Engineering Commons^™

Use Of Dynamic Cone Penetration And Clegg Hammer Tests For Quality Control Of Roadway Compaction And Construction, Hobi Kim, Monica Prezzi, Rodrigo Salgado

JTRP Technical Reports

Soil compaction quality control presently relies on the determination of the in-place compacted dry unit weight, which is then compared with the maximum dry unit weight obtained from a laboratory compaction test. INDOT requires that the in-place dry unit weight for compacted soil be over 95% of the laboratory maximum dry unit weight. In order to determine the in-place dry unit weight, INDOT engineers generally use nuclear gauges, which are hazardous and also costly because of the required safety precautions. Thus, several alternative tests such as the Dynamic Cone Penetration Test (DCPT) and the Clegg Hammer Test (CHT) were introduced …

Development Of A Framework For Ex Post Facto Evaluation Of Highway Project Costs In Indiana, Abhishek Bhargava, Samuel Labi, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

Researchers and engineers continue to ponder over the reliability of construction cost forecasts made at the early stages of project development. After a project has been incorporated in the statewide transportation improvement program, increasingly detailed estimates of its cost are prepared at the remaining stages of project development, namely, design estimate, engineer’s estimate, and bid estimate. The accuracy of such estimates has critical consequences on contract administration and asset management in general. Most agencies do not have a methodological framework to identify projects where final cost is likely to exceed the cost estimate, or where the cost estimate is likely …

Innovative Bridge Construction Program: Implementation Of Full-Depth Bridge Deck Panels In Indiana, Robert J. Frosch, Julio A. Ramirez, Stephen Price

JTRP Technical Reports

This research evaluates the use of precast, prestressed bridge deck panels on new and existing precast, prestressed concrete girders. The evaluation focuses on the ease of construction and the ability of the system to develop composite action with the concrete girders. A system developed by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute New England Region (PCINER) was chosen for testing from available systems because it is representative of the current geometry of precast bridge deck panels. The CDOT system was evaluated in a series of large scale tests in which the panels were placed on a 40 …

Identification And Implementation Of Best Management Practices For Erosion And Sediment Control That Conform To Indiana Storm Water Quality Regulations And Guidance, Lynn A. Corson

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Truck-Mounted Scour Inspection System For Indot, Dennis Lyn, Thomas Cooper, Ranadeep Das

JTRP Technical Reports

Scour monitoring may be a useful tool for INDOT in dealing with local scour problems at bridge sites, and a truck-mounted scour-monitoring system is an attractive option offering flexibility in deployment and cost-effectiveness. This report deals with two aspects related to the further development of such a system: i) a web application that combines the latest available information regarding streamflow with relevant information regarding bridges considered susceptible to bridge scour, thereby assisting in truck-deployment decisions, and ii) development of an acoustic positioning system as a replacement of the original mechanical positioning in order to improve the ease of use.

The …

Treatment Guidelines For Pavement Preservation, Jusang Lee, Todd Shields

JTRP Technical Reports

This project presents pavement treatment practice guidelines and a distress identification manual for the purpose of improving the INDOT pavement preservation practices. The treatment guidelines consist of 10 treatment types for asphalt pavements and composite pavements and 8 treatment types for Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP). The treatment guidelines include treatment descriptions, benefits, applicable pavement conditions, treatment materials, and treatment procedures. The guidelines are based on information obtained mainly from the INDOT Standard Specification, the INDOT Design Manual, and the INDOT Field Operations Handbook for Crew Leaders. The treatments are covered in the guidelines. The distress identification manual presents the …

Automated Pavement Condition Data Collection Quality Control, Quality Assurance, And Reliability, Ghim Ping (Raymond) Ong, Samy Noureldin, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

In recent years, state highway agencies have come to understand the need for high quality pavement condition data at both the project and network levels. At the same time, agencies also realize that they have become too dependent on contractors to ensure the quality of the delivered data without any means to independently assure the quality of these delivered data. This research study therefore aims to investigate the inherent variability of the automated data collection processes and proposes guidelines for an automated data collection quality management program in Indiana. In particular, pavement roughness data (in terms of IRI) and pavement …

Indiana Pavement Preservation Program, Ghim Ping (Raymond) Ong, Tommy E. Nantung, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

State highway agencies are facing immense pressure to maintain roads at acceptable levels amidst the challenging financial and economic situations. In recent years, pavement preservation has been sought as a potential alternative for managing the pavement assets, believing that it would provide a cost-effective solution in maintaining infrastructural conditions and meeting user expectations. This study explores the potential of pavement preservation concepts in managing the agency‘s pavement assets by attempting to integrate pavement preservation considerations within the network-level pavement management system. Several elements are studied in the report: (i) determining triggers for pavement preservation treatments for use in a PMS, …

An Assessment Of Delivery Risks In Transportation Projects, Velvet Fitzpatrick, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

A large number of uncertainties exist in the delivery of highway projects, and it is important to describe the extent so that budgeting and programming can be carried out in a manner that duly accounts for such uncertainties. The study investigates the sources of delivery variability (risk factors) that occur in the period between project proposed date and the letting date. Data on 366 highway projects were collected from the Indiana Department of Transportation Management Information Portal. Using statistical and econometric techniques, the data was analyzed to identify the potential risk factors and to determine the magnitude and direction of …

Implementation Of Erosion Control Warranty Specification, Bob G. Mccullouch, Kok Kuan Ng

JTRP Technical Reports

One of the main issues in a warranty specification for erosion control items is how to evaluate performance objectively. This project developed a methodology that uses digital images to measure compliance with defined vegetation cover requirements. It is designed essentially for areas where vegetation (grass) is selected as the erosion control measure. The research was a technical approach to examine the feasibility of using digital photographic analysis. It does not address all issues related to field conditions and as such would require review by interested parties to be complete. For example, how often should sample pictures to taken. Should a …

Updating And Enhancing The Indiana Bridge Management System (Ibms), Kumares C. Sinha, Samuel Labi, Bobby G. Mccullouch, Abhishek Bhargava, Qiang Bai

JTRP Technical Reports

The Indiana Bridge Management System (IBMS) software package, considered one of the few bridge management system software packages in the United States, possesses several unique features such as multiple criteria analysis but has not been used to its full capabilities because of coding language, outmoded operating system, and other software-related problems. Also, the framework lacked certain considerations such as a preventive maintenance component. In addressing this issue, this study reviewed the existing internal logic of IBMS, and updated some of the cost and deterioration models to include preventive maintenance considerations in the decision tree. Also, the IBMS operating system and …

Risk Management And Assessment Of Upgrading And Standardizing Guardrail, Karen Zhu, Shuo Li

JTRP Technical Reports

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has installed guardrail systems on interstate highways and other highways in accordance with a variety of standards throughout the years. Traffic volume has increased and the posted speeds have been raised on most INDOT’s interstate highways. Consequently, the characteristics of run-off-the-road (ROR) crashes may have changed. In the meantime, material prices have increased considerably and the guardrail maintenance and crash repair costs have increased accordingly. There is no doubt all these changes will not only greatly affect the ROR crash prediction, but also greatly affect the guardrail benefit/cost analysis. This study examined the current …

Field Investigation Of Subgrade Lime Modification, Chulmin Jung, Sochan Jung, Antonio Bobet, Nayyar Zia Siddiki

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Contract Time Optimization Methodologies For Highway Construction Projects, Yi Jiang, Huaxin Chen

JTRP Technical Reports

This study was conducted to develop methodologies for appropriately determining the monetary values of I/D rates of highway construction projects in Indiana. In this study, a comprehensive literature review was performed to identify possible effective methodologies for work zone effects, construction impacts, and contract time optimization. The highway production rates were developed in a previous study. The production rates were validated and adjusted with the help from INDOT field engineers. The weighin- motion (WIM) collected traffic data were obtained, processed, and analyzed to provide input data for user cost calculations at highway work zones. Construction data were obtained and processed …

Classification Of Marl Soils, Chulmin Jung, Sochan Jung, Antonio Bobet, Nayyar Zia Siddiki

JTRP Technical Reports

Field and laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the degree of uniformity and quality that is obtained with chemical treatment of the subgrade with LKD using current construction techniques. An INDOT road project under construction was selected for the research. A 140-m long subgrade section was chemically treated with LKD with a target thickness of 16 inches, which is the current standard practice, while another 140-m long section was treated with a target thickness of 14 inches. DCP tests were done at each section to obtain the stiffness (or strength) of the chemically-treated and natural (untreated) subgrade soil layers. LWD …

Use Of Steel Slag In Subgrade Applications, Irem Zeynep Yildirim, Monica Prezzi

JTRP Technical Reports

Steel slag is a by-product of steelmaking and refining processes. In 2006, 10-15 million metric ton of steel slag was generated in the U.S. Out of the total steel slag produced in the U.S. every year, about 50-70% is used as aggregate for road and pavement construction and approximately 15-40% is stockpiled in steel plants and eventually landfilled at slag disposal sites. Since current levels of steel slag stockpiling and landfilling are not sustainable, alternative geotechnical engineering applications for steel slag are being explored to alleviate the slag disposal problem and to help save dwindling natural resources. The main objectives …

Innovative Contracting Manual, Bob Mccullouch

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Design And Applications Of Drilled Displacement (Screw) Piles, Prasenjit Basu, Monica Prezzi

JTRP Technical Reports

Drilled displacement (DD) piles (commonly known as „screw piles‟ in Europe) are being increasingly used as foundation elements for structures, particularly in projects requiring accelerated construction or involving the rehabilitation of foundations of existing, overstressed structures. Different types of DD piles are available in practice; each type is classified according to the design of the drilling tool and associated installation method. Installation of DD piles causes substantial changes in the state of the soil surrounding the pile. These changes result from the complex loading imposed on the soil by expansion of a cylindrical cavity to make room for the specially …

Classification Of Organic Soils, Pao-Tsung Huang, Mital Patel, Maria Caterina Santagata, Antonio Bobet

JTRP Technical Reports

The presence of organics in soils is generally associated with high compressibility, significant secondary compression, often unsatisfactory strength characteristics, and low unit weight. As a result of the above, many state DOTs (Departments of Transportation) in the United States have strict limits on the maximum value of the organic content (2-7%) that can be present in soils to be used as sub grades and backfills. The loss on ignition test is the most widely used technique for measuring organic content. However, especially for low organic content soils, this method can lead to significantly overestimate the true organic content. As a …

Worker Injury Prevention Strategies, Carlos A. Ferreira-Diaz, Alma Torres-Zapata, Christopher A. Nanovic, Dulcy M. Abraham

JTRP Technical Reports

As the trend of increased highway construction and/or rehabilitation continues to grow, the public often demands that delays in work zones be kept to a minimum. Thus, the flow of traffic through the construction zone must be maintained while performing pavement maintenance/ repair/ reconstruction activities. At the same time, the safety of personnel and property in highway construction work zones must be ensured. Three types of risks are encountered by construction and maintenance workers in construction workzones: (a) risks due to underprotection or lack of protection against potential hazards (including lack of hearing protection, eye protection, respiratory protection); (b) effect …

Automated Vehicle Location (Avl) For Road Condition Reporting, Bob G. Mccullouch, Michelle Leung, Wonjin Kang

JTRP Technical Reports

This project developed an AVL system for INDOT that utilized the statewide wireless network, SAFE-T. This option was chosen after doing a cost analysis of commercial AVL systems that use cellular data communications. The system developed provides real time information collected during snow and ice removal. Information includes weather and road conditions, truck speed, amount of chemicals spread, time, location, plow position, and road temperature. This information is displayed on INDOT GIS maps available through a browser on the INDOT network. The data is also transferred to the MDSS that INDOT uses in winter activities. This system experienced significant data …

Review Construction Techniques For Accelerated Construction And Cost Implications, Joo Hyoung (Jay) Lee, Bob G. Mccullouch

JTRP Technical Reports

Transportation construction activities on heavy traffic routes can be very disruptive to the system users due to lane closures, construction traffic, or reduced speed zones. Besides the driving public, local businesses are also affected by noise and air pollution, loss of access, or changing access routes. Thus, it is apparent that minimizing construction time will lessen these impacts. The primary objectives of this project are to explore some alternative methods to expedite construction time for particular project types whereby mitigating disruptions to the traveling public and to identify construction activities that can be accelerated by those selected methods. To accomplish …

A Method For Accounting For Pile Setup And Relaxation In Pile Design And Quality Assurance, Prasenjit Basu, Rodrigo Salgado, Monica Prezzi, Tanusree Chakraborty

JTRP Technical Reports

When piles are installed by jacking or driving, they cause substantial changes in the state of soil located near the pile. These changes result from the complex loading imposed on the soil by expansion of a cylindrical cavity to make room for the pile, by multiple cycles of shearing in the vertical direction as the pile gradually moves down into the ground, and by the slow drainage associated with clayey soils. If a pile is load-tested a short time after installation, it will develop an axial resistance that reflects the existence in the soil of the excess pore pressures caused …

Effects Of Bypasses, Jon D. Fricker, Joshua B. Mills

JTRP Technical Reports

This study aims to investigate the long-term impacts of bypasses on small- and medium-sized communities in Indiana. Interviews were conducted with community officials and individuals familiar with the history of each bypassed community. Statistical models were developed to analyze economic impacts across a number of key indicators including payroll and employment in various industry sectors. Lessons learned from this study vary from county to county and across industry sectors. The findings of this study will be used to develop a concise guide that will provide guidance to both Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) officials and community officials as to how …

Origin-Destination Tools For District Offices, Jon D. Fricker, Maria Martchouk

JTRP Technical Reports

Understanding through trip patterns is crucial when making decisions concerning a traffic diversion strategy, such as whether to build a highway to bypass a city. While conducting a vehicle license plate origin-destination survey may be the most accurate way to estimate through trip patterns, many small communities may be unable to bear this cost. Thus, a simple and affordable sketch planning tool to estimate through trip movements would be useful. Three through trip estimation methods that have been used or published are Modlin’s method, Anderson’s method, and subarea analysis. Subarea analysis, while an effective tool, requires personnel with knowledge of …

Verification Of Lrfd Bridge Design And Analysis Software For Indot, Amit H. Varma, Jungil Seo

JTRP Technical Reports

NCHRP Process 12-50 was implemented to evaluate and verify composite steel I-girder bridge design software used commonly in Indiana. A test-bed of twenty one bridges was developed with the guidance from an Indiana Department of Transportation appointed research advisory panel (RAP). The test-bed included five simple-span and sixteen multi-span bridge superstructures. More than 80 parameters were required to define a bridge and they include bridge span, girder spacing, number of beams, section type, steel strength, girder sections, and other required bridge parameters. Some of these parameters were initially selected by INDOT and practitioners.

An indigenous computer program PURDUE CSBD was …

The Impacts Of Biofuels On Transportation And Logistics In Indiana, Frank Dooley, Wallace Tyner, Kumares C. Sinha, Justin Quear, Lydia Cox, Maria Cox

JTRP Technical Reports

Like the rest of the US, the ethanol industry in Indiana has rapidly expanded, growing from one plant in 2006 to a projected 13 by 2010. One result of this expansion is that truck and rail traffic flows in Indiana are shifting, as more corn and beans are processed in state. Most of the change in transportation requirements will likely be concentrated in regions of Indiana where the ethanol plants are constructed.

The goal of this work was to determine how the entry of ethanol and biodiesel plants changes the inbound and outbound transportation flows of corn, soybeans, DDGS, and …

Construction Costs - Using Federal Vs. Local Funds, Varun Kishore, Dulcy M. Abraham

JTRP Technical Reports

Costs of highway construction projects have been rising with rising prices of construction materials such as asphalt, concrete and steel. Identifying cost saving strategies is one of the ways of efficient utilization of available funds (federal and local) by the state Department of Transportations (DOTs) and Local Public Agencies (LPAs). A case study comprising of a sample pair of projects (a federal-aid project and a 100% locally funded project) constructed in Elkhart County, Indiana was undertaken to compare construction costs when sources of funding vary. Based on analysis of cost details from these two projects and discussions with the general …

Real-Time Socio-Economic Data For Travel Demand Modeling And Project Evaluation, Kevin M. Ford, Jon D. Fricker

JTRP Technical Reports

Small and medium-sized communities often lack data that are complete, current, representative of the community, and appropriate for the travel demand models/software to be applied. To aid such communities, this research was conducted to meet the following objectives:

(1) Identify and facilitate the communication of data that is updated more frequently than the Decennial Census for Indiana Travel Demand Models;

(2) Allow the use of cross-classification techniques within trip generation for planning organizations that lack the time and resources to conduct travel demand/household surveys;

(3) Evaluate the sensitivity of travel demand model outputs to varied parameters and inputs so as …

Creation Of A Committed Johnsongrass Area And Implementation Study, D. James Morre

JTRP Technical Reports

This project was to develop a committed roadside Johnson grass research area with controlled mowing and date of spraying adjacent to US 63 from I 74 south to JCT US 36 and to continue studies of a cold-adapted Johnson grass ecotype identified in the Northern-most tier counties in Indiana in an area adjacent to IN 23 between South Bend and New Liberty, IN. The cold-adapted Johnson grass provides a further threat of encroachment of roadside-established Johnson grass onto adjacent cropland of considerable potential economic consequence.

Completed was a 3-year study with Roundup alone and in combination with Outrider either as …