Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Quantifying Lock Criticality For Inland Waterway Navigation Using An Agent-Based Simulation, Ashwin Narayan

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Inland waterway travel has tremendous potential to improve multimodal transportation in the United States due to its environment-friendly and safe nature. Waterway travel has proven to be much cheaper per ton-mile and more fuel efficient than trucks. Millions of dollars have recently been invested in inland waterway networks to facilitate travel. The waterway infrastructure must be resilient to enable efficient waterway travel and prevent unnecessary delays. Locks, an important component of waterway infrastructure, enable vessels to travel between waterways of varying depths and must be maintained consistently to avoid unexpected failures. However, with limited resources, it is difficult to preserve …

The Relationship Between Social Vulnerability And Pedestrian Injuries In Georgia, Denise Yeager

Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Conference

This study used the Center for Disease Control’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to measure vulnerability of neighborhoods, and to study that relationship with the incidence of motor vehicle crashes involving non-motorists, at the census tract level. The goals of this study were to describe the spatial relationship between SVI and pedestrian serious and fatal injuries across Georgia regions; compare the differences in the pedestrian serious and fatal injury crash rates by SVI quintiles across Georgia regions; and describe the association between the SVI and pedestrian serious injury and fatal crashes across Georgia regions. A combination of spatial analysis, comparison of …

Effect Of Waste Covid-19 Masks On Compaction Characteristics Of Silty-Clay Soil, Sydney K. Lawson

Honors College Theses

The present study aims to explore the effect of adding shredded waste Covid-19 masks to silty-clay soil on the soil’s compaction characteristics for beneficial use in embankment, the subgrade of roadways, or backfill. This was accomplished by using two different types of masks: blue surgical masks and KN95 masks. Both mask types were hand shredded into half-inch sections using safety-scissors. The maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) are the two most important compaction characteristics, and they were determined by the Standard Proctor Compaction Test (ASTM D698 / AASHTO T99). The change of both the MDD and OMC …

Proposed Charlotte To Atlanta High-Speed Passenger Rail Line: An Economic, Infrastructural, And Developmental Analysis In The Upstate Of South Carolina, Ian C. Macurda, Kimberly Whitehead

SC Upstate Research Symposium

This research paper is an in-depth analysis of the high-speed passenger rail line proposed between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA and its impact on the economy, infrastructure, and future development of the Upstate of South Carolina. Currently, passenger rail service between Charlotte and Atlanta is offered on Amtrak at late hours throughout the night on its long-distance passenger rail line The Crescent from New York City, NY to New Orleans, LA. The train is often delayed and is operating at a deficit for Amtrak, like most of their long-distance routes. Traffic on Interstate 85 through the Upstate is another issue …

Assessment Of Engineering Performance And Environmental Impacts Of High Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (Rap) Asphalt Mixtures In Flexible Pavements, Ibrahim A.I.E. Elnaml

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Due to the critical role of asphalt pavements in national infrastructure development, there is a pressing need to investigate more sustainable materials and approaches. The use of natural aggregates and asphalt binders in asphalt pavement presents sustainability challenges due to the depletion of finite resources. Recycling Asphalt Pavement (RAP) offers a promising sustainable solution by substituting virgin aggregates and asphalt binders with recycled ones. However, increasing RAP contents in asphalt mixtures (>25%) can lead to premature cracking, insufficient durability, and limited longevity due to the presence of aged RAP-asphalt binder. To address these concerns, the application of novel recycling …

Modelling Techniques For Slab Track Systems, Mohamed Hafez Fahmy Aly, Islam Mahmoud Abou El-Naga, Ahmed Abdul Hay Soliman, Muhammad Ahmad Diab

Journal of Engineering Research

The railway slab track has replaced the ballast material in the classical ballasted track with reinforced concrete slab or asphalt layer to cope up with the increasing axle loads, train high-speeds, and to reduce overall maintenance cost. This paper aims to investigate the linear and nonlinear behavior of the most common slab track systems (BÖGL, Shinkansen, and RHEDA 2000) using American (AREMA) loads for different soil types to recommend the most suitable analysis type for each component of the slab track systems. Slab track Finite Element models have been built using Midas GTS NX software. The geometric model for each …

Performance Assessment Of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials With Low To High Thermoregulation Range In Asphalt Binder, Anil Kumar Baditha, Ayyaz Fareed

Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Symposium

Asphalt pavements face significant challenges due to low temperature cracking and rutting caused by extreme temperature fluctuations and traffic loading. These issues result in higher maintenance costs and reduced service life of the pavements. To address this, researchers explored the use of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (MPCMs) to induce thermoregulation in asphalt pavements. However, the existing research focused on high-temperature performance of binders, highlighting the need of research on evaluating the low-temperature performance. Therefore, the study aims to evaluate the impact of incorporating MPCMs on low to high temperature performance of binders. Three types of MPCMs were incorporated into asphalt …

Use Of Waste Plastics In Asphalt Mixes: Addressing The Variability Of Source, Venkatsushanth Revelli, Anil Kumar Baditha

Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Symposium

Use of waste plastics in asphalt mixtures suffers from a serious problem of significant variability with global sources; preventing proper guidelines for field applications. The aim of this study is to address the variability in source of waste plastic and its impact on asphalt mixture design. The study was designed to provide a selection criterion to evaluate the suitability of waste polyethylene (PE) for asphalt pavements. PE obtained from five sources was used as a replacement for asphalt binder. Dry mixing of plastics with asphalt and aggregate was performed at the dosage levels of 3%, 6%, and 9%. The changes …

Drivers’ Hazard Avoidance During Vehicle Automation: Impact Of Mental Models And Implications For Training, Ganesh Pai Mangalore

Doctoral Dissertations

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are vehicle automation systems that have become more accessible and prevalent in vehicles in recent years. But the introduction of such technologies introduces new human factors challenges. Past literature suggests that users of vehicle automation lack the necessary and appropriate knowledge about their automation system. This may play a negative role in their hazard avoidance abilities when driving with automation features. Improving mental models and knowledge could generally lead to safer interactions with vehicle automation systems, but any effort to develop hazard avoidance skills when driving with vehicle automation is impeded by the lack of …

Safety Investigation Of Crash Rates During Hurricane Evacuations, Amelia K. Lawson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study aimed to investigate crash rates across four distinct periods—evacuation, re-entry, emergency, and non-emergency—during Hurricanes Matthew (2016), Irma (2017), and Michael (2018). A notable gap in existing research pertains to understanding crash rates during these critical phases of hurricane events. By addressing this gap, this research contributes to a deeper comprehension of evacuation transportation safety. The methodology employed ArcMap to construct an interactive map for data collection, encompassing key variables such as the number of crashes, traffic volumes, duration of each period under analysis, and roadway segment lengths for each hurricane. Evaluating the crash rate per million vehicular miles …

Analyzing Video And Isobus Data To Understand Risk And Safety Practices For Roadside Mowing, Nathan Sprague, Timothy Wiegman, J. T. Evans

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

In Indiana, roadside mowing covers 11,200 miles, presenting significant risks. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) seeks safer methods, including automated evaluations and autonomous robots. Analyzing 120 hours of video and ISOBUS data, we quantify mower interactions with the road and obstacles, finding mowers on -road up to 91% of the time in rural areas and 57% on highways. Key obstacles identified include signs and posts. This research aids in developing risk assessment models and safety evaluations, aiming to improve mowing safety and efficiency, and it supports future development of autonomous mowing technologies.

Evaluation Of Ndot’S Sediment Barrier Practices Using Performance Data, Michael A. Perez, Wesley N. Donald, J. Blake Whitman, Brian G. Roche

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

To protect waterways adjacent to construction projects with disturbed land, a 50 ft (15 m) vegetated buffer or equivalent sediment controls are required. However, there is little guidance on the effectiveness of vegetated buffers in removing sediment or how sediment barriers can aid shorter buffers or replace buffers. A modeling methodology was developed and used to determine the performance of 11,664 50 ft (15 m) vegetated buffer configurations with Nebraska conditions; sediment capture averaged 92.6% and ranged from 18.5% to 99.5%. To determine the performance of Nebraska Department of Transportation standard and modified sediment barrier installations, a large-scale testing methodology …

Online Instructional Tools For Motor Carriers, Brian Howell, Jennifer Walton, Paul Ross, Andrew Martin

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Commercial motor carrier customers on Kentucky highways must register and pay taxes for licensing and credentialing requirements. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) provides an online Motor Carrier Portal that offers information and instructions on meeting these requirements, but customers have increasingly resorted to calling into KYTC’s motor carrier help desk, thereby straining limited personnel resources. The Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) coordinated with KYTC to develop a series of online instructional videos that can better assist customers with applying for and meeting credentialing requirements.

KTC researchers used a three-phase approach to determine the feasibility and requirements for instructional videos. First, they …

Impact Of The New Context Functional Classifications For Kytc, Arlen Sandlin, Jill Asher, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Jeff Jasper, Rachel Catchings, Chris Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State transportation agencies are adopting an expanded context classification system to inform project development and delivery. This system classifies roadways into one of five categories based on factors such as level of development, building densities and setbacks, multimodal user patterns and requirements, network permeability, and speed. Compared to functional classification, context classification better captures the types of mobility, travel patterns, and user mixes observed in specific contexts. The expanded context classification system is found in AASHTO’s A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (7^th Edition). The forthcoming 8^th edition will deepen integration of context classification throughout …

Strengthening The Deployment Of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas) At Kytc, Rachel Catchings, Suzanne Smith, Gayle Marks, Candice Wallace, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and transportation agencies around the United States increasingly depends on uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS — also commonly known as drones) to collect data and accelerate project development and delivery. Drones let transportation practitioners safely and efficiently perform many activities, including bridge and highway inspection, construction monitoring, surveying, emergency response, and measuring stockpiles. KYTC’s implementation of UAS has expanded rapidly over the past 10 years, however, the agency lacks well-coordinated procedures for connecting pilots with end data users, scheduling and conducting flights, developing and documenting best practices, and processing and storing data. Based on a review …

Beneath I-280: Excavating A Neighborhood Lost To San José Freeways, Leila Ullmann, Gordon Douglas

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of people in San José, California were displaced from their homes as the state used eminent domain to purchase land and uproot neighborhoods for the construction of Interstate freeways. This report presents a multifaceted research and public knowledge effort that uncovers some of the communities buried beneath these freeways, in the area where I-280 and CA-87 meet today near downtown San José. The project builds primarily from previously unprocessed California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) archival documents, which this project studies for the first time. The records are rich in detail about valuation and sale …

Reliability-Based Analysis Of Horizontal Curve Design By Evaluating The Impact Of Vehicle Automation On Roadway Departure Crashes And Safety Performance, Omar Al-Sheikh, Seyed Hooman Ghasemi, Mohammad Jalayer

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Roadway departure (RwD) crashes are significant safety concerns, especially at horizontal curves. The design of these curves plays a crucial role in mitigating RwD crashes. Thus, a thorough understanding of the interaction between driver behavior, vehicle automation, and geometric design is vital. Substantive safety, which emphasizes the inherent safety in a road's design and function, serves as the foundation of our approach. Building on this, the study employs a safe system approach to investigate the performance of horizontal curves under both non-automated and partially automated conditions, using a reliability-based analysis focusing on Stopping Sight Distance as the primary driver demand. …

Pilot Study On Improving Crash Data Accuracy In Kentucky Through University Collaboration, Michael A. Fields, Eric Green, Robert Kluger, Xu Zhang, Kirolos Haleem

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Without high-quality crash data and robust interpretive/analytical tools to analyze these data, transportation agencies will struggle to develop evidence-based strategies for improving road safety. Crash narratives are one element of crash reports that pose especially acute interpretive challenges. These narratives supplement coded data and give an account of incidents authored by responding law enforcement officers. Despite their value, conducting manual reviews of the 150,000+ crash reports and narratives issued in Kentucky each year is not feasible. To address this challenge, reviewers examined approximately 8,000 crash narratives from calendar year 2020 using a proprietary web-based quality control tool to identify discrepancies …

Containerization Of Seafarers In The International Shipping Industry: Contemporary Seamanship, Maritime Social Infrastructures, And Mobility Politics Of Global Logistics, Liang Wu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation discusses the mobility politics of container shipping and argues that technological development, political-economic order, and social infrastructure co-produce one another. Containerization, the use of standardized containers to carry cargo across modes of transportation that is said to have revolutionized and globalized international trade since the late 1950s, has served to expand and extend the power of international coalitions of states and corporations to control the movements of commodities (shipments) and labor (seafarers). The advent and development of containerization was driven by a sociotechnical imaginary and international social contract of seamless shipping and cargo flows. In practice, this liberal, …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Warm Mix Additives At Lower Than Traditional Compaction Temperatures, Abdelrahman Mahmoud Waheish Ali

Theses and Dissertations

The study aims to evaluate the impact of warm mix additives (WMA) on the rheological and performance properties of asphalt binders and mixtures. For this purpose, PG 76-28 and PG 58-28 were obtained with one organic (Sasobit Redux) and three chemical WMA (Rediset, Evotherm, and Zycotherm). All WMA-modified asphalt binders were aged at three different aging levels. Laboratory tests such as performance grade (PG), critical temperature differential (ΔTc), asphalt binder cracking device (ABCD), linear amplitude sweep test (LAS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were performed. In addition to the binder testing plan, this study also evaluated the impact of …