corridor outlines the various tasks associated with the application of the Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) AMS tools and strategies to this corridor in order to support benefit-cost assessment for the successful implementation of ICM. The report provides a brief description of the I-15 Corridor in San Diego, California, and the methodology used for the AMS. It lays out ICM strategies that will be tested and provides a list of the AMS scenarios. This report then defines performance measures that will be utilized in the analysis of the ICM strategies on the Pioneer Corridor and sets out the simulation model calibration requirements and the data needs for this calibration. Finally, the last two sections present an overview of the Pioneer Corridor AMS document that will be developed to summarize the results of the AMS effort and provides a schedule and a resource guide for the AMS tasks. Appendixes are included that provide detailed lists of prioritized ICM strategies and scenarios for San Diego, provide the Data Collection Plan for the AMS effort, provide the draft methodology memorandum for calculating travel time reliability for the AMS effort, and describe the method employed to estimate transit mode shift. KW - Analysis KW - Calibration KW - Data collection KW - Integrated corridor management KW - Modal shift KW - Performance measurement KW - San Diego (California) KW - Simulation KW - Transportation corridors UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54300/54340/I-15_San_Diego_ICMS_Analysis_Plan__FHWA-JPO-10-039_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1342209 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485007 AU - Haghani, Ali AU - Hamedi, Masoud AU - Sadrsadat, Hadi AU - Smith, Heather AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Maryland Department of Transportation AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Existing Right-of-Way Plats Database PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 78p AB - The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) Office of Real Estate processes a high volume of plat information and research requests on a daily basis. This is a lengthy process which is completed manually. The Office of Real Estate intends to improve the plat retrieval process by incorporating an automated system. A team of University of Maryland researchers developed a prototype system in which graphical plat queries may be conducted. In order for the graphical search to work, the four corner coordinates of each plat must be included in a database that is tied to this system. Currently, this information is missing. A solution is to geo-reference plats to an ArcGIS map. There are approximately 60,000 plats in the plat inventory which are currently in use at the Office of Real Estate which need to be geo-referenced in order for this system to be effective. Two sample sets of plats were given to the University of Maryland research team to estimate the time needed to geo-reference the entire set of plats. University of Maryland researchers participated in several training sessions at SHA to learn about plat reading and the geo-referencing of plats. This information coupled with ArcGIS skills allowed two researchers to geo-reference two sample sets of plats that included a total of 281 plats. The following issues were encountered during the process of geo-referencing the sample plats: Some plat files were too old and showed areas have been changed; Some plats lacked information on very short segments of road; In some cases, there were errors in plat drawing; Scale of ArcGIS and plat files were inconsistent; and In some cases there were multiple road segments in a single plat drawing If the location of a plat could not be determined, it could not be geo-referenced. Of the sample set, a total of 255 plats could be geo-referenced. 56 plats could not be geo-referenced due to one or more of the issues noted above. The authors' conclusion from geo-referencing the sample plats is that it takes an average of 13.77 minutes to geo-reference a plat. Based on this experiment, the research team estimates that geo-referencing all 60,000 plats will require approximately 13,800 person-hours. If the authors only consider the time that it took to geo-reference the plats in the second set that was provided by SHA, the average time to geo-reference a plat was 10.77 minutes. This reduction in average time is a result of the experience gained and the lessons learned from geo-referencing the first set of plats. Considering this shorter average time per plat the total person-hours required to geo-reference all 60,000 plats is estimated to be 10,800. The research team also investigated two systems that are currently in use in SHA in an effort to explore the possibility of integrating the Real Estate plat database in these systems. The Office of Real Estate Management System (OREMS) is a database system which is used as an online organization tool for the Maryland SHA Office of Real Estate. The website includes a plat query database currently used to keep a record of plats, but not to locate plats. The database offers a text based query for a Plat Search, Project Search, and Property Search. The system does not currently have a graphical query capability. A number of suggestions are made in this report to enhance the current search engine. In an earlier effort, a team of researchers of University of Maryland developed an automated prototype system which has graphical query capability. So, a link between OREMS and this system must be established. With a few moderate changes, the system would be compatible with the SHA system. The SHA Web Mapping Engine (SHAWME) is an application used to research geographical data in the state of Maryland. Current GIS data are available on this web-based application. The Office of Real Estate rarely uses SHAWME because plats are not included in the system. After exploring the SHAWME system in great depth, suggestions are made to integrate the prototype system that was developed in the University of Maryland earlier efforts with the GIS layers that are available in SHAWME and the plat database in OREMS. Completion of this integration along with completion of geo-referencing of the 60,000 plats will enable SHA Office of Real Estate personnel to access the full capabilities of the prototype system developed by the University of Maryland including the text based and graphical queries, plat search and plat retrieval and display. KW - ArcGIS KW - Automation KW - Data integration KW - Databases KW - Geographic information systems KW - Georeferenced data KW - Graphical techniques KW - Information retrieval KW - Land subdivision KW - Prototypes KW - Real property KW - Right of way (Land) UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/UMD-2007-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253551 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01457117 AU - Perkins, Robert A AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Creosote Treated Timber in the Alaskan Marine Environment Volume II PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 366p AB - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) is responsible for many structures that incorporate wood pilings and other timber in Alaska waters. Most are treated with preservative to inhibit marine borers that will quickly destroy unprotected wood. Creosote is generally the most economical preservative and has been used for over a hundred years. Creosote contains many toxic chemicals and some governments and organizations are limiting its use. This project reviewed current science regarding use of creosoted wood in marine waters and the current regulatory matrix that controls its use, and developed recommendations for its use. Even with best management practices, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from new creosote timber will be transferred to the marine environment. Laboratory tests and field observations show that PAH chemicals slowly diffuse from the wood into the water column. The heavier PAH chemicals sink to the bottom directly, or adsorb to organic or inorganic moieties in the water and then sink, incorporating into the sediment. The lighter PAH chemicals are quickly volatilized and oxidized. Scientific observations of creosote behavior in meso-scale tests verify that the concentrations of PAH from marine piles in the water column are negligible after the first few weeks. The fate of PAH in the sediment depends on the oxygen status of the upper sediment layers. If the sediment is not anoxic, the PAH will be oxidized. With sufficient oxygen in the upper layers of sediment, the PAH concentration will initially rise, then decline. With timber treated according to best management practices, if the sediments are not anoxic and the surrounding waters are not stagnant, and the area is not already contaminated, creosote marine timbers are unlikely to have a significant long-term effect on the environment. Further, meso-scale testing indicated that effects were confined to a region close to the structures themselves. KW - Alaska KW - Best practices KW - Contaminants KW - Creosote KW - Environmental impacts KW - Protective coating KW - Wooden bridges UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/08/Creosote_Vol_II.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1225097 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01457106 AU - Perkins, Robert A AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Creosote Treated Timber in the Alaskan Marine Environment Volume I PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 88p AB - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) is responsible for many structures that incorporate wood pilings and other timber in Alaska waters. Most are treated with preservative to inhibit marine borers that will quickly destroy unprotected wood. Creosote is generally the most economical preservative and has been used for over a hundred years. Creosote contains many toxic chemicals and some governments and organizations are limiting its use. This project reviewed current science regarding use of creosoted wood in marine waters and the current regulatory matrix that controls its use, and developed recommendations for its use. Even with best management practices, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from new creosote timber will be transferred to the marine environment. Laboratory tests and field observations show that PAH chemicals slowly diffuse from the wood into the water column. The heavier PAH chemicals sink to the bottom directly, or adsorb to organic or inorganic moieties in the water and then sink, incorporating into the sediment. The lighter PAH chemicals are quickly volatilized and oxidized. Scientific observations of creosote behavior in meso-scale tests verify that the concentrations of PAH from marine piles in the water column are negligible after the first few weeks. The fate of PAH in the sediment depends on the oxygen status of the upper sediment layers. If the sediment is not anoxic, the PAH will be oxidized. With sufficient oxygen in the upper layers of sediment, the PAH concentration will initially rise, then decline. With timber treated according to best management practices, if the sediments are not anoxic and the surrounding waters are not stagnant, and the area is not already contaminated, creosote marine timbers are unlikely to have a significant long-term effect on the environment. Further, meso-scale testing indicated that effects were confined to a region close to the structures themselves. KW - Alaska KW - Best practices KW - Contaminants KW - Creosote KW - Environmental impacts KW - Protective coating KW - Wooden bridges UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2012/12/Volume-I-of-Creosote.Perkins-ineautc1120.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1225095 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01456684 AU - Benjaafar, Saif AU - Li, Yanzhi AU - Daskin, Mark AU - Qi, Lejun AU - Kennedy, Shaun AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Low Carbon Logistics through Supply Chain Design and Coordination PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 66p AB - In this project, the authors addressed carbon emissions in logistics through supply chain design, planning and coordination. They argue that: (1) supply chain design, planning, and coordination can help reduce carbon emissions significantly; (2) supply chain-wide collaboration can lead to lower emissions at lower cost for the entire supply chain; and (3) imposing supply chain-wide emissions limits can make emissions reductions more economical for the entire supply chain by recognizing the differential capabilities of firms in meeting emission standards and by allowing internal carbon offsetting to take place between firms within the same supply chain. The results of the project are discussed in an Executive Summary and presented in two reports : (1) Benjaafar, Li and Daskin, “Carbon Footprint and the Management of Supply Chains: Insights from Simple Models,” CFIRE-CTS Technical Report, University of Minnesota, 2010; and (2) Qi, Benjaafar, and Kennedy, “The Carbon Footprint of UHT Milk,” CFIRE-CTS Technical Report, University of Minnesota, 2010. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Business practices KW - Dairy products KW - Environmental impacts KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Logistics KW - Milk KW - Supply chain management UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_CFIRE0306.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224925 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01365322 AU - Fisher, Frances B AU - Linthicum, Alex AU - Plosky, Eric AU - Spiller, David AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Coronado National Forest TI - Transportation Analysis and Feasibility Study: Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, Coronado National Forest PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 170p AB - This report provides an overview of the historic and current visitation, environmental and infrastructure conditions as Sabino Canyon Recreation area in the Coronado National Forest in Tucson, AZ. Transportation goals were defined and specific potential solutions were identified in the following categories: Access Management; Bicycle, Pedestrian and Equestrian; Communications; Infrastructure; Management; Motorized Solutions; School Groups. These specific potential solutions were then grouped and analyzed as alternative scenarios. The analysis was done to support the Sabino Canyon Recreation Concept Plan which is being done subsequent to this study; all NEPA compliance will be conducted as part of the Recreation Concept Plan. KW - Access control (Transportation) KW - Bicycles KW - Communications KW - Coronado National Forest KW - Management KW - Pedestrians UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/44000/44200/44224/DOT-VNTSC-USDA-10-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1134024 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01361233 AU - Yi, Ping AU - Shao, Chun AU - Mao, Jialei AU - University of Akron AU - Ohio Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development and Testing of an Automated Turning Movement Identification System PY - 2010/02 SP - 33p AB - It is important for many applications, such as intersection delay estimation and adaptive signal control, to obtain vehicle turning movement information at signalized intersections. However, vehicle turning movement information is very time consuming to obtain and usually the data can only be counted manually. Previous efforts were focused on solving the problem using an origin-destination (O-D) matrix but the result is not accurate and reliable. Limitations with the existing methods to handle shared-lane situations have prevented them from being used for many intersections. Motivated by the need to identify vehicle turning movements for many real time applications without being constrained by the intersection configuration, the University of Akron’s transportation research group has developed an Automatic Turning Movement Identification System (ATMIS) and tested it through lab and field evaluation. The results from those experiments are very encouraging with small errors compared with the ground truth. This project has demonstrated the great potential of ATMIS to be used for other applications after further testing and enhancement. KW - Automatic vehicle detection and identification systems KW - Detection and identification systems KW - Field studies KW - Laboratory studies KW - Motor vehicles KW - Traffic KW - Turning traffic UR - http://www.otc.uakron.edu/docs/UA_Automatic%20Turning%20Movement%20Identification%20System_Final%20Report_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1127254 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343908 AU - Weigand, Lynn AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Bicycle and Pedestrian Design Curriculum Expansion PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 30p AB - This project broadened course offerings on bicycle and pedestrian transportation by redesigning and expanding an existing, three-credit undergraduate/graduate course into a five-credit course that includes an applied lab component. The course was open to graduate and undergraduate students in planning and engineering programs. The Project Investigator (PI) (Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., adjunct faculty) and Mia Birk, adjunct faculty course instructor, developed the course with the following learning objectives: learn principles of bicycle and pedestrian facility design; understand integration of bicycle and pedestrian facilities within the right-of-way; understand basic transportation research and data collection methods; and apply course content through project work. The lecture course was taught by the PI and the lab was taught by adjunct faculty member Mia Birk. The new course was developed and taught as a project-based course that focused on improving bicycle and pedestrian connects to the Portland State University campus. Students worked in teams to develop a problem statement, identify project stakeholders, recommend a public involvement process, develop evaluation criteria and alternative solutions, evaluate alternatives and select a preferred alternative, and create a package of recommendations in the form of a grant application, including cost estimates and implementation strategies. The course received excellent reviews from the students, who felt it was useful to apply the principles of bicycle and pedestrian design and planning to a real project environment. The resulting curriculum expands the course content on bicycle and pedestrian travel, includes more academic literature and research, and provides the opportunity for students to participate in project-based learning. It provides a model for future course expansion on related transportation planning and policy topics. In addition, the curriculum can be shared and adapted for use in the planning and landscape architecture departments at the University of Oregon and the engineering department at Oregon State University. KW - Bicycle facilities KW - Bicycle travel KW - Campus transportation KW - Curricula KW - Data collection KW - Design KW - Education KW - Field studies KW - Pedestrian areas KW - Pedestrians UR - http://otrec.us/project/279 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106054 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01208072 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Private Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Research and Inquiry. Volume1 PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 114p AB - This report provides a summary of the private highway-rail grade crossing safety inquiry conducted by the United States Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration and the Volpe Center. The safety inquiry consisted of a series of public meetings to solicit oral commentary on the safety of the nations private highway-rail grade crossings, a docket for electronic comment submission, a panel discussion at the Transportation Research Boards annual meeting, and other activities as described in the table of contents. KW - Highway safety KW - Private enterprise KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/115 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34500/34531/DOT-VNTSC-FRA-08-02-I.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968937 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01208067 AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - Private Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Research and Inquiry. Volume 2. Appendices PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 2214p AB - This report provides a summary of the private highway-rail grade crossing safety inquiry conducted by the United States Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration and the Volpe Center. The safety inquiry consisted of a series of public meetings to solicit oral commentary on the safety of the nations private highway-rail grade crossings, a docket for electronic comment submission, a panel discussion at the Transportation Research Boards annual meeting, and other activities as described in the table of contents. KW - Highway safety KW - Private enterprise KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/116 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968936 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01207144 AU - Senzig, David A AU - Baker, Gary M AU - Balasubramanian, Sathya N AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Aviation Administration TI - Environmental Modeling of Trans-Arctic and Re-routed Flights PY - 2010/02 SP - 14p AB - Recent work by researchers at Stanford University showed potentially large impacts on Arctic temperature increases due to aircraft over-flights. The FAA’s Office of Environment and Energy tasked the Volpe Center, the MITRE Corporation, and Stanford were conducting an analysis of potential impacts of re-routing aircraft away from the Arctic region. This report discusses the methods used in developing the alternative cases used in the analysis. This report also presents the primary fuel consumption and oxides of Nitrogen emissions for the major Origin-Destination city pairs, airlines, and aircraft types identified in MITRE’s analysis. KW - Aircraft exhaust gases KW - Arctic Regions KW - Environmental impacts KW - Fuel consumption KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Temperature UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33500/33556/Transarctic_and_Rerouted_Flights_1_.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/935568 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173727 AU - Scholz, Todd V AU - Oregon State University, Corvallis AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Instrumentation for Mechanistic Design Implementation PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 86p AB - The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Pavement Services Unit is in the process of implementing a new pavement design procedure being developed under the sponsorship of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Fatigue cracking is a key distress mechanism that is predicted as part of the overall process using a theoretical model calibrated to empirical data. Tensile strain at the underside of the hot-mix asphalt pavement layers induced by truck axle loads is, in turn, a key input into the fatigue cracking model. In the new design procedure tensile strain is predicted utilizing a layered elastic analysis model. The principal objective of the project was to obtain key information to be used to assess the validity of the predicted tensile strain via layered elastic analysis. This involved collecting data from an existing test site along Interstate 5 just north of Albany, Oregon and installing and collecting data from instruments at a new test site along US 97 in Redmond, Oregon. This report documents the progress made toward achieving the principal objective of the study during the contract period (October 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008). It provides details regarding the installation of the instruments at the Redmond site, data collection efforts at both test sites, and the methodologies for reducing and analyzing the data. KW - Albany (Oregon) KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Data collection KW - Fatigue cracking KW - Instrumentation KW - Layered elastic analysis KW - Mechanistic design KW - Pavement design KW - Redmond (Oregon) KW - Tension KW - Test sections UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/155 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/934614 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01165337 AU - Cooley, Howard AU - Madrigal, Guillermo AU - Miles, Adam AU - Kyte, Michael AU - Dixon, Michael AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Developing and Applying Collaborative Tools for Improving "Understanding" in the Introductory Transportation Engineering Course PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 38p AB - Previous work surveyed transportation engineering educators to determine current instruction practice and insight regarding efforts these educators should make. Educators need technological support for a learning community. An effective community should spawn innovation through shared ideas, mutual respect, testing, and adoption of demonstrably good approaches. This community needs infrastructure and technology to overcome communication and trust barriers. An effective transportation engineering educator learning community needs both face-to-face interaction and easy communication between meetings. Research in this project found that an online venue supporting this community must possess qualities that no single electronic tool (e.g., html website, wiki site, e-mail, forums, blogs, online database) provides and qualities were then put forth that such a venue should possess. An existing course management system is described that possess these qualities. The survey data were analyzed to determine how educators would benefit from a common online venue and the most commonly taught course topics. Then a powerful technique for developing course materials was reviewed and summarized into a development template that takes the course developer through three stages of development, terminating with a learning plan. Finally, this template was applied to four of the most commonly taught topics to develop respective learning plans. KW - Cooperation KW - Education KW - Education and training methods KW - Technology KW - Transportation engineering KW - Understanding UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK713_N10-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925108 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164068 AU - Zhang, Yunlong AU - Ying, Qi AU - Lv, Jinpeng AU - Kota, Sri Harsha AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Methodology and Guidelines for Regulating Traffic Flows under Air Quality Constraints in Metropolitan Areas PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 89p AB - This project developed a methodology to couple a new pollutant dispersion model with a traffic assignment process to contain air pollution while maximizing mobility. The overall objective of the air quality modeling part of the project is to develop a model to predict the air quality at receptor sites in metropolitan areas using traffic data from a coupled traffic model and real time meteorological data. Most of the air dispersion models in use do not have a full description of the physical and chemical processes to describe the formation and transformation of pollutants in the metropolitan areas relating to traffic flow and thus cannot provide complete information that is necessary in traffic planning and regulating. The reactive dispersion air quality model developed in this project includes a state-of-the-art gas chemistry mechanism (Statewide Air Pollution Research Center, or SAPRC, model) to predict the ozone, NOx, CO, benzene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and 1,3-butadiene concentrations, and a complete particulate matter module with thermal dynamics to predict the concentrations of primary and secondary particulate pollutants including diesel particulate matter. With the air quality model developed in this project, traffic assignments can be conducted taking air quality into account. The air quality can be considered as a form of constraint that limits the pollutants under certain acceptable levels in parts of the transportation network. This consideration will be an added constraint in addition to the roadway segment capacity constraint in the assignment process. The air quality can also be considered as an additional objective function while assigning traffic flow in the metropolitan transportation network. KW - Acetaldehyde KW - Air pollution dispersion KW - Air quality KW - Air quality models KW - Benzene KW - Butadiene KW - Carbon monoxide KW - Formaldehyde KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Mobility KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Ozone KW - Particulates KW - Traffic assignment KW - Traffic flow UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Zhang_08-35-17.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33761/Zhang_08-35-17.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/924658 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01163176 AU - Szary, Patrick AU - Spasovic, Lazar N AU - Moini, Nadereh AU - Dimitrijevic, Branislav AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - NJDOT Transportation Data User Survey PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 57p AB - The New Jersey Straight Line Diagram (SLD) is the main reference for the State’s centerline roadway inventory. SLD was initially designed as a planning tool, but it has become a standard information platform for many other purposes within and outside the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), including engineering and maintenance. The extensive and versatile use of SLD both within and outside NJDOT requires a thoughtful approach in developing future SLD enhancements. The objective of this study, initiated by NJDOT’s Bureau of Transportation Data Development (BTDD), is to ascertain the SLD user needs and provide inputs for an educated decision about future improvements of SLD. The main part of the project was to survey SLD users throughout New Jersey about their use of SLD, satisfaction with the SLD data products and tools, and ideas about system enhancements. The survey questionnaire was designed using the input from interviews with major users of SLD. The survey was conducted online using an interactive internet survey questionnaire and was available for 3 months, August to October 2009. About 240 responses were received from engineers, planners, private consultants, and freight operators. The responses were overwhelmingly positive regarding the usefulness of SLD and the quality of its data. Responses were used to formulate recommendations for future improvements. The most desirable improvements can be classified into four areas: boost the search engine, use a collaborative approach to collect and update data, introduce GIS capability, and expand the scope of data. The correlation between users’ affiliation and their responses is also investigated on two main groups: NJDOT users and users outside of NJDOT. KW - Data quality KW - Databases KW - Improvements KW - Inventory KW - New Jersey Department of Transportation KW - Questionnaires KW - Recommendations KW - Straight line diagrams KW - Surveys KW - User needs UR - http://cait.rutgers.edu/files/235-RU0964_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/923662 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159847 AU - Hiller, William AU - Pace Suburban Bus Service AU - Booz Allen Hamilton AU - Public Transit Solutions, Continental AU - Federal Transit Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transit Operations Decision Support System (TODSS) Core Requirements Prototype Development Case Study and Lessons Learned PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 140p AB - Transit Operations Decision Support Systems (TODSS) are systems designed to support dispatchers and others in real-time operations management in response to incidents, special events, and other changing conditions. As part of a joint Federal Transit Administration and Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office effort, the transit industry developed core functional requirements for service disruption identification and provision of service restoration options for TODSS in 2003. Pace Suburban Bus was selected to lead a demonstration project to develop and evaluate a prototype TODSS and to validate the TODSS core functional requirements. This report summarizes the TODSS Core Requirements Prototype development and provides lessons learned from the implementation and operation of the system. The summary highlights Pace's transit service and operating environment, the final TODSS prototype concept of operations, the system's architecture, issues encountered during the prototype development and implementation, the TODSS core requirements evaluation and update recommendations, and the operating experience from the time of implementation. KW - Bus transit operations KW - Decision support systems KW - Demonstration projects KW - Lessons learned KW - Prototypes KW - Real time information KW - Service disruption KW - Service restoration KW - Special events KW - System architecture KW - Traffic incidents KW - Validation UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Task_7_Final_TODSS_Report_V3.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920342 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01156654 AU - Wittwer, Ernie AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Wisconsin Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Positions for the Mississippi Valley Freight Coalition on Federal Reauthorization PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Federal transportation authorizing bills have a huge impact on the direction of the nation’s transportation programs. Not only do they provide the funding to carry out national programs, but they also contain the policy frameworks that will guide the use of state and local funds over the period of the bill. The existing federal authorization expired on October 1, 2009. The nation has operated under a series of continuing resolutions since that time. In anticipation of the end of the authorization and the debate on a new authority, the states of the Mississippi Valley Freight Coalition (MVFC) identified defining regional positions on reauthorization as one of its priority projects. This effort built upon an earlier effort by the MVFC to agree on broad concepts and to prepare testimony. That testimony was presented to the National Surface Transportation Revenue and Policy Commission by Teresa Adams (UW-Madison) and Kirk Steudle (Michigan DOT). KW - Federal Surface Transportation Program reauthorization bill KW - Financing KW - Freight transportation KW - Institutional issues KW - Legislation KW - Maritime industry KW - Mississippi Valley Freight Coalition KW - Railroads KW - Reauthorization bills KW - Trucking UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32700/32785/MVFC09_-_Reauthorization_Final_Report_Edited_03-15-2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917655 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155863 AU - Zhang, Chen AU - Jennings, Lance AU - Aultman-Hall, Lisa AU - University of Vermont, Burlington AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Estimating Tourism Expenditures for the Burlington Waterfront Path and the Island Line Trail PY - 2010/02 SP - 18p AB - In this study, the authors estimated the economic activity associated with visitors using the Waterfront Trail in Burlington and also on the Island Line in Colchester where the trail follows a causeway into Lake Champlain to a “cut” where ferry service is provided at limited times during the summer season by Local Motion. The associated tourism expenditures were estimated using the 2008 interview-based visitor information, 2009 Local Motion ferry boardings, 24-hour multi-day automated continuous counts from the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO), and average visitor spending data from the State of Vermont. The results show that the overall average tourism spending of tourist users ranges from $1 to $2.5 million, over a five-month period between May and September, 2008. Non-resident riders on the bicycle and pedestrian ferry at the “cut” in Colchester were estimated to have spent $178,695 for only 13 days of operation. KW - Bikeways KW - Burlington (Vermont) KW - Colchester (Vermont) KW - Estimates KW - Expenditures KW - Ferry service KW - Tourism KW - Trails UR - http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/pdf/Waterfront_Path.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916453 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155724 AU - Sheffield, John W AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Show Me the Road to Hydrogen PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 24p AB - The Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) and Ford Motor Company demonstrated a shuttle bus service and hydrogen fueling facilities in rural Missouri near Ft. Leonard Wood (FLW). Initiated by a request from the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center (MANSCEN) at FLW, Missouri S&T helped establish a commuter bus service between FLW and the neighboring town of Rolla which is located about 25 miles from the military base on Interstate 44. With funds provided by the Defense Logistics Agency through the Air Force Research Laboratory, this hydrogen initiative contracted with Air Products and Chemical, Inc. to supply a temporary hydrogen fueling facility and later with Gas Technology Institute to design and build a hydrogen fueling facility with on-site generation of hydrogen in Rolla. The National University Transportation Center (NUTC) matching funds were used to offset the cost of two hydrogen-fueled Ford E-450 shuttle buses. KW - Demonstration projects KW - Hydrogen fueled vehicles KW - Hydrogen fueling stations KW - Hydrogen fuels KW - Missouri KW - Shuttle buses UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R204_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916379 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155717 AU - Rolufs, Angela AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Outreach Activities in Support of the Missouri S&T National UTC PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 8p AB - This report describes a comprehensive initiative providing outreach for the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) National University Transportation Center (NUTC). The goal of this comprehensive outreach program was to provide opportunities for students and faculty members to engage with leaders in the transportation industry from: private consulting and construction firms; the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT); other state departments of transportation; the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); local government agencies; and other university-based transportation centers, while also creating technology transfer opportunities in support of the projects undertaken through the Missouri S&T NUTC. KW - Businesses KW - Consultants KW - Educational services KW - Local government agencies KW - Missouri Department of Transportation KW - Missouri University of Science and Technology KW - Outreach KW - State departments of transportation KW - Technology transfer KW - Transportation KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration KW - University Transportation Centers Program UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/ETT224_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916395 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155716 AU - Yan, Dongming AU - Chen, Genda AU - Galati, Nestore AU - Sedigh, Sahra AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Design, Construction and Load Testing of the Bridge on Arnault Branch, Washington County, Missouri Using Innovative Technologies PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 54p AB - The superstructure and instrumentation designs of a three-span bridge are presented in this report. The three spans include a precast box-girder bridge, a precast deck on steel girder and a precast deck on concrete girder. They were designed to compare the performance of various bridge decks reinforced with fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) through field instrumentations. A wireless monitoring system was designed to facilitate the collection of field data after the completion of bridge construction. The collected data will allow the study of FRP bars and stay-in-place FRP grid systems. KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge design KW - Bridge superstructures KW - Data collection KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Instrumentation KW - Precast concrete KW - Technological innovations KW - Washington County (Missouri) KW - Wireless sensors UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R193_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916378 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155714 AU - Anderson, Neil L AU - Torgashov, Evgeniy V AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Investigation of Subsidence Along Segment of Missouri Route 65, Springfield, Missouri PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 15p AB - Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) data were acquired on the ground surface across an underground limestone mine access tunnel in an effort to characterize the roof rock. This investigation was conducted because simultaneous localized failure occurred on the ceiling of the access tunnel and elsewhere in the mine along a previously unknown northwest trending lineament. The interpretation of the ERT data indicates the limestone roof rock above the tunnel is dissected by several prominent clay-bearing near-vertical solution-widened fractures (joints or faults) that are not visually exposed on the ceiling of the tunnel. Roof rock failure in the mine access tunnel occurred at the intersection of projected northwest trending lineament and one of the more prominent solution-widened fractures identified on the ERT data. KW - Electrical resistance tomography KW - Failure KW - Faults KW - Fracture mechanics KW - Limestone KW - Mines KW - Rock jointing KW - Springfield (Missouri) KW - State highways KW - Subsidence (Geology) KW - Tomography KW - Tunnels UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R221_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916389 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153253 AU - Gattis, J L AU - Duncan, L K AU - Tooley, M S AU - Brewer, A S AU - Le, M Q AU - Muthu, P AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Roadway Median Treatments – Phase 1 and Phase 2 PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 82p AB - This research project examined relationships among crash rates, cross section design elements, and other operational attributes of multilane urban and suburban roadways in Arkansas. Crash rates for four cross section categories (roadways with no median, roadways with occasional left-turn lanes, roadways with continuous two-way left turn-lanes, and roadways with raised or depressed medians) were compared. Freeways were not considered. Crash histories were examined for cross section types, speed limits, volumes, widths of through lanes, presence of curb or shoulder, outer shoulder widths, median widths, and the densities of various types of access. Some variables were correlated, and it was suspected that such correlations can skew crash prediction models. Generally, the raised or depressed median group had slightly lower crash rates. The findings can help planners and designers when selecting the median type and cross section design for multilane roadways in rural areas that face future urban development, and in urban areas. KW - Arkansas KW - Crash rates KW - Depressed medians KW - Highway design KW - Lane width KW - Median treatments KW - Median width KW - Medians KW - Multilane highways KW - Raised medians KW - Speed limits KW - Traffic volume UR - http://www.arkansastrc.com/MBTC%20REPORTS/MBTC%202055%20(Phase%20I)%20and%20MBTC%202067%20(Phase%20II).pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32534/MBTC_DOT_2055-2067.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914830 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153249 AU - Popp, Michael AU - Babcock, Robert AU - Vickery, Gina AU - Clausen, Ed AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Economic Issues Related to Continuous Supercritical Biodiesel Production PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 21p AB - Biodiesel is non-petroleum based alternative diesel fuel that consists of alkyl esters derived from renewable feedstocks such as plant oils or animal fats. These feedstocks commonly contain both triglycerides and free fatty acids, which can undergo transesterification or esterification reactions (respectively) to produce the alkyl esters that make up biodiesel. Currently, most of the global biodiesel is produced from refined vegetable oils that contain primarily triglycerides with limited free fatty acids. These refined oils, such as soybean and rapeseed oil, are becoming increasingly expensive, and generally account for as much as 80% of the total operating cost in biodiesel production. In general, without government subsidies, biodiesel production in not currently cost-competitive with petro-diesel. The investigators of this proposal in previous Mack-Blackwell Rural Transportation Center (MBTC) projects have studied less refined and less expensive feedstocks for use in biodiesel production in hopes of improving the economic competitiveness of biodiesel. Biodiesel holds many advantages over conventional petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is renewable, biodegradable, and locally produced while offering a low toxicity, high cetane index, and is a carbon-neutral fuel source. Some other advantages include superior lubricant and solvent properties, lower emissions of harmful chemicals, and the ease of storage, transportation, and adaptation into current equipment and infrastructure. Not only does this support a more sustainable energy infrastructure, it also lessens the need for foreign imports of oil while creating labor and market opportunities for domestic crops. A wide range of feedstocks can be used in the production of biodiesel including, but not limited to virgin or refined tree and vegetable oils, waste fryer oil, animal fats, pond algae, and importantly a combination of these feedstocks. It is imperative to adapt any proposed production process to locally available raw materials on an intermittent basis if biodiesel is to become an attractive alternative to petroleum diesel. The transition from conventional diesel to biodiesel can be almost seamless. The diesel engine can operate on pure biodiesel. Older engine models that use rubber gaskets and seals can experience some deterioration due to the solvent properties of biodiesel. However, these seals can be replaced with more resistant materials. The logistics for distribution of diesel fuels currently in place can easily accommodate biodiesel as a fuel. Such is not the case with proposed compressed gas fuels such as natural gas and hydrogen. Many biodiesel fuel facilities currently exist in the U.S. dispensing biodiesel-blended fuel. KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Economics KW - Exhaust gases KW - Feedstocks KW - Fuel storage KW - Infrastructure KW - Logistics KW - Physical distribution KW - Sustainable development UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914828 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153169 AU - Wang, Shuying AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Post-Cyclic Behavior of Low Plasticity Silt under Full and Limited Liquefaction Using Triaxial Compression Testing PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 21p AB - During an earthquake, liquefaction does not happen all the time. It depends on the duration and magnitude of the earthquake and the properties (with relationship to resistance of liquefaction) of the low plasticity silt. Under low duration or magnitude of earthquake, the liquefaction does not appear in the ground. However, the properties of soil in the ground will be affected. Typically, its shear strength and stiffness will be reduced. The effect of limited cycle of dynamic loading on soil behavior is called limited liquefaction in the proposal. The post‐cyclic behavior of the low plasticity silt under different levels of limited liquefaction will be studied. Additionally, the effect of plasticity index (PI) on the post‐cyclic behavior of the silt under (full) liquefaction will also be investigated. Hopefully, a threshold value can be obtained, above or below which the reduction of shear strength and stiffness will be little and even can be ignored. The studied low plasticity silt will be from the Mississippi River Valley in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), which is one of the most seismically susceptible areas in the United States. All work will be conducted using laboratory testing. The work in this research project includes three parts: the post‐liquefaction behavior at the different levels of reconsolidation; the post‐cyclic behavior under no reconsolidation at the different levels of limited liquefaction; and the effect of the PI on post‐liquefaction behavior. KW - Earthquakes KW - Laboratory tests KW - Liquefaction KW - Plasticity KW - Plasticity index KW - Reconsolidation KW - Shear strength KW - Silts KW - Stiffness KW - Triaxial compression tests UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R203_Wang_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914762 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01149199 AU - Jeihani, Mansoureh AU - Camilo, Ricardo A AU - Morgan State University AU - Maryland State Highway Administration AU - National Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Trip Generation Studies for Special Generators PY - 2010/02//Final Report SP - 82p AB - This research examines the effects of town centers and senior housing developments on surrounding roadways and nearby transit. The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, which determines number of trips produced or attracted by different developments, does not include town centers. It has also been argued that the ITE manual underestimates trip rates for senior housing. This, coupled with the prominence of these types of developments in Maryland, merits further study into their impacts on the surrounding roadway system. KW - Aged KW - Central business districts KW - Housing KW - Impact studies KW - Maryland KW - Senior housing KW - Trip generation UR - http://roads.maryland.gov/opr_research/md-09-sp808b4j_trip-generation-studies-for-special-generators-report.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32000/32093/MD-09-SP808B4J_Trip_Generation_Studies_for_Special_Generators_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/911558 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461837 TI - New Dedicated Revenue Mechanisms for Freight Transportation Investment AB - The objectives of this project will will be to (1) provide a comprehensive analysis of the functioning and implications of proposed dedicated revenue mechanisms and (2) describe in detail requirements and mechanics required to implement and operate each of them. KW - Dedicated revenues KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Investments KW - Research projects KW - Revenues UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2859 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230057 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154169 AU - Geunes, Joseph AU - Konur, Dincer AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Characterizing the Tradeoffs and Costs Associated with Transportation Congestion in Supply Chains PY - 2010/01/21/Final Report SP - 60p AB - The authors consider distribution and location-planning models for supply chains that explicitly account for traffic congestion effects. The majority of facility location and transportation planning models in the operations research literature consider facility operations and transportation costs as separable (e.g., linear) by origin-destination pairs. Their goal is to understand how congestion costs and effects, which are not separable, influence supply chain location and distribution decisions. The authors study a competitive facility location and market-supply game with multiple firms competing in multiple markets in a congested distribution network. As a result of location and quantity decisions, firms are subject to location-specific transportation costs, convex traffic congestion costs and fixed facility location costs. The unit price in each market is a linear decreasing function of the total amount shipped to the market by all firms; that is, the authors consider an oligopolistic Cournot game and analyze the two-stage Nash Equilibrium. They discuss the results of extensive numerical studies that illustrate the effects of traffic congestion on a firm's equilibrium location and quantity decisions and demonstrate the efficiency of their solution approaches for finding equilibrium solutions. KW - Costs KW - Decision making KW - Equilibrium (Economics) KW - Industrial location KW - Markets KW - Oligopoly KW - Physical distribution KW - Supply chain management KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/Geunes_Final_Report_2008-004.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45640/Geunes_Final_Report_2008-004.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915695 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461320 TI - Feasibility of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement as Aggregate in Portland Cement Concrete Pavements AB - The objective of this project is to develop and characterize an environmentally friendly concrete suitable for transportation-related applications in which a portion of the conventional aggregate has been replaced with reclaimed asphalt pavement. KW - Aggregates KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Concrete KW - Concrete pavements KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Pavement performance KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Reclaimed asphalt pavements UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229539 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154173 AU - Davalos, Julio F AU - Chen, An AU - Ray, Indrajit AU - Justice, Adam AU - Anderson, Matthew AU - West Virginia University, Morgantown AU - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - District 3-0 Investigation of Fiber Wrap Technology Bridge Repair and Rehabilitation - Phase III PY - 2010/01/14/Final Report SP - 288p AB - Based on guidelines for project selection, a candidate bridge was selected for a contract repair project. Pre-repair testing of bridge materials is described. The fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) design was based on strengthening the bridge to sustain an HS-20 AASHTO truck loading. The FRP repair system was designed based on current ACI 440.2R-08 design guidelines. Repair work and post-construction load testing were completed. Finite Element (FE) modeling was performed to determine capacity of the repaired bridge and the FE model was calibrated against load testing results. Supporting full-scale lab studies were conducted to evaluate the most effective concrete substrate repair method and FRP strengthening scheme. An exploratory study on an electrochemical chloride extraction technique was completed. Systematic documents, including draft guidelines on project selection and management, design guidelines, and construction specifications, were developed for use on future T-beam rehabilitation projects. KW - Bearing capacity KW - Calibration KW - Electrochemical chloride extraction KW - Fiber reinforced plastics KW - Finite element method KW - Jacketing (Strengthening) KW - Load tests KW - Materials tests KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Repairing KW - T beams UR - ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_PDF_FILES/Documents/Research/Complete%20Projects/Improving%20Pennsylvania%20Bridges/Fiber%20Wrap%20Technology%20Bridge%20Repair%20and%20Rehab.pdf UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/WVU-2007-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915714 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494578 TI - Bridge Condition Assessment Using Remote Sensors AB - Michigan Technological University's Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI) and Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), in cooperation with the Center for Automotive Research and the Michigan Department of Transportation, are undertaking a project for the United Stated Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration that will explore the use of remote sensing technologies to assess and monitor the condition of bridge infrastructure and improve the efficiency of inspection, repair, and rehabilitation efforts. This investigation will build on existing work that places sensors directly on the bridge structure to assess deterioration and damage. Remote sensing technologies will be correlated with in-place sensors to obtain bridge condition assessment data without the need to place heavy instrumentation on the structure. This information will then be analyzed by a computer decision support system to develop unique signatures of bridge condition. Monitoring how these signatures change over time will provide state and local engineers with additional information used to prioritize critical maintenance and repair of our nation's bridges. The ability to acquire this information remotely from many bridges without the expense of a dense sensor network will provide more accurate and near real-time assessments of bridge condition. Improved assessments allow for limited resources to be better allocated in repair and maintenance efforts, thereby extending the service life and safety of bridge assets, and minimizing costs of service-life extension. KW - Bridge inspection KW - Condition surveys KW - Decision support systems KW - Deterioration KW - Inspection KW - Maintenance KW - Remote sensing KW - Service life KW - Structural analysis UR - http://www.mtri.org/bridgecondition/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263747 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494571 TI - Enhancing Monitoring and Planning of Network Infrastructure with Remote Data Collection AB - The three foci of the project are: (1) data infusion of simultaneous data collected from airborne and ground sensors for infrastructure monitoring; (2) use of remotely collected data for developing better models for network planning; and (3) emergency operation, and developing tools and enhancing "enabling" technologies for airborne data collections. KW - Data collection KW - Infrastructure KW - Monitoring KW - Remote sensing KW - Technological innovations UR - http://azremote.arizona.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263740 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494570 TI - Multimodal Short Sea Freight Shipping System (MSSFS) AB - The project results will deliver a first ever systematic and scalable methodology for evaluating and implementing Multimodal Short Sea Freight Shipping System (MSSFS) routes by applying remote sensing and spatial information technologies. KW - Freight terminals KW - Information technology KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Remote sensing KW - Short sea shipping UR - http://eastfire.gmu.edu/gmu-consortium/marine-highway/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263739 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494568 TI - Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System for Transportation-Infrastructure Operations and Management Phase II AB - In response to the U.D. Department of Transportation-Research Innovative Technology Administration (USDOT-RITA CRS-SI Initiative #2: Transportation Infrastructure Construction and Condition Assessment, this Phase 2 project (USDOT designation) is targeted at (1) validation of new Commercial Remote Sensing and Spatial Information (CRS-SI) applications for bridge management systems at the state and local levels, and (2) application of CRS-SI to existing structure condition assessment. Begun in 2007, a research partnership (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, ImageCat Incorporated, Charlotte Department of Transportation and North Carolina Department of Transportation has completed a proof-of-concept project to develop an Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System that integrates LiDAR scan and sub-inch-resolution aerial photography which promises to extend the available CRS-SI tools to enhance bridge inspection and data management. The goal of this project is to enhance IRSV performance and develop a commercialization component through extended partnerships with departments of transportation, state highway administrations and public works agencies across the country. KW - Aerial photography KW - Bridge management systems KW - Data management KW - Laser radar KW - Remote sensing KW - Structural health monitoring UR - http://ncrst.uncc.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263737 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463318 TI - Marine Highway Freight System: A Multimodal Short Sea Freight Shipping System AB - Multimodal Short Sea Freight Shipping, known in the U.S. as "Marine Highways," is a systems concept for increasing freight mobility by diverting freight from highways onto alternate transportation routes through inland and coastal waterways. Use of the alternate freight routes reduces the number of freight trucks on highways thereby increasing freight capacity, reducing highway congestion, lowering fuel consumption, improving safety, decreasing long term infrastructure maintenance costs, and enabling competitive freight flow operations. Short sea shipping is providing European nations a cost effective and reliable system for moving freight through inland waterways and coastal shipping within Europe. Potential application of short sea shipping in U.S. waterways has received favorable consideration from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and transportation stakeholders. The project will validate the Marine Highway concept in the I-95 corridor region, because of the importance of the corridor to national commerce and the urgent need to relieve traffic bottlenecks and congestion experienced in this region. The project results will deliver a first ever systematic and scalable methodology for evaluating Marine Highway routes by applying remote sensing and spatial information technologies. The research will produce guidelines and evaluation tools for shipping operators, port authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, and state and local transportation engineers who will implement these systems. KW - Freight flow KW - Freight transportation KW - Marine highways KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Port authorities KW - Remote sensing KW - Short sea shipping KW - Traffic congestion KW - Waterways UR - http://eastfire.gmu.edu/gmu-consortium/marine-highway/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231544 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01601664 TI - Public Transit Regional Coordination Pilot Projects AB - The project team will perform a review of regionalized transit systems that are operating elsewhere in the country to identify potential operating models and related strengths and shortcomings. This review will focus on systems with demographics and needs that are similar to the focus of North Dakota’s prescribed studies. KW - North Dakota KW - Pilot studies KW - Public transit KW - Regional transportation KW - Transportation operations UR - http://www.nctr.usf.edu/2010/02/public-transit-regional-coordination-pilot-projects-scope/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1410326 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569206 TI - Spatial Extent of the Impact of Transported Road Materials on the Ecological Function of Forested Landscapes AB - This project investigates the impact of different types of roads on the plant community structure and soil environment (chemical and biological) of nearby forests. Our hypothesis is that deicing salt and other road particles alter the soil environment and local plant diversity of surrounding forests, and that the extent of the impact decreases with greater distance from the road. Furthermore, this impact is likely to vary depending on road type and presence or absence of a swale to collect and redirect material flows. We are sampling plant community structure, soil chemistry, and soil biology of the roadside landscape for three road types (unpaved, paved 2-land, and highway) and two road profiles (swale, no swale) at six different distances from the road edge. We will also include additional variables such as traffic volume in the analysis. The sampling location, road edges, and all sampling points are precisely geo-referenced and mapped. At each sampling location, measurements of slope, aspect, elevation, road width, tree canopy gap width will be determined. This empirical data will be used to develop a methodology that can be used within transportation models to determine the total landscape impact based on alternative development scenarios and road density patterns. KW - Chittenden County (Vermont) KW - Deicing chemicals KW - Geographic information systems KW - Integrated systems KW - Land use KW - Land use planning KW - Paved shoulders KW - Research projects KW - Roadside KW - Roadside improvement KW - Unpaved roads UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/spatial-extent-of-the-impact-of-transported-road-materials-on-the-ecological-function-of-forested-landscapes/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359761 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569194 TI - Gasoline Taxes: An Examination of News Media Discourse Related to Gas Tax Funding Debates in Six States AB - This project investigates the discourse around gasoline taxes in six U.S. states to contribute understanding to sustainable transportation funding policy. Gasoline taxes have provided direct funding to the transportation system since they were first instituted in 1932. Today the average state gasoline tax is 23.8 cents per gallon and 18.4 cents at the Federal level (ARTBA). Despite several attempts at the federal level, policy-makers have been unable to increase gasoline taxes for 17 years. As a result the purchasing power has steadily eroded and the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is expected to be bankrupt (AASHTO). One solution to the funding shortfall is to increase gas taxes and use the money to fund transportation infrastructure. However this has proven to be extremely difficult. Gas taxes at the national level have been increased four times in the last 50 years: in 1956 to build the interstate highway system, in 1981 and twice during the Clinton years in 1991 and 1993. Why is it that the U.S. has lower gasoline prices than most of its peer group of 23 industrial nations? Why has it been so difficult at the state and federal level to raise gas taxes? Why has an outcome of federal and state energy policy been to maintain lower gasoline prices at low levels? This Phase 1 study examines the media discourse around gas tax hikes in six states: Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Idaho and Oregon. KW - Financing KW - Fuel taxes KW - Gasoline KW - Gasoline taxes KW - Highway Trust Fund KW - Infrastructure KW - Shortfalls KW - Sustainable transportation UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/gasoline-taxes-an-examination-of-news-media-discourse-related-to-gas-tax-funding-debates-in-six-states-2/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359749 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569193 TI - Multi-Scale Model of the U.S. Transportation Energy Market for Policy Assessment - Part 3 AB - Our current regulatory scheme for energy may not be viable as we turn to new energy sources including plug-in hybrid vehicles. By understanding the multitude of factors influencing market forces, this project will help assure that the regulatory actions by federal, state and local governments play a positive role in influencing the transportation energy market. Achievement of federal targets for alternative energy use will require large-scale infrastructure investment in: (1) New types of vehicles (3) Facilities for extraction, refining, and transportation of different alternative fuels (4) Biofuel feedstock production and transportation facilities (5) Fuel storage facilities (6) Fuel supply stations (7) Research and research facilities necessary to provide technological advances required for alternative fuels to be feasible. The exact type of investment, and the utility and life-span of the resulting infrastructure, is sensitive to a wide variety of dynamic factors, including supply and usage of different alternative fuels, weather fluctuations, production of biofuel feedstocks, prices and supply of traditional fossil fuels, and public perception of environmental concerns. All of these various factors are closely integrated and are ultimately regulated by market forces. Regulatory actions by federal, state and local governments can play a critical role in influencing the transportation energy market, but because of the high degree of interdependency between the various factors that govern this market, it is difficult to predict the market consequences and sensitivity to any given regulatory change. The proposed research will develop an agent-based complex systems model for transportation energy usage. This model is intended to be used for development of optimal regulatory approaches for control of alternative energy usage and infrastructure investment. Two scales of modeling are considered - a city scale, in which the actions of agents represent choices made by individual users, and a national scale, in which agents represent the aggregate population of a town or city and the agent choices are made subject to a probability distribution representative of the choices of the city population. KW - Economic models KW - Energy consumption KW - Energy storage devices KW - Government agencies KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Investments KW - Policy UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/multi-scale-model-of-the-u-s-transportation-energy-market-for-policy-assessment/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359748 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569183 TI - Multi-Scale Model of the U.S. Transportation Energy Market for Policy Assessment - Part 2 AB - Our current regulatory scheme for energy may not be viable as we turn to new energy sources including plug-in hybrid vehicles. By understanding the multitude of factors influencing market forces, this project will help assure that the regulatory actions by federal, state and local governments play a positive role in influencing the transportation energy market. Achievement of federal targets for alternative energy use will require large-scale infrastructure investment in: New types of vehicles Facilities for extraction, refining, and transportation of different alternative fuels Biofuel feedstock production and transportation facilities Fuel storage facilities Fuel supply stations Research and research facilities necessary to provide technological advances required for alternative fuels to be feasible The exact type of investment, and the utility and life-span of the resulting infrastructure, is sensitive to a wide variety of dynamic factors, including supply and usage of different alternative fuels, weather fluctuations, production of biofuel feedstocks, prices and supply of traditional fossil fuels, and public perception of environmental concerns. All of these various factors are closely integrated and are ultimately regulated by market forces. Regulatory actions by federal, state and local governments can play a critical role in influencing the transportation energy market, but because of the high degree of interdependency between the various factors that govern this market, it is difficult to predict the market consequences and sensitivity to any given regulatory change. The proposed research will develop an agent-based complex systems model for transportation energy usage. This model is intended to be used for development of optimal regulatory approaches for control of alternative energy usage and infrastructure investment. Two scales of modeling are considered - a city scale, in which the actions of agents represent choices made by individual users, and a national scale, in which agents represent the aggregate population of a town or city and the agent choices are made subject to a probability distribution representative of the choices of the city population. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Biomass fuels KW - Energy conservation KW - Energy consumption KW - Energy sources KW - Feedstocks KW - Hybrid vehicles KW - Plug-in hybrid vehicles KW - Policy KW - Policy, legislation and regulation KW - Vehicle design UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/multi-scale-model-of-the-u-s-transportation-energy-market-for-policy-assessment/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359738 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569182 TI - Tailpipe Emissions and the Construction of Knowledge Related to Vehicles In Northern Climates AB - This study examines 1471 Associated Press news articles in the U.S. regarding motor vehicle tailpipe emissions between 2000 and 2008. Using a frame analysis approach, we find that tailpipe emissions are defined either as a public health or environmental issue. Examining the co-occurrence of frames with the actors in the discourse, we find that the technology solution is the preferred solution articulated by all actors, including government officials, the auto industry, business interests and environmental organizations. While the technology as a solution construction is dominant, actual reductions in tailpipe emissions from vehicles, (including GHG emissions) will also require significant changes in individual travel behavior. We argue that the lack of a publicly available discourse regarding non-technology solutions limits public understanding of the policy measures necessary to reduce tailpipe emissions. KW - Air quality management KW - Exhaust gases KW - Exhaust pipes KW - Frigid regions KW - Knowledge KW - Pollutants UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359737 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569173 TI - Spatial Extent of the Impact of Transported Road Materials on the Ecological Function of Forested Landscapes (Part 2) AB - The researchers are investigating the impact of different types of roads on the plant community structure and soil environment (chemical and biological) of nearby forests. The authors hypothesis is that de-icing salt and other road particles alter the soil environment and local plant diversity of surrounding forests, and that the extent of the impact decreases with greater distance from the road. Furthermore, this impact is likely to vary depending on road type and presence or absence of a swale to collect and redirect material flows. The authors are sampling plant community structure, soil chemistry, and soil biology of the roadside landscape for three road types (unpaved, paved 2-land, and highway) and two road profiles (swale, no swale) at six different distances from the road edge. The authors will also include additional variables such as traffic volume in the analysis. The sampling location, road edges, and all sampling points are precisely geo-referenced and mapped. At each sampling location, measurements of slope, aspect, elevation, road width, tree canopy gap width will be determined. This empirical data will be used to develop a methodology that can be used within transportation models to determine the total landscape impact based on alternative development scenarios and road density patterns. KW - Deicing chemicals KW - Ecology KW - Forests KW - Landscape architecture KW - Plants KW - Roadside flora KW - Soils UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/spatial-extent-of-the-impact-of-transported-road-materials-on-the-ecological-function-of-forested-landscapes/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359728 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01569119 TI - Spatial Analysis of Mobility Patterns AB - The system of modern automotive transportation suffers from perpetually increasing demand. In this light, this project will be examining a simple cellular automata model of vehicle traffic (BML), and investigating the utility of intelligent traffic signals. The work is part of a larger effort at UVM to model traffic and its relationship to land use in Chittenden County, Vermont. As part of this larger effort, we are examining the stability of TRANSIMS, a state-of-the-art agent-based model of transportation developed by Los Alamos National Lab. UrbanSim will be coupled to TRANSIMS and used to simulate changes in land use. The sensitivity of the coupled model to the level of model complexity is being examined through comparative variation in different dynamic processes, submodels, variables, and parameters. The goal will be to develop a guidance matrix that would inform analysts of the appropriate level of model complexity required for a given practical application. KW - Behavior KW - Mobility KW - Spatial analysis KW - Travel patterns UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/spatial-analysis-of-mobility-patterns/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1359630 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01566207 TI - Spatial Extent of the Impact of Transported Road Materials on the Ecological Function of Forested Landscapes (Part 3) AB - The researchers are investigating the impact of different types of roads on the plant community structure and soil environment (chemical and biological) of nearby forests. The authors hypothesis is that de-icing salt and other road particles alter the soil environment and local plant diversity of surrounding forests, and that the extent of the impact decreases with greater distance from the road. Furthermore, this impact is likely to vary depending on road type and presence or absence of a swale to collect and redirect material flows. The authors are sampling plant community structure, soil chemistry, and soil biology of the roadside landscape for three road types (unpaved, paved 2-land, and highway) and two road profiles (swale, no swale) at six different distances from the road edge. The authors will also include additional variables such as traffic volume in the analysis. The sampling location, road edges, and all sampling points are precisely geo-referenced and mapped. At each sampling location, measurements of slope, aspect, elevation, road width, tree canopy gap width will be determined. This empirical data will be used to develop a methodology that can be used within transportation models to determine the total landscape impact based on alternative development scenarios and road density patterns. KW - Deicing chemicals KW - Ecology KW - Environmental impacts KW - Forests KW - Landscape ecology KW - Plants KW - Road ecology KW - Road materials KW - Roads UR - http://www.uvm.edu/trc/university-transportation-center/utc-current-project-list/spatial-extent-of-the-impact-of-transported-road-materials-on-the-ecological-function-of-forested-landscapes/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1357378 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01494569 TI - A Remote Sensing and GIS-enabled Asset Management Systems (RS-GAMS) Phase 1 AB - This project's objective is to integrate emerging 3D scanning laser technology, image processing algorithms, and global positioning system/geographic information system (GPS/GIS) technologies into an intelligent sensing system that improves roadway asset management. Pavement and sign assets will be used to validate the developed sensing system with a special focus on automatic detection of pavement distresses and automatic sign inventory data collection. KW - Asset management KW - Data collection KW - Geographic information systems KW - Global Positioning System KW - Pavement distress KW - Remote sensing KW - Traffic signs UR - http://rs-gams.gtsav.gatech.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1263738 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01463671 TI - A Remote Sensing and GIS-enabled Asset Management System (RS-GAMS) AB - The objective of this project is to integrate emerging 3D scanning laser technology, image processing algorithms, and global positioning system/geographic information system (GPS/GIS) technologies into an intelligent sensing system that improves roadway asset management. Pavement and sign assets will be used to validate the developed sensing system with a special focus on automatic detection of pavement distresses and automatic sign inventory data collection. Project development steps are to (1) Integrate a sensing system, (2) Calibrate the sensing system, (3) Test and validate the sensing system using the real-world data, (4) Quantify research benefits. This system targets asphalt highways, parking lots, and civilian and military airfield taxiways and runways. The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the city of Nashville, South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), and Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) have participated in this project by providing direct and in-kind support for this project. KW - Airport runways KW - Asphalt pavements KW - Asset management KW - Calibration KW - Data collection KW - Geographic information systems KW - Global Positioning System KW - Image processing KW - Pavement distress KW - Remote sensing KW - Technological innovations UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1231897 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461780 TI - Assessment of Public Perception of User Based Fees and Tolls to Finance Transportation Infrastructure Improvements AB - With aging infrastructure and declining tax revenues new mechanisms of financing transportation alternatives are of increasing interest to researchers as well as practitioners. Transportation projects, such as highway construction etc., are primarily financed through fuel taxes, which constitute a form of user fees. Improved fuel economy is likely to erode the revenue stream from the gas tax. California has historically been a leader in mandating technological improvements in transportation, which means that fuel-based revenue stream(s) may be negatively impacted, making it even more difficult to fund California's infrastructure. Such proposed revenue generation measures as: (a) raising the fuel tax rate to make up for declining fuel tax revenues and (b) imposing other user-based fees including tax based on vehicle-mile traveled are not considered politically viable (Dill & Weinstein, 2007). Another of the approaches towards increasing revenues is user based fees collected through tolls directed at specific infrastructure projects. It could help overcome the widening gulf between available funding and needed improvements. KW - Aging infrastructure KW - Distance based fares KW - Financial analysis KW - Fuel taxes KW - Operating revenues KW - Research projects KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - User charges UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230000 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461778 TI - The Improvement of Bicyclists and Pedestrians Safety in Riverside County: Focusing on Environmental Contributing Factors to Bicyclists and Pedestrian Crashes AB - Both walking and biking have received much attention as alternative transportation modes in latest transportation planning. They ultimately contribute toward healthy and sustainable communities by promoting healthier lifestyle and social interaction in the communities. However, high fatality and injury rates of pedestrian and bicycle crashes threaten the safety of both bicyclists and pedestrians. Although local authorities apply the 3Es strategy (Enforcement, Education, and Engineering) to reduce crashes, planners have recently paid attention to engineering strategies which include planning approaches such as bicycle streetscape design, roadway design, and physical environment improvement. However, a challenge for local transportation planners is to locate the crash concentration zones where engineering strategies are applicable. They also need to discover specific contributing factors causing bicycle and pedestrian crashes in order to develop proper engineering resolutions. This research will specifically focus on the crash concentration zones that are most influenced by environmental contributing factors. This research will provide a systemic methodology for local transportation planners that will help them understand the patterns of pedestrian and bicycle crashes and their relationship to the physical environment of surrounding areas. It will also allow planners to effectively allocate scarce resources that will help reduce pedestrian and bicycle crashes by presenting a methodology developing customized countermeasures for specific crash concentration zones. KW - Bicycle crashes KW - Bicycle travel KW - Fatalities KW - Nonmotorized transportation KW - Pedestrian traffic KW - Pedestrian-vehicle crashes KW - Research projects KW - Streetscape KW - Sustainable development KW - Transportation planning KW - Walking UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229998 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461507 TI - Belt-Positioning Booster Seats for Children - National Perspectives from Emergency Physicians and Parents AB - Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are the leading cause of death in children after the first year of life.1 On average, 5 children under age 15 are killed in MVCs each day in the United States (US).2 In 2008, an estimated 172,047 children under age 15 received treatment in US hospital emergency departments (EDs) for non-fatal injuries sustained as occupants in MVCs.1 Proper child restraint has been shown to decrease the risk of death and serious injury in MVCs for children of all ages. Advances in child passenger safety seats have led to specific recommendations for proper restraint of children of various age and size ranges.3, 4 While car seats are used for over 90% for infants and toddlers, children between 4 and 8 years of age are much less likely to be properly restrained.5 Research has shown 4 to 8 year olds are safest when restrained in a belt positioning booster seat, reducing their risk of serious injury by nearly 50% when compared with children in seat belts alone.6 Despite strong evidence supporting the benefit of belt positioning booster seats, 22% of children 4 to 5 years old and 52% of children 6 to 7 years old are prematurely placed solely in seat belts.5 Not using a booster seat has been associated with the child riding in multiple cars and the presence of multiple passengers in the car. 7-9 However practical barriers to booster seat use have not been examined in a national sample of parents. Following an MVC, parents, especially those who present to the ED for evaluation, may be more receptive to educational messages about child passenger safety. This so called "teachable moment"10, 11 places emergency physicians in a unique position to increase proper restraint use for child passengers. While the American College of Emergency Physicians has created policy statements regarding the role of emergency physicians in injury prevention and control12, emergency physician knowledge of child safety seats has not previously been examined. Emergency physician attitudes and beliefs about the use of the ED visit as an opportunity to provide parents with child safety seat information are also unknown. Surveys of primary care physicians suggest that knowledge of proper child restraint decreases for children over 1 year of age and training on child passenger safety is limited.13, 14 The proposed study consists of two components. In component 1 we will conduct a national survey of emergency physicians who have, and who have not, undergone dedicated pediatric training to determine their knowledge of current child passenger restraint recommendation as children transition from car seats to booster seats to seat belts. In order to understand knowledge related to these transition points, we will include questions about restraint use for children from 2 to 10 years of age. General emergency physicians, in addition to specialized pediatric emergency physicians, will be included in the survey as they provide care to more than 90% of children seen in EDs.15 Objective 1: To evaluate emergency physician knowledge of proper child restraint for children 2 to 10 years of age. Hypothesis 1: Emergency physicians with dedicated pediatric training will have greater knowledge of proper child restraint compared with emergency physicians without dedicated pediatric training. Objective 2: To examine emergency physicians' attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of self-efficacy about their role in MVC-related injury prevention during the ED visit. Hypothesis 2: Pediatric emergency physicians will be more likely than general emergency physicians to view a role for child passenger safety as a part of their clinical work. The second component will focus on booster seat use in vehicles with multiple child passengers. We will conduct a national survey of parents of 4 to 8 year old children using the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Children's Health Poll to determine the extent to which 4 to 8 year old children are transported in car pools and to explore parental opinions and experiences related to booster seats when transporting multiple 4 to 8 year old children. Objective 1: To describe, in parents of 4 to 8 year old children, the frequency with which parents drive multiple children and their experiences and opinions related to booster seat use when car pooling. Hypothesis 1: Parents who infrequently drive multiple 4 to 8 year old children will be more likely to use a booster seats for those children compared with parents who car pool often. KW - Belt positioning booster seats KW - Booster seats KW - Child restraint systems KW - Crash injuries KW - Crashes KW - Fatalities KW - Highway safety KW - Hospital emergency rooms KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Physicians KW - Risk analysis UR - http://m-castl.org/node/85 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1229726 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485012 AU - Ghoseiri, Keivan AU - Haghani, Ali AU - Hamedi, Masoud AU - University of Maryland, College Park AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Real-time Rideshare Matching Problem PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 74p AB - According to the Commuting in America report, more than 88% of American workers commute to work in private vehicles, which accounts for a daily sum of 166 million miles. The report also indicates that more than 76% of the commuters drive alone, resulting in inefficient use of the transportation infrastructure. Development of programs that encourage ridesharing can alleviate this problem; however, past efforts to promote ridesharing have not achieved full potential due to rigid spatial and temporal requirements of the travel schedules of participating parties. A dynamic rideshare system that takes advantage of real-time passenger demand, vehicle supply, and travel time information can overcome these issues. Real-time rideshare matching differs from the classical rideshare matching in two ways. First, traditional systems assume that the travelers have a fixed schedule and a fixed set of origins and destinations. Real-time systems must take into account each trip individually and be able to match the rides to arbitrary origins and destinations based on the passengers’ and drivers’ preferences. The second major difference is that real time rideshare systems must be able to respond to instant requests in a very short period of time. Numerous papers exist that deal with various aspects of ridesharing; however, few studies have considered the rideshare problem as an optimization problem. Recent technological advances in information technology, communication, and the improvements in the intelligent transportation system (ITS) infrastructure (i.e., availability of real time travel time information and live accident and congestion reports) have added a new dimension to the ridesharing problem. Motivated by the use of technology to improve mobility through efficient use of existing transportation capacity, this project proposes an optimization framework for Automated Real-Time Rideshare Network. KW - Automation KW - Commuting KW - Optimization KW - Origin and destination KW - Real time information KW - Ridesharing KW - United States KW - Work trips UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/UMD-2009-04.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1253552 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472160 AU - Miller, James H AU - Mielke, Jon AU - Scott, Marc AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Business Plan for Palace Transit, Mitchell, South Dakota PY - 2010/01 SP - 59p AB - In the summer of 2008, the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) asked the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center (SURTC) at North Dakota State University to deliver a hands-on workshop to assist interested transit agencies in preparing business plans for their organizations. Palace Transit was one of four agencies that responded to this invitation. Following an intensive two-day workshop in August 2008 where managers and staff of the participating systems worked on their plans, SDDOT asked SURTC to help the systems complete their plans. Though it had been successful in building an organization to respond to the most pressing public transit needs of the Davison County area, Palace Transit wished to obtain outside assistance to review its existing organization and operations, and to formulate a detailed business plan to guide it for the next three to five years. The plan will allow Palace Transit to assess its strengths and weaknesses and identify additional public transit markets that it could effectively serve. Further, the plan will forecast future capital and operating fund needs, and will help Palace Transit communicate its plans and vision to local stakeholders and funding agencies. KW - Businesses KW - Marketing KW - Palace Transit KW - Planning KW - Public transit KW - South Dakota KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.ugpti.org/pubs/pdf/SP173.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243486 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343906 AU - Larco, Nico AU - Brode, Juli AU - University of Oregon, Eugene AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - designBridge: Integrating Transportation into Service Learning Design/Build Projects PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 32p AB - This educational project joins transportation related issues with community oriented projects through the interdisciplinary work of designBridge, a student-based organization focused on service learning design/build projects. designBridge is based in the Department of Architecture within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon. It has members from various departments including Planning, Public Policy, and Management (PPPM), Landscape Architecture, Business, Geography, and Art. Its mission is to employ a service learning model that exposes students to actual architectural and planning projects within the community. The Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium's funding supported a transportation-based project during the 2008-09 academic year, exposing students from a range of disciplines to transportation issues while providing a needed transportation-based service to the local community. designBridge offers significant benefits to students, the local community, and the University as a whole. As a pedagogic model, the service learning structure of designBridge promotes students’ engagement in their community while having real world experience related to the process of design and construction. Students were asked to assess the needs of the surrounding community, to understand the value of skills they are learning at the University, to apply those skills to a project, and to provide a needed service. Through this, students were exposed to a diverse range of individuals and community entities in their own area and were introduced to opportunities outside of the typical career trajectory. During the course of this project, students were responsible for client contact, community outreach, project design, development, and final construction. The project identified and discussed in the initial proposal was for Roosevelt Middle School in Eugene, Oregon. Roosevelt was already a participant in the national Safe Routes to School program and had identified the need for a re-design of its current bicycle shelter, as well as general bicycle and alternative transport access onto the school property and the designated shelter area. The condition of the existing bike storage was perceived as a general deterrent to increasing bicycle use and to promoting non-auto Safe Routes to School incentives, such as access to a “Freikometer” (frequent biker meter). designBridge utilized the requested funding to promote an interchange of ideas between the middle school community and university students and for design development of the actual bicycle shelter/access. All labor for the design, drawings and permitting was provided by University students, with participation of representative Roosevelt Middle School faculty, students, active parents, staff and community. It was intended that funds and materials for the construction of the shelter would be acquired by Roosevelt Middle School and all labor for the construction would be provided by University students and community volunteers. This transportation focused project has promoted university student members of designBridge to familiarize themselves with use, planning and design related issues of bicycle transportation. This experience has been effective and highly educational, not only in this specific project, but the knowledge they have gained will be carried with them as they graduate and begin their professional work. This alternate transportation project has had a noticeable effect on the students and community of Roosevelt Middle School, as well as the university students, and taking opportunities to engage in transportation related service-learning projects will undoubtedly have a lasting effect on the community. KW - Bicycle facilities KW - Bicycle parking KW - College students KW - Community based approach KW - Design KW - Design build KW - Education KW - Eugene (Oregon) KW - Outreach KW - Project development KW - School children KW - Service learning projects UR - http://otrec.us/project/247 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1106058 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01343380 AU - Rakha, Hesham A AU - Zohdy, Ismail AU - Park, Sangjun AU - Krechmer, Daniel AU - Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated AU - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Microscopic Analysis of Traffic Flow in Inclement Weather--Part 2 PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 93p AB - This report documents the second part of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) research study involving analysis of the microscopic impacts of adverse weather on traffic flow, but is a third phase of the research effort on the impacts of weather on traffic flow. The first phase of FHWA research involved macroscopic analysis, which focused on the impacts of adverse weather on aggregate traffic flow. The second phase of research analyzed the impacts of adverse weather on microscopic traffic behavior. This report documents the results of three research efforts (1) The impacts of icy roadway conditions on driver behavior at a microscopic level, using field-measured car-following data,; (2) An investigation of the influence of weather precipitation and roadway surface condition on left-turn gap-acceptance behavior using traffic and weather data collected during the winter of 2009-2010 at a signalized intersection in Blacksburg, Virginia; and (3) The development and demonstration of methodologies for the use of weather-related adjustment factors in microsimulation models, including general approaches to construct simulation models accounting for the impact of precipitation. For the third effort, the general approach was applied to the calibration of the VISSIM and INTEGRATION simulation software. KW - Adverse weather KW - Car following KW - Gap acceptance KW - Highway traffic control KW - Human factors KW - Microscopic traffic flow KW - Microsimulation KW - Signalized intersections KW - Traffic models KW - Traffic simulation KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38000/38026/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/38000/38000/38026/matfiw.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105170 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01330154 AU - Bockman, Shel AU - California State University, San Bernardino AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - 2009/2010 Inland Empire HOV/HOT Lane Survey PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 12p AB - High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes increase utilization of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes by allowing solo drivers to use the lanes by paying a toll. A telephone survey of 543 drivers in southern California who use HOV lanes being considered for conversion to HOT lanes is used to gauge public support and determine methods of marketing the benefits of HOT lanes. Over two-thirds of respondents do not agree that HOV lanes should be converted to HOT lanes, with objections being primarily economic. Marketing efforts should focus on lane conversion relieving traffic congestion. KW - Economic factors KW - High occupancy toll lanes KW - High occupancy vehicle lanes KW - Inland Empire (California) KW - Surveys KW - Traffic congestion UR - http://cdm15025.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p266401coll4/id/5005/rec/1 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1086223 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01328488 AU - Duff, Keegan AU - Van Gerpen, Jon AU - He, B Brian AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Measurement and Control Strategies for Sterol Glucosides to Improve Biodiesel Quality: Isolation and Characterization of Acylated Steryl Glucosides in Oilseed Crops of the Pacific Northwest PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 22p AB - Acylated steryl glucosides (ASG), a form of phytosterols, have been identified in a variety of agricultural products, including the oilseeds of soybean and rapeseed. Currently, there are limited data available on the quality and quantity of phytosterols in oilseed crops. During biodiesel production, the esterification of ASG in oil extracts forms steryl glucosides (SG). These steryl glucosides in low concentrations (less than 50ppm) have been implicated in agglomeration of contaminates leading to subsequent filter clogging in biodiesel applications. Limited methods exist for the direct isolation and characterizations of ASG. Methods rely on multistep extraction, saponification, acidification and derivatization for evaluation with GC-MS. The objective of this study is to characterize the ASG in agronomically significant oilseed crops of the Pacific Northwest. In this study, HPLC-ESI-MS and HPLC-APCI-MS techniques were evaluated as characterization tools. Oilseeds have been solvent extracted; continuing work is the characterization using the validated MS techniques of the glycolipid fraction after isolation with preparatory chromatography. Characterization of these natural products is important to the industry for developing strategies to minimize agglomeration in biodiesel. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Fuel composition KW - Fuel processing UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK755_N10-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089444 ER - TY - CONF AN - 01208076 AU - Carroll, A A AU - daSilva, M P AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - USDOT Federal Railroad Administration's Research Needs Workshop on Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention (3rd). Volume 2. Appendices PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 307p AB - The primary purpose of this workshop was to bring together nationally and internationally recognized subject matter experts to collaborate, identify and prioritize specific research needs to facilitate the reduction of highway-rail grade crossing and trespass incidents and fatalities for incorporation into the strategic vision of Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), other United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) modes and their stakeholders. There were approximately 90 participants, including support staff, over the two-and-a-half day workshop, representing the Federal, State, and local governments, as well as railroads, transit agencies, labor unions, academia, non-profit organizations, and consultants. The Research Needs Workshop was organized into six research needs areas and four cross-cutting areas by the steering committee's recommendation. The research needs areas were: Grade Crossing Modernization, Traffic Patterns, New Technology Opportunities, Regulation and Enforcement, Education and Public Awareness and Institutional Issues. The four cross-cutting areas were Human Factors, Transit-Oriented Communities, Data Requirements and Efforts Related to High Speed Rail. This document provides the supporting and ancillary information to the Proceedings report (in Volume I) including presentations and all generated research needs. U1 - United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administrations (FRA) Third Research Needs Workshop on Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass PreventionDepartment of TransportationFederal Railroad Administration-United States StartDate:20090714 EndDate:20090716 Sponsors:Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration KW - Countermeasures KW - Fatalities KW - Grade crossing protection systems KW - Highway safety KW - Incident management KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety KW - Railroad traffic KW - Trespassers UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/118 UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35000/35021/DOT-VNTSC-FRA-10-03.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/968946 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173729 AU - Yang, Yizhao AU - Schlossberg, Marc AU - Johnson, Bethany AU - Parker, Robert AU - University of Oregon, Eugene AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Understanding School Travel: How Location Choice and the Built Environment Affect Trips to School PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 70p AB - This project investigates issues related to parents’ decisions about children’s school transportation. This has become an important area of research due to the growing concerns that increased reliance on the private automobile in school travel has led to adverse health impacts on children and negative impacts on the environment. This study examines school transportation in the context of where families live and how families make decisions about school travel in the process of choosing their residence. Using a middle-sized school district in Oregon State, the anthors conducted a 5500-household survey and a number of interviews and focus groups. The study shows that parents considered school transportation in their residential location process; their intention to allow their children to walk or bike to school at this stage had significant impacts on later school travel behavior. While acknowledging school travel was not a priority when choosing a residential location, parents with strong preference for children walking or biking to school used the residential location process consciously to live closer to school and in more walkable neighborhoods; but parents were also limited by housing opportunities around schools and in the community. This research suggests the needs for stronger coordination between community land use planning and school planning, and stronger emphasis on changing parents’ attitudes toward children walking or biking to school in programs around safe routes to schools. KW - Attitudes KW - Bicycling KW - Decision making KW - Environmental impacts KW - Focus groups KW - Interviewing KW - Land use planning KW - Location KW - Oregon KW - Parents KW - Public health KW - Safe Routes to School (Program) KW - School children KW - School transportation KW - Surveys KW - Travel behavior KW - Walking UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/184 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/934611 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164264 AU - Baker, Jason AU - Johnson, Kurt AU - Vachal, Kim AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Implementing Traffic Safety Evaluations to Enhance Roadway Safety PY - 2010/01 SP - 56p AB - Traffic Safety Evaluations consist of a formal examination of the safety and performance of a roadway facility by an independent, multi‐disciplinary team. The purpose of conducting a TSE is to identify potential safety issues and opportunities for safety improvements. A TSE looks to provide a proactive approach in identifying opportunities that eliminate or mitigate safety concerns. The process of conducting a TSE is outlined by the FHWA, and consists of the following steps. 1. Identify the roadway facility or project to be evaluated; 2. Select the independent, multidisciplinary evaluation team; 3. Conduct a pre‐evaluation meeting; 4. Perform field reviews under various conditions; 5. Conduct analysis and document the findings; 6. Present findings to project owner/management; 7. Prepare a formal response; 8. Incorporate findings into the project when appropriate. The main goal of this project is to develop a methodology for identifying and conducting traffic safety evaluations in North Dakota. Specific objectives include the following: 1. Conduct case studies at sites with recognized safety issues; 2. Provide research and information on conducting safety evaluations among county transportation agencies in North Dakota; and 3. Demonstrate the effectiveness of conducting TSEs to agencies in North Dakota and other locations in the mountain-plains region, along with a low-cost improvement tool-kit. KW - Countermeasures KW - Evaluation KW - Highway safety KW - North Dakota KW - Safety programs KW - Traffic safety UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC10-218.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921441 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164216 AU - He, B Brian AU - National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Thermal Processing of Low-Grade Glycerol to Alcohols for Biodiesel Fuel Production, Phase II PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 40p AB - Conversion of crude glycerol to value added products can broaden its use and ultimately reduce the cost of biodiesel production. During the second year of the project, results from previous experiments were used to comprehensively investigate the thermochemical conversion of glycerol. A surface response experiment was conducted to find out the optimum temperature and reaction time. Statistical results showed that the highest ratio of bio-oil to char could be produced at temperature and reaction time of 320 degrees C and 195 minutes. However, the amount of alcohols produced varied significantly such that no clear correlation between these two parameters with respect to the production of alcohols can be concluded. This variation of data suggests that the process involves a complex set of reactions. Nevertheless, a simple first-order kinetics model was able to describe the conversion of glycerol to the different products. A thorough investigation on the effect of initial pressure and type of reducing agent with an improved feeding system were conducted. Results showed that thermochemical conversion of glycerol occurs at 300 degrees C or higher for 60 min, and that the initial pressure and type of reducing agent does not have a significant effect. The results gathered in the project gave sufficient evidence that the thermochemical conversion of glycerol could produce methanol, ethanol and propanol. However, further studies should be conducted to improve the efficiency of the process. An investigation on applications of metal catalysts and reactive distillation technique is under conduction to further explore the parameters affecting process efficiency and the process optimization. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Fuel processing KW - Production methods KW - Thermochemistry UR - http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/niatt/research/Final_Reports/KLK754_N10-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/921438 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01158853 AU - Jenkins, Brian Michael AU - Butterworth, Bruce R AU - Gerston, Larry AU - San Jose State University AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Department of Homeland Security AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Supplement to MTI Study on Selective Passenger Screening in the Mass Transit Rail Environment PY - 2010/01 SP - 58p AB - This report reviews current screening programs implemented (or planned) by nine transit agencies, identifying best practices. The authors also discuss why three other transit agencies decided not to implement passenger screening at this time. The supplement reconfirms earlier conclusions that selective screening is a viable security option, but that effective screening must be based on clear policies and carefully managed to avoid perceptions of racial or ethnic profiling, and that screening must have public support. The supplement also addresses new developments, such as vapor-wake detection canines, continuing challenges, and areas of debate. This is a supplement that updates and adds to the Mineta Transportation Institute's 2007 report, "Selective Screening of Rail Passengers." KW - Passenger screening KW - Passenger security KW - Racial profiling KW - Rail transit KW - Security KW - Terrorism KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/Selective%20Screening%20Supplement%20%28with%20Covers%29.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/918704 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01158832 AU - Jenkins, Brian Michael AU - Butterworth, Bruce R AU - Poe, William T AU - Reeves, Douglas AU - Shrum, Karl S AU - Trella, Joseph Edward AU - San Jose State University AU - Department of Homeland Security AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Potential Terrorist Uses of Highway-Borne Hazardous Materials PY - 2010/01 SP - 80p AB - This report examines the risks of terrorists using highway shipments of flammable liquids (e.g., gasoline tankers) to cause casualties and ways to reduce those risks. It summarizes key judgments regarding the current status of threats of attack. It analyzes commodity flows of flammable liquids, flammable gases, truckload explosives and toxic inhalation hazards to determine the availability of such materials while they are being transported. It assesses the potential destructive effects of the four types of hazardous materials. The report looks at information from public sources, such as accident databases and news reports, which terrorists could use. It reviews the current state of security regulation and recommended practices. It concludes by providing an analysis of the threats and potential attacks. KW - Explosives KW - Flammable liquids KW - Flammable materials KW - Hazardous materials KW - Highway transportation KW - National security KW - Terrorism UR - http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/%282981%29%20Potential%20Terrorist%20Uses%20of%20Highway-Borne%20Hazardous%20%28with%20Covers%29.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/918702 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01156877 AU - Carroll, Anya A AU - daSilva, Marco P AU - Ngamdung, Tashi AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - USDOT Federal Railroad Administration’s Third Research Needs Workshop on Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention: Volume I—Summary of Results PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 155p AB - On July 14-16, 2009 the John A. Volpe National Transportation Center hosted the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Third Research Needs Workshop on Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention (workshop). The primary purpose of this workshop was to bring together nationally and internationally recognized subject matter experts to collaborate, identify and prioritize specific research needs to facilitate the reduction of highway-rail grade crossing and trespass incidents and fatalities for incorporation into the strategic vision of FRA, other USDOT modes and their stakeholders. There were approximately 90 participants, including support staff, over the two-and-a-half day workshop, representing the Federal, State, and local governments, as well as railroads, transit agencies, labor unions, academia, non-profit organizations, and consultants. The workshop was organized into six research needs areas and four cross-cutting areas by the Steering Committee's recommendation. This report (Volume I) provides specific information on all 80 research needs developed at the workshop, a discussion and analysis of these needs, balloting results, and details the top priority research needs, as identified by the workshop attendees. KW - Countermeasures KW - Fatalities KW - Incident management KW - Needs assessment KW - Prevention KW - Railroad grade crossings KW - Railroad safety KW - Research KW - Trespassers UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/117 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/917683 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155656 AU - Chambers, M AU - Bureau of Transportation Statistics TI - Ocean Passenger Vessels: Migrating South for the Winter. Special Report PY - 2010/01 SP - 3p AB - In response to consumer demand, the passenger vessels that operate from seaports along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts alternate between north and south. Passenger vessels that sail out of ports such as New York, Baltimore and Seattle in the summer, lift anchor and steam for departure ports such as Miami, Tampa and Los Angeles, or overseas markets during the cold winter months. This phenomenon has grown in recent years as cruise lines increased the number of close-to-home departure ports in the north. KW - Cruise ships KW - Migration KW - Mobility KW - Passenger transportation KW - Ports KW - Statistical analysis KW - Travel demand KW - Water transportation KW - Winter UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2010_01_20/ UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2010_01_20/html/entire.html UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2010_01_20/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916366 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155643 AU - Chambers, M AU - Bureau of Transportation Statistics TI - U.S. Ocean Passenger Terminals: Serving Larger Vessels Closer to Home and Central Transit Connections. Special Report PY - 2010/01 SP - 6p AB - The ocean passenger industry has undergone substantial changes in recent years. In response to market conditions, passenger vessel operators are deploying larger vessels, cutting fares, changing destinations, and embarking from seaports closer to travelers in major metropolitan areas. In the United States, many new and renovated ocean passenger terminals have opened in port cities along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as across the Gulf coast, to help accommodate these changes. KW - Cruise ships KW - Marine terminals KW - Passenger ships KW - Passenger terminals KW - Passenger transportation KW - Ports KW - Statistical analysis KW - Vessel operations KW - Water traffic KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2010_01_19/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916367 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155069 AU - Ting, Francis C K AU - Jones, Allen L AU - Larsen, Ryan J AU - South Dakota State University, Brookings AU - Mountain-Plains Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of SRICOS Method on Cohesive Soils in South Dakota PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 235p AB - The SRICOS (Scour Rates In COhesive Soils) method had been proposed as an alternative design methodology for predicting scour at bridges founded in cohesive soils. As the new method can produce substantial savings in bridge construction costs at cohesive soil sites, it is important that South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) evaluates the method carefully for use in bridge design. This research project compared the predictions of the SRICOS method for pier scour with measured scour at three bridge sites in South Dakota and examined the technical issues involved in using the method. The research began with an assessment of the SRICOS method and a survey of current practice in evaluating bridges for scour used by other State DOTs. Three bridge sites in South Dakota were selected to evaluate the method for pier scour. Subsurface exploration, laboratory testing, hydraulic modeling, and hydrologic analysis were performed for each site to generate the inputs for computing scour using the SRICOS method. The computed scour depths were compared to the measured scour obtained by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 1991-1993 when a number of large floods occurred at the study sites. To provide a scale for the comparison, a sensitivity analysis was performed for each site to determine the sensitivity in the computed scour depth to the input parameters. The site-specific sensitivity analyses were complemented by a non site-specific sensitivity analysis to identify and rank the critical input parameters. A method to use the SRICOS method to predict bridge scour in watersheds where streamflow records are not available was proposed. This report recommends that SDDOT: (1) use the SRICOS method as a supporting tool in evaluating bridges for scour, (2) continue to monitor current and future research to observe new improvements, (3) conduct workshops to train design engineers in using the method; (4) acquire testing equipment to measure soil erodibility; (5) establish a procedure for collecting scour data immediately after major floods to verify future improvements; and (6) conduct research to improve predictions of hydraulics of bridge waterways and the effect of large floods on time rate of scour. KW - Bridge design KW - Cohesive soils KW - Hydraulics KW - Scour KW - South Dakota UR - http://www.mountain-plains.org/pubs/pdf/MPC08-195.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915874 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155051 AU - Abbot, Carl AU - Lowry, Sam AU - Portland State University AU - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Brief Portrait of Multimodal Transportation Planning in Oregon and the Path to Achieving It, 1890-1974 PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 82p AB - This project was designed to outline transportation chapters of a planned written history of Oregon land use planning, written in ways that would make the transportation planning profession relevant to a popular audience. The writing would focus on stories from the profession, and on historical facts and events in Oregon transportation planning history that would surprise or enlighten popular reading audiences. Technology transfer would occur through publication of one or more written pieces of work. The result is a topical and historical tale entitled “A Brief Portrait of Multimodal Transportation Planning in Oregon and the Path to Achieving It, 1890-1974.” Sources told stories with enthusiastic reference to past transportation events. The structure chosen was an interwoven collection of topical essays, arranged chronologically but skipping sideways, sometimes backward or forward, from stage to stage – national, metropolitan, state governmental, local – but always moving forward in time. The tale presented here takes the reader through tumultuous early years, up to the moment in 1974 when statewide planning goals, including Goal 12, the transportation goal, were adopted by the Oregon Legislature. KW - History KW - Land use planning KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Oregon KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.otrec.us/project/138 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/916070 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153258 AU - Nachtmann, Heather AU - Pohl, Edward A AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Emergency Response via Inland Waterways PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 76p AB - This research investigates the feasibility of using inland waterway transportation to provide emergency medical response to catastrophic events. Limited resources are available to provide general hazard relief across much of the United States. Inland waterways can provide access for equipment and people when other means of transportation are unavailable due to capacity constraints or destruction. Specific research questions include: (1) what are the emergency response capabilities of inland waterways, (2) what is the feasibility of providing emergency medical services via barge, (3) which types of communities could benefit from such a service, and (4) for which types of emergencies could medical response via barge be appropriate. This research is accomplished through literature review, feasibility analysis, and a case study based on the state of Arkansas. A Waterway Emergency Medical Service (WEMS) index is developed to guide emergency planners in evaluating the feasibility of incorporating emergency medical response via inland waterways into their emergency operations plan (EOP). KW - Access KW - Arkansas KW - Barges KW - Case studies KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Emergency medical services KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Inland waterways KW - Literature reviews KW - Water transportation UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32300/32347/MBTC_3008.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914817 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153252 AU - Mason, Scott J AU - Pohl, Edward A AU - Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Analysis of Transportation Network Design Strategies for Forced Transfer Busing PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 56p AB - Forced transfer busing occurs primarily at the elementary school level when students are bused to an alternate school when their geographically-assigned school is full at their specific grade level. Ineffective forced transfer busing can result in extra student travel time and inefficient use of often scarce transportation resources. In fact, some force transferred students regularly arrive to their alternate school after morning classes have started due to inefficient transportation practices. The authors examine various forced transfer busing network design strategies using actual public school system data from two school districts to assess various proposed solution methodologies effectiveness at developing practically implementable busing solutions in a realistic amount of time. In addition, preliminary models and analysis are presented for special needs busing problems in one local school district such that student travel time is minimized for these often medically-fragile children. KW - Bus transit KW - Efficiency KW - Elementary school students KW - Forced transfer busing KW - Network design KW - Special needs school children KW - Strategic planning KW - Travel time UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32300/32348/MBTC_3011_Final_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914826 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153226 AU - Frymoyer, Mark C AU - Berman, Jeffrey W AU - TransNow, Transportation Northwest AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Remaining Life Assessment of In-Service Luminaire Support Structures PY - 2010/01//Final Research Report SP - 198p AB - Recent fatigue failures of in-service luminaire support structures in Washington and around the country have prompted concern about their fatigue resistance. Most luminaire support structures in Washington were designed without attention to fatigue or with vague and incomplete fatigue design provisions. Furthermore, most luminaire support structures were installed during the construction of the Interstate system in the 1960s, and as many as half are estimated to have exceeded their 25-year design life. This research was initiated to help the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) prioritize the inspection and replacement of luminaire support structures throughout the state and to develop rational inspection procedures. The research had four primary components: a literature review, experimental fatigue testing of two in-service luminaire poles, a finite element analysis of the pole base, and development of a framework for estimating remaining life. The extensive literature review found previous experimental studies, which were used to identify details in older WSDOT luminaire support structures that may be critical and to help inform the selection of test specimens. Quasi-static and high cycle fatigue testing were performed on two previously in-service luminaire poles to determine the stress concentration factors (SCF) in critical details and determine fatigue resistance. The results were then compared to the finite element analysis and the fatigue classifications used in design. The finite element model was also used to determine the impact of parameters including base plate thickness, hand hole stiffener thickness, and location of anchor bolts. The individual components of a framework for estimating the remaining life of luminaire support structures in Washington were developed on the basis of a procedure established by Foley et al. (2004) in their study of the remaining life of sign bridge structures. The remaining fatigue life of the critical details in the previously in-service luminaire support structures were found to exceed their design life. Cracking at the stiffened hand hole detail was found to be the ultimate limit state for both specimens but was observed at cycle counts that were well beyond the design life. High SCFs were measured in both compression and tension at the CJP weld toe, indicating the importance of base plate flexibility, anchor bolt layout, and a uniform bearing surface. While it was not possible to know the load history for the selected specimens, it is clear that the number of damaging cycles was low and that the fatigue design life for these details is conservative. Recommendations for luminaire inspection are provided. KW - Anchor bolts KW - Base plates KW - Cracking KW - Failure KW - Fatigue (Mechanics) KW - Fatigue tests KW - Finite element method KW - Inspection KW - Literature reviews KW - Luminaires KW - Poles (Supports) KW - Service life KW - Stress concentration factors KW - Structural supports KW - Vertical supports KW - Washington (State) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32400/32445/TNW2010-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914777 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153218 AU - Bhalekar, Prafulla AU - Crouch, Carolyn J AU - Crouch, Donald B AU - Maclin, Richard M AU - University of Minnesota, Duluth AU - University of Minnesota, Duluth AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Models for Predicting RWIS Sensor Misalignments and Their Causes PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 58p AB - The Minnesota Department of Transportation uses the Road Weather Information System (RWIS) for monitoring the current weather and surface conditions of its highways. The real-time data received from these sensors reduce the need for road patrolling in specific locations by providing information to those responsible for directing winter maintenance operations. Since most road maintenance decisions and weather forecasts are explicitly dependent on the reliability and accuracy of the RWIS sensor data, it is important for one to be able to determine the reliability of the sensor data, that is, to determine whether a sensor is malfunctioning. In a previous project the authors investigated the use of machine learning techniques to predict sensor malfunctions and thereby improve accuracy in forecasting weather-related conditions. In this project, the authors used their findings to automate the process of identifying malfunctioning weather sensors in real time. The authors analyze the weather data reported by various sensors to detect possible anomalies. Their interface system allows users to define decision-making rules based on their real-world experience in identifying malfunctions. Since decision rule parameters set by the user may result in a false indication of a sensor malfunction, the system analyzes all proposed rules based on historical data and recommends optimal rule parameters. If the user follows these automated suggestions, the accuracy of the software to detect a malfunctioning sensor increases significantly. This report provides an overview of the software tool developed to support detection of sensor malfunctions. KW - Accuracy KW - Data errors detection KW - Decision making KW - Errors KW - Minnesota Department of Transportation KW - Real time information KW - Road weather information systems KW - Sensors KW - Software KW - Weather forecasting KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=1856 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914799 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153173 AU - Faza, Ayman Z AU - Sedigh, Sahra AU - McMillin, Bruce M AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Reliability Analysis for the Smart Grid: From Cyber Control and Communication to Physical Manifestations of Failure PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 13p AB - The Smart Grid is a cyber-physical system comprised of physical components, such as transmission lines and generators, and a network of embedded systems deployed for their cyber control. The objective was to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the reliability of this cyber-physical system. The original contribution of the approach lies in the scope of failures analyzed, which crosses the cyber-physical boundary by investigating physical manifestations of failures in cyber control. As an example of power electronics deployed to enhance and control the operation of the grid, the authors study Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices, which are used to alter the flow of power on specific transmission lines. Through prudent fault injection, the authors enumerate the failure modes of FACTS devices, as triggered by their embedded software, and evaluate their effect on the reliability of the device and the reliability of the power grid on which they are deployed. The IEEE118 bus system is used as a case study, where the physical infrastructure is supplemented with seven FACTS devices to prevent the occurrence of four previously documented potential cascading failures. KW - Cybernetics KW - Electric power transmission KW - Failure analysis KW - Grids (Transmission lines) KW - Reliability KW - Reliability analysis UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R203_Faza_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914516 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153171 AU - Pickerill, Heath AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - 2009 Summer Transportation Institute PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 11p AB - Missouri LTAP at Missouri University of Science and Technology has hosted a U.S. Department of Transportation Summer Transportation Institute (STI) for the past several years. The program has been very successful and was again offered in Summer 2009. The STI is a 2-week intensive learning experience held during the summer for high school students. It is targeted primarily toward minorities but not limited to them. The following are the goals of STI: 1) To expose secondary school students to and allow them to participate in a series of academic and practice experiences designed to motivate them toward professions in the transportation industry, and 2) To provide secondary school students with mathematics, science and technological enrichment to enable them to pursue a career in the transportation industry. The overarching goal is to increase the number of youths entering the transportation profession and to aid the university in its recruiting efforts. The students (10th, 11th and 12th graders) are subjected to a healthy dose of campus life. KW - Education and training KW - High school students KW - Minorities KW - Summer Transportation Institute, University of Missouri KW - Transportation careers UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/ETT249_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914710 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153168 AU - Wei, Tao AU - Xiao, Hai AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Miniaturized Fiber Inline Fabry-Pérot Interferometer for Chemical Sensing PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 8p AB - This paper demonstrates the chemical sensing capability of a miniaturized fiber inline Fabry-Pérot sensor fabricated by femtosecond laser. Its accessible cavity enables the device to measure the refractive index within the cavity. The refractive index change introduced by changing the acetone solution concentration was experimentally detected with an error less than 4.2 × 10 to the -5 power. KW - Chemicals KW - Fiber optics KW - Interferometers KW - Lasers KW - Refractive index KW - Sensors UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R203_Wei_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914518 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153167 AU - Kovin, Oleg N AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - GPR Investigations in Upper Kama Potash Mines PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 17p AB - Geohazards posed by surface subsidence accompany extensive exploitation of the potash deposits and cause serious damage to property, infrastructure and industry facilities on the surface. Undermined areas of the Upper Kama (Verkhnekamskoye) potash deposit within the cities of Berezniki and Solikamsk (Perm region, Russia) present a special threat as large chemical and power plants, roadways, railroads and gas pipelines are located within the subsidence zone. The significant losses of company and state budget due to replacement of the roadways and infrastructure in the risky area were reported after the catastrophic collapses at the mines BKRU-2 in 1988 and BKRU-1 in 2006. Studying of deformation of the rock mass surrounding the mine openings is very important for safe mining, planning the methods of extraction of ore, and, especially, preventing the catastrophic water inflow in the potash mines. Geophysical methods have proven to be an effective, nondestructive investigative tool, providing mining engineers with continuous information about the structure and geomechanical properties of subsurface material. Preliminary experiments in the Upper Kama potash mines show that the GPR (ground penetrating radar, georadar) method is capable of providing the most detailed and continuous information about the rock mass structure at distances of up to 40 m from the mine openings. About 6 km continuous common-offset GPR profiles were collected in the potash mine of the JSC “Silvinit” located near the city of Solikamsk (Russia) in order to develop the site-specific methodology of data acquisition, processing and interpretation. Data were collected at the upper mining level where the tension vertical fractures were exposed by the workings as well as at the lower level to estimate the extent of the fracture zone. The OKO (Logis, Russia) and RAMAC/GPR commercial georadar systems were employed for data acquisition. The software used for data processing and interpretation was REFLEXW (Windows OS) and OpendTect (Linux OS). Although the GPR method has been used in German and Canadian salt and potash mines for long time, the geological and geotechnical environments of the German and Canadian deposits differ significantly from those of the Upper Kama deposit. Consequently, the appropriate GPR acquisition, data processing and interpretation methodologies were developed. Because of intensive folding of different range, GPR data are significantly contaminated with diffractions and a migration is required to make the data interpretable. The results of data analysis show that the GPR method may be of great utility for detection of the small-scale fractures and the flexure folds at depths up to 20 m. The 3-D imaging technique has proven to be an effective tool for studying the geometry of the fractures. This study has the following results: the electrical properties of typical rock salt formation members were determined; the site-specific data acquisition technique and object-oriented data processing schemes consistent with the local geological and geotechnical environment were developed; and the methodology of 2-D and 3-D GPR data interpretation using interactive modeling was worked out. KW - Berezniki (Russia) KW - Data collection KW - Geotechnical engineering KW - Ground penetrating radar KW - Information processing KW - Mines KW - Potash deposits KW - Rock mass KW - Solikamsk (Russia) KW - Subsidence (Geology) KW - Surveying UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R165_Kovin_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914720 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153165 AU - Fan, Zhiqiang AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Modeling of Laser Cladding with Application to Fuel Cell Manufacturing PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 7p AB - Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells have many advantages such as compactness, lightweight, high power density, low temperature operation and near zero emissions. Although many research organizations have intensified their efforts towards commercialization of fuel cells, several technical problems are yet to be overcome. One of the important issues is the availability of low cost bipolar plates. Thus far carbon-based bipolar plates have been the main focus of the development activities. These materials will fulfill all requirements in the near future. Nevertheless, further cost reduction and an increase of power density is beneficial for fuel cell technology. Bipolar plates based on coated metals offer a high potential to reduce costs and enhance power density. Aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, and nickel are considered possible alternative materials for the bipolar plate in PEM fuel cells. These metals need to be coated properly because bipolar plates are exposed to an operating environment with a pH of 2–3 at high temperatures. Borup and Vanderborgh suggest that coatings for bipolar plates should be conductive and adhere to the base material properly to protect the substrate from the operating environment. Laser cladding is considered an alternative coating process for solid or modular metallic bipolar plates. In laser cladding, the coating material is metallurgically bonded with the substrate, which is very important for the functioning of bipolar plates. The advantages of laser cladding include chemical cleanliness, localized heating, low dilution of the cladding material by the substrate and rapid cooling rates. To understand the relationships between the fuel cell component performance and manufacturing process parameters and variability, a numerical model has been developed to simulate the physical phenomena associated with laser cladding of bipolar plates. This report summarizes the numerical model developed. KW - Bipolar plates KW - Cladding KW - Coatings KW - Fuel cells KW - Lasers KW - Manufacturing KW - Mathematical models KW - Polymer electrolyte membranes UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R203_Fan_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914707 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152927 AU - Bank, Lawrence C AU - Galati, Nestore AU - Jones, Spencer N AU - Matta, Fabio AU - Nanni, Antonio AU - Oliva, Michael G AU - Orr, Brian M AU - Ringelstetter, Thomas E AU - Russell, Jeffrey S AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development and Field Testing of an FRP Composite Bridge Deck Comprising of Guard Rail System for Bridge 1480230, Greene County, MO PY - 2010/01//Final Report SP - 51p AB - The objective of the rehabilitation program of Bridge 1480230 in Springfield, MO in Greene County is to remove the 15 Ton load posting that has been imposed on it. An inspection of the bridge revealed a severely damaged deck in need to be replaced. The structural analysis has demonstrated deficiency in the steel girders as well as possible deficiencies in bents and piers. The rehabilitation plan will consist in the following steps: 1) Replacing the concrete deck using a low weight, high perforce glass fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite deck; 2) Retrofitting or replacement of existing steel girders (Different solutions will be considered to determine the optimal design in terms of structural performance, durability and cost of the structure. Also the possibility of using carbon FRP composite girders is under investigation allowing to reduce the weight of the superstructure and therefore to avoid the strengthening of bents and piers.); 3) Design of the strengthening of bents and piers if needed; and 4) Developing of an FRP guard rail system ensuring the durability of the entire superstructure and therefore reducing the maintenance costs.The project will include field and laboratory investigations necessary to validate the assumptions to be made for design of the rehabilitation. In addition, sensors will be embedded in the FRP members in order to monitor the structural performances of the bridge over time. The different sensors will be remotely read allowing in such way detecting any possible structural flaw. Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri) will perform a load test after construction to ensure the in-situ structural performance of the bridge and it will perform a five years inspection (one load test per year). It is envisioned that this rehabilitation technique will lead to a design/maintenance protocol for consideration by counties for future applications. KW - Bents KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge piers KW - Bridge superstructures KW - Carbon fibers KW - Fiber reinforced plastics KW - Field tests KW - Flaw detection KW - Girders KW - Glass fiber reinforced plastics KW - Greene County (Missouri) KW - Guardrails KW - Inspection KW - Laboratory tests KW - Load tests KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) KW - Retrofitting KW - Sensors KW - Springfield (Missouri) KW - Steel girders KW - Strengthening (Maintenance) UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R143_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914510 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152838 AU - Chambers, Matthew AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - U.S. Ocean Passenger Terminals: Serving Larger Vessels Closer to Home and Central Transit Connections PY - 2010/01//Special Report SP - 6p AB - The ocean passenger industry has undergone substantial changes in recent years. In response to market conditions, passenger vessel operators are deploying larger vessels, cutting fares, changing destinations, and embarking from seaports closer to travelers in major metropolitan areas. In the United States, many new and renovated ocean passenger terminals have opened in port cities along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as across the Gulf coast, to help accommodate these changes. Since 2004, the number of passenger vessel cruises have decreased, yet larger vessels helped maintain passenger levels—growing by about a half million (5.3 percent) over the 2004 to 2008 5-year period. The 9.9 million passengers in 2008 was up from 9.4 million in 2004, but down from the record high of 10.3 million-passengers in 2007. KW - Cruise ships KW - Marine terminals KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Ocean liners KW - Passenger ships KW - Ports KW - Ships by size KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2010_01_19/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35391/U.S.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914104 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152827 AU - Chambers, Matthew AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Ocean Passenger Vessels: Migrating South for the Winter PY - 2010/01//Special Report SP - 3p AB - In response to consumer demand, the passenger vessels that operate from seaports along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts alternate between north and south. Passenger vessels that sail out of ports such as New York, Baltimore and Seattle in the summer, lift anchor and steam for departure ports such as Miami, Tampa and Los Angeles, or overseas markets during the cold winter months. This phenomenon has grown in recent years as cruise lines increased the number of “close-to-home” departure ports1 in the north. The winter when capacity operates from the southerly ports, is the peak quarter for total passengers boarded. Over the last 5 years, except in 2006, the fourth quarter has been the lowest overall quarter for U.S. cruise passenger departures. In addition to the seasonal shifting of capacity to the south to meet increased demand for warm weather destinations, operators also shift some capacity to southern Europe. Additionally, operators often use the lower volume fourth quarter as a time to put ships into dry dock for maintenance. KW - Climatic regions KW - Ocean liners KW - Passenger ships KW - Port operations KW - Seaports KW - Seasons KW - Water transportation UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2010_01_20/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35390/Ocean.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914103 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152801 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Pocket Guide to Transportation 2010 PY - 2010/01 SP - 56p AB - This booklet provides a statistical guide on the state of transportation in the United States. Covering highway, air, rail, maritime, urban transit and pipeline, the contents include transportation topics such as transportation infrastructure and use; safety; security; mobility and livability; economy; and environmental sustainability. A glossary of terms is provided. KW - Economic indicators KW - Environmental impacts KW - Infrastructure KW - Mobility KW - Quality of life KW - Security KW - Statistics KW - Sustainable transportation KW - Transportation modes KW - Transportation safety UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/pocket_guide_to_transportation/2010/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914378 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01596818 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - National Transportation Atlas Databases 2010 PY - 2010 AB - The National Transportation Atlas Databases 2010 (NTAD2010) is a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure. These datasets include spatial information for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals, as well as the related attribute information for these features. Metadata documentation, as prescribed by the International Organization of Standards, is also provided for each database. The data support research, analysis, and decision-making across all modes of transportation. They are most useful at the national level, but have major applications at regional, state, and local scales throughout the transportation community. This product is distributed in shapefile format. KW - Databases KW - Geographic information systems KW - Infrastructure KW - Intermodal facilities KW - Metadata KW - Spatial analysis KW - Transportation modes KW - Transportation, hydraulic and utility facilities KW - United States UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/56000/56600/56696/NTAD_2010.zip UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1400861 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01543899 AU - Goetz, Andrew R AU - Vowles, Timothy M AU - National Center for Intermodal Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Hierarchical Typology of Intermodal Air-Rail Connections at Large Airports in the United States PY - 2010 SP - 43p AB - In July 2005, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report discussing intermodal transportation strategies in developing airport intermodal capabilities (USGAO 2005). In this report, the GAO identified those airports that had a direct rail or bus connection, to either nationwide or local systems, among the largest 72 US airports. GAO found 13 airports directly connected to nationwide rail (the Amtrak system), and 27 airports directly connected to local or regional rail systems. The GAO “considered a direct connection to consist of a transfer point (such as a bus stop or rail station) that is accessible from airport terminals either by walking, an automated people mover, or direct shuttle” (USGAO 2005, p. 7). Unfortunately, the GAO definition of a “direct” intermodal connection did not distinguish among numerous important characteristics that define the quality of an intermodal air-rail linkage. For example, there is a huge difference between service provided at an on-airport rail station that is accessible by walking as opposed to having to take a shuttle to an off-airport rail station. There are differences in the type and length of shuttle services between airports and rail stations. Likewise, rail service at an airport that connects to a national rail system is different from service that is only local or regional. Also, airport rail service that is more frequent and connected to a large rail system is much different from rail service that is infrequent and may only feature one line of service with limited connectivity. All of these factors must be considered when assessing the quality of air-rail connections. This leads to consideration of a typology approach. Instead of lumping all air-rail service in one undifferentiated basket, important distinctions must be made. This paper presents and utilizes a hierarchical typology of air-rail connections to differentiate the quality of air-rail service currently operating at US airports. Following a brief conceptual overview of passenger intermodal literature in different geographic contexts, a hierarchical typology of air-rail connections is presented and used to categorize the fifty largest US airports based on the quality of their air-rail service. More specific descriptions and qualitative assessments of the air-rail connections for each of the airports with direct air-rail service are also provided. KW - Air rail interface KW - Airports KW - Amtrak KW - Connections (Transportation) KW - Intermodal services KW - Quality of service KW - Rail transit KW - Railroad transportation KW - Typology KW - United States UR - http://www.ncit.msstate.edu/NCIT%20Reports/2008_06_Goetz%20and%20Vowles_Air-Rail%20Intermodal%20Connections.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1331602 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485764 AU - Ryerson, Megan Smirti AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Optimal Intercity Transportation Services with Heterogeneous Demand and Variable Fuel Price PY - 2010 SP - 135p AB - This thesis examines how fuel price variation affects the optimal mix of services in intercity transportation. Two main contributions are made. The first is the development of an analytic total logistics cost model of intercity transportation, which is sensitive to fuel price and incorporates multiple classes of vehicles serving passengers with differentiated values of time. The second is an empirical investigation of the cost relationship between fuel price and operating cost for intercity transportation vehicles. The analytic total logistics cost models are combined with the empirical models to gain insights into the impact of fuel price on optimal service mixes in representative corridors. A scheduled intercity transportation corridor on which different classes of vehicles serve passengers with differentiated values of time is considered. In developing the total logistics cost model, the continuum approximation method from logistics is incorporated. The analysis compares cost models for jet, turboprop and high speed rail intercity transportation. High speed rail is a part of a mixed vehicle service that can reduce total logistics cost, suggesting that an integrated air and rail strategy could be an effective tool to manage costs and fuel consumption for an intercity transportation system. KW - Aviation fuels KW - Cost estimating KW - Fares KW - Fuel consumption KW - High speed rail KW - Intercity transportation KW - Jet propelled aircraft KW - Mathematical models KW - Operating costs KW - Pricing KW - Turboprop aircraft UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2010-07.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm56h4n6g/1/UCTC-DISS-2010-07.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249736 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485760 AU - Grembek, Offer AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - User Adaptation to Injury Protection Systems: Its Effects on Fatalities, and Possible Causes PY - 2010 SP - 58p AB - Although it is generally believed that people drive less carefully when their vehicles are equipped with new protection systems, the possible impact of such behavior on fatalities has never before been quantified. A meta-study across a diverse set of injury protection systems strongly suggests that users do adapt to new protection systems in a way that increases fatalities, and that the effect is more intense for systems that are easily perceived by the user. Perceptibility was quantified and found to be higher for injury protection systems that require user activation; for these systems, it is estimated that about 9% of the fatalities can be attributed to adaptation. KW - Adaptation (Psychology) KW - Drivers KW - Fatalities KW - Occupant protection devices KW - Perception KW - Vehicle safety UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2010-08.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm5b85cxs/1/UCTC-DISS-2010-08.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249735 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01485759 AU - Wang, Jiana-Fu AU - University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) AU - California Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Operational Strategies for Single-Stage Crossdocks PY - 2010 SP - 131p AB - A crossdock is a kind of hub that can effectively transfer freight from inbound trailers to outbound trailers without storage. Efficient operation of crossdocks reduces unnecessary waiting and staging congestion for freight and workers and is an important issue for managers. This dissertation uses real-time information about the contents of inbound and outbound trailers and the locations of pallets to schedule unloading for waiting trailers or assign destinations for unloading pallets. A waiting trailer is chosen that will need the least time for its pallets and existing pallets; an alternative destination for a pallet may be assigned if its primary destination is expected to encounter congestion. Two dynamic trailer scheduling and four alternative destination strategies are proposed and compared with baseline scenarios. Simulation results suggest that the strategies are effective, saving cycle times and raising throughputs. Greater flexibility in choosing alternative destinations can bring higher performance for crossdocks. KW - Algorithms KW - Crossdocks KW - Hubs KW - Optimization KW - Pallets KW - Queuing KW - Scheduling KW - Simulation KW - Trailers UR - http://www.uctc.net/research/UCTC-DISS-2010-05.pdf UR - https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3a%2f13030%2fm52r3wf9/1/UCTC-DISS-2010-05.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249737 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01472437 AU - Boske, Leigh B AU - Loftus-Otway, Lisa AU - Hutson, Nathan AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - University of Texas, Austin AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluation of Mexican Transportation Infrastructure Projects PY - 2010 SP - 343p AB - University of Texas researchers spent one year examining the legal, institutional and economic underpinnings of transportation planning within Mexico. After completing this review a series of case studies were performed in year two of the study intended to demonstrate how these institutional factors functioned in real world examples. The case studies were designed to focus on infrastructure projects considered strategically valuable by the Mexican government and assess how various institutions contributed to these projects’ development. The case studies were carried out by a group of graduate student researchers at the LBJ School of Public Affairs through a year-long applied research course called a policy research project. In a policy research project, a group of students selected due to their interest and expertise in key project areas, performs real world analysis on a particular topic for the benefit of a public sector sponsor. The scope of the study was intentionally broad, focusing on issues such as project prioritization and selection, budgeting and finance, bidding and tendering, right-of-way acquisition, environmental assessment and mitigation, engineering/planning coordination among entities, and citizen involvement. This approach allowed the researchers to develop a complete picture of the planning and implementation process as it applied to different types of projects. In addition to research on the implementation and development of Mexico’s infrastructure programs, the project also explored the degree to which Texas and Mexico are coordinating their transportation plans. Through a series of memoranda and this comprehensive final report, the project developed strategies to increase cross-border coordination, create relationships with many important Mexican contacts, assessed discontinuities between Mexico and Texas transportation plans, analyzed the process of project development in Mexico, and recommended policy changes. The project gathered information from literature reviews, telephone interviews, websites, and site visits to twelve projects around Mexico that covered all modes: highways, rail, ports, airports, commuter rail, and inland ports. In addition, personal interviews were conducted with government officials, project directors, and others involved in the development process. This report analyzes several case studies from around Mexico in depth, and comments on the impact of their development on Mexico and Texas’s economies. KW - Border regions KW - Case studies KW - Coordination KW - Implementation KW - Mexico KW - Research projects KW - Texas KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/0_5985_1_CaseStudies.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46900/46962/0_5985_1_CaseStudies.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1243641 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01469416 AU - Salari, Ezzatollah AU - Chou, Eddie Yein Juin AU - Lynch, James AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - University of Toledo AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Informatics: Advanced Image Processing Techniques for Automated Pavement Distress Evaluation PY - 2010///Final Report SP - 28p AB - The current project, funded by MIOH-UTC for the period 1/1/2009- 4/30/2010, is concerned with the development of the framework for a transportation facility inspection system using advanced image processing techniques. The focus of this study is on the technical details of investigating and utilizing state-of-the-art image analysis techniques to further advance research in image processing based inspection systems in order to detect and classify the cracks in pavement. The detection of cracks and other degradations of pavement surfaces has traditionally been done by human experts conducting visual inspection while driving along the surveyed road. This manual approach is not only time consuming but also costly and subjective. To overcome these limitations the authors developed two different approaches for automatic crack detection and classification to speed up the process and reduce subjectivity. In the first approach, after the pavement images are captured by a digital camera, regions corresponding to cracks are detected over the acquired images by local segmentation and then represented by a matrix of square tiles. Since the crack pattern can be represented by the distribution of the crack tiles, standard deviations of both vertical and horizontal histograms are calculated to map the cracks onto a 2D feature space, where four crack types can be identified as: longitudinal cracks, transversal cracks, block cracks and alligator cracks. This new technique provides a low-cost, near real time distress analysis option. In the second approach the authors explore the use of a more robust multi-resolution scheme based on the beamlet transform. This method uses a pavement distress image enhancement algorithm to correct the non-uniform background illumination by calculating the multiplicative factors that eliminate the background lighting variations. To extract the linear features such as surface cracks from the pavement images, the image is partitioned into small windows and a beamlet transform based algorithm is applied. The crack segments are then linked together and classified into four types, vertical, horizontal, transversal, and block types. Simulation results show that the method is effective and robust in the extraction of cracks from a variety of pavement images. The experimental results, obtained by testing real pavement images over local asphalt roads, present the effectiveness of the authors' algorithm for automating the process of identifying road distresses from images. KW - Algorithms KW - Cracking of asphalt concrete pavements KW - Flaw detection KW - Image analysis KW - Image processing KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavement maintenance UR - http://files.library.northwestern.edu/transportation/online/unrestricted/2010/MIOH-UTC-TS18p2-2010.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1226279 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01469389 AU - Chinnam, Ratna Babu AU - Murat, Alper AU - Ulferts, Gregory AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Wayne State University AU - Michigan Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Enabling Congestion Avoidance and Reduction in the Michigan-Ohio Transportation Network to Improve Supply Chain Efficiency: Freight ATIS PY - 2010///Final Report SP - 32p AB - The authors consider dynamic vehicle routing under milk-run tours with time windows in congested transportation networks for just-in-time (JIT) production. The arc travel times are considered stochastic and time-dependent. The problem integrates TSP with dynamic routing to find a static yet robust recurring tour of a given set of sites (i.e., DC and suppliers) while dynamically routing the vehicle between site visits. The static tour is motivated by the fact that tours cannot be changed on a regular basis (e.g., daily or even weekly) for milk-run pickup and delivery in routine JIT production. The authors allow network arcs to experience recurrent congestion, leading to stochastic and time-dependent travel times and requiring dynamic routing decisions. While the tour cannot be changed, they dynamically route the vehicle between pair of sites using real-time traffic information (e.g. speeds) from Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) sources to improve delivery performance. Traffic dynamics for individual arcs are modeled with congestion states and state transitions based on time-dependent Markov chains. Based on vehicle location, time of day, and current and projected network congestion states, the authors generate dynamic routing policies for every pair of sites using a stochastic dynamic programming formulation. The dynamic routing policies are then simulated to find travel time distributions for each pair of sites. These time-dependent stochastic travel time distributions are used to build the robust recurring tour using an efficient stochastic forward dynamic programming formulation. Results are very promising when the algorithms are tested in a simulated network of Southeast-Michigan freeways using historical traffic data from the Michigan ITS Center and Traffic.com. KW - Delivery service KW - Dynamic programming KW - Freight traffic KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Just in time production KW - Michigan KW - Routing KW - Supply chain management KW - Traffic congestion KW - Travel time UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1226277 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01450866 AU - Salari, Ezzatollah AU - Chou, Eddie Yein Juin AU - Lynch, James AU - Dutta, Utpal AU - University of Toledo AU - University of Detroit Mercy AU - Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Advanced Road Scene Image Segmentation and Pavement Evaluation Using Neural Networks PY - 2010///Final Report SP - 27p AB - The current project, funded by the Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center for the period 9/1/2009-8/31/2010, continues efforts in designing an image processing based pavement inspection system for the assessment of highway surface conditions. One of the most important tasks in pavement maintenance is pavement surface condition evaluation distress measurement. In order to eliminate the tedious and unreliable manual inspection of pavement surface evaluation, image processing and pattern recognition techniques are used to increase the efficiency and accuracy and decrease the costs of pavement distress measurements. Existing systems for automated pavement defect detection commonly require special devices such as lights, lasers, etc., which dramatically increase the cost and limit the system to certain applications. Therefore, in this report, a low cost automatic pavement distress evaluation approach is presented. This method can provide real-time pavement distress detection as well as evaluation results based on color images captured from a camera installed on a survey vehicle. The entire process consists of two main parts: pavement surface extraction followed by pavement distress detection and classification. In the first part, a novel color segmentation method based on a feed forward neural network is applied to separate the road surface from the background. In the second part, a segmentation technique based on probabilistic relaxation is utilized to separate distress areas from the road surface. The geometrical parameters obtained from the detected distresses are then fed to a neural network based pavement distress classifier in which the defects are classified into different types. Simulation results are given to show that the scheme presented in this report is both effective and reliable on a variety of pavement images. KW - Deterioration KW - Flaw detection KW - Image analysis KW - Image processing KW - Neural networks KW - Pavement cracking KW - Pavement distress KW - Pavements KW - Rehabilitation (Maintenance) UR - http://mioh-utc.udmercy.edu/research/ts-18-p3/pdf/MIOH_UTC_TS18p3_2010_Final_Rpt_Advanced_Road_Scene_Image_Segmentation_etc.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1218122 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01450080 AU - Stavrinos, Despina AU - University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Distracted Driving in Teens with and without ADHD PY - 2010 SP - 26p AB - The objective of the study was to determine the effect cell phone conversation or text messaging has on motor vehicle collision-related injury risk in teens with or without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Combined Type (ADHD-C) and whether a computerized cognitive intervention improves driving performance of these individuals. Teens (average age 17 years) with a diagnosis of ADHD-C (N-22) were matched with typically developing controls (N=21). Participants randomly assigned to the intervention completed 9 hours of training on RoadTour(trademarked) over 6 weeks. Four indicators of driving performance were recorded by the simulator (a) deviation of lane position; (b) reaction time; (c) average driving speed; (d) total number of motor vehicle collisions. The repeated measures analysis of variance revealed main effects for driving condition on reaction time, motor vehicle collisions, and number of deviations. The repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant intervention effects for motor vehicle crashes and lane deviation. It is concluded that distraction negatively impacts driving performance of novice teenage drivers regardless of ADHD-C status. Preliminary evidence suggests that the RoadTour(trademarked) intervention may be an effective tool for improving driving performance of novice drivers. KW - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder KW - Cellular telephones KW - Countermeasures KW - Distraction KW - Lane deviation KW - Reaction time KW - Recently qualified drivers KW - Teenage drivers KW - Text messaging KW - Traffic crashes UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46100/46163/uabutcdistracteddriving_stavrinos_final1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1217314 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01380342 AU - Pisano, Paul AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seasons of Achievement: Accomplishments of the Road Weather Management Program PY - 2010 SP - 12p AB - For transportation managers, keeping abreast of changes in the weather is vital for maintaining an efficient and safe transportation system. For the road user, knowing about actual or pending bad weather and road conditions can save time and lives. The Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) is part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Operations and works in conjunction with the Intelligent Transportation Systems office of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration. The RWMP addresses road weather challenges through research, technology development, and community outreach to gain a greater understanding of the impact weather has on roadways, and through the promotion of strategies and tools that mitigate those impacts. To achieve success, RWMP promotes the use of proven best practices and advanced, state-of-the-art technologies and tools such as environmental sensor stations; freeway gate closure systems; wet pavement, fog, and high wind warning systems; and integrated decision support systems. The result is an initiative that benefits state and local agencies, private weather providers, and the traveling public. A hallmark of the Program is the successful transfer of federally funded research into actual practice and use by the private sector. KW - Highway operations KW - Highway safety KW - Highway traffic control KW - Road weather information systems KW - Road Weather Management Program KW - U.S. Federal Highway Administration KW - Weather conditions UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33100/33152/seasons_pdf.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1148137 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01356793 AU - U.S. Census Bureau AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Census Transportation Planning Product (CTPP) 2006-2008 - Part 1A (T11100-T12302C): Place of Residence Data and Documentation PY - 2010 SP - v.p. AB - The Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP) data product based on 2006 – 2008 3-year American Community Survey (ACS) Data is designed to help transportation analysts and planners understand where people are commuting to and from, and how they get there. The information is organized by where workers live, where they work, and by the flow between those places. At this website a link is provided that will take you to the CTPP data product based on 2006 – 2008 3-year ACS Data. The Data Product is a special tabulation of census data designed by transportation planners, for transportation planners. The Data Product contains commuter flows, not available in other data sets. This Data Product is limited to geographies with populations 20,000 or greater. It contains over 200 tabs and cross tabs and will help planners answer such questions as: How many people live here and work there? What’s the average commute time to my city? How many or what percentage of workers use transit in my Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)? What is the average income of workers commuting from the suburbs to the city? What industries are located in my city? What proportion of transit users are automobile owners? What percentage of work trips are made in carpools? What proportion of people telecommute? KW - American Community Survey KW - Automobile ownership KW - Carpools KW - Census KW - Census Transportation Planning Package KW - Commuters KW - Commuting KW - Income KW - Modal split KW - Telecommuting KW - Transportation planning KW - Work trips UR - https://1bts.rita.dot.gov/pdc/user/products/src/products.xml?p=33107&c=-1 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1122434 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01340817 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - ITS Strategic Research Plan, 2010–2014, Executive Summary: Transforming Transportation Through Connectivity PY - 2010 SP - v.p. AB - This document is the Executive Summary of the ITS Strategic Research Plan, 2010–2014. It describes a focused research agenda for delivering transportation connectivity to the Nation. Building on the last set of recently completed research initiatives, this new research portfolio will continue efforts necessary for researching, prototyping, testing and evaluating, and transferring the next generation of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology into the marketplace. Ultimately, this research portfolio will result in a fully-connected, information-rich transportation system for the Nation. KW - Connectivity KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Research KW - Strategic planning KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.its.dot.gov/strategic_plan2010_2014/index.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1102848 ER - TY - CONF AN - 01328532 AU - Western Transportation Institute AU - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety TI - National Summit for Rural Traffic Safety Culture 2010 PY - 2010 SP - 108p AB - A disproportional number of traffic crashes with fatal results occur on rural roads where highway design and maintenance are lagging behind urban settings, emergency response can be slower because of greater distances to medical facilities and too often risky driving behavior is part of the rural culture. The focus of this summit was to bring added attention to the special needs and requirements of rural drivers to a larger audience. The areas of education, engineering, law enforcement and emergency medical services are the main target areas of interest. Specific recommendations include improving design and engineering practices for safer road configurations; advancing vehicle design and technology to assist drivers; improving drivers' skills and abilities; reducing distractions; enhancing policy making and enforcement; creating communication campaigns with specific goals to reduce a culture of complacency and promote safety and awareness, and increasing collaboration between federal, state and local public and private organizations. U1 - National Summit for Rural Traffic Safety Culture 2010Western Transportation InstituteAAA Foundation for Traffic SafetyResearch and Innovative Technology AdministrationFederal Highway AdministrationNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationCenters for Disease Control and PreventionAmerican Traffic Safety Services AssociationBig Sky,MT,United States StartDate:20100712 EndDate:20100713 Sponsors:Western Transportation Institute, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Traffic Safety Services Association KW - Emergency medical services KW - Emergency response time KW - Fatalities KW - High risk drivers KW - Highway design KW - Highway safety KW - Rural areas KW - Rural highways KW - Safe driving practices KW - Traffic safety KW - Traffic safety education UR - http://ruraltscsummit.org/downloads/10documents/RTSC10_ProceedingsFIN.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1089716 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01321182 AU - Mulinazzi, Thomas E AU - Schrock, Steven D AU - Rescot, Robert AU - Jasrotia, Romika AU - Hovey, K AU - University of Kansas, Lawrence AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Predicting and Mitigating Wind Induced Truck Crashes in Kansas PY - 2010///Final Report SP - 30p AB - Dangerous weather and high wind in particular, is a common contributing factor in truck crashes. High wind speeds have been documented as a perennial cause of truck crashes in Kansas and other Great Plains states. The possibility of reducing such crashes, combined with the installation of dynamic message signs along Interstate 70, created an opportunity for further research. To this end, crash data were obtained from the Kansas Department of Transportation's Accident Records System for all heavy vehicle crashes on I-70 that involved strong winds. The data were analyzed to determine the correlations between the vehicle and freight characteristics, crash occurrences and weather conditions. The goal of this analysis was to construct a model that could predict the likelihood of such wind-induced truck crashes. Ideally, this model could furnish officials with a framework for preempting such crashes by imposing highway usage restrictions; thereby increasing safety for both truck drivers and the traveling public. After regressing the data into a model, however, it was found that wind speed was not a statistically significant factor in predicting such crashes. This finding agrees with some of the other literature on the subject and can be attributed to drivers altering their behavior as wind speeds change. KW - Freight traffic KW - Kansas KW - Traffic crashes KW - Truck crashes KW - Variable message signs KW - Warning systems KW - Wind UR - http://matc.unl.edu/assets/documents/finalreports/Mulinazzi_MitigatingWindInducedTruckCrashes.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1074214 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01321178 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Department of Transportation TI - National Transportation Statistics 2010 PY - 2010 SP - 500p AB - Compiled and published by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), National Transportation Statistics presents information on the U.S. transportation system, including its physical components, safety record, economic performance, energy use, and environmental impacts. National Transportation Statistics is a companion document to the Transportation Statistics Annual Report, which analyzes some of the data presented here, and State Transportation Statistics, which presents state-level data on many of the same topics presented here. KW - Data collection KW - Economic analysis KW - Energy consumption KW - Environmental impacts KW - Statistical analysis KW - Transportation planning KW - Transportation safety UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/987576 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173857 AU - American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) AU - American Public Transportation Association AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Survey of State Funding for Public Transportation 2010 SN - 9781560514886 PY - 2010///28th Compilation SP - 216p AB - The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), conducts an annual public transportation funding survey of the 50 state transportation departments and the District of Columbia. This report provides a summary of state transit funding in 2008, for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Information includes funding sources, amounts, program eligible uses and allocation, and per capita state transit funding. The report also includes an overview of the results of transit-related state and local ballot initiatives held in 2008. KW - Financing KW - Public transit KW - State aid KW - States KW - Surveys UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34800/34820/Final_2010__FY_2008_data__ssfp.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/933497 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164272 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - State Transportation Statistics 2009 PY - 2010 SP - 143p AB - This document is a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It presents transportation information from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, other federal government agencies, and other national sources. It is divided into nine sections that cover infrastructure, safety, freight transportation, passenger travel, registered vehicles and vehicle-miles traveled, economy and finance, energy and the environment, information on data sources, and appendices and a glossary. Modes of transportation include highway, public transit, air travel, water transportation and railroad transportation. KW - Economics KW - Energy KW - Environment KW - Finance KW - Freight transportation KW - Infrastructure KW - Passenger transportation KW - Registrations KW - States KW - Statistics KW - Transportation modes KW - Transportation safety KW - Vehicle miles of travel UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/ UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/state_transportation_statistics_2009/pdf/entire.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34600/34685/2009STS.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/923791 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159314 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Freight Transportation: Global Highlights, 2010 PY - 2010 SP - 62p AB - To move large quantities of goods across the country and around the world, Americans depend on the Nation’s freight transportation system—a vast network of roads, bridges, rail tracks, airports, seaports, navigable waterways, pipelines, and equipment. Today, U.S. households can buy fresh fruits and vegetables in mid-winter, expect fast and reliable next-day deliveries of Internet purchases, and use electronic appliances manufactured thousands of miles away, often in other countries. Because economic activities worldwide have become more integrated and globalized, more goods produced by U.S. factories and farms are bound for export, and imports originate from more than 200 countries. This pace of trade Americans have become accustomed to is made possible by the complex intermodal transportation network that blankets the country and links the United States with world markets. The movement of international freight among nations relies on a complex array of long-distance transportation services. The process involves many participants, including shippers, commercial for-hire carriers, third-party logistics providers, and consignees. Moreover, global trade depends on seaport and airport services to move large volumes of merchandise over long distances via a variety of transportation modes. The interaction of these services and participants is vital to successful global trade. This report provides a snapshot of freight transportation activity from a global perspective, highlighting physical characteristics and industry output for the U.S. and other leading world economies. The report gives a broad overview of trends in the movement of international freight among the top 25 world economies, measured by 2008 gross domestic product (GDP). It presents recent statistics on freight activity by leading global ocean and air carriers, seaports, and airports engaged in international freight services. The report also presents an overview of major trends in U.S. international goods trade, as well as trends in U.S. freight and port services. It further examines how U.S. international freight activities compare with those of the world’s top economies. The report concludes with a brief discussion of the key factors that are driving change in U.S. and global merchandise trade and freight activities. KW - Airlines KW - Airports KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Gross domestic product KW - Intermodal transportation KW - International trade KW - Motor carriers KW - Pipeline companies KW - Railroads KW - Seaports KW - Ship lines KW - Trend (Statistics) UR - http://www.bts.gov/publications/freight_transportation/pdf/entire.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/919282 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01158469 AU - McAvoy, Deborah S AU - Busam, Stephen G AU - Ohio University, Athens AU - Ohio Transportation Consortium AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Determination of Traffic Control Device Selection for Nighttime Maintenance of Traffic PY - 2010 SP - 58p AB - Each year more than 700 fatalities occur nationally due to vehicular accidents within work zones. New developments and technologies have paved the way for the creation of diamond grade sheeting, a new, more retroreflective sheeting. Research has shown that diamond grade sheeting is 6 to 14 times brighter then engineering grade sheeting and is already widely required for use on work zone signs. However, the diamond grade sheeting is not widely required for use on channelizing drums due to the increased cost and concern that the increased retroreflectivity of the sheeting may actually decrease the safety of the work zone when used on closely spaced construction drums. A comparative parallel study was conducted to compare the safety impacts of the diamond grade sheeting with high intensity sheeting, the current Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) standard. Driver behavior within the work zone was analyzed in terms of lane placement and traveled speed with respect to the posted speed limit. These data were collected and analyzed to determine the extent to which the behaviors differ between the two traffic control treatments. A current practices survey was also distributed to each state department of transportation to determine the extent to which diamond grade sheeting is being used. Of the 80% of the states which responded to the current practices survey, approximately 66.7% of them do not require diamond grade sheeting for use in construction zones in their states with cost being the most widely selected reason. Those states that do require diamond grade sheeting for use on drums in their work zones listed safety, improved work zone delineation, and improved work zone visibility as outweighing the cost of the sheeting. Based on the lane placement and speed deviation data, drivers traveling through work zones with diamond grade sheeting position their vehicle further away from the work zone and abide closer to the posted speed limits when compared to those traveling through work zones with high intensity sheeting on the construction drums. KW - Costs KW - Diamond grade sheeting KW - Drums (Containers) KW - Field studies KW - Retroreflective materials KW - State departments of transportation KW - Surveys KW - Traffic channelization KW - Work zone safety KW - Work zone traffic control UR - http://www.otc.uakron.edu/docs/Final%20Report%20Determination%20of%20Traffic%20Control%20Device%20Selection%20for%20Nighttime%20Maintenance%20of%20Traffic.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/919310 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01489199 TI - Transit Operation Decision Support System (TODSS) Demonstration AB - Many transit agencies have installed fleet management systems (i.e., Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) / Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Systems) to support real time operations. These systems generate large quantities of data and dispatchers often do not have enough time to digest the data for decision making in a normal operating environment and/or they are unable to recognize patterns of operational problems. Transit Operations Decision Support Systems (TODSS) are systems designed to support dispatchers and others in real-time operations management in response to incidents, special events, and other changing conditions in order to improve operating speeds, reduce passenger wait times, and restore service when disruptions occur. As part of a joint Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) effort, the "Core Functional Requirements For Identification Of Service Disruptions And Provision Of Service Restoration Options" was completed in May 2003. However, no transit fleet management system in the U.S. currently incorporates the TODSS core functional requirements for either service disruption identification or provision of service restoration options. This project Implements and tests the viability of the core requirements in a prototype TODSS system. Project outcome: The prototype TODSS was accepted and became operational in March 2009. The core functional requirements were validated, and the system is producing many benefits including a drastic reduction in the number of data messages (e.g., service disruptions) to dispatchers and the provision of uniform service restoration responses by dispatchers within and among Pace's divisions. KW - Advanced driver information systems KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - Computer aided dispatch (CAD) KW - Decision making KW - Decision support systems KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Public transit KW - Real time information KW - Transit operating agencies UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1258218 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01333108 AU - Fisher, Frances B AU - Machek, Elizabeth C AU - Morse, Lindsey AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Hopewell Furnace NHS Alternative Transportation Study PY - 2009/12/31/Final Planning Report SP - 54p AB - Transportation study that analyzed current transportation conditions, including the impacts of expected development in and around Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. The study then reviewed potential transportation partnerships with partners in the region. Finally, the study made recommendations for improvements related to wayfinding and marketing; bicycle and pedestrian facilities; internal circulation; and alternative transportation services. KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Bicycle facilities KW - Bicycle travel KW - Marketing KW - National parks KW - Pedestrian areas KW - Shuttle service KW - Wayfinding UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35200/35217/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-10-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1097258 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154222 AU - Akyurtlu, Ates AU - Akyurtlu, Jale AU - Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Investigation of Nitrogen Oxides Emissions from a Major Roadway PY - 2009/12/31/Final Report SP - 55p AB - In this research project, the authors (1) built a mobile nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) measurement unit with the associated weather monitoring instrumentation; (2) obtained coordinated measurements of NO and NO2 concentrations and meteorological conditions at varying distances from the roadway, together with the traffic volume data; (3) used CALINE4 to estimate the NO2 concentrations at receptors located at the measurement points; and (4) analyzed the data obtained to elucidate the adequacy of CALINE4 in predicting the local NO2 concentrations near roadways. Measurements showed that nitrogen oxides (NOx) concentration decreases rapidly with the distance from the roadway and drops from 25.4 ppb to a value around 8.3 ppb, which remains fairly constant for distances greater than about 150 m from the I-64 median. The reason for this decrease is atmospheric dispersion and conversion of NOx to other nitrogen containing compounds. Close tothe roadway (less than about 100 m from the I-64 median), the majority of NOx is NO, which converts to NO2 and other nitrogen compounds and falls from 17.3 to a value about 3.4 ppb at distances greater than 150 m from the median. The decrease in NO2 concentration is not as much and falls from about 12 ppb at 74 m to about 5.5 ppb beyond 150 m. This may be due to the conversion of some NO to NO2 possibly through its reaction with ozone. Close to the roadway, there was significant variation in the measured NO and NOx concentrations due to the effects of emissions coming from individual vehicles passing close to the analyzer intake. This effect became less significant at larger distances from the roadway. The NO2 concentrations at the receptor locations were predicted using CALINE4, which can provide estimates with a sensitivity of ± 5 ppb. Since the measured NO2 concentrations were between 5 and 15 ppb, CALINE4 was expected to predict 0.010 ppm NO2 at each receptor location. As expected, the predicted NO2 concentrations at receptors beyond 100 m of the I-64 median were 0.01 ppm. CALINE4 also correctly predicted 0.01 ppm NO2 at the first receptor location, which had a measured value of 0.012 ppm. These observations indicate that the current data cannot provide an adequate evaluation of the CALINE4 program. To obtain a reasonable evaluation, data are needed during the rush hour traffic and closer to the roadway, which are expected to give higher NO2 concentrations. KW - CALINE4 (Computer model) KW - Measurement KW - Measuring instruments KW - Nitrogen dioxide KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Roadside KW - Traffic volume UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/docs/environmental_final_report_2009.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915846 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154221 AU - Parmar, Devendra S AU - Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Non-destructive Bridge Testing and Monitoring with Acoustic Emission (AE) Sensor Technology PY - 2009/12/31/Final Report SP - 9p AB - The proposed research at the Route I64 bridge on Coast Guard Blvd. in the City of Portsmouth was according to the plan of action prepared in consultation with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The major elements of the work included the following: Research Preparation - review of the updated status of the bridge monitoring based on the feedback from VDOT; Discussion of the Research Plan with VDOT/VTRC (Virginia Transportation Research Council); Site visits with VDOT for identification of the test objects on the bridge; Planning of the equipment installation and data collection; Collection of information on the bridge structural planning and changes from the original plans; Acquisition of the latest average daily traffic data and determination of the percentages of light and truck traffics; Planning of the research logistics in view of the change in structure; and Development of strategy and logistics for design and development of operational aspects of instrument installation/data collection. KW - Acoustic emission tests KW - Average daily traffic KW - Bridges KW - Data collection KW - Installation KW - Instrumentation KW - Light vehicles KW - Monitoring KW - Nondestructive tests KW - Portsmouth (Virginia) KW - Trucks UR - http://biz.hamptonu.edu/esitac/docs/ESITAC_FINAL_REPORT_PAR-2009.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915847 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154175 AU - Rado, Zoltan AU - Pennsylvania State University, University Park AU - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Evaluating Performance of Limestone Prone to Polishing PY - 2009/12/31/Final Report SP - 192p AB - This research project evaluated the effect of blending Vanport limestone and other aggregates on the frictional surface characteristic properties of constructed trial road surfaces. The study undertook the evaluation of the performance of different mortar fractions and aggregate concentrations to determine the effect of coarse aggregate usage in the top mortar layer on pavement friction performance, as well as the effect of the substitution of different aggregates in place of Vanport limestone. The project developed a test matrix to evaluate the effect of the changes in these factors on portland cement concrete using state-of-the-art laboratory test equipment for assessing surface characteristics and using accelerated wearing for the evaluation of long-term pavement surface performance. KW - Accelerated tests KW - Aggregates KW - Coarse aggregates KW - Concrete pavements KW - Friction KW - Laboratory tests KW - Limestone aggregates KW - Polishing (Aggregates) KW - Portland cement concrete KW - Skid resistance KW - Testing equipment KW - Texture UR - ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_PDF_FILES/Documents/Research/Complete%20Projects/Extending%20Pavement%20Life/Evaluation%20Performance%20of%20Limestone.pdf UR - http://www.mautc.psu.edu/docs/PSU-2007-02.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915715 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01321101 AU - Coughlin, Joseph F AU - Reimer, Bryan AU - Mehler, Bruce AU - Massachusetts Institute of Technology AU - New England University Transportation Center AU - Ford Motor Company AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Driver Wellness, Safety & the Development of an AwareCar PY - 2009/12/30 SP - 15p AB - Traffic safety has been traditionally addressed through individual improvements to the car by manufacturers; improvements to the driver through education and enforcement; and, improvements to the infrastructure by government. While none of these approaches is incorrect, they are incomplete. The authors believe that further opportunities for enhancing safety are to be found in creatively exploiting the overlapping and interactive nature of the role of the vehicle, driver, and driving environment in accident prevention and mitigation. The authors apply wellness, as developed in the fields of health behavior and sports psychology, as an integrating framework to envision driver performance as dynamic and improvable. From this perspective, and building on advances in ambient intelligence, they propose the development of an AwareCar. The AwareCar concept would detect driver state (fatigue or stress); display that information to the driver to improve the driver’s situational awareness in relation to road conditions and their own ‘normal’ driving behaviors; and offer in‐vehicle systems to refresh the driver thereby improving performance and safety. Progress in the development of this concept is discussed in the context of the ongoing research, testing, and validation of the MIT AwareCar platform. KW - Advanced driver information systems KW - Attention KW - AwareCar KW - Countermeasures KW - Driver vehicle interfaces KW - Drivers KW - Health KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Prevention KW - Traffic crashes KW - Traffic safety UR - http://fdnweb.org/santos/files/2014/11/agelab.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1082119 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154171 AU - Pardalos, Panos M AU - Arulselvan, Ashwin AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Multimodal Solutions for Large Scale Evacuations PY - 2009/12/30/Final Report SP - 53p AB - In this research, a multimodal transportation model was developed attending the needs of emergency situations, and the solutions provided by the model could be used to moderate congestion during such events. The model incorporated features such as lane reversals as they have a significant impact on the evacuation efficiency. The authors proposed analytical techniques to solve the model. In this project, the authors developed a multimodal evacuation model and they hope to apply the model for an event management at the football stadium at the University of Florida. The model is used to establish optimal evacuation routes to the bimodal evacuation problem and obtain efficient loading schemes for the staged evacuation. As a future extension, the authors are working on acceleration of the convergence of the algorithm. KW - Algorithms KW - Contraflow lanes KW - Disasters and emergency operations KW - Evacuation KW - Mathematical models KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Route choice KW - Special events KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic mitigation UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/Pardalos_Final_Report_2008-005.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45641/Pardalos_Final_Report_2008-005.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915693 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154167 AU - Zhang, Lihul AU - Yin, Yafeng AU - Washburn, Scott S AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Simulation-Based Robust Optimization for Signal Timing and Setting PY - 2009/12/30/Final Report SP - 50p AB - The performance of signal timing plans obtained from traditional approaches for pre-timed (fixed-time or actuated) control systems is often unstable under fluctuating traffic conditions. This report develops a general approach for optimizing the timing of pre-timed signals along arterials under day-to-day demand variations or uncertain traffic future growth. Based on a cell-transmission representation of traffic dynamics, a stochastic programming model is formulated to determine cycle length, green splits, phase sequences and offsets to minimize the expected delay incurred by high-consequence scenarios of traffic demand. The stochastic programming model is simple in structure but contains a large number of binary variables. Existing algorithms, such as branch and bound, are not able to solve it efficiently, particularly when the optimization horizon is long and the network size is large. Consequently, a simulation-based genetic algorithm is developed to solve the model. The model and algorithm are validated and verified in two networks. It is demonstrated that the resulting robust timing plans perform better against high-consequence scenarios without losing optimality in the average sense. More specifically, the plans reduce substantially the mean excess delay across the high-consequence scenarios without compromising the average delay across all scenarios under both congested and uncongested traffic conditions. KW - Actuated traffic signal controllers KW - Arterial highways KW - Cell transmission models KW - Genetic algorithms KW - Highway traffic control KW - Offsets (Traffic signal timing) KW - Optimization KW - Pretimed traffic signal controllers KW - Stochastic programming KW - Traffic delays KW - Traffic signal timing UR - http://cms.ce.ufl.edu/research/Yin_CMS_2008-003_final.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45639/Yin_CMS_2008-003_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915694 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01461984 TI - Freight Trip Generation and Land Use (Jointly Funded as NCHRP 08-80) AB - The current transportation planning process does not effectively estimate freight activity necessary to assist decisionmakers when making infrastructure choices. While travel-demand modeling has a robust process for estimating passenger travel needs based on the traditional four-step travel-demand modeling process, the same cannot be said for freight-demand modeling. Increased truck volumes, coupled with increased multimodal operations and changing logistics, have made it more difficult for standard modeling techniques to fully account for the dynamic nature of freight transportation for estimating trip patterns when considering land use changes and the resultant traffic changes. Land use-freight relationships represent a central issue for adequately planning infrastructure investments and land use policy and planning. The state of the practice for conducting establishment surveys and collecting freight data are insufficient for addressing emerging needs and demands. Often, evaluating the potential trip generation from a proposed project depends on assumptions such as traffic generation based on square footage or other gross characteristics such as establishment type or the number of loading docks.  In addition, an improved understanding of the relationship between freight trip generation and land use (freight establishment level) characteristics is needed to enable a more comprehensive analysis.  As such, research is needed to improve the elements of freight transportation planning. The objective of this research is to develop a handbook that provides improved freight trip generation rates, or equivalent metrics, for different land use characteristics related to freight facilities and commercial operations to better inform state and local decisionmaking. Trip generation rates shall include all modes of freight transport, except pipelines. The research should also include a CD-ROM tutorial for applying the handbook. KW - Decision making KW - Freight transportation KW - Land use planning KW - Multimodal transportation KW - Travel demand KW - Trip generation KW - Truck traffic KW - Trucking UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2668 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230204 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152839 AU - Zimmerman, Carol AU - Shao, Gang AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Schreffler, Eric AU - Rodier, Caroline AU - Shaheen, Susan AU - Munnich, Lee AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - San Francisco Urban Partnership Agreement: National Evaluation Plan PY - 2009/12/22 SP - 92p AB - This report provides an analytic framework for evaluating the San Francisco Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The San Francisco UPA projects to be evaluated focus on those related to variable parking pricing. Those projects include variable pricing of on-street and off-street parking in the City of San Francisco, enhancements to 511 to include parking information, an integrated payment system for parking and transit, and expansion of telecommuting/TDM outreach activities to support the other projects. The San Francisco UPA national evaluation plan identifies major questions to be answered through the evaluation, the evaluation analyses to be used to address those questions, and the data needed for the analyses. It also outlines the test plans that will be used to collect and analyze the required data. The evaluation plan is based on the National Evaluation Framework (NEF) prepared for the U.S. DOT. Four objective questions that were posed by U.S. DOT serve as a starting point for the NEF and San Francisco evaluation plan. These questions are how much congestion was reduced; what contributed to the reduction and what were the associated impacts; what lessons were learned about non-technical 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 presents the plan for evaluating the San Francisco UPA projects. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Parking KW - Partnerships KW - San Francisco (California) KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32600/32616/sanfranupa.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914421 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01149539 AU - Sayer, James R AU - LeBlanc, David J AU - Bogard, Scott E AU - Blankespoor, Adam D AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) Light Vehicle Platform Field Operational Test Data Analysis Plan PY - 2009/12/22 SP - 99p AB - This document presents the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s plan to perform analysis of data collected from the light vehicle platform field operational test of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The purpose of the IVBSS program is to evaluate the effectiveness of, and driver acceptance for, state-of-the-art integrated crash warning systems for both passenger cars and commercial trucks. The light vehicle platform in the IVBSS FOT includes four integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, lateral drift, curve speed, and lane-change/merge crash warnings). The integrated crash warning system is installed into a fleet of 16 passenger cars, each of which is instrumented to capture detailed data regarding the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. The cars will be operated by 108 randomly selected, licensed drivers from southeast Michigan. Each driver operates the instrumented car in place of the car they normally drive for a period of 40 days—including a 12-day baseline period. Data on driver acceptance for the integrated system are being collected through a post-drive survey and debriefings. The plan describes analyses that emphasize a summary of integrated crash warning system activity, examines how the integrated system affects driver behavior, and assesses driver acceptance for the integrated system. The analyses are intended to be complementary to analyses being performed by an independent evaluator, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. KW - Acceptance KW - Behavior KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Demonstration projects KW - Drivers KW - Highway safety KW - Integrated vehicle-based safety systems KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Vehicle safety KW - Warning systems UR - http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64505/1/102497.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/910658 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462190 TI - Promoting Environmental Goals in Freight Transportation through Industry Benchmarking AB - The freight sector is increasingly recognized as a major source of air pollution. As such, public agencies are rapidly developing policies and programs to reduce related emissions and are challenged to maximize the environmental benefits of public investments. The private sector, including shippers and carriers, is also working to decrease emissions and meet expectations. In addition to complex, resource-intensive freight emissions models and studies currently undertaken by public agencies, many think that other tools are needed. Public agencies and private industry often use performance measurements to guide their resource allocation decisions for operations, asset management, capital investment, planning, and policy development. It has been suggested that more attention should be given to using benchmarking tools to set and achieve environmental performance targets. Setting targets generally entails balancing competing objectives and dealing with political implications. Performance targets would be set on sound and defensible bases and with the concurrence of key decisionmakers and stakeholders. Benchmarking presents an efficient approach to reducing freight emissions and impacts because it can accelerate improvements by eliminating the trial and error process. "Benchmarking is simply the process of measuring the performance of one's company against the best in the same or another industry" (William Stevenson, Productions/Operations Management, 1996). A prerequisite for an efficient benchmark tool in the freight context would require different measures for different modes. For example, in the freight gateway context, the individual modal operator must be able to recognize and feel responsible for the performance on which the enterprise (gateway) is being measured. This is not possible if truck haulage is placed in the same category as rail haulage or ship emissions. Therefore, the benchmarking exercise would have to include modal, intermodal, and supply chain considerations. Research is required to develop guidance for systematically developing emissions benchmarking programs that will serve both public and private objectives by examining the pros and cons of emissions benchmarking and analyzing the potential efficacy of benchmarking as a complement to other emissions reduction strategies. The objective of this research is to develop a handbook to (1) identify and evaluate approaches that can be used by public and private entities to estimate, monitor, and reduce freight emissions and impacts across the supply chain; (2) examine how benchmarking can be used in the freight and logistics industry to promote environmental performance; and (3) create a framework to apply environmental benchmarking for addressing air quality impacts. KW - Emission control systems KW - Environmental control KW - Environmental policy KW - Freight transportation KW - Pollutants KW - Research projects UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2670 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230411 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153277 AU - Courage, Kenneth G AU - Lee, Seokjoo AU - University of Florida, Gainesville AU - Center for Multimodal Solutions for Congestion Mitigation AU - Florida Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Development of a Central Data Warehouse for Statewide ITS and Transportation Data in Florida. Phase III: Final Report PY - 2009/12/15/Final Report SP - 381p AB - This report documents Phase III of the development and operation of a prototype for the Statewide Transportation Engineering Warehouse for Archived Regional Data (STEWARD). It reflects the progress on the development and operation of STEWARD since the completion of Phase II in April 2008. The previous effort focused on Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 2 to demonstrate that data from a traffic management center can be centrally archived in a practical manner and that a variety of useful reports and other products can be produced. The current effort included the addition of data from four more FDOT districts (4, 5, 6 and 7) to the STEWARD database. A fully functional web site was implemented to support users in retrieving data and creating reports. Support was provided to a variety of users for research and operational studies. Analyses were conducted using the data to demonstrate the extraction of traffic counts from detectors, evaluation of managed lanes, travel time reliability reporting, evaluation of the effect of an incident on freeway performance and a comparison of the detector data characteristics with the principles of traffic flow theory. As a result of this project it was recommended that the STEWARD operation be continued and expanded. The work was performed under two parallel projects, one of which was supported by the FDOT and the other by the University of Florida. While the objectives of these two projects were stated separately, some of the activities overlapped the project boundaries in a manner that was mutually beneficial to both projects. Therefore, the projects have been combined for reporting purposes to facilitate review and assimilation of the "big picture" by stakeholders. This document serves as the final report for both projects. KW - Central data warehouse KW - Data banks KW - Data warehouses KW - Databases KW - Decision support systems KW - Florida KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Managed lanes KW - Traffic counts KW - Traffic flow KW - Traffic incidents KW - Transportation data KW - Travel time reliability KW - Websites (Information retrieval) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/45000/45600/45637/Courage_Final_RPT_STEWARD_2008-001.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914905 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01518858 AU - Cluett, Chris AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Battelle Seattle Research Center AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Benefit-Cost Assessment of a Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) Implementation: The City and County of Denver PY - 2009/12/07/Final Report SP - 57p AB - The Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, has established a Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) that seeks to improve the safety, mobility and productivity of the nation’s surface transportation modes by integrating meteorology into transportation operations and maintenance. A central activity of the RWMP has been to develop and encourage the deployment of tools to support decision making by transportation operations and maintenance. One of those tools is the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) that offers road maintenance managers guidance regarding efficient tactical deployment of road crews, equipment and materials with the expectation that the MDSS can save state and local Departments of Transportation money and time while also enhancing the safety and mobility of the traveling public. This report presents the results of a Benefit-Cost Assessment (BCA) of the use of an MDSS by the City and County of Denver, Colorado. The MDSS was used over two consecutive winters (2007-2009) and resulted in budget savings that exceeded costs of the system while maintaining the level of service on the road network. Most of those savings are attributable to more effective tactical crew deployment decisions. The nature of the small sized snow events and the local and arterial road system of the City of Denver resulted in limited ability to test the effects of the MDSS treatment module. Overall, the City and County of Denver management and staff were very satisfied with the utility and performance of the MDSS in supporting their maintenance decisions. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Decision support systems KW - Denver (Colorado) KW - Maintenance management KW - Weather conditions KW - Weather forecasting KW - Winter maintenance UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33100/33156/denver_mdss_bca_report_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1302269 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462204 TI - Truck Tolling--Understanding Industry Tradeoffs When Using or Avoiding Toll Facilities AB - Tolls have been used to advance an economic rationale for funding roadways, bridges, and tunnels in the United States since its founding. Additionally, tolling is advocated as a means of allocating scarce roadway capacity among users and achieving an array of other policy and environmental objectives. Toll facilities can improve traffic flow along congested corridors and facilities and raise new revenue for investment in transportation infrastructure and services. However, significant concerns remain among key stakeholders regarding the value of tolling. Goods movement businesses (trucking companies, shippers, and receivers) represent some of the most ardent critics of using tolls to address the nation's congestion, environmental, and roadway transportation infrastructure needs. As the national discussion of transportation investment and financing needs progresses, particularly in light of recent congressionally established commissions to address such issues, research is needed to understand how goods movement businesses assess tradeoffs in using or avoiding tolled facilities. Recent Transportation Research Board (TRB) forums that brought advocates and analysts of tolling together with trucking industry representatives highlighted the lack of understanding by advocates and analysts of the business of trucking. Some interviews with freight stakeholders have been conducted through FHWA and are documented in Issues and Options for Increasing the Use of Tolling and Pricing to Finance Transportation Improvements, Final Report, Work Order 05-002, prepared for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Transportation Policy Studies, June 9, 2006. Additional research is needed to foster a further understanding of industry tradeoffs when using or avoiding toll facilities. The objective of this research is to identify the value that goods movement businesses seek from the transportation roadway network and their willingness to pay tolls for that value. KW - Decision making KW - Freight traffic KW - Research projects KW - Revenues KW - Road pricing KW - Traffic flow KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - Trucks UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2662 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230425 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01594253 AU - Melendez-Melendez, William AU - Horowitz, Alan J AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - The Transshipment Problem in Travel Forecasting: Tour Structures from the Ontario Commercial Vehicle Survey PY - 2009/12/04 SP - 30p AB - Transshipment has big implications for the provision of public infrastructure and the movements of goods from their point of origin to their final destination. The Ontario Commercial Vehicle Survey proves to be a database that contains substantial transshipment information applicable, indirectly, to goods movement in the United States. The analysis of the Ontario CVS first focused on commodities and their origin/destination facilities, defining terminals and warehouses as possible transshipment locations. Analysis revealed that any commodity is likely to be transshipped through either a truck terminal or a warehouse. A total of six tour structures were seen in the data. All commodity trips can have two or more segments, but most likely trips would involve three legs with two possible transshipment locations. Based on commodity/trip origin and destination coordinates it was possible to determine the distance traveled by each segment of the different tour structures. It was found that the first transshipment location or the first consumer is most likely within a short distance of the shipment’s true origin. That is, the producer (P) and the first transshipment location (W or T) or the first consumer (C) are in the same municipality. Probability distributions were determined for both shipment size and truck type showing that it is very likely a shipment would be at least 1,000 lb and truck type would be a tractor and one trailer. KW - Commodity flow KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Mathematical models KW - Ontario (Province) KW - Ontario Commercial Vehicle Survey KW - Route choice KW - Tour-based choices KW - Traffic forecasting KW - Transshipment UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/TransshipmentTourStructuresOntarioCVSVersion2.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1398469 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01575904 TI - Selection of Hybrids and Optimization of Planting to Facilitate Just-in-Time Harvest for Sweet and Energy Sorghum AB - No summary provided. KW - Biomass KW - Grasses KW - Just in time production KW - Optimization KW - Planting UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1368828 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572210 TI - Critical Analysis of Syngas Fermentation Reactors for Biological Alcohol Production AB - Gasification of cellulosic biomass (e.g. perennial grasses) to produce syngas (primarily carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen) used in fermentation for the production of ethanol and other alcohols is a novel technology. Critical bottlenecks that diminish alcohol productivity, lower syngas conversion efficiency, and inhibit the movement of this process to commercial scale include low cell density and gas-liquid mass transfer limitations. This work will expand upon previous syngas fermentation studies by exploring and critically evaluating the enhancement of mass transfer and associated alcohol productivity with various types and modifications of reactor designs. In this study, the reactor designs will include a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), a trickle bed reactor (TBR), and a hollow fiber reactor (HFR) system. Unlike traditional reactors in which only one gas is usually critical for the design (such as oxygen), this study is important since carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen are all vital for the fermentation and each gas has different aqueous solubilities and diffusivities (which affect mass transfer). Clostridium strain P11, a novel bacterium in which the PIs have significant experience, will be used. Unlike previous studies which often addressed one species (usually carbon monoxide), this study will address mass transfer associated with carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen and assess which, if any, of these species may limit the process. This work will focus on multiple comparison parameters including mass transfer rates, conversion efficiencies of both carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and product and cell formation rates. Successful completion of this work will provide valuable guidance towards designing large scale bioreactors with increased alcohol productivity and syngas utilization. KW - Alcohol fuels KW - Analysis KW - Biological reactors KW - Biomass fuels KW - Energy conversion KW - Fermentation KW - Motion KW - Production KW - Syngas UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363828 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572207 TI - Can Understory from Managed Pine Forest be Used as Feedstock in the Biochemical Biorefinery? AB - Southern pine forests produce nearly 60% of the softwood lumber in the U. S. To maximize production, pine forests need to be maintained by minimizing hardwood understory growth; more than $150 million dollars are spent annually to reduce or eliminate competition, primarily through the use of herbicides. The use of this hardwood understory could be beneficial to both the forester and the biorefinery operation. The major component of this understory growth is sweetgum, which is a fast growing tree, while minor components are: oaks, dogwoods, and small loblolly pine trees. In an ideal biorefinery setting, feedstock will be uniform; however, the reality will consist mostly of a mix of hardwoods rather than single species. Having the ability to process mixed feedstocks in a biorefinery setting, will minimize the intensity of the harvesting operation. If biochemical-based biofuels processing can tolerate 50% sweetgum combined with 50% understory tree mix, a simplified harvesting scenario can be developed, leading to reduced environmental impact and greater production efficiencies. This research project is centered on establishing strategies for integrating woody feedstock production into existing pine forest management practices. Arkansas, alone could supply over 2 million dry tons annually of understory growth: similar scenarios could apply to other southeastern U.S. States. KW - Arkansas KW - Biochemistry KW - Biomass fuels KW - Biorefineries KW - Feedstock KW - Forests KW - Production KW - Trees UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363825 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572203 TI - Using Crude Glycerin in High Forage Diets - A Way to Improve the Profitability of Biodiesel Production AB - This team estimates that confined beef cattle fed in Texas could consume all the glycerin resulting from 3 billion gallons of biodiesel production capacity if it were included at 10% of the diet. This allows for the development of a market that could grow six times the current level of biodiesel production. While most preliminary research has focused on replacing corn with crude glycerin, this project investigates replacing forage with crude glycerin. Replacement of forage is logical for three reasons: First, in vitro digestibility data suggests that the volatile fatty acid profile resulting from glycerin fermentation more closely matches the fermentation of forage than corn. Secondly, forage is difficult to manage for many confined animal feeding operations, so replacing forage with glycerin would be pragmatically beneficial to beef cattle producers. Finally, potential development and growth in cellulosic ethanol production may displace forage sources previously used for livestock production thereby increasing the cost of forage in beef cattle diets. KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Corn KW - Ethanol KW - Feedstock KW - Glycerin KW - Production KW - Profitability KW - Texas UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363821 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572202 TI - Cellulase Immobilization on Nano-carriers for Reuse in Cellulose Hydrolysis AB - Project objectives are as follows: (1) Develop methods to immobilize cellulases on magnetically separable nano-carriers. (2) Investigate the activities of immobilized cellulases in cellulose hydrolysis. (3) Evaluate the reusability of immobilized cellulases in cellulose hydrolysis. The proposed research combines the hydrophilic cellulase conjugation with the magnetic cellulase separation, which offers the dual benefits of cellulase activity retention and efficient cellulase recovery. The project team expects the cellulase recovery with activity retained to greatly lower the enzyme cost and improve the enzyme conversion efficiency in cellulosic biofuel production. Expected outcomes are as follows: (1) Development of immobilized cellulases for cellulose hydrolysis. (2) Magnetic separation of cellulases for reuse in cellulose hydrolysis. (3) Understanding of cellulase activity and reusability in cellulose hydrolysis. KW - Biomass fuels KW - Cellulose KW - Hydrolysis KW - Immobilization KW - Renewable energy sources KW - Reuse UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363820 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572201 TI - Investigation/Simulation of Environmental Impacts and Economic Impacts and Economic Feasibility for Sweet Sorghum as a Sustainable Bioenergy Crop in South Central United States to Help Meet EISA Goals AB - The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) mandates production of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel in 2022, nearly five times the 2012 target of seven and one-half (7.5) billion gallons. The jump from 7.5 to 36 billion gallons is significant, especially in the expansion of biomass resources beyond current grain and oilseed-based feedstocks needed to meet this goal. In addition, steep reductions in greenhouse gases have also been placed on those feedstocks/ fuels including emissions from indirect land use. These criteria will favor feedstocks more efficient in all aspects of production and conversion and that provide sustainable energy, environmental, and economic returns. Issues such as land base utilization including potential expansion onto marginal lands, markets and prices, crop production, climate, and environmental quality with respect to air, water, and soil resources, will absolutely need to be considered and analyzed with an emphasis on energy, environmental, and economic sustainability. Currently, most research on sweet sorghum has focused on developing new germplasm for high sugar content crops, as well as harvesting, processing, and conversion technologies for high ethanol yield. Concurrent with these research efforts and also due to its efficiency of production with respect to natural resource consumption (fertilizer and water), the principal investigators of this project believe a real need exists to perform a detailed analysis investigating select, pertinent environmental quality impacts and economic feasibilities of sweet sorghum as a potential large-scale bioenergy/biofuel crop. Cropland, range and pastureland, scrubland, and marginal acreage possess significant geographic potential for alternate liquid fuel production. However, the manner in which these lands are utilized and managed for bioenergy production is extremely critical in assessing the energy, environmental, and economic sustainability of bio-based fuels. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of environmental and economic impacts associated with bioenergy resources at the sub-county level is absolutely critical to optimizing long-term sustainable bioenergy production strategies for maximizing energy returns, enhancing environmental quality, and economic feasibility related to largescale bioenergy crop production. KW - Bioenergy KW - Biomass fuels KW - Economic impacts KW - Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 KW - Environmental impacts KW - Feasibility analysis KW - Production KW - Sustainable development UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363819 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572196 TI - Screening and Assessing Growth Kinetics of High Lipid Microalgal Strains AB - The proposed research is anticipated to address several critical questions pertinent to lipid productivity from outdoor cultures. Unlike earlier screening experiments that were based on results from indoor, artificial-light based Erlenmeyer flask experiments, the proposed research assesses the suitability and kinetic parameters of numerous strains under field conditions. The kinetic data is anticipated to offer invaluable insights into the balance between lipid concentrations within a cell versus specific growth rates. The most significant outcome of this research is anticipated to be the output from mathematical models. For example, with reliable models, one can estimate the lipid productivities of various strains from 1,000 acres of raceways at a given location before investing millions of dollars. These models will also allow the algal facility operators to identify the ideal species for a given air temperature, solar radiation, season, or water salinity. The models can also provide invaluable guidance at a more advanced levels, such as: assessing the cost-benefit ratio of CO&#8322; supplementation, contaminant mitigation, and harvest frequency optimization. Potential beneficiaries from this proposed research include the following: (1) Scientists, engineers, and researchers working in the area of mass production of microalgae; (2) Private investors, entrepreneurs, and farmers who have access to large areas of land and wanting to mass produce microalgae for lipids; and (3) Economists and project planners, who can use the simulation data for conducting economic analysis. Specific deliverables from this project include the following: (1) A shortlist of both freshwater and marine algal strains suitable for outdoor cultivation; (2) Lipid content for all strains suitable for outdoor cultivation; 3) Kinetic parameters for the best strains (up to 10 strains); (4) Mathematical models for estimating lipid productivities; and (5) Presentations (at least 2) and peer-reviewed manuscript (at least 1). KW - Algae KW - Assessments KW - Kinetics KW - Lipids KW - Mathematical models KW - Microalgae KW - Production KW - Screenings UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363814 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572195 TI - Bio-oil from Fast Pyrolysis of Forage Sorghum Biomass AB - The objectives of this research are to: 1) Characterize the chemical composition and physical and thermal properties of forage sorghum biomass related to pyrolysis processing; 2) Develop a coordinated understanding of the relationship among composition, physical and thermal properties, processing condition, and bio-oil yield; 3) Determine the optimum pyrolysis conditions for high bio-oil yield and low energy input. The chemical, physical and thermal properties of forage sorghum biomass will be correlated to bio-oil yield and composition of bio-oil. Pyrolysis will be carried out in a bench-scale fast pyrolysis auger reactor. The main reaction parameters such as reaction temperature, feed rate (residence time), and particle size of biomass feedstock will be optimized for high bio-oil yield and low energy input. Each portion of the fractions from pyrolysis including gas, bio-oil, and char will be collected and analyzed separately. Bio-oil from pyrolysis of biomass has the similar properties as petroleum oil. The bio-oil can be converted to hydrocarbon fuels including "green" gasoline, diesel and jet fuel by utilizing the same refining technologies applied to petroleum and coal-liquid conversion. Forage sorghum has a similar chemical composition as corn stover and should be an excellent feedstock for bio-oil production. However, no research has been done on pyrolysis of forage sorghum, even there are no scientific information about thermal properties of forage sorghum available. The main milestones of this research will include developing a coordinated understanding of the relationship among composition, physical and thermal properties, processing condition and bio-oil yield; and determine the optimum pyrolysis conditions for high bio-oil yield and low energy input. KW - Biomass KW - Biomass fuels KW - Chemical composition KW - Physical properties KW - Pyrolysis KW - Thermal properties UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363813 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01572194 TI - Development of a Process for Bioethanol Production using Eastern Redcedar AB - Eastern Redcedar is quickly spreading over the Central Plains and destroying grasslands. Ethanol production from redcedar has the potential to utilize much of the redcedar cleared during grassland restoration. Redcedar ethanol production is expected to reduce costs of redcedar removal, thus increasing the availability of land for pasture and crop production, including bioenergy crops. As such, the objectives of this project are to: 1) Determine if steam explosion can be used to pretreat redcedar to produce ethanol. 2) Assess the quality of the oil recovered from steam explosion. The expected outcomes of this project are information on process parameters and potential product yields that will guide future research and process design and an assessment of the quality of oil produced. KW - Bioethanol KW - Biomass fuels KW - Cedar KW - Ethanol KW - Production KW - Steam KW - Trees UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1363812 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01594322 AU - Oliva, Michael AU - Banister, Michelle Ann AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Bridge Ratings on the Timber Transportation Industry PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 232p AB - Wisconsin bridges, deteriorated due to lack of funding for replacement, are being load posted which prohibits travel by many commercial vehicles. As a result of the load posting, forest products/timber industry hauling routes are longer due to detours and costs the timber industry more to haul raw timber. The purpose of this project was to investigate the current load ratings of bridges and the effects that logging vehicles have on single span bridges. This project looked into how the moment and shear effects of logging trucks compared to the effects of common design and State vehicles. Thirty-one logging vehicles with varying configurations and gross weights were measured and used in this comparison analysis. Several bridges were investigated and load rated using the two currently available methods. Optimizing the distribution of weight on the axles and axle configuration was investigated. The amount of gross weight reduction for timber trucks that would be necessary to reduce effects to a level equivalent to the design vehicles was calculated. Potential economical bridge strengthening options were explored. A bridge was selected as a candidate for using the Mechanically Fastened Fiber Reinforced Polymer Strips as a strengthening option for reinforced concrete bridges. KW - Axle loads KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Fiber reinforced polymers KW - Gross vehicle weight KW - Load factor KW - Logging trucks KW - Optimization KW - Reinforced concrete bridges KW - Wisconsin UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0305.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1398461 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01544705 AU - Hussein, Mazen I AU - Petering, Matthew E H AU - Horowitz, Alan J AU - National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Policy-Oriented Cost Model for Shipping Commodities by Truck PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 66p AB - Surprisingly, transportation planners and policy makers do not have the ability to estimate the cost of shipping a quantity of a commodity between two locations for broad categories of goods. Costs of shipping are important components in mode, route, and location choice processes. Good knowledge of costs can aid public sector decision makers in determining the economic benefits of infrastructure improvements or determining the impacts on the private sector of various policies and operational strategies. Shipping costs relate to logistics practices of businesses, and these practices have been changing rapidly in recent years. In this study, the authors inventory cost models that have been used in the past and evaluate the availability of data sets containing shipment cost information. The authors then build a cost model for shipping various commodities and commodity groups by truck and present several examples to show how the model can address issues of interest to carriers, shippers, and governments. KW - Commodities KW - Costs KW - Freight transportation KW - Policy analysis KW - Transportation policy KW - Trucking UR - http://www.wistrans.org/cfire/documents/FR_0230.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1330895 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01483474 AU - Bai, Yong AU - Schrock, Steven D AU - Mulinazzi, Thomas E AU - Hou, Wenhua AU - Liu, Chunxiao AU - Firman, Umar AU - University of Kansas, Lawrence AU - University of Nebraska, Lincoln AU - Mid-America Transportation Center AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Estimating Highway Pavement Damage Costs Attributed to Truck Traffic PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 180p AB - Kansas is one of the leaders in meat production in the United States. In the southwest Kansas region, there are more than three hundred feed yards and several of the biggest meat processing plants in the nation. Heavy trucks (e.g., tractor-trailers) have been used primarily for transporting processed meat, meat byproducts, grain, and other related products. With the continuous growth of these industries, there will be more trucks on highways transporting meat and meat-related products in southwest Kansas. These trucks cause noteworthy damage to Kansas highway pavements, which in turn leads to more frequent maintenance actions and ultimately more traffic delays and congestion. The primary objective of this research was to estimate the highway damage costs attributed to the truck traffic associated with the processed meat (beef) and related industries in southwest Kansas. The researchers developed a systematic pavement damage estimation procedure that synthesized several existing methodologies including Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) methods. In this research project, the highway section of US 50/400 between Dodge City and Garden City in Kansas was selected and its pavement data were collected for analysis. Outcomes of this research will be beneficial for the selection of cost-effective transportation modes for the meat processing and related industries in southwest Kansas. It will also help government agents to assess highway maintenance needs and to set up maintenance priorities. Meanwhile, the analysis results will be valuable for the determination of reasonable user costs. Based on findings of this research, recommendations on the selection of transportation modes are provided and promising future research tasks are suggested as well. KW - Cost estimating KW - Costs KW - Freight transportation KW - Highway maintenance KW - Kansas KW - Oversize loads KW - Overweight loads KW - Pavement distress KW - Tractor trailer combinations KW - Truck traffic KW - User charges UR - http://www.iri.ku.edu/publications/HighwayDamageCosts.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1251974 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01470320 AU - Dong, Yongtao AU - Song, Ruiqiang AU - Dhungana, Janak AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration TI - Study of Concrete Maturity Method in Very Cold Weather PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 55p AB - This project developed and tested protocols to determine concrete curing strength during the construction process, so that building under very cold conditions can be performed safely and quickly. Researchers determined the laboratory strength-maturity correlations for concrete mix designs that Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) construction teams commonly use. Field tests were conducted in spring and summer of 2009. This study produced a guide, with procedures and computations designed to help ADOT&PF personnel use the maturity method to better estimate the strength of concrete poured on-site. KW - Admixtures KW - Cold weather KW - Cold weather construction KW - Concrete construction KW - Concrete curing KW - Field tests KW - Maturity (Concrete) KW - Procedures KW - Strength of materials UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2011/09/107052_Dong_AUTC_final-report-Dec-092.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1238022 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01456674 AU - Miller, James H AU - Mielke, Jon AU - Scott, Marc AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - South Dakota Department of Transportation AU - Federal Transit Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Business Plan for Brookings Area Transit Authority PY - 2009/12 SP - 82p AB - Long range planning is crucial for any organization but it is especially important for rural transit systems that have small staffs where one person may possess all the institutional knowledge that keeps things running. Unfortunately, the smallness of these organizations may also demand so much of an administrator's time for day-to-day operations that long-term planning needs go unrecognized and/or unmet. This report addresses the long-range planning needs of a rural transit system by preparing a business plan that identifies existing mobility services and unmet mobility needs and then outlines a plan for meeting related needs in the future. The plan also prepares corresponding operating and capital budgets and identifies potential funding sources. It also presents recommendations that are specific to local operations. Related items include matters such as organizational structure, staff training, succession planning, vehicle replacement, service expansion, and marketing. KW - Business practices KW - Local transportation KW - Long range planning KW - Needs assessment KW - Rural transit KW - South Dakota KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.ugpti.org/pubs/pdf/SP170.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224407 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01456667 AU - Miller, James H AU - Mielke, Jon AU - Scott, Marc AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - South Dakota Department of Transportation AU - Federal Transit Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Business Plan for People's Transit PY - 2009/12 SP - 60p AB - Long range planning is crucial for any organization, but it is especially important for rural transit systems that have small staffs where one person may possess all the institutional knowledge that keeps things running. Unfortunately, the smallness of these organizations may also demand so much of an administrator's time for day-to-day operations that long-term planning needs go unrecognized and/or unmet. This report addresses the long-range planning needs of a rural transit system by preparing a business plan that identifies existing mobility services and unmet mobility needs and then outlines a plan for meeting related needs in the future. The plan also prepares corresponding operating and capital budgets and identifies potential funding sources. It also presents recommendations that are specific to local operations. Related items include matters such as organizational structure, staff training, succession planning, vehicle replacement, service expansion, and marketing. KW - Business practices KW - Local transportation KW - Long range planning KW - Needs assessment KW - Rural transit KW - South Dakota KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.ugpti.org/pubs/pdf/SP171.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224406 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01456623 AU - Miller, James H AU - Mielke, Jon AU - Scott, Marc AU - Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute AU - South Dakota Department of Transportation AU - Federal Transit Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Business Plan for West River Transit Authority Inc. d/b/a Prairie Hills Transit : Spearfish, South Dakota PY - 2009/12 SP - 72p AB - Long range planning is crucial for any organization, but it is especially important for rural transit systems that have small staffs where one person may possess all the institutional knowledge that keeps things running. Unfortunately, the smallness of these organizations may also demand so much of an administrator's time for day-to-day operations that long-term planning needs go unrecognized and/or unmet. This report addresses the long-range planning needs of a rural transit system by preparing a business plan that identifies existing mobility services and unmet mobility needs and then outlines a plan for meeting related needs in the future. The plan also prepares corresponding operating and capital budgets and identifies potential funding sources. It also presents recommendations that are specific to local operations. Related items include matters such as organizational structure, staff training, succession planning, vehicle replacement, service expansion, and marketing. KW - Business practices KW - Long range planning KW - Needs assessment KW - Prairie Hills Transit KW - Regional transportation KW - Rural transit KW - South Dakota KW - Transit operating agencies UR - http://www.ugpti.org/pubs/pdf/SP172.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1224405 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01455852 AU - Zhang, Yu AU - Alaska University Transportation Center AU - Permafrost Technology Foundation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Impact of Freeze-Thaw on Liquefaction Potential and Dynamic Properties of Mabel Creek Silt PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 215p AB - This study examines the influence of temperature rise and freeze-thaw cycles on the soil liquefaction potential. More specifically, dynamic properties and post-cyclic-loading settlement of fine-grained soils are evaluated in this study. The results can be used to predict seismic response of partially frozen, frozen, or thawed fine-grained soils in seismic subarctic regions. In other words, the influence of seasonal climate change on the seismic response of Mabel Creek silt is reported in this study. Systematic laboratory tests were conducted for the purpose of addressing the influence of temperature and cycles of freeze-thaw on liquefaction of Mabel Creek silt. KW - Fine grained soils KW - Freeze thaw tests KW - Frozen soils KW - Liquefaction KW - Mabel Creek (Alaska) KW - Seismicity KW - Silts KW - Temperature UR - http://ine.uaf.edu/autc/files/2009/12/107041-Liquefaction_Thesis_YU-Zhang_final.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1223707 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01370172 AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Department of Transportation TI - IntelliDriveSM Governance Needs Summary: A Summarization of Research from 2004-2009 PY - 2009/12 SP - n.p. AB - The concept of governance has long been recognized as a critical component of the eventual success of IntelliDriveSM. Almost since the inception of the Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration (VII) research initiative (the predecessor program to the IntelliDriveSM Program), the issue of governance has been a central theme in anticipation of the policy requirements that need to be resolved and in place to support successful deployment and operations. Between 2005-2009, the issue has been discussed, researched, and described in a variety of ways. Nearly five years of investigation have led to a large body of knowledge that totals over one thousand pages. However, the majority of this body of knowledge addresses governance from the perspective of the VII visions — a system that was to be deployed, operated, and maintained based on a specific architecture and specific set of technologies. Since 2008 and the rebranding of the VII initiative into the IntelliDriveSM Program, this vision has expanded to incorporate a more open architecture and broader set of technologies. A textbox in this paper provides a short summary of the differences and commonalities between VII and IntelliDriveSM. This white paper provides a summary of the body of knowledge developed for VII governance; provides a high level synthesis of what can be learned from past documents and how this information provides a foundation for moving forward; and the identification of a set of proposed next research steps needed to develop a set of viable governance options for IntelliDriveSM. This white paper is divided into five sections as follows: a) Definitions: A set of definitions that generically describe governance. b) Summary: A summary of the materials on VII governance options developed between 2005-2009. c) Synthesis: A synthesis on the body of knowledge. d) Gaps/Missing or Unknown Information: A list of items that need consideration in addition to the information provided by past documents. e) Next Steps: A set of proposed next steps. KW - Decision making KW - Governance KW - IntelliDrive (Program) KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Needs assessment KW - Research KW - Vehicle infrastructure integration UR - http://www.its.dot.gov/research_docs/pdf/3GovernanceSum%20Stakeholder%20Review.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1137004 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01364051 AU - Melouk, Sharif AU - Keskin, Burcu AU - Armbrester, Christopher AU - Anderson, Michael AU - University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AU - University Transportation Center for Alabama AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - A Simulation-Optimization–Based Decision Support Tool for Mitigating Traffic Congestion PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 32p AB - Traffic congestion has grown considerably in the United States over the past twenty years. In this paper, the authors develop a robust decision support tool based on simulation optimization to evaluate and recommend congestion-mitigation strategies to transportation-system decision-makers. A tabu-search–based optimizer determines different network design strategies on the road network while a traffic simulator evaluates the goodness of fit. The tool is tested with real traffic data. KW - Decision support systems KW - Optimization KW - Tabu search KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Traffic simulation UR - http://utca.eng.ua.edu/files/2012/01/Final-Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1132672 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01354588 AU - Bonnet, Deborah AU - Coplen, Michael AU - Patton, Michael Quinn AU - Ranney, Joyce AU - Snow, Juna AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Fulcrum Corporation AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - An Evaluation of the Switching Operations Fatality Analysis 2010 Working Group’s Processes PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 21p AB - The Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group was formed to analyze the factors contributing to fatalities in switching operations. The 2010 Working Group invited an independent team of evaluators to assess the thoroughness of the SOFA methodology with the goal of promoting the utilization of SOFA findings. This report, prepared by the evaluation team, describes the SOFA 2010 tools and processes and concludes that they are both systematic and rigorous. The railroad industry is urged to give careful consideration to the findings of the SOFA Working Group in the interest of improving rail yard safety in the years ahead. KW - Crash analysis KW - Fatalities KW - Railroad safety KW - Switching UR - http://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo30371 UR - http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/295 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1118247 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01344944 AU - Christner, Paul J AU - Machek, `Elizabeth AU - Morse, Lindsey AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - National Park Service TI - Adams National Historical Park Expanded Transit Service Evaluation PY - 2009/12 SP - 56p AB - This report evaluates the 2006 season of operation of a pilot expanded trolley service that operated at Adams National Historical Park from 2005 to 2006. KW - Adams National Historical Park KW - Alternatives analysis KW - Expansion projects KW - National parks KW - Operations KW - Public transit KW - Shuttle service KW - Transportation planning KW - Trolleybuses UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/37000/37800/37850/DOT-VNTSC-NPS-10-01.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1105258 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338805 AU - Chen, Shen-en AU - Dai, Kaoshan AU - Liu, Wanqiu AU - Hauser, Edwin W AU - University of North Carolina, Charlotte AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System for Transportation Infrastructure Operations and Management: Phase One, Volume 7, LiDAR Scan for New Bridge Construction and Bridge Model Validation PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 35p AB - Field load tests of a newly constructed bridge across interstate highway I-77 in Iredell County, NC, is performed as a demonstration study of the application of remote sensing for construction delivery validation tool. The SR1102 bridge is a hybrid steel girder bridge using both High Performance Steel (HPS) 70W and HPS 100W steel. The negative moment sections of the girders have HPS 100W flanges, whereas other parts of the girder are composed of HPS 70W steel. In order to ensure construction quality, a baseline Finite Element (FE) model was established. This model will be used as future reference for long-term structural performance monitoring. To validate the model, both static and dynamic tests were conducted on the bridge prior to its opening to traffic. Static load test is conducted using standard truck loading. LiDAR scans of the bridge during actual static load have confirmed the displacement estimate using the FE model. The baseline FE model generated was further updated based on the LiDAR scan results. High resolution, ortho and non-ortho flyover aerial photographs have also been collected as a post-construction documentation. The value of using commercial remote sensing for construction delivery validation is discussed in the final summary. KW - Acceptance tests KW - Aerial photography KW - Bridge construction KW - Bridge management systems KW - Finite element method KW - Girder bridges KW - Hybrid steel girders KW - Interstate 77 KW - Iredell County (North Carolina) KW - Laser radar KW - Load tests KW - Mathematical models KW - Remote sensing KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Validation KW - Visualization UR - http://www.crcnetbase.com/doi/abs/10.1201/b10430-81 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100753 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338804 AU - Chen, Shen-en AU - Rice, Corey AU - Philbrick, Brian AU - Boyle, Chuck AU - Hauser, Edwin W AU - University of North Carolina, Charlotte AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System for Transportation Infrastructure Operations and Management, Phase One, Volume 6, High Resolution Aerial Photography PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 118p AB - This volume introduces the small format aerial photography imaging as an important remote sensing tool in the overall Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) bridge monitoring system. The processes involved in the SI-SFAP (Spatial Integrated – Small Format Aerial Photography) technique initiate from the actual aerial image capture to image processing to rating processing. Each step is shown to have crucial importance in order to accurately and effectively use this tool as a bridge monitoring system. A new bridge rating algorithm using deck surface condition rating is recommended. Resembling current pavement inspection process, the rating technique allows possible standardization and integration into existing bridge inspection and management process. Data found within this document include the surface rating, obstruction detection, as well as expansion joint measurements. All of the important information within is related to determine possible bridge stresses due to bridge movements. Discussions about further temporal data are also included. KW - Aerial photography KW - Algorithms KW - Asset management KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge management systems KW - Bridge rating KW - Condition surveys KW - High resolution data KW - Image processing KW - Remote sensing KW - Visualization UR - http://transpol.uncc.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100752 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338803 AU - Hu, Zhenghui AU - Eguchi, Ronald T AU - Chung, Howard AU - ImageCat, Incorporated AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System for Transportation Infrastructure Operations and Management: Phase One, Volume 5, Automated Management Bridge Information System PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 52p AB - This volume focuses on one of the key components of the Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) system, i.e., the AMBIS module. This module serves as one of the tools used in this study to translate raw remote sensing data – in the form of either high-resolution aerial photos or video from a ground-based mobile data collection system – into indices that help to quantify the performance state of a bridge. Two major performance conditions are analyzed: the condition of bridge deck surfaces and the amount of separation between bridge deck spans. Both of these performance measures can identify conditions that could adversely affect the performance of a bridge. Also, both conditions, if not mitigated, could become worse with time. Although developed as a separate module, the plan in Phase II is to fully integrate AMBIS into the IRSV system. The results presented in this volume represent “proof-of-concept” that remotely-sensed data can indeed be used to identify potential distress conditions for bridges. While further research is recommended to help refine the distress state rating procedures outlined in this volume, the authors feel that the results are compelling enough to warrant their incorporation into the IRSV system as representative indicators of bridge performance. KW - Aerial photography KW - Asset management KW - Automated data analysis KW - Bridge decks KW - Bridge management systems KW - Condition surveys KW - Remote sensing KW - Video data KW - Visualization UR - http://ncrst.uncc.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100751 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338802 AU - Wang, Xiaoyu AU - Dou, Wenwen AU - Chang, Remco AU - Ribarsky, William AU - University of North Carolina, Charlotte AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System for Transportation Infrastructure Operations and Management: Phase One, Volume 4, Use of Knowledge Integrated Visual Analytics System in Supporting Bridge Management PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 90p AB - The goal of integration should be: "Supporting domain oriented data analysis through the use of knowledge augmented visual analytics system." This project focuses on: Providing interactive data exploration for bridge management; Supporting domain oriented data analysis, including geospatial analysis, temporal analysis and structural analysis; and Enabling knowledge creation and storage through the use of an interactive visual analytics system. KW - Asset management KW - Bridge management systems KW - Data analysis KW - Decision making KW - Geospatial analysis KW - Interactive computer systems KW - Remote sensing KW - Structural analysis KW - Visualization UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54900/54979/PhaseI_USDOT_UNCC_FinalRpt_Vol4.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100750 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338801 AU - Chen, Shen-En AU - Liu, Wanqiu AU - University of North Carolina, Charlotte AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System for Transportation Infrastructure Operations and Management: Phase One, Volume 3, Use of Scanning LiDAR in Structural Evaluation of Bridges PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 106p AB - This volume introduces several applications of the remote bridge inspection technologies using ground-based LiDAR systems. In particular, the application of terrestrial LiDAR for bridge health monitoring is studied. An automatic bridge condition evaluation system based on terrestrial LiDAR data, LiBE (LiDAR based Bridge Evaluation), is developed. The research works completed thus far have demonstrated that LiDAR systems have the functions of defect detection and quantification, clearance measurement, and displacement measurement during bridge static load testing. Several bridges, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and other areas, have been evaluated using LiBE and quantitative bridge rating mechanisms are proposed. The proposed ratings are intended to demonstrate how LiDAR-based bridge evaluation can be applied to bridge monitoring consistent with existing state and federal bridge management approach. A cost-benefit analysis has been conducted that demonstrates the relevancy of Commercial Remote Sensing (CRS) technologies to the current nationwide bridge management problem, as well as the potential of reducing the bridge maintenance costs to stackholders. The results generated from these technologies are valuable for bridge maintenance decision making. KW - Asset management KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Bridge management systems KW - Bridges KW - Decision making KW - Inspection KW - Laser radar KW - Load tests KW - Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) KW - Remote sensing KW - Structural deterioration and defects KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Visualization UR - http://ncrst.uncc.edu/sites/ncrst.uncc.edu/files/media/defence_wanqiu.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100741 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338800 AU - Lee, Seok-Won AU - Tolone, William J AU - Vatcha, Rashna AU - Raghuraman, Mahalakshmi Vishnampettai AU - University of North Carolina, Charlotte AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System for Transportation Infrastructure Operations and Management: Phase One, Volume Two, Knowledge Modeling and Database Development PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 109p AB - The Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization System (IRSV) is being designed to accommodate the needs of today's Bridge Engineers at the state and local level from several aspects that were documented in Volume One, Summary Report. The following provide supplementary descriptions of the input by the Software and Information Systems (SIS) Team in developing the Knowledge Modeling and Database Development of the IRSV Prototype: (1) An explicit language reflected in bridge management processes and the relationships among the language attributes and their semantic understanding at different level of abstraction; (2) Problem Domain Ontology (PDO) that enables bridge managers to solve complex problems where the underlying domain concepts provide a collective understanding of the bridge data based on domain knowledge from multi-dimensional resources; (3) A model of the domain knowledge of bridge inspection processes by using the ontological engineering toolkit called Generic Object Model (GenOM); (4) Support the ability for bridge managers provides to browse, access, query and reason about complex bridge inspection processes; (5) Provide a method for answering “what-if” queries via GenOM by matching various initial conditions and circumstances based on rules specified in the PDO; (6) Rules with ontological concepts and properties that describe the problem domain to support inferences about the problem domain; (7) Temporal knowledge provided through a flexible Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) framework to compose and provide services on-demand to other system modules; (8) A software system that is interoperable, scalable, and adaptable that facilitates heterogeneous data requirements, operational requirements, and overlapping functionalities; (9) Functional requirements primarily based on input and feedback provided by North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT), which will be expanded to other states and localities in Phase Two; and (10) An IRSV prototype user interface that combines bridge inspection data and domain knowledge based on a knowledge representation and goal-driven modeling technique. KW - Aerial surveying KW - Asset management KW - Bridge management systems KW - Bridges KW - Infrastructure management KW - Inspection KW - Knowledge based modeling KW - Remote sensing KW - Service-oriented architecture KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - Visualization UR - http://ncrst.uncc.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100732 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01338799 AU - Hauser, Edwin W AU - Chen, Shen-En AU - University of North Carolina, Charlotte AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization (IRSV) System for Transportation Infrastructure Operations and Management: Phase One, Volume One, Summary Report PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 82p AB - The Integrated Remote Sensing and Visualization System (IRSV) is being designed to accommodate the needs of today’s Bridge Engineers at the state and local level from the following aspects: Better understanding and enforcement of a complex inspection process that can bridge the gap between evidence gathering and decision making through the implementation of ontological knowledge engineering system; Aggregation, representation and fusion of complex multi-layered heterogeneous data (i.e. infrared imaging, aerial photos and ground-mounted LiDAR, etc.) with domain application knowledge to support an understandable process for decision-making; Robust visualization techniques with large-scale analytical and interactive visualizations that support users' decision making; and Integration of these needs through the flexible Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) framework to compose and provide services on-demand. The specific objectives of the project are to: Enhance the National Bridge Inventory System (NBIS); Provide opportunities for state and local departments of transportation to develop remote sensing and visualization applications for a bridge management system (BMS); Provide temporal bridge condition tracking; Enable agencies to make more precise damage assessments; and Provide better and more systematic data interpretation through parallel data displays. This first Volume, based on a more complete, seven-volume set of reports, describes the development of the IRSV to date as a summary for management review and understanding. The intent is to ultimately establish a component of an on-going nationwide dialogue and upgrade of BMSs in state and local transportation agencies. KW - Aerial surveying KW - Asset management KW - Bridge management systems KW - Bridges KW - Decision making KW - Infrastructure management KW - Inspection KW - Knowledge based modeling KW - National Bridge Inventory System KW - Remote sensing KW - Service-oriented architecture KW - Transportation infrastructure KW - Visualization UR - http://ncrst.uncc.edu/ UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1100726 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173873 AU - ITS America AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - North American Intelligent Transportation Systems: ITS Industry Sectors and State Programs: Market Data Analysis Phase 1 White Paper PY - 2009/12 SP - 108p AB - In April 2009, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) asked the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) to conduct a two-phase study of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in North America to develop accurate and comprehensive information about the breadth and size of the North American ITS market, including private sector revenues, state expenditures, and private and public ITS-related employment. This White Paper presents the results of the pilot project, referred to as Market Data Analysis (MDA) Phase 1. Phase 1 included: (1) an initial survey of two states and the development of a methodology for surveying all 50 states and the District of Columbia to understand ITS priorities, expenditures, and strategies; (2) a parallel survey sent to 191 companies engaged in five selected ITS sectors, of which 53 company survey responses provided meaningful ITS data; and (3) establishing a database to house this information to enable the understanding of ITS-related employment, revenues, and product lines. ITS applications studied include traffic signals and signal control systems; auto manufacturers' ITS-enabled mobility products and services; real-time data service providers related to traffic congestion; transit ITS systems (Automatic Vehicle Locator and Transit Signal Priority Systems); and automotive safety systems. KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - Automobile safety KW - Industries KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - ITS program technologies KW - Market assessment KW - Mobility KW - Real time information KW - States KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic signal control systems KW - Traffic signal preemption UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/930626 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01173217 AU - Hannon, Daniel J AU - U.S. Department of Transportation AU - Federal Railroad Administration TI - A Literature Review of Inattentional and Change Blindness in Transportation PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 63p AB - Inattentional blindness refers to situations in which a person is unaware of a change that is occurring because attention is not currently focused on what is changing. Change blindness occurs when a change takes place during an eye movement or blink that is not noticed. These phenomena pose a serious hazard in transportation, particularly when unexpected changes occur, such as a child running out into the road from between parked cars, or if an air traffic controller fails to detect an aircraft deviating from the assigned clearance. Failure to detect unexpected changes can have devastating consequences. The literature in these fields over the last 10 years is reviewed with a particular focus on transportation issues. Laboratory and field-based studies are viewed, including research on theoretical issues, underlying mechanisms, biological bases, as well as mitigation approaches. The emerging view is that these phenomena are in part driven by prior experience and expectations for what is likely to happen next. Research on mitigation of inattentional and change blindness show promise for developing systems that help human operators to overcome the dangers posed. Recommendations are provided for further research in this area. KW - Attention KW - Attention lapses KW - Blindness KW - Blink KW - Cognition KW - Drivers KW - Eye movements KW - Human factors in crashes KW - Operators (Persons) UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33700/33708/33708.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/930624 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01165338 AU - Chi, Junwook AU - Dingus, Rebecca AU - Hamilton, Pamela AU - Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - 2009 West Virgina State High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Plan PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 149p AB - The purpose of this report is to support the West Virginia Department of Transportation in its investment planning and to improve understanding of the value of an efficient passenger rail system in West Virginia. The report presents an overview of the intercity passenger rail (IPR) system, identifies challenges of existing passenger rail services, and provides suggestions and recommendations for a more efficient IPR system. In addition, this research identifies potential high-speed intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) corridors in West Virginia with a discussion of their benefits. Specifically, the report highlights both direct and indirect benefits of HSIPR that contribute to economic recovery efforts, achieve strategic transportation goals, and advance other passenger rail objectives. Key factors for a successful HSIPR network in West Virginia are discussed by addressing efficient HSR systems in other countries. Specific objectives will include the following: 1) overview of intercity passenger rail transportation in West Virginia; 2) description of HSR and national and regional HSR plans; 3) discussion of potential direct and indirect benefits of the HSR corridors; 4) lessons from foreign countries for a successful HSR system; 5) identification of potential HSIPR corridors in West Virginia; 6) documentation of potential construction, operation, and maintenance issues for West Virginia HSIPR corridors; and 7) discussion of steps for further research for a more efficient HSIPR system in West Virginia. Therefore, information provided by this research can be used to evaluate the feasibility of building a new passenger rail system and improving the existing rail network in West Virginia. KW - High speed rail KW - Intercity transportation KW - Passenger trains KW - West Virginia UR - http://www.njrati.org/wp-content/plugins/research_projects/reports/210171B.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925118 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01164855 AU - Weissman, Sarah AU - Jafari, Mohsen AU - Szary, Patrick AU - Maher, Ali AU - Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation AU - New Jersey Department of Transportation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Transportation Safety Resource Center (TSRC) 2007 PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 26p AB - The Transportation Safety Resource Center (TSRC) is the vital link in a collaborative partnership created among federal and state transportation agencies, local stakeholders, academic institutions, and the private sector to provide resources and solutions that address issues of safety on New Jersey’s roads. TSRC functions as an extension of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Division of Traffic Engineering and Safety. Working with federal, state, and local agencies—including the New Jersey office of the Federal Highway Administration—TSRC coordinates with municipalities to help them align their efforts with key safety initiatives already under way at the state, metropolitan planning organization (MPO), and county levels. KW - Coordination KW - County government KW - Federal government agencies KW - Highway safety KW - Initiatives KW - Local government agencies KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - New Jersey KW - State government agencies KW - Transportation Safety Resource Center UR - http://cait.rutgers.edu/files/207-RU6052_0.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/925759 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01160003 AU - Haas, R AU - Perry, E AU - Rephlo, J AU - Science Applications International Corporation AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Chattanooga SmartBus Project: Phase III Evaluation Report PY - 2009/12 SP - 76p AB - This report presents the results of Phase III of the national evaluation of the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority’s (CARTA) SmartBus Project. The SmartBus Project is a comprehensive transit ITS program for the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It involves deployment of a wide array of transit ITS technologies including: data warehousing and reporting software; new operations management software to support fixed-route scheduling and demand response scheduling and dispatch; ticket vending machines for the Incline Railway; a remote diagnostics maintenance system; various on-board systems (mobile data computers, computer-aided dispatch / automated vehicle location software, a covert alarm, automated passenger counters, and a next stop automated announcement system); and new fareboxes, a revenue management system, and a multi-modal transit/parking SmartCard electronic fare payment system. The goal of the evaluation is 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 project team throughout the process of the deployment and operation of the technologies. This report discusses impacts of the technologies that have been deployed. The evaluation involved interviews with CARTA staff, review of operations data, a survey of website users, and a review of systems engineering practices. The results of the evaluation indicate that CARTA has seen many benefits from the deployments. However, the fact that the deployment of one of the key technologies, CAD / AVL integration, is not complete has limited the observed benefits. KW - Advanced public transportation systems KW - Bus transit operations KW - Chattanooga (Tennessee) KW - Evaluation and assessment KW - Impact studies KW - Intelligent transportation systems UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32900/32928/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32900/32928/t61027_ph3.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920465 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01155068 AU - Mishra, Santosh AU - Schweiger, Carol AU - TranSystems Corporation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Monterey-Salinas Transit ITS Augmentation Project: Phase III Evaluation Report PY - 2009/12 SP - 150p AB - The purpose of this document is to present the findings from Phase II and Phase III of the 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 June 2009. The findings from customer satisfaction surveys that were conducted in Phase III to observe the impacts of technologies, particularly real-time information, and web-based trip planning on MST, are also documented in this report. As discussed in the Phase II report, the Evaluation Team was not able to derive conclusions on the direct impact of technology for certain expected changes (e.g., increased ridership, improved on-time performance). Further AVL data analyses were performed in Phase III, but the analysis results regarding schedule adherence remained inconclusive. However, anecdotal information obtained from MST staff during interviews conducted in Phase II provided significant evidence to show that technology has helped MST make significant improvements in operations and planning. Also, based on the customer surveys conducted in Phase III, it can be concluded that a significant number of MST riders are satisfied with the MST service which has been improved through the deployment of the technologies. The survey results reveal that nearly 70% of the riders surveyed are “satisfied” or ”very satisfied” with the reliability of service, and nearly 80% of the riders surveyed are ”satisfied” or “very satisfied” with MST service in general. KW - Automatic vehicle location KW - Customer satisfaction KW - Dispatching KW - Evaluation KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Monterey (California) KW - Monterey-Salinas Transit KW - Public transit KW - Scheduling UR - http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Final_MST_Phase_III_Report_-Final_123009_FTA.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32600/32611/Monterey-Salinas_Transit_ITS_Augmentation_Project_Phase_III_Evaluation_Report.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915754 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01154220 AU - Culp, Michael AU - Reed, Sharlene AU - Biton, Anna AU - Barberio, Gina AU - Barolsky, Rachael AU - Filosa, Gina AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Volpe National Transportation Systems Center TI - Planning and Environment Linkages Program: A Guide to Measuring Progress in Linking Transportation Planning and Environmental Analysis PY - 2009/12 SP - 31p AB - Transportation agencies use a variety of metrics to document progress toward achieving specific goals and objectives. This guide, developed by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) program, is intended to help State Departments of Transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and local transportation agencies develop individual programs to measure success toward linking transportation planning and environmental analysis. This guide provides a framework for establishing measures that transportation agencies can utilize to develop their own measurement programs. To illustrate implementation of the framework, it provides an overall goal of linking transportation planning and environmental analysis, four sample objectives, and an array of example metrics to track progress toward achieving these goals and objectives. KW - Environmental impact analysis KW - Handbooks KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - State departments of transportation KW - Transportation departments KW - Transportation planning UR - http://environment.fhwa.dot.gov/integ/meas_progress.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35357/PlanEnvLinkProg_2009.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/35000/35300/35358/PlanEnvLinkProg_2009.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/915834 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153262 AU - Schwach, Jory A AU - Morris, Ted AU - Michalopoulos, Panos G AU - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities AU - Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Rapidly Deployable Low-Cost Traffic Data and Video Collection Device PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 72p AB - Transportation practitioners, planners and researchers lack the availability of an easily deployable, non-intrusive, portable, low-cost device for traffic data collection and video recording at intersections and arterials as well as temporary remote surveillance. The necessary data usually includes volumes, speeds, classification, turning movements, queue size and length, conflicting movements, and time headways. They also include recording of traffic characteristics, accidents and other special situations. A visual record of traffic characteristics at intersections, arterials, or other locations can also be used for extensive analysis and research leading to improved safety and control practices. In this report, the development and demonstration of a low-cost, practical, rapidly deployable video recording and data collection device is presented along with the design, deployment, and data extraction process. Its major advantage at intersections is that only one unit can cover an entire intersection up to 5 lanes per incoming approach wide (20 incoming lanes total), which should be sufficient for the overwhelming majority of intersections. In addition it has the potential of extracting turning movements automatically including optional lanes through advanced machine vision or radar sensors. KW - Arterial highways KW - Cost effectiveness KW - Data collection KW - Digital video KW - Highway safety KW - Highway traffic control KW - Intersections KW - Machine vision KW - Portable equipment KW - Radar KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic surveillance KW - Turning traffic UR - http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=1858 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914853 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153172 AU - Shanmugam, Suriya Prakash AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seismic Behavior of Circular Reinforced Concrete Bridge Columns under Combined Loading Including Torsion PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 338p AB - Reinforced concrete (RC) columns of skewed and curved bridges with unequal spans and column heights can be subjected to combined loading including axial, flexure, shear, and torsion loads during earthquakes. The combination of axial loads, shear force, and flexural and torsional moments can result in complex failure modes of RC bridge columns. This study carried out experimental and analytical studies to investigate the seismic performance of circular RC columns under combined loading including torsion. The main variables considered here were (i) the ratio of torsion-to-bending moment (T/M), (ii) the ratio of bending moment-to-shear (M/V) or shear span (H/D), and (iii) the level of detailing for high and moderate seismicity (high or low spiral ratio). In particular, the effects of the spiral reinforcement ratio and shear span on strength and ductility of circular RC columns under combined loading were addressed. In addition, the effects of torsional loading on the bending moment-curvature, ductility, and energy dissipation characteristics were also considered. The analytical investigation examined the development of existing models for flexure and pure torsion. Interaction diagrams between bending, shear and torsional loads were established from a semi-empirical approach. A damage-based design approach for circular RC columns under combined loads was proposed by decoupling damage index models for flexure and torsion. Experimental and analytical results showed that the progression of damage was amplified by an increase in torsional moment. An increase in the transverse spiral reinforcement ratio delayed the progression of damage and changed the torsional-dominated behavior to flexural-dominated behavior under combined flexural and torsional moments. KW - Axial loads KW - Bending moments KW - Columns KW - Curved bridges KW - Damage (Bridges) KW - Ductility KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Failure analysis KW - Flexure KW - Reinforced concrete bridges KW - Seismicity KW - Shear stress KW - Skew bridges KW - Spiral reinforcement KW - Torsion UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R165_Shanmugam_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914756 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01153164 AU - Li, Qian AU - Belarbi, Abdeldjelil AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Seismic Performance of Square RC Bridge Columns under Combined Loading including Torsion with Low Shear PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 11p AB - During earthquake excitations, reinforced concrete bridge columns can be subjected to a combination of axial load, shear force, flexural moments, and torsional moments. The torsional moment can be much more significant in columns of bridges that are skewed, curved, have unequal spans, or unequal column heights. Combined loading including torsion can result in complex flexural and shear failure of these bridge columns. This paper presents an experimental study on the seismic behavior of square reinforced concrete columns under combined cyclic flexural and torsional moments. The columns in this study were designed with an aspect ratio of six and tested under various loading conditions: cyclic flexural moment and shear force, cyclic pure torsion, and combined cyclic shear force, bending, and torsional moments. Test results reveal that (1) the flexural and torsional capacity is decreased due to the effect of combined loading, (2) the failure modes and deformation characteristics are changed, and (3) the damage zone tends to move upwards from the typical flexural plastic hinge zone due to the effect of additional torsional moment. The effects of combined loading on the hysteretic loading-displacement response, and damage characteristics are discussed. KW - Aspect ratio KW - Axial loads KW - Bending stress KW - Columns KW - Damage (Bridges) KW - Deformation KW - Earthquake resistant design KW - Failure KW - Reinforced concrete bridges KW - Shear stress KW - Torsion UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R231_Li_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914748 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152833 AU - Chandrashekhara, K AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Acquisition of Equipment for Composite Manufacturing Laboratory PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 5p AB - An interdisciplinary team of faculty was formed to upgrade the Composite Manufacturing and Testing Facilities at Missouri S&T. The Metering Unit is useful to manufacture composite pultruded parts using two part polyurethane resin system. Prior to the equipment acquisition, the pultrusion manufacturing facility was restricted to epoxy, polyester and vinyl ester resin systems. The Metering Unit enables the manufacture of composite parts using polyurethane resin system. Composite test fixtures are required to conduct specialized tests like Compression after Impact, Open Hole Compressions and Interlaminar Shear. KW - Composite materials KW - Manufacturing KW - Pultrusion KW - Testing equipment UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/RE252_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914308 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152832 AU - Sarvestani, Sahra Sedigh AU - Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Application of Sensor Networks to Intelligent Transportation Systems PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 13p AB - The objective of the research performed is the application of wireless sensor networks to intelligent transportation infrastructures, with the aim of increasing their dependability and improving the efficacy of data collection and utilization. Examples include health monitoring of bridges, flood level detection, and other applications of real-time data collection and analysis. This project will enable modeling, prediction, and improvement of trustworthiness for a variety of transportation infrastructures. In collaboration with the Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies (CIES), a prototype of a base station with data acquisition and long range communication capabilities has been developed. The current application is the measurement of water levels for low-water bridges, and the prototype will be deployed by MoDOT in the immediate future. The research is directly tied to embedded computing (which is the subject of a course previously taught by the principal investigator) and to digital network communications (a new course developed and recently taught by the principal investigator). Three graduate students, one of whom is funded by the UTC, and two undergraduates are involved in the research. Planned future activities include collaboration with service learning activities at Missouri S&T, as well as the National Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program. KW - Data collection KW - Intelligent transportation systems KW - Monitoring KW - Sensors KW - Structural analysis UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R180_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914309 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152812 AU - Bouquet, Jared AU - Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Supercritical Water Reformation of Crude Glycerol Solution for Hydrogen Production PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 10p AB - Glycerol, also known as glycerin, is a less desirable byproduct formed in the production of biodiesel via the transesterification otriglycerides and presents a nontrivial issue in terms of developing other beneficial end uses. With an inflated glycerol market and rapidly increasing demand for the production of biodiesel, innovative utilization of the crude glycerol solution produced by biodiesel plants is paramount to the success of biodiesel as an alternative fuel. Supercritical water reformation of crudsolution presents a unique non-catalytic means of converting unwanted glycerol into hydrogen for use in energy and transportation applications, hence increasing the amount of usable transportation fuel that may be produced from triglycerides in biodiesel production. An ongoing experimental study of the supercritical water reformation of crude glycerol solution is being conducted to explore the effects of multiple variables important to the chemical reactions involved in the reformation process. Reaction variables include temperature, pressure, water-to-glycerol ratio, reactor space times, and the impact of other chemical species found in crude gycerol solutions, such as salts, alcohols, and soaps. KW - Alternate fuels KW - Biodiesel fuels KW - Glycerin KW - Hydrogen production KW - Waste products UR - http://utc.mst.edu/documents/R203_Bouquet_CR.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914297 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01152762 AU - Muench, Stephen T AU - Anderson, Jeralee L AU - TransNow, Transportation Northwest AU - Washington State Department of Transportation AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Greenroads: A Sustainability Performance Metric for Roadway Design and Construction PY - 2009/12//Final Technical Report SP - 67p AB - Greenroads is a performance metric for quantifying sustainable practices associated with roadway design and construction. Sustainability is defined as having seven key components: ecology, equity, economy, extent, expectations, experience and exposure. By Greenroads standards, a sustainable roadway project is one that carefully and overtly integrates these components into the design and construction process to a substantially higher standard than current common practice. Greenroads Version 1.0 consists of 11 Project Requirements, 37 Voluntary Credits (worth 108 points) and up to 10 points worth of Custom Credits. Project-level sustainability performance can be assessed by meeting all Project Requirements and any number of Voluntary Credit points. Greenroads also sets “achievement levels” at different point values in order to provide recommended scoring levels. Greenroads is compatible with other existing systems that can and have been applied to roadways and can be adopted in a number of ways, however, the most likely are: (1) as an external standard, (2) as a project accounting standard, and (3) as a tool for competitive advantage for both private industry and public agencies. KW - Green infrastructure KW - Greenroads (Rating system) KW - Highway design KW - Metrics (Quantitative assessment) KW - Road construction KW - Sustainable development UR - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/725.1.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/914430 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01150731 AU - Cooner, Scott A AU - Walters, Carol H AU - Wiles, Poonam B AU - Rathod, Yatin K AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Freeway Bottleneck Removals: Workshop Enhancement and Technology Transfer PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 46p AB - As transportation improvement projects become increasingly costly and complex and as funding sources are not keeping pace with needs in highly urbanized areas, it becomes critical that existing freeway systems be fine‐tuned to maximize capacity. One of the most cost‐effective solutions is implementation of lower‐cost improvements to improve mobility where bottlenecks occur during peak periods on freeways. This subject is gaining national attention, partly because bottleneck locations are highly visible; failure to fix them has political as well as congestion costs. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is advancing on this front both in research and outreach efforts. This project enhanced and improved an existing Freeway Bottleneck Workshop by: (1) gathering further data on implemented bottleneck removals both in Texas and throughout the United States (U.S.) to add to the case study database; and (2) improving the communications aspect of the workshop through better graphics, video, and overall professional appearance. Four of the enhanced Freeway Bottleneck Workshops were presented to enthusiastic participants in Atlanta (Georgia), Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Each half‐day workshop allowed participants from various disciplines (design, operations, and planning) and agencies (city, county, state, and federal) to learn about bottleneck identification, causes, low‐cost solutions, analysis and evaluation, case studies, and guidelines for successful projects. Workshop participants also had the opportunity to work in teams to analyze a real‐world freeway bottleneck and to discuss opportunities for bottleneck removal in their metropolitan area. The final component of the project developed a website and educational module for university students and professors that will continue the technology transfer component. The long‐term implications of this work are elevated awareness of the extremely high benefits relative to costs and development of professional capacity to recognize opportunities and to analyze and select appropriate measures for successful bottleneck removal projects. KW - Bottlenecks KW - Freeway operations KW - Highway capacity KW - Low cost KW - Technology transfer KW - Traffic congestion KW - Traffic flow UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Walters-Cooner_08-37-16.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/912656 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01150716 AU - Power, Gabriel AU - Burris, Mark AU - Vadali, Sharada AU - Vedenov, Dmitry AU - University Transportation Center for Mobility AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Valuation of Buyout Options in Comprehensive Development Agreements PY - 2009/12//Final Report SP - 34p AB - This project investigates the feasibility of and develops an economic valuation model for buyout options in Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDAs). A CDA is a form of public-private partnership in which the right to price and collect revenues from toll roads is leased to a private entity for a finite but lengthy period of time in exchange for providing local and state governments with a quick influx of cash and/or additional infrastructure. Uncertainty associated with such long-term leases is of substantial public concern. In particular, there is a sentiment that the state and/or municipal governments may not be sufficiently compensated for the forfeited development opportunities and the possibility of lost revenue due to higher-than-expected future growth during the lifetime of the lease. An under-studied aspect of the problem is the feasibility and economic value of an option for the government to buy back the leased infrastructure at a future date prior to lease expiration. Such an option would give the public sector additional control over the future use of leased facilities and address potential concerns regarding long-run uncertainty and possible unforeseen windfalls for the private sector. The developed buyout option valuation model can aid transportation policymakers in decisions on leasing public infrastructure. Project deliverables include: feasibility assessment of buyout options, an economic valuation model for buyout option in a CDA, and identification of methods, data, and parameters required to apply the model to evaluation of buyout options in actual (planned or existing) CDAs. KW - Comprehensive development agreement KW - Economic models KW - Infrastructure KW - Leasing KW - Leveraged buyouts KW - Public private partnerships KW - Valuation UR - http://utcm.tamu.edu/publications/final_reports/Power_08-04-12.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/912586 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01149524 AU - Sayer, James R AU - LeBlanc, David J AU - Bogard, Scott E AU - Blankespoor, Adam D AU - University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration TI - Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) Heavy Truck Platform Field Operational Test Data Analysis Plan PY - 2009/11/23 SP - 91p AB - This document presents the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s plan to perform analysis of data collected from the heavy truck platform field operational test of the Integrated Vehicle- Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) program. The purpose of the IVBSS program is to evaluate the effectiveness of, and driver acceptance for, state-of-the-art integrated crash warning systems for both passenger cars and commercial trucks. The heavy truck platform in the IVBSS FOT includes three integrated crash-warning subsystems (forward crash, lateral drift, and lane-change/merge crash warnings) installed into a fleet of ten Class 8 tractors operated by Con-way Freight. Each truck is instrumented to capture detailed data regarding the driving environment, driver behavior, warning system activity, and vehicle kinematics. Twenty commercial truck drivers from Con-way Freight are operating the Class 8 tractors for ten months in place of the trucks they normally drive. Data on driver acceptance for the integrated system are being collected through a post-drive survey and debriefings. The plan describes analyses that emphasize a summary of integrated crash warning system activity, examine how the integrated system affects driver behavior, and assess driver acceptance for the integrated system. The analyses are intended to be complementary to analyses being performed by the program’s independent evaluator, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. KW - Countermeasures KW - Crash avoidance systems KW - Heavy duty trucks KW - Integrated vehicle-based safety systems KW - Intelligent vehicles KW - Warning systems UR - http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64453/1/102427.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/908712 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159897 AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement: Surveys, Interviews, and Focus Groups Test Plan PY - 2009/11/19 SP - 122p AB - This report presents the test plan for developing, conducting, and analyzing surveys, interviews, and focus groups for evaluating the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups will be used to identify the potential impacts of the UPA projects, especially on mode change in the I-35W corridor. This report outlines the anticipated surveys, interviews, and focus groups to be conducted to assist in evaluating the Minnesota UPA projects. Information on the stakeholder interviews, MnPASS user surveys, carpooler surveys, telecommuter surveys, on-board ridership surveys, focus groups on the real-time transit and traffic information dynamic message signs, interviews of special groups, and other activities is presented. The purpose and approach, participant recruitment protocol, preliminary questions, analysis methods, and schedule and responsibilities are discussed for the various surveys, interviews, and focus groups. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Focus groups KW - Interviewing KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Surveys KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32527/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32527/surveyupa.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920367 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159889 AU - Shao, Gang AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement National Evaluation: Cost Benefit Analysis Test Plan PY - 2009/11/19 SP - 30p AB - This report presents the cost benefit analysis test plan for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. The test plan is based on the analysis presented in the Minnesota UPA National Evaluation Plan. The test plan identifies the data needed to conduct the cost benefit analysis of the Minnesota UPA projects. The data sources and the data availability are discussed. Potential risks associated with the data collection and analysis are discussed. The cost benefit analysis methodology is presented, along with the schedule and responsibilities. KW - Benefit cost analysis KW - Congestion pricing KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32529/costupa.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32529/index.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920365 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159888 AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement: Exogenous Factors Test Plan PY - 2009/11/19 SP - 36p AB - This report presents the exogenous factors test plan for the national evaluation of the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. As outlined in the Minnesota UPA National Evaluation Plan, the exogenous factors test plan will be used to monitor elements unrelated to the Minnesota UPA projects that may influence travel in the I-35W corridor, use of the UPA projects, changes in travel modes, and use of telecommuting and alternative work arrangements. These factors include unemployment rates, gasoline prices, parking rates in downtown Minneapolis, parking rates at the University of Minnesota, roadway construction, non-typical weather conditions, major traffic incidents, and major special events. The use of control corridors is also discussed. This report presents the data sources for obtaining information on these elements, the availability of the data, and potential risks associated with data collection activities. The data analysis techniques and the schedule and responsibilities are also described. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32530/exogenousupa.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32530/index.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920364 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159898 AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement National Evaluation: Traffic System Data Test Plan PY - 2009/11/17 SP - 42p AB - This report presents the traffic system data test plan for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. The test plan builds on the Minnesota UPA National Evaluation Plan. The traffic system data test plan identifies the traffic data needed to analyze the congestion reduction impacts of the Minnesota UPA projects. The data sources, data availability, potential risks, data analysis methods, and schedules and responsibilities are described. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Evaluation KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic data KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32524/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32524/trafficupa.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920378 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159895 AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Schreffler, Eric AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement National Evaluation: Telecommuting Test Plan PY - 2009/11/17 SP - 30p AB - This report presents the telecommuting test plan for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. The test plan builds on the Minnesota UPA National Evaluation Plan. This test plan identifies the data needed to analyze the telecommuting hypotheses and questions. The data sources and the data available are discussed and the potential risks associated with telecommuting data collection and analysis activities are discussed. The methods for analyzing the telecommuting data are presented, along with the schedule and responsibilities. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Evaluation KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32526/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32526/telecommutingupa.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920371 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159894 AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement National Evaluation: Content Analysis Test Plan PY - 2009/11/17 SP - 28p AB - This report presents the content analysis test plan for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. As outlined in the Minnesota UPA National Evaluation Plan, the content analysis test plan focuses on collecting and analyzing information on outreach activities, media coverage, and reactions of the public, policy makers, and other groups to the UPA projects. The information from the content analysis test plan is used primarily in the non-technical success factors analysis of the Minnesota UPA National Evaluation Plan. This report presents the data sources for obtaining information on the reactions of the various groups to the UPA projects, as well as the outreach activities conducted by the partnership agencies and media coverage of the projects. The availability of needed data, possible risks associated with data collection, data analysis techniques, and the schedule and resources are described. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32531/contentupa.pdf UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32531/index.htm UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920363 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159893 AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Cain, Alasdair AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement National Evaluation: Transit System Data Test Plan PY - 2009/11/17 SP - 40p AB - This report presents the test plan for collecting and analyzing transit system data for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) National Evaluation under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. This test plan is based on the Minnesota UPA National Evaluation Plan. It presents the sources for obtaining the data needed to evaluate the impacts of the Minnesota UPA transit projects, the data availability, and the risks associated with collecting and analyzing the data. The data analysis techniques are described and the schedule and responsibilities are presented. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32523/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32523/transitupa.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920386 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159890 AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement National Evaluation: Tolling Test Plan PY - 2009/11/17 SP - 30p AB - This report presents the test plan for collecting and analyzing toll data for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. The tolling projects in the Minnesota UPA include HOT lanes and a priced dynamic shoulder lane (PDSL) on I-35W South. The Tolling test plan is based on the Minnesota UPA National Evaluation. This test plan describes the tolling data sources, data availability, and possible risks associated with the data. The methods for analyzing the toll data are discussed. The schedule and responsibilities for collecting, analyzing, and reporting the toll analysis are presented. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Evaluation KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32525/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32525/tollingupa.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920385 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159887 AU - Turnbull, Katie AU - Balke, Kevin AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Highway Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement National Evaluation: Safety Data Test Plan PY - 2009/11/17 SP - 30p AB - This report provides the safety data test plan for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing strategies consisting of combinations of tolling, transit, telecommuting/TDM, and technology, also known as the 4 Ts. As outlined in the Minnesota National Evaluation Plan, the safety data test plan focuses on collecting and analyzing safety related data on the Minnesota UPA projects. The information from the safety data test plan will be used primarily in the safety analysis and the cost benefit analysis. This report presents the safety data sources, data availability, and potential risks associated with the data collection and analysis activities. The data analysis techniques, along with the schedule and responsibilities are also presented. KW - Congestion pricing KW - Crash data KW - Highway safety KW - Incident management KW - Minnesota KW - Partnerships KW - Public transit KW - Technology KW - Telecommuting KW - Toll roads KW - Traffic mitigation KW - Travel demand management KW - Urban areas UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32528/index.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32500/32528/safetyupa.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920382 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462083 TI - Economic and Transportation Drivers for Siting Freight Intermodal and Warehouse Distribution Facilities AB - Public officials at the state and local level are frequently called on to consider the siting of freight intermodal terminals, inland ports, and warehouses and distribution centers. The public sector audience includes agencies such as state departments of commerce and transportation, MPOs, local officials, economic development organizations, and planning offices. Decisions to pursue these facilities as economic development generators as a supporting function for current and future businesses or in response to outside proposals have a greater potential for success when the public sector understands the private sector financial and transportation drivers. A limited understanding of these critical site-selection drivers can lead public officials to expend time and resources on flawed strategies to attract facilities and incorrectly react to facility proposals. For instance, they may not understand the differences between international and domestic freight markets in the supply chain, the various functions they provide, or their respective support requirements. This can ultimately lead to inefficient transportation systems and failed economic development strategies. To formulate effective economic development strategies and react appropriately to proposals for the development of public or private freight facilities, public sector decisionmakers should have the benefit of a better understanding of these drivers and impacts. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research is to develop a guide that (1) informs public sector freight policy and decision makers about the key criteria that the private sector considers when siting logistics facilities, (2) informs the public sector about the complexity of the various facility types and the role they play in goods movement and supply chain management, and (3) enhances the potential for successful projects. KW - Distribution support businesses KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Freight transportation support businesses KW - Intermodal terminals KW - Intermodal transportation KW - Metropolitan planning organizations KW - Policy making KW - Research projects KW - Warehouses UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2665 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230303 ER - TY - RPRT AN - 01159764 AU - Zimmerman, Carol AU - Gopalakrishna, Deepak AU - Battelle AU - Research and Innovative Technology Administration AU - Federal Transit Administration TI - United We Ride (UWR)/Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA) Enhanced Human Service Transportation Models Joint Demonstration: Phase 1 – System Planning and Design Institutional Process Evaluation: Final Report PY - 2009/11/15/Final Report SP - 61p AB - This document presents the findings of the evaluation of the process used by eight project sites to develop a design for a Travel Management Coordination Center (TMCC) for improved coordination of human service transportation within a region. The TMCC project was funded by U.S. DOT as part of the Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA) initiative. The process evaluation examined how the sites went about the design activity, the challenges they faced and how they solved them. Findings are discussed in four major areas – project management, stakeholder collaboration, technology issues, and Federal role in the design phase. In each area, lessons learned from the sites are presented along with best practices identified by sites. All eight sites submitted complete TMCC designs with seven of the eight sites submitting a proposal for the implementation phase. KW - Door to door service KW - Jitney service KW - Mobility KW - Passenger service KW - Rural transit KW - Social service agencies KW - Systems analysis KW - Travel Management Coordination Center UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32200/32230/14504.htm UR - http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/32000/32200/32230/14504_files/14504.pdf UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/920308 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01462103 TI - Guidebook for Developing Sub-National Commodity Flow Data AB - Commodity flow data is a critical resource for conducting transportation planning at state, regional, and local jurisdictional levels and in corridors (collectively called sub-national levels). Commodity flow data is used to understand which industries generate the most demand on the transportation system. It also provides a key link between economic trade relationships and freight demand and is used in modal diversion studies. This data also is a key input to multimodal trade corridor studies and air quality assessments. Currently, there are a number of useful commodity flow data sources at the national level that are of limited application to sub-national planning because they lack the appropriate geographic detail for flow origins and destinations. National level commodity flow data sources cannot easily be used to identify available data sets for sub-national use. State departments of transportation (DOTs) and other sub-national agencies need a variety of tools to help them tailor existing commodity flow data for their specific needs and to develop additional sources of data. First, they need resources and guidance for making the best use of generally available national data sources. Second, they need guidance and resources that help identify commonly available local data sets with which to enhance commodity flow data. Lastly, they need guidance for conducting their own shipper and carrier surveys to conduct local, regional, statewide, or corridor commodity flow surveys. The objective of this research is to provide state DOTs and other sub-national agencies with a guidebook for obtaining and compiling commodity flow data useful for their analyses. The guidebook will include (a) descriptions of existing public and private commodity flow data; (b) standard procedures for compiling local, state, regional, and corridor commodity flow databases from these data resources; (c) new and effective procedures and methodologies for conducting sub-national commodity flow surveys and studies; and (d) methods to use commodity flow data in local, regional, state, or corridor practice. KW - Commodity flow KW - Freight traffic KW - Freight transportation KW - Handbooks KW - Regional planning KW - Regional transportation KW - Research projects KW - State departments of transportation KW - Traffic data KW - Transportation planning UR - http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2663 UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1230324 ER - TY - ABST AN - 01480763 TI - Teaching Cases on Transportation & Global Warming AB - This project proposes to develop a series of three teaching cases for use in graduate-level courses and executive education programs on the options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Currently, the transport sector is responsible for about 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and its share is projected to grow as the use of the private automobile continues to increase throughout the world. The new cases will help students and practitioners understand and assess the three primary approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by: (1) reducing the greenhouse gas emissions per vehicle mile traveled (VMT) of the automobile; (2) shifting travelers to modes that emit fewer greenhouse gases per passenger mile; and (3) shifting to compact, mixed-use development patterns that require less VMT per household. Taken as a whole, these new cases would fill a void in the existing inventory of urban transportation teaching cases, which focus primarily on the problems of congestion and tropospheric air pollution rather than global warming. KW - Air quality management KW - Environmental impacts KW - Exhaust gases KW - Global warming KW - Greenhouse gases KW - Mode choice KW - Research projects KW - Training UR - https://trid.trb.org/view/1249836 ER -