Engineering Commons^™

Multimodal Alternative Evaluation Us 60 (Versailles Road) Lexington, Ky: Final Report, Adam J. Kirk

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Versailles Road corridor is a major arterial into the heart of Lexington, KY, connecting the Bluegrass Airport, Keeneland, and the Bluegrass Parkway with downtown. In addition, the corridor serves as the most heavily used transit route within the city. Heavy pedestrian and bicycle usage also exist on the corridor making it one of the most vibrant and diverse multimodal corridors in the city if not the state. However, few improvements have been made for either automobile or other modes of transportation in recent years leading to a poor condition of some facilities and the need for improved and expanded …

Evaluation Of Rumble Stripes, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Lane departure has been shown to be a major cause of serious traffic crashes. Installing a rumble strip on the shoulders of two lane roads provide drivers with an audible warning that they are leaving their lane of travel. Painting the edge line on the rumble strip has the possible benefit of providing more wet, nighttime delineation through the portion of the edge line painted on the sloped portion of the groove. The objectives of this study were to: a) monitor the initial installations of rumble stripes and b) evaluate the results of rumble stripe installations.

Ten rural, two-lane road …

Evaluation Plan For The Ticketing Aggressive Cars And Trucks (Tact) Program In Kentucky, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky State Police Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement in cooperation with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has started a concentrated education and enforcement campaign in an effort to increase the safety and awareness of drivers around commercial vehicles. The University of Kentucky Transportation Center has evaluated this campaign and reported the effectiveness of this effort.

The campaign was focused in two high volume, high crash interstate areas: one in northern Kentucky on I‐75, and one in the Louisville area on I‐65. Several blitzes (including a media and enforcement component) were conducted throughout the year. This evaluation measured the success …

Evaluation Of Kentucky’S “Click It Or Ticket” 2008 Campaign, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green, Ronald E. Langley

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this report was to document the results of the “Click It or Ticket” 2008 campaign in Kentucky. The campaign involved a combination of earned media, paid media, and enforcement. The earned media started about three weeks prior to Memorial Day 2008 and continued through the enforcement period. The paid media campaign was for the two weeks prior to Memorial Day while the enforcement period was a two-week period including the week before and the week of Memorial Day.

The evaluation of the campaign included documenting the activities associated with the program (publicity and enforcement) and evaluating the …

Evaluation Of Median Barrier Safety Issues, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Brifen TL-4 and Trinity CASS median cable barrier systems in preventing cross-median collisions on sections of I-64, I-71, and I-265 (Brifen system) and I-265 (Trinity system) in Jefferson County and on KY 4 (Brifen system) in Fayette County. An effort was made to identify crashes which involved a vehicle crossing a median. Using specific logic to identify this type of crash, 392 crashes were identified for the five-year period of 2001 through 2005. Using crash and mileage data resulted in an average of 0.28 crossover crashes per mile …

Inspection And Evaluation Of A Bridge Deck Reinforced With Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Cfrp) Bars, Choo Ching Chiaw, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Cracking in reinforced concrete decks is inevitable. It leads to the corrosion and eventual deterioration of the deck system. The use of non-corrosive reinforcement is one alternative to steel in reinforced concrete construction. This report deals with the field evaluation and performance of a concrete bridge deck reinforced with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) bars. The bridge is identified as the Elkin Station Road Bridge on route CR1210 over the Two Mile Creek in Clark County, KY. The CFRP bars were placed in the top and bottom mats of the bridge deck in both the transverse and longitudinal directions. The …

Evaluation Of Work Zone Safety Operations And Issues, Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Work zone activities are one of the areas with a high potential for compromised safety for workers and road users. Various measures have been taken to increase the level of safety in work zones; including the use of double fines for speeding and the application of speed displays based on radar detection. There has been an effort to improve the effectiveness and safety of flaggers by requiring the use of a stop/slow paddle for most work zone conditions, using lights on the paddle, and increasing visibility by using more reflective clothing. It has been suggested that safety in work zones …

Inspection And Evaluation Of A Bridge Deck Partially Reinforced With Gfrp Rebars, Issam E. Harik, P. Alagusundaramoorthy, V. Gupta, Chris Hill, Choo Ching Chiaw

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The corrosion of steel can be a significant problem in bridge decks in which the reinforcing and prestressing steel are accessible to deicing salts and combinations of moisture, temperature and chlorides through cracks, leading to concrete deterioration and loss of serviceability. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) rebars have emerged as one alternative to steel reinforcement in corrosive environments.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the cracks formed on a bridge deck that is partially reinforced with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars. The bridge constructed in 1997 is in Bourbon County, KY, on US460 over the Rogers' Creek. Its …

Evaluation Of Non-Nuclear Density Gauges, David L. Allen, David B. Schultz Jr., David Allen Willett

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

For the past several decades, density of freshly laid hot mix asphalt (HMA) mats has been measured by contractors, consultants or governmental agencies using nuclear density gauges. However, use of these devices requires the user to maintain an inordinate amount of records on the use of the equipment. These requirements include calibration and recalibration records, certification records of the operators, records on radiation badges, and periodic testing of the operator’s badges for radiation exposure. In addition, there is always the concern about possible accidents with the gauges that might expose the radiation source to the operators or other bystanders. Because …

Evaluation Of High Traffic Crash Corridors, Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study were to: a) determine a procedure to use to identify corridors in each highway district for which a detailed analysis of crash data should be conducted (with resulting increased law enforcement activities, education programs and engineering improvement s); b) develop a procedure to use to analyze the crash data and recommend countermeasures; and c) conduct a case study analysis for one selected corridor.

A method which could be used to select high crash corridors, by highway district, was developed. The procedure involved: obtaining a list of rout es in each district which traveled through more …

Evaluation Of Kentucky’S Click It Or Ticket Campaign, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this report was to document the results of the Click It or Ticket campaign in Kentucky. The campaign involved a combination of earned media, paid media, and enforcement. The earned media started about three weeks prior to Memorial Day 2001 and continued through the enforcement period. The paid media started about two weeks prior to Memorial Day. The enforcement period was a two-week period including the week before and the week of Memorial Day.

The evaluation of the campaign included documenting the activities associated with the program (publicity and enforcement) and evaluating the results. The evaluation involved …

Truck Route Access Evaluation: Bath County Industrial Site, Off Of Kendall Springs Road Southwest Of Owingsville, Site #26, Brian Aldridge, Kenneth R. Agent, Lisa Aultman-Hall, David Cain, Nicole Lefever, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Joel M. Weber

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Freight Movement and Intermodal Access in Kentucky Study (SPR 98-189), undertaken by the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) on behalf of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), has two main objectives. These objectives include 1) the evaluation of access for trucks between intermodal or other truck generating sites and the National Highway System (NHS) and 2) furthering the understanding of freight commodity flows throughout the state. This report summarizes the access evaluation for one cluster of facilities located in Bath County in the Gateway Area Development District (ADD) and KYTC Highway District #9. The location of the site is shown in …

Evaluations Of Wall Structures In Kentucky (Kyspr-85-107), L. John Fleckenstein, Brad W. Rister, David L. Allen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Approximately 209 retaining wall structures were visually evaluated under this study for long-term performance. The inspection included concrete crib, single-barrel and double-barrel culvert wing, metal bin, Gabion, rigid concrete, Keystone block, tiedback, mechanically stabilized earth (M.S.E.), Tech Wall, and sound walls. Significant structural distress was observed in several of the wall systems. This report discusses the performance of each wall system and makes recommendations on the future use of these systems.

1997 Safety Belt Usage Survey And Evaluation Of Effectiveness In Kentucky, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to establish 1997 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky. The 1997 survey documents the continuing results from enacting a statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994. Data were collected at 100 sites and combined based on vehicle miles traveled for a given type of highway, rural or urban location, and county population category. Also included in the report is an analysis of accident records evaluating the effectiveness of safety belts.

The data show that the usage rate has stabilized at a level slightly below the high value which occurred in …

Evaluation Of Speed Limits In Kentucky (Kyspr 96-172), Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Joel M. Weber

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study were to examine current criteria and procedures used for setting speed limits on public roads and to recommend appropriate maximum speed limits for various types of roads. The study involved three major areas. These were: review of literature, collection and analysis of speed data, and collection and analysis of accident data. The speed data included collecting data on various highway types using the “moving” radar mode, use of data from speed monitoring stations, comparison of spot speed data before and after speed limit changes, and both moving and spot speed data at construction zones. Accident …

Summary Of Results Of 1994 Field And Laboratory Evaluations Of Pavement Marking Materials, Kentucky Transportation Center

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report summarizes the results of data collected as part of the 1994 field and laboratory evaluations of pavement marking materials for the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP). The purpose of the NTPEP is to pool the professional and physical resources of the individual participating AASHTO member departments and to focus those resources to test materials of common interest in order to improve cost-effectiveness.

The type of testing performed under the NTPEP will provide information that will be used to evaluate the acceptability of materials and to compare the performance of similar materials. The NTPEP also provides industry with …

Field Performance Evaluation Of Precast Concrete Box Culverts, Aluminum Culverts, And Galvanized Metal Arches And Pipe Arches, L. John Fleckenstein, David L. Allen, R. Clark Graves

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Reported herein are the field performances of three different classes of culverts. The study included precast concrete boxes, precast arch culvert, aluminum boxes and pipe culverts, and several shapes of galvanized metal culverts. A total of 82 culverts were inspected throughout the state of Kentucky. Culverts were inspected in all 12 highway districts. A total of 15 precast concrete structures, 11 aluminum structures, and 56 galvanized metal structures were evaluated. This report discusses the distress observed in the three different classes of culverts and recommendations for future installations and possible maintenance schema for the existing culverts are included.

Pavement Roughness Measurement And Evaluation, Rolands L. Rizenbergs, James L. Burchett, Larry E. Davis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Vertical accelerations of a passenger in an automobile are automatically summed while traveling a section of road at 51.5 mph. A roughness index is obtained by summing the accelerations and dividing by the time elapsed during the test. The index is subjectively related to the riding quality of pavements. Continuity in measurements since 1957 has been preserved through correlations among successive vehicles involved and reference pavements.

In general, bituminous construction has yielded smoother-riding surfaces than concrete construction. No major improvements in construction were noted on bituminous pavements since 1962. The ride quality of concrete pavements, however, has improved on those …

Evaluation Of A Vibratory Roller For Use In Compacting Bituminous Concrete Mixes, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

According to Article 4.3.5-D-1 of the 1956 Edition of Kentucky's Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction, a minimum of two rollers, one 3-wheeled roller and one tandem roller, shall be required on each state project involving bituminous concrete paving operations. A further requirement of the specifications is that additional rollers will be provided so that there is avaHable "...at least one roller for each 30 tons of the bituminous mixture per hour..." that is laid. This, of course, means that for paving operations involving the laying of the bituminous mixture at rapid rates, the contractor must have available and …