Engineering Commons^™

Lessons Learned From Six Different Structural Health Monitoring Systems On Highway Bridges, Abheetha Peiris, Charlie Sun, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Structural health monitoring has been utilized in numerous ways to investigate the performance and integrity of highway bridges. This paper highlights the use of six structural health monitoring systems, which were deployed to monitor distinct behaviors on six bridges in Kentucky. The structural health monitoring systems are as follows: (1) Over-height truck impact detection and monitoring on the I-64 over US 60 bridge, (2) Barge impact detection and monitoring on northbound US 41 over the Ohio River, (3) effectiveness of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer retrofit evaluation based on prestressed concrete I-girder crack movement on the I-65 elevated expressway in Louisville, (4) …

Quantifying The Impact Of Weather Events On Travel Time And Reliability, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

It is of practical significance to understand the specific impact of weather events on the operating condition of the surface transportation system so that proactive and reactive strategies can be quickly implemented by transportation agencies to minimize the negativity resulted from adverse weather events. Many studies have been conducted on quantifying such effects yet suffer from limitations such as subjectively defining a time window under uncongested conditions and not being able to account for the severe impact from weather events which result in travel time unreliability. To overcome those shortcomings in existing literature, an integrated data mining framework based on …

Predictive Archaeological Modeling Using Gis-Based Fuzzy Set Estimation: A Case Study In Woodford County, Kentucky, Philip B. Mink, John Ripy, Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Analytic predictive archaeological models can have great utility for state Departments of Transportation, but it is difficult to model the likelihood of prehistoric settlement using geographical proxy predictor variables because of the complexity of how settlement choices were actually made, and the complex interaction between these variables using GIS. In many cases classic statistical modeling approaches require too much data to be useful. This research reports on a preliminary predictive model that combines Spatial Analyst and fuzzy logic modeling to capture expert archaeological knowledge and convert this into predictive surface. A test area was defined in Woodford County, KY and …

How Driver Risk Perception Affects Operating Speeds, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Ted H. Grossardt, Keiron Bailey

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Excessive speed is one of the primary safety hazards facing highway users. However, in many cases operating speeds exceed design speeds, and drivers generally ignore posted speed limits. The main objective of this research was to identify roadway elements and roadside features that could influence driver operating speeds in rural two-lane roads without compromising safety.

Virtual Reality video simulations were employed and drivers recorded the influence of these elements on their judgments about the appropriate driving speed. The driver/participants viewed 22 models projected on a large screen in a darkened room, simulating the windshield of a vehicle.

The viewing sessions …

Culture, Justice And The Arnstein Gap: The Impact Of Structured Public Involvement On U.S. Transportation Infrastructure Planning And Design, Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Enormous quantities of public money are spent on transportation infrastructure (TI). According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics this infrastructure spend in the U.S. amounted to almost $90 billion in 2001. In most political spheres, when public money is spent, the public demands a measure of accountability. The dimensions of this accountability depend on the character of the political system that funds TI. In most participatory democracies, ultimate accountability is exercised through a balloting system that ensures elected officials represent, to some degree, stakeholder views and preferences. However, despite enormous expenditure of public monies on TI, this type of accountability …

Grounding Justice In Public Meeting Practice, Ted H. Grossardt, Keiron Bailey

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

John Rawl’s A Theory of Justice, and Justice as Fairness were originally intended to promote a political structure of liberal democracy. Taken together with Habermas’ idea of ’discourse ethics’, this work has constituted a fundamental aspect of the communicative approach in the planning discipline over the past 20 years. While their work is quite theoretical, it need not be detached from the reality of day- to-day practice. We agree with O’Neill that the work toward greater justice and fairness is eminently practical, and so should derive from their work. In particular, we are interested in advancing justice/fairness in the arena …

Justice And The Public's Involvement In Infrastructure Planning: An Analysis And Proposal, Ted H. Grossardt, Keiron Bailey

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The authors find that there is a gap between expectations and actual results in terms of public involvement processes. They suggest more structured public involvement techniques. A case study of documenting citizen's aesthetic preferences illustrates their suggestions.

Addressing The Arnstein Gap: Improving Public Confidence In Transportation Planning And Design Through Structured Public Involvement (Spi), Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, or TEA-21, enacted in 1998, following the Intermodal SurfaceTransportation Equity Act (ISTEA) of 1991, defines the “public” as “citizens, affected public agencies, representatives of transportation agency employees, freight shippers, private providers of transportation, representatives of users of public transit, providers of freight transportation services and other interested parties.” More recently the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has expanded this definition to include underrepresented groups “such as low income or minority households and the elderly”. In the last decade public involvement has been mandated for all metropolitan and statewide planning processes (TEA), and it …

Participatory Routing Of Electric Power Transmission Lines Using The Ep-Amis Gis/Multicriteria Evaluation Methodology, Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt, Ward Jewell

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The North American electric transmission network was developed under the guidance of the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) to enhance the reliability of electricity supply. The network also allows sale and marketing of electric power by one utility to another. Electricity marketing has taken on a much more prominent role with restructuring of the electric utility industry. As a result, long-distance sales of electric power have greatly increased the loading of some transmission lines, and have led to congestion on the transmission network. Recent system failures such as the northeast blackout of 2003 have highlighted the need for increased …

Community Design Of A Light-Rail Transit Oriented Development Using Casewise Visual Evaluation (Cave), Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) is in the preliminary engineering phases of developing a light-rail transit system running from downtown Louisville, Kentucky to the city’s southern suburbs, a distance of approximately 15 miles. In collaboration with the research team, TARC wished to test an innovative methodology for improving community participation in the design of a light rail transit-oriented development for the Smoketown/Shelby Park area. The Smoketown/Shelby Park neighborhood is a low-income area located to the south of the University of Louisville Medical Center. A suitable site for the station has been identified by TARC and its design partners, …

Developing The Next Generation Of Technological Aids To Effective Public Involvement In Public Transportation Planning & Design, C. Anneta Arno Anneta, Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Problem

Public involvement in the design of complex public infrastructure solutions, such as a new light rail line, including stops, stations and transit centers, and associated Transit- Oriented Developments (TOD), often relies on lengthy public meetings during which the complexities and subtleties of design preferences, their articulation and communication is overwhelming to both participants and design professionals. Such gatherings can produce more confusion than clarity for the public and design professional alike, especially when strong personalities highlight differences and discourage compromise and consensus. More effective methods of discerning, developing and evaluating the nature of the public’s different preferences and perspectives, …

Amis: Least Cost Path Analysis For Transportation Planning, Joel Brumm, Ted H. Grossardt, Keiron Bailey

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The State requested a GIS-based route planning tool. More than 50 raster data layers were assembled within ArcView 3.2, encompassing a full spectrum of demographic, physical, and cultural features. These data layers were given a numerical rating using multicriteria decision making software and input from professionals from a variety of fields. The multicriteria decision making software then set the relative importance of these surface features as impediments or attractors, creating a travel-cost surface. This synthesis of technologies, combined in a tool termed AMIS (Analytic Minimum Impedance Surface), found the least-cost path to any point within the study area.

Efficiency Through Accountability: Some Lessons From Kentucky’S Improved Medicaid Transit Service, Lenahan O’Connell, Ted H. Grossardt, Bruce Siria, Scott Marchand, Maureen Mcdorman

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The cost of providing nonemergency transportation to Medicaid and other transportation-eligible people has escalated sharply in the United States. In response, many states have reformed their human services transportation delivery systems. In this paper, we assess the results of Kentucky’s comprehensive reform of its transit system, including the impact on the quality of transit service for Medicaid-eligible users. With three sources of data—financial and other service data, a sample of Medicaid-eligible residents, and a sample of the transit providers—we assess the effectiveness of the new system. The data show that patronage levels increased dramatically under the new process, while unit …

Public Involvement In Highway Improvement: A Comparison Of Three Different Visualization Modes For A Case Study In Central Kentucky, Joel Brumm, Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Public involvement in highway improvement presents a set of complex problems involving many stakeholders.Since visualizations are increasingly regarded as essential tools in this process, a clearer understanding of the specific merits of advanced visualization techniques and their potential contributions must be developed.As a step towards integrating visualizations into an improved public planning paradigm termed Structured Public Involvement (SPI), this paper investigates the utility and performance of three visualization modes, termed 2D, 3D and VR (Virtual Reality), for a case study highway in Central Kentucky.

Visualization scenarios were designed and engineered according to the principle of elemental decomposition.Using a combination …