Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Rails To Resilience: Evaluating New Orleans And Baton Rouge Rail Terminals And Transit Links, Tara M. Tolford, James Amdal, Guang Tian, Alahna Moore, Marin Tockman

Data

This study evaluates the multimodal linkages to and opportunities for proposed terminal sites for a potential future passenger rail connection between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana. The project included a comprehensive analysis of recent planning processes and documents and distribution of a statewide survey aimed at understanding ridership potential (including non-work trips) and the needs of likely users, the results of which were modeled to illuminate key considerations for service design and station area planning. This study finds a strong foundation for, and support of, the proposed rail service, but distinct deficiencies in the current multimodal transportation environment connecting …

Engineered Geopolymer Composites (Egcs) For Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure, Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Miladin Radovic, Svetlana Sukhishvili, Ruwa Abufarsakh, Oscar Huang, Sang Zhen, Mauricio Cornejo, Haci Baykara

Publications

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Geopolymer Composite (EGC) materials implementing locally available ingredients to produce practical and cost-effective EGCs for repair and new construction of transportation infrastructure in the region. To this end, geopolymers (GPs) were synthesized by alkali activation of metakaolin (MK) or a combination of metakaolin and fly ash (MKFA) as GP precursors. MK-GPs were activated using sodium silicate and potassium silicate solutions prepared by dissolving silica fume (SiO₂) and KOH or NaOH in deionized water. MKFA-GPs replaced silica fume using fly ash and were activated using only KOH solution. GP …

Engineered Geopolymer Composites (Egcs) For Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure, Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Svetlana Sukhishvili, Ruwa Abufarsakh, Oscar Huang, Sang Zhen, Mauricio Cornejo, Haci Baykara

Data

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Geopolymer Composite (EGC) materials implementing locally available ingredients to produce practical and cost-effective EGCs for repair and new construction of transportation infrastructure in the region. To this end, geopolymers (GPs) were synthesized by alkali activation of metakaolin (MK) or a combination of metakaolin and fly ash (MKFA) as GP precursors. MK-GPs were activated using sodium silicate and potassium silicate solutions prepared by dissolving silica fume (SiO₂) and KOH or NaOH in deionized water. MKFA-GPs replaced silica fume using fly ash and were activated using only KOH solution. GP …

Evaluation Of Asphalt Mixtures’ Resistance To Cement-Treated Base (Ctb) Reflective Cracking In The Laboratory, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Ipshit Idris

Publications

The primary objective of this project is to propose a laboratory setup to test and evaluate an asphalt mixture layer on top of a simulated Cement-Treated Base (CTB) layer against reflective cracking. An in-depth literature review on the experimental studies that were conducted throughout the world to investigate the resistance of asphalt mixtures to reflective cracking was conducted. Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Overlay Tester (OT) was found to be the most appropriate equipment to study thermally-induced reflective cracking in the laboratory, and thereby was selected to be modified and used to assess the performance of asphalt mixtures on top of …

Corrosion Management System Of Regional Reinforced Concrete (Rc) Bridges, Homero Castaneda, Ayman Okeil

Data

Civil infrastructure assets, including buildings, transportation networks, energy grids and networks, and water-sewer systems, are critical functional components of day-to-day life activity in a modern society. The durability and reliability of these civil infrastructures are largely affected by corrosion-induced structural deterioration. In addition to continual use and increasing traffic demands, natural environmental conditions set degradation due to corrosion damage as a critical condition to durable and reliable infrastructures. Therefore, in order to improve the durability of the bridge infrastructures affected by corrosion in the most efficient manor, we propose a procedure/methodology to manage integrity of corroding RC bridges which is …

Enhancing The Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures Containing High Rap Content With The Use Of Different Wma Technologies, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Farah Zaremotekhases

Data

The production of Warm-mix asphalt mixtures in conjunction with reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has received considerable interest in recent years for economic and environmental reasons. The primary objective of this project is to enhance the performance of asphalt mixtures containing RAP in Region 6 using different WMA technologies. In this project, the effect of utilizing 0%, 25%, and 35% RAP contents on the performance of different WMA mixtures against rutting, moisture damage, and fatigue cracking are evaluated. The effects of the WMA technologies on the rutting performance of the asphalt mixtures and recovered binders were investigated using loaded wheel tracker …

Bridge Deck Inspection Using Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Based Airborne Imaging Techniques, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Data

As one of critical components of a transportation infrastructure system, bridges are very important to a country’s economy because they provide passage over physical obstacles to substantially reduce travel time and travel cost. Similar to other types of transportation infrastructure, bridges deteriorate over time. Therefore, bridges should be routinely inspected to ensure their serviceability, capacity, and safety under current traffic. Subsequently, transportation agencies at all levels (e.g., federal, state, local, and tribal) dedicate large amounts of time and money to routinely monitor and inspect bridge conditions as part of their infrastructure asset management programs. These transportation agencies use the collected …

Development Of A Low Power, Low Cost Rural Railway Intersection Smart Detection And Warning System, Sara Ahmed, Samer Dessouky, Raymond Downing

Data

This project explores a different approach to provide preemptive warning for train detection at grade-crossings to increase safety and reduce motor vehicle congestion. The development of a novel, low cost, low power, and off rail right-of-way (ROW) detection and warning system will be presented. A background of track circuits, which is the rail industries standard for train detection, will also be provided to highlight the benefits and challenges of the rail industry installing a system at every grade-crossings that lack any type of active warning. The benefits of using thermal imaging instead of traditional video for computer vision will also …

Bridge Deck Inspection Using Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Based Airborne Imaging Techniques, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Publications

As one of critical components of a transportation infrastructure system, bridges are very important to a country’s economy because they provide passage over physical obstacles to substantially reduce travel time and travel cost. Similar to other types of transportation infrastructure, bridges deteriorate over time. Therefore, bridges should be routinely inspected to ensure their serviceability, capacity, and safety under current traffic. Subsequently, transportation agencies at all levels (e.g., federal, state, local, and tribal) dedicate large amounts of time and money to routinely monitor and inspect bridge conditions as part of their infrastructure asset management programs. These transportation agencies use the collected …

Evaluation Of Bagasse Ash As Cement And Sand Replacement For The Production Of Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc), Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Sujata Subedi, Ana Rivas, Samantha Hidalgo, Hugo Eguez

Publications

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) materials implementing sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA). To this end, the effects on the mechanical and physical properties of ECC materials of: (1) Louisiana raw SCBA (RBA) as a partial and complete replacement of sand (i.e., class S mixtures); (2) Louisiana post-processed SCBA (PBA) as a partial replacement of cement (i.e., class C mixtures); and (3) Ecuador raw SCBA (EBA) as a partial and complete replacement of sand (i.e., class S-E mixtures) were studied. Sand replacement levels with RBA and EBA evaluated were 25, 50, 75, and 100% …

Corrosion Management System Of Regional Reinforced Concrete (Rc) Bridges, Homero Castaneda, Ayman Okeil

Publications

Civil infrastructure assets, including buildings, transportation networks, energy grids and networks, and water-sewer systems, are critical functional components of day-to-day life activity in a modern society. The durability and reliability of these civil infrastructures are largely affected by corrosion-induced structural deterioration. In addition to continual use and increasing traffic demands, natural environmental conditions set degradation due to corrosion damage as a critical condition to durable and reliable infrastructures. Therefore, in order to improve the durability of the bridge infrastructures affected by corrosion in the most efficient manor, we propose a procedure/methodology to manage integrity of corroding RC bridges which is …

Enhancing The Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures Containing High Rap Content With The Use Of Different Wma Technologies, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Farah Zaremotekhases

Publications

The production of Warm-mix asphalt mixtures in conjunction with reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has received considerable interest in recent years for economic and environmental reasons. The primary objective of this project is to enhance the performance of asphalt mixtures containing RAP in Region 6 using different WMA technologies. In this project, the effect of utilizing 0%, 25%, and 35% RAP contents on the performance of different WMA mixtures against rutting, moisture damage, and fatigue cracking are evaluated. The effects of the WMA technologies on the rutting performance of the asphalt mixtures and recovered binders were investigated using loaded wheel tracker …

Development Of A Low Power, Low Cost Rural Railway Intersection Smart Detection And Warning System, Sara Ahmed, Samer Dessouky, Raymond Downing

Publications

This project explores a different approach to provide preemptive warning for train detection at grade-crossings to increase safety and reduce motor vehicle congestion. The development of a novel, low cost, low power, and off rail right-of-way (ROW) detection and warning system will be presented. A background of track circuits, which is the rail industries standard for train detection, will also be provided to highlight the benefits and challenges of the rail industry installing a system at every grade-crossings that lack any type of active warning. The benefits of using thermal imaging instead of traditional video for computer vision will also …

Ramp Metering For A Distant Downstream Bottleneck Using Reinforcement Learning With Value Function Approximation, Yue Zhou, Kaan Ozbay, Pushkin Kachroo, Fan Zuo

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Ramp metering for a bottleneck located far downstream of the ramp is more challenging than for a bottleneck that is near the ramp. This is because under the control of a conventional linear feedback-type ramp metering strategy, when metered traffic from the ramp arrive at the distant downstream bottleneck, the state of the bottleneck may have significantly changed from when it is sampled for computing the metering rate; due to the considerable time, these traffic will have to take to traverse the long distance between the ramp and the bottleneck. As a result of such time-delay effects, significant stability issue …

Developing A Competency Model For Highway Safety Engineers: A Delphi Method, Garrett K. Wheat

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the core competencies needed by State DOT Highway Safety Engineers as perceived by Highway Safety experts in the United States. First, a list of competencies was identified. Next, a panel of Highway Safety experts determined the importance of each identified competency for the current year (2020) and for the future (year 2030). Finally, ratings provided by the panel were tested for the presence of consensus.

For this study, the researcher used a Delphi Method as classified by Delbecq, Van de Ven, and Gaustafson (1975). Through this method, a panel of forward-thinking …

Using Spatial Analysis And Machine Learning Techniques To Develop A Comprehensive Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Consolidation Model, Samira Soleimani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The safety of highway-railroad grade crossings (HRGC) is still an issue in the United States of America (USA). The grade crossing is where a railroad crosses a road at the same level without any over or underpass. To improve the safety of crossings, the crossings’ condition should be explored from several aspects such as engineering design (speed limit, warning signs, etc.), road condition (number of lanes, surface markings, etc.), rail design (the type of track, ballast, etc.), temporal variables (weather, visibility, time of day, lightning, etc.), social variables (population, race, etc.), and last but not least, spatial variables (the type …

Utilization Of Lidar Technology To Assess Vertical Clearances Of Civil Infrastructure, Daniel Levi Mcintosh

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The issue of vertical clearances along highway systems impact the functionality of the road network. Extracting current routing clearances for each structure can be a challenging and hazardous task. Pavement changes and roadway rehabilitation projects can alter roadway geometry, complicating efforts to maintain accurate clearance databases. Vertical clearance measurements may vary from one lane to another beneath overhead structures and are often difficult to obtain due to high traffic volumes. Inherently, traditional methods that are used to obtain the measurements routinely impede the flow of traffic and subject workers to dangerous environments. This study will examine the use of a …

Analysis Of The Causes Of Workforce Shortages: Create Guidelines For Education And Workforce Development In Transportation To Generate Future Careers For The Navajo Nation, Gholam Ehteshami

Data

Activities were dedicated to the collections, summarizations and categorizing more research articles related to the analysis of the sources of workforce deficiencies. The focus was on the technical and educational solution methods and strategies, guideline relevant to the workforce development. The times also were committed to the development of educational modules related to carrier’s opportunities in the transport industry into a couple of courses. Several NTU STEM students were interviewed, selected and introduced for the summer research internships in transportation areas to LSU Tran SET center. Outreach activities conducted with the community and some of the high school professionals related …

Selecting The Most Feasible Construction Phasing Plans For Urban Highway Rehabilitation Projects, Kunhee Choi Ph.D, H. David Jeong Ph.D, Yong-Cheol Lee, Yangtian Yin

Data

Despite the abundance of research that has aimed to understand the effects of highway work zones, very little definitive information is available concerning the determination of work zone length (WZL). Quantitative studies that holistically model WZL are very rare. To fill this gap, this study identifies critical factors affecting WZL and develops decision support models that determine the optimal WZL in a balanced tradeoff between motorists’ inconvenience due to traffic disruption and their opportunity cost. A high-confidence dataset was created by conducting a series of scheduling and traffic simulations and analyses. The results revealed that traffic loading and work zone …

Development, Education, And Implementation Of A Low-Cost Audio Sensor-Based Autonomous Surveillance System For Smart And Connected Transportation Infrastructure Construction And Maintenance, Yong-Cheol Lee, Jin-Woo Choi Ph.D

Data

Each DOT has to govern and oversee an enormous number of transportation construction and maintenance projects. However, since a transportation construction project entails several miles of a job site including numerous work tasks and equipment operations, it has been increasingly challenging for each DOT to consistently monitor progress of all projects in each State as well as efficiently evaluate work performance. In particular, with limited human resources and time, DOTs in Region 6 States have managed large-scale transportation construction and maintenance projects by a human inspection and recovered direct and indirect damages of transportation infrastructure systems caused from the recent …