Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Influence Of Recycled Asphalt Shingles On Asphalt Binder Content, Mixture Stiffness, And Laboratory Rutting Performance, Joshua David King

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) is a technology in which pavement costs can be reduced significantly and pavement properties may be enhanced. Also, incorporating shingles into pavements reduces the impacts of waste shingles in landfills, preserving our environment. However, for this new technology to be practical for implementation, a better understanding of how the ground shingles affect the properties of the asphalt is necessary. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of recycled asphalt shingles on asphalt binder content, mixture stiffness, and laboratory rutting performance. For this project, shingles were added to hot mix asphalt mixtures at 2.5, …

Evaluation Of The In-Service Safety Performance Of Safety-Shape And Vertical Concrete Barriers, Francisco Daniel Benicio De Albuquerque, Dean L. Sicking

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Ndor's Actuated Advance Warning Systems, Justice Appiah, Laurence Rilett, Zifeng Wu

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Phase I Development Of A Non-Proprietary, Four-Cable, High Tension Median Barrier, Mitchell J. Wiebelhaus, Dean L. Sicking, Ronald K. Faller, Karla A. Lechtenberg, John R. Rohde, Robert W. Bielenberg, Scott Rosenbaugh, Erin A. Johnson, John D. Reid

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Pedestrian Countdown Timers On Safety And Efficiency Of Operations At Signalized Inersections, Anuj Sharma, Jacob Schmitz

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Development Of A State Of The Art Traffic Microsimulation Model For Nebraska, Justice Appiah, Bhaven Naik, Laurence Rilett, Yifeng Chen, Seung-Jun Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Long-Term Pavement Marking Performance, Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of the investigation was to evaluate the useful life of pavement markings. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provides general guidelines for the application and installation of pavement markings. However, performance requirements for various types of pavement markings are not included. Retroreflectivity data were collected throughout Kentucky on various longitudinal pavement markings using mobile and manual techniques. Data were collected on one-year, two-year and three-year-old lines. The retroreflectivity levels were analyzed and the several recommendations were made. Minimum levels of retroreflectivity should be set for determining what roads to restripe annually. These values should be lower …

Fiscal Year 2011 Fhwa-536 Report For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Steven Douglas Kreis, Candice Y. Wallace, Bryan Gibson, Sarah M. Mccormack

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires state transportation agencies to submit a biennial report on local highway finances. The purpose of these reports is to provide FHWA with the data it needs to capture the financing of highway activities at the local level. Based on this information, it can identify trends in revenue, expenditures, investments, and program development, and in turn make decisions about future investments. The report, FHWA-536, asks agencies to report on four areas of local highway finance: 1) disposition of highway-user revenues; 2) revenues used for roads and streets identified by source and funding type; 3) road …

Integrated Planning For Rural Rail Transportation, Jeffrey Cohan Gwaltney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Population growth in rural areas has led to new interest in rail transportation. Planning a passenger rail system involves numerous difficult decisions, most representing a trade-off between customer service and cost. In this work, we attempt to integrate many of these planning decisions. We consider strategic decisions such as station location and vehicle procurement, as well as tactical issues that include vehicle scheduling. Our integrated model exploits the linear network structure that best suits many rural American communities, including Northwest Arkansas. Due to the intractability of the integrated rail planning problem, we have developed a customized heuristic approach to solve …

Future Flooding Impacts On Transportation Infrastructure And Traffic Patterns Resulting From Climate Change, Heejun Chang, Martin Lafrenz, Il-Won Jung, Miguel A. Figliozzi, Rolando Melgoza, David Ruelas, Deena Platman, Cindy Pederson

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated potential impacts of climate change on travel disruption resulting from road closures in two urban watersheds in the Portland metropolitan area. We used ensemble climate change scenarios, a hydrologic model, stream channel survey, a hydraulic model, and a travel forecast model to develop an integrated impact assessment method. High-resolution climate change scenarios are based on the combinations of two emission scenarios and eight general circulation models. The Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System was calibrated and validated for the period 1988-2006, and simulated for determining the probability of floods from 2020-2049. We surveyed stream cross sections at five road crossings …

The Relationship Between Vmt And Economic Activity, B. Starr Mcmullen, Nathan Eckstein

TREC Final Reports

Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the U.S. have exhibited an upward trend over time similar to that observed for gross domestic product (GDP) and personal income (PI). While conventional wisdom suggests that economic growth leads to more driving and thus higher VMT, it is theoretically possible that the causation could also be the other way around. If causation is from VMT to GDP, then legislation such as the Federal Surface Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009’s directive to annually reduce national per capita VMT could potentially have an adverse impact on overall economic activity.

This study uses times series …

Development Of Alternative Wood-Post Mgs Approach Guardrail Transition, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Kevin D. Schrum, Ronald K. Faller, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Dean L. Sicking, John D. Reid

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Guidelines For Road Diet Conversions, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Adam Kirk, Chen Wang, Andrea Cull, Nithin Agarwal

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the development of the guidelines for the road diet conversions prepared for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The guidelines consider operational and safety aspects of the conversions to assist in the preliminary determination of whether a road diet conversion is appropriate for a given roadway segment. The guidelines provide suggested cross section designs, transition to and from the road diet section and a flow chart for determining the appropriate actions.

States’ Support Of Non-Highway Modes Of Transportation: Investigation And Synthesis, Chuck Knowles, Candice Y. Wallace, Benjamin L. Blandford, Timothy J. Brock, Andrew Martin

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to determine how Kentucky and other selected states support and assist non-highway transportation modes and to identify leading and innovative initiatives. For the purposes of this study, the non-highway modes are aviation, public transportation, rail, and waterways. This summary will briefly discuss the rationale, objectives, and methodology for this study. It also provides an overview of the outcomes of the study and the modal matrices.

Refining Greenstep: Impacts Of Vehicle Technologies And Its/Operational Improvements On Travel Speed And Fuel Consumption Curves, Kelly Clifton, Alexander Y. Bigazzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report describes analysis undertaken to establish a method for incorporating traffic operations and ITS strategies into the GreenSTEP model. We first discuss operations impacts on fuel economy and delay from the literature. Then, an investigation of delay adjustments in GreenSTEP shows that different methods of representing delay changes lead to similar (and small) impacts on fuel economy. From this result we establish average speed adjustment by congestion level as the preferred method for incorporating delay effects from operations improvements. An investigation of aggregate traffic operations impacts produces estimates of base speeds without operations improvements, maximum speeds with full operational …

Model For Predicting The Impact Upon Economic Development Resulting From Highway Improvement Projects, Eric Thompson, Kanou Comlavi, Mallory Dimmit

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) has an interest in integrating state economic development impact as another factor in prioritizing transportation investments. Such efforts require the development of a comprehensive model that can be used to estimate a consistent final measure of economic development impact that can be readily integrated into existing prioritization formulas. This report summarizes the efforts of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Business Research (UNL-BBR) to develop such a model, by measuring the impact of expressway, viaduct, and other major investments projects around the state. Specifically, UNL-BBR developed an economic model to predict the economic impact …

Impacto Socioeconómico Generado Por La Operación De Los Buses Alimentadores De Transmilenio En Los Corredores Viales De Zonas De Unidades Residenciales Nuevas En El Sector Del Tintal De La Localidad De Kennedy, Iván Camilo Gutiérrez Rodríguez

Ingeniería Civil

El paso de los buses alimentadores de TransMilenio, tiene la básica intención de mejorar las condiciones de movilidad de los habitantes del sector en donde estos operan rutas alimentadoras, sin embargo, la causa de su paso ha generado un gran deterioro en la maya vial del sector del Tintal, ubicado al sur-occidente de Bogotá, generando así un impacto socio-económico negativo en la comunidad, ya que los habitantes manifiestan que la desvalorización de sus predios aumenta cada día más, al mismo tiempo que las vías también están más deterioradas. El estudio se realizó aplicando una encuesta, con el fin de determinar …

2011 Driver Attitudes And Awareness Survey, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green, Ronald E. Langley

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A basic set of questions were developed that could be used in periodic surveys that track drivers attitudes and awareness concerning impaired driving, seat belt use, and speeding issues. The objective of the survey was to learn the knowledge, views, and behaviors of drivers in these areas. This report documents the results of the 2011 survey with a comparison to the 2010 baseline survey.

The method used to conduct the survey was a telephone survey. In addition to questions for the three major highway safety areas of impaired driving, seat belt use, and speeding, an additional question was …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky (2006 - 2010), Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Safe Routes To School Programs: Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of Parental Decision-Making, Lynn Weigand, Noreen Mcdonald

TREC Final Reports

In the United States, walking to school declined from 42% of 5-18 year olds in 1969 to 16% in 20011. The US Department of Transportation has responded to this dramatic decrease by funding the Safe Routes to School program for $612 million in SAFETEA-LU. The program’s funding emphasize infrastructure improvements such as completing sidewalks and adding crosswalks by requiring between 70% and 90% of funding be allocated toward infrastructure. However, recent research shows that 2 of 3 children who currently are driven to school, but live close enough to walk, do so because it is more convenient for parents. Currently, …

Experimental Coating On Interstate 264 In Jefferson County, Bobby W. Meade, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A waterborne acrylic coating was applied over a washed and tool cleaned zinc/vinyl system as a maintenance overcoat. The coating has several positive characteristics in that it is “user friendly”, substrate tolerant, develops good adhesion quickly, and is environmentally friendly. There were some issues concerning quality of work in surface preparation and application and in the fact that on two locations bubbles developed in the newly applied coating. The cause of the bubbling has not been determined.

Construction Training For The Current And Next Generation Of Technicians, Paul M. Goodrum, Dong Zhai

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Technicians are a vital component to the success of any roadway projects. Unfortunately, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is experiencing significant shortages of technicians among all aspects of construction and maintenance. Training and developing the adequate numbers of qualified technicians is a substantial endeavor that requires a comprehensive examination of the adequacy of current training program versus the anticipated skill needs of technicians on future projects. Two questionnaires were developed to identify this gap. One is to investigate the skills and trainings that the Cabinet’s technicians possesses and received, and the second is to investigate the skills and/or knowledge which …

2011 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The objective of this study was to establish 2011 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky . The 2011 survey continues to document the results after enactment of the original “secondary enforcement” statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994 and the subsequent change to “primary enforcement” which was enacted in 2 006. Data were collected at 160 randomly selected sites in 18 counties across Kentucky. Data from the individual sites were combined into a statewide percentage considering roadway functional classification, county, and vehicle miles traveled.

The data show that the usage rate in 2011 (82.2 …

Improving Intersection Design Practices, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Adam Kirk, Nithin Agarwal, Chris Jones

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the development of the Intersection Design Alternative Tool (IDAT) developed for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. IDAT provides an automated objective design and evaluation approach of 14 alternative intersection designs to assist in the conceptual design of at-grade intersections. The tool evaluates intersection operations, safety performance, bicycle/pedestrian accommodation and has the ability to assist access management implementation.

A Simplified Method For Analyzing Factors Contributing To Motorcyclists’ Fatal Injuries In Ohio, Deogratias Eustace, Vamsi Krishna Indupuru

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

The aim of this paper was to analyze traffic crash data by using a simplified method in determining significant factors that increase the risk of a motorcyclist being fatally injured once involved in a motorcycle crash in Ohio. The concept of overrepresentation, which is similar to relative risk, was used in identifying significant variables associated with the elevated risk of a motorcycle crash resulting into a fatality. The overrepresentation factor (ORF) was calculated for each variable of interest. The ORF offers a simple but powerful procedure of determining whether a certain factor significantly occurs more or less frequently in one …

Identification Of Risk Factors Associated With Motorcycle-Related Fatalities In Ohio, Deogratias Eustace, Vamsi Krishna Indupuru, Peter W. Hovey

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Out of the 7,138,476 motorcycles operating on U.S. roads, 346,925 were registered in the state of Ohio in the year 2007. Although motorcycles represent only 2.8% of all registered vehicles in the state of Ohio, motorcycling accounts for more than 13% of Ohio highway traffic fatalities. Since 2005, Ohio has had a distressing distinction of being among the fifteen states that have sustained more than half of all motorcycle fatalities recorded in the USA (NHTSA 2007; NHTSA 2008a). For the past ten years, the overall motorcycle crash fatalities have been increasing while the motor vehicle occupant crash fatalities have been …

Developing Deterioration Models For Nebraska Bridges, George Morcous

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

A Case Study Analysis Of The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’S Design/Build Pilot Projects, Paul M. Goodrum, Mohammad Moin Uddin, Bradley J. Faulkenberg

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The current economic climate has forced transportation agencies to evaluate opportunities to save money. One possible opportunity lies in Design/Build (DB) delivery. In 2006, with the approval of the Kentucky General Assembly, The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet selected ten projects to be developed through the Design/Build method. DB delivery offers many attainable advantages, the most notable being expedited delivery. The research described herein presents a case study of these DB pilot projects in order to capture lessons learned on the use of the DB delivery method on future projects. In order to determine which projects are suitable for DB delivery, a …

Improved Bridge Expansion Joints, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Bobby W. Meade

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has both open and closed bridge expansion joints and associated details that are problematic. Several state highway agencies (SHA) have joints that they believe are superior performers to other types and have prepared guidance documents for their use. A literature search indicated that several previous research studies, including national surveys, addressing SHA joint practices have been conducted over the past 10 years. For up-to-date information, a new set of surveys were developed and distributed to all the SHAs by email through the AASHTO Subcommittee on Maintenance-Bridge Technical Working Group chairman in June 2010. There were …

Assessment Of Statewide Intersection Safety Performance, Christopher M. Monsere, Todd Johnson, Karen Dixon, Jianfei Zheng, Ida Schalkwyk

TREC Final Reports

This report summarizes the results of an analysis of the safety performance of Oregon’s intersections. Following a pilot study, a database of 500 intersections randomly sampled from around the state of Oregon in both urban and rural environments was assembled. These intersections were categorized into eight types based on number of legs (3 and 4), land use (urban or rural) and traffic control (signalized or minor stop-control). These categories were chosen to align with the intersection types in AASHTO’s recently released Highway Safety Manual (HSM). Geometric and traffic control elements were supplemented by compiling crash data and volumes on the …