Engineering Commons^™

Roadway Related Tort Liability And Risk Management: 4th Edition, Daniel S. Turner, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This training material has been prepared to address the tort liability problems faced by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Kentucky local governments. The workbook defines the problem by reviewing the national picture of growing numbers of suits and escalating financial losses from suits against highway agencies.

The workbook also sets out solutions, and reviews actions which can decrease the exposure of highway agencies to these suits. This risk management concept is emphasized throughout the workbook.

Evaluation Of Speed Limits In Kentucky (Kyspr 96-172), Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Joel M. Weber

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study were to examine current criteria and procedures used for setting speed limits on public roads and to recommend appropriate maximum speed limits for various types of roads. The study involved three major areas. These were: review of literature, collection and analysis of speed data, and collection and analysis of accident data. The speed data included collecting data on various highway types using the “moving” radar mode, use of data from speed monitoring stations, comparison of spot speed data before and after speed limit changes, and both moving and spot speed data at construction zones. Accident …

Performance And Cost Effectiveness Of Pavement Edge Drains, L. John Fleckenstein, David L. Allen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

It is apparent from research conducted under this study that edge drains increase subgrade strength through the removal of water. It is also apparent in most cases that the edge drains increase pavement life by approximately seven years. Current cost benefit analysis indicates that edge drains can provide a cost savings of approximately $200,000 dollars a mile over the life of the pavement. Research also indicates that if edge drains are not properly installed and maintained they can doe more damage then good. It is evident that edge drains should be inspected with a pipeline camera prior to final acceptance …

Analysis And Design Of Bridges Susceptible To Barge Impact, Michael W. Whitney, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The current American Association of State Highway Traffic Organizations (AASHTO) Guide Specification for Collision Design of Highway Bridges provides three statistical methods(methods I, II, and III) for determining the design vessel for impact analysis. These methods focus mainly on ship impact and not on barge impact design for bridges susceptible to vessel (ship or barge) impact. This is due to the tremendous variation in flotilla sizes, barge types, and barge sizes. This study presents an analysis procedure by which the statistical design methods of the AASHTO Guide Specification can be applied to inland waterway bridge design.

Design of bridges susceptible …

Traffic Flow And Safety Evaluation Of Fayette County Schools Part Ii, Samantha S. Jones, Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In cooperation with Fayette County Schools, an evaluation of traffic flow and safety was conducted at school sites in Fayette County. The purpose of this evaluation was to identify potential safety risks currently existing at selected schools, recommend actions to reduce risks, and to decrease traffic congestion in and around school properties.

This report is a continuation of the traffic and safety project submitted to Fayette County Schools in September 1996. For this project, three schools were identified by Fayette County Schools as having traffic flow or safety problems that could benefit from detailed evaluation. The three schools were Clays …

Dynamic Site Periods For The Jackson Purchase Region Of Western Kentucky, Ron Street, Zhenming Wang, Edward W. Woolery, Issam E. Harik, David L. Allen, Kevin G. Sutterer

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Bridges, overpasses, and other engineered structures in the Jackson Purchase region of Western Kentucky are, of necessity, built on a thick column of loose to semi-consolidated sediments. Because these sediments tend to amplify seismically induced ground motions at preferred periods, structures with natural periods close to the preferred periods of amplification of the ground motions are particularly vulnerable to damages during an earthquake because of in-phase resonance.

For this report, conventional seismic refraction and reflection techniques were used to determine the shearwave velocities of the more poorly consolidated, near-surface sediments for a matrix of sites in the region. Conventional seismic …

Indicator Bacteria Concentrations Of Two Northwest Arkansas Streams In Relation To Flow And Season, Dwayne R. Edwards, Mark S. Coyne, Tommy C. Daniel, P. F. Vendrell, J. F. Murdoch, P. A. Moore Jr.

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Concentrations of indicator bacteria such as fecal coliform (FC) and fecal streptococcus (FS) are often used to assess the suitability of waters for their intended use(s) and to allocate resources for water quality improvement measures. There is evidence, however, that concentrations of FC and FS can be influenced by variables such as season and flow rate during sampling, which could lead to biased results. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of season and flow rate on concentrations of FC and FS. Fecal indicator bacteria concentrations were measured for approximately three years at five sites on two …

A Field Curing Structure And Mechanized Housing System For Burley Tobacco, Linus R. Walton, Larry D. Swetnam, George A. Duncan

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

Two deterrents to expansion of production of burley tobacco are a lack of barn room located conveniently to the tobacco fields and a lack of hired labor for harvesting and housing, In working toward a solution to these problems, engineers from the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department have designed and fabricated a field curing structure with a mechanized housing system. The field curing structure has three rows of posts set in the ground to provide columnar strength for the structure. Cross members are set on top of the columns to support the tobacco when it is placed into the structure. …

Moveable Curing Frames, George A. Duncan, Larry D. Swetnam, Linus R. Walton

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

Low cost, low labor, moveable, sturdy, dependable and easily covered -- is this an ideal curing structure? Can it be done? Seeking such a design is the aim of ongoing studies using the cantilever-beam concept for supporting two rails of stick tobacco on a central beam.

Kentucky Traffic Accident Facts 1997 Report, Kentucky Transportation Center, Kentucky State Police

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KENTUCKY’S TRAFFIC ACCIDENT FACTS report for 1997 is based on accident reports submitted to the Accident Unit housed in the Kentucky State Police Information Services Branch, Records Section. As required by Kentucky Revised statutes 189.635, “every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made...shall file a report of the accident...within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.” The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize date on traffic accidents” for such purposes as will improve the traffic safety program in the Commonwealth.” Data contained in …

Runoff Quality Responses To Cattle-Gazing Strategy And Grassed Buffer Zone Length, Dwayne R. Edwards, Brian T. Larsen, Teng T. Lim

KWRRI Research Reports

Grazed pastures represent a source of potential nonpoint pollution. In comparison to other nonpoint sources (e.g., row-cropped lands), relatively little information exists regarding possible magnitudes of pollution from grazed pasture; how that pollution is affected by weather, soil, management and other variables; and how the pollution can be minimized. The objective of this study was to assess how the quality of runoff from simulated grazed pasture is influenced by grazing duration (4-12 weeks), grazing strategy (no grazing, conventional grazing and rotational grazing), and by the use of grassed buffer strips (ranging in length from O to 18.3 m) installed down-slope …

Vegetative Filter Strip Removal Of Metals In Runoff From Poultry Litter-Amended Fescuegrass Plots, Dwayne R. Edwards, P. A. Moore Jr., Tommy C. Daniel, Puneet Srivastava, D. J. Nichols

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Runoff from land areas amended with poultry (Gallus gallus domesticus) manure can contain elevated concentrations of metals such as Cu, Fe, and Zn. Vegetative filter strips (VFS) can reduce runoff concentrations of animal manure components, but reported studies have typically focused on nutrients and solids rather than metals. This experiment assessed the impact of VFS length (0 to 12 m) on concentrations and mass losses of Cu, Fe, K, Na, Ni, and Zn in runoff from fescuegrass (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plots (1.5 m wide × 6 and 12 m long) treated with poultry litter. The runoff was produced from simulated …

Binary Ferrihydrite Catalysts, Gerald P. Huffman, Jianmin Zhao, Zhen Fang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

A method of preparing a catalyst precursor comprises dissolving an iron salt and a salt of an oxoanion forming agent, in water so that a solution of the iron salt and oxoanion forming agent salt has a ratio of oxoanion/Fe of between 0.0001:1 to 0.5:1. Next is increasing the pH of the solution to 10 by adding a strong base followed by collecting of precipitate having a binary ferrihydrite structure. A binary ferrihydrite catalyst precursor is also prepared by dissolving an iron salt in water. The solution is brought to a pH of substantially 10 to obtain ferrihydrite precipitate. The …

Evaluation Of A Regional Traffic Safety Improvement Program, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this report were to document the activities and evaluate the effectiveness of a regional traffic safety improvement program in the Green River Area Development District (GRADD). This is a seven county region in western Kentucky. The goals of the program were to reduce the numbers of motor vehicle fatalities and injuries, to increase safety belt usage, and to increase public awareness of the effects of alcohol-related and high speed driving in rural areas.

A full-time employee was hired by GRADD to manage the program. A Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) was established in each county. Each CAB formulated …

Evaluation Of Incident Management Techniques (Lexington, Kentucky), Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Eugene Culton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this project was to evaluate and document the various incident management techniques used by the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) to alleviate the impact of incidents on highways in Fayette County. Components included in the evaluation included: 1) establishment and use of traffic diversion routes, 2) use of variable message signs, 3) use of detour signing, 4) use of arrow board signs, 5) improvement of existing incident detection and verification through enhanced computerized mapping, 6) use of linked motion detection equipment, and 7) development of a public information program. The methods used to incorporate each of …

Survey Of High School Driver Safety Programs, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The over representation of teenage drivers in traffic collisions has been a cause of concern and the basis for the recent graduated license legislation. A subcommittee of the Safety Management System has the objective of improving teenage driver safety through development and implementation of education and training programs. The objective of this study was to obtain information on current and desired traffic safety related programs for high schools. A survey was sent to all high schools. Information was obtained from 189 of 432 schools. Current activity in the area of traffic safety was summarized. The activity with the most participation …

Applicability Of Angle Parking For A Major City Street, Jerry G. Pigman, Samantha S. Jones

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Red Light Running Campaign, Kenneth R. Agent, Deborah Wagner

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this project was to use a public information and education campaign, along with increased enforcement, to reduce the problem of red light running (RLR) in Lexington, Kentucky. The objective of this portion of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign.

The mail and telephone surveys, taken before and after the campaign, revealed that the RLR program had been successful in improving public awareness of the problems associated with disregarding traffic signals. About 60 percent of the respondents recalled seeing or hearing ads or information dealing with red light running. Approximately one-half of the respondents …

Evaluation Of Shrp Work Zone Safety Devices, Kenneth R. Agent, John O. Hibbs

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to use and evaluate various SHRP work zone devices. Experience with the use of these devices was obtained through trial use by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and various city, county, and private agencies. The devices included in the study included:

• Flashing Stop/Slow Paddle
• All-Terrain Sign and Stand
• Portable Rumble Strip
• Opposing Traffic Lane Divider
• Intrusion Alarm

The experience with the flashing stop/slow paddles was very positive indicating the potential for expanded use in the future. Six different models of flashing paddles were evaluated with some having better results than others. While the all-terrain stand …

Use Of Audible Pedestrian Signals, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Audible pedestrian signals are a device used to provide additional traffic control at signalized intersections to aid visually impaired pedestrians. An objective of this study was to determine the status of the use of this device and investigate possible guidelines for possible future installations of audible pedestrian signals in Kentucky. Another specific objective was to investigate the need for such signals at a number of intersections at the University of Kentucky.

The study showed that audible pedestrian signals can be used to supplement the standard pedestrian signals. However, their use must be limited to intersections with a demonstrated need and …

Visual Inspection Of New Ramp Pavement At Bluegrass Airport Lexington, Kentucky, David L. Allen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Personnel from the Kentucky Transportation Center performed a visual inspection of newly constructed ramp pavement at the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. The inspection was conducted in May, 1996 at the request of airport engineers. The inspection revealed a number of concrete apron slabs that had cracked. Attempts had been made (apparently by the contractor) to seal the cracks by epoxy injection. The visual inspection indicated that the epoxy may not have been performing as hoped, and that some of the cracks did not appear to be sealed. As a result, it was decided to obtain cores of the cracked …

Traffic Flow And Safety Evaluation Of Fayette County Schools, Samantha S. Jones, Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In cooperation with Fayette County Schools, an evaluation of traffic flow and safety was conducted at school sites in Fayette County. The purpose of this evaluation was to eliminate potential safety risks currently existing at a number of schools and to reduce traffic congestion in and around school properties.

The evaluation was completed in two main phases. First, each school in the district was asked to respond to a survey questionnaire. Second, six schools were identified by Fayette County Schools as having traffic flow or safety problems that could benefit from detailed evaluation. The responses to the survey questionnaire were …

Analysis Of Traffic Accident Data In Kentucky (1991-1995), Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report includes an analysis of traffic accident data in Kentucky for the years of 1991 through 1995. A primary objective of this study was to determine average accident statistics for Kentucky highways. Average and critical numbers and rates of accidents were calculated for various types of highways in rural and urban areas. These data can be used in Kentucky's procedure to identify locations that have abnormal rates or numbers of accidents.

The other primary objective of this study was to provide data which can be used in the preparation of the problem identification portion of Kentucky's Annual Highway Safety …

Rubberized Asphalt Membrane, Kamyar C. Mahboub

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This document reports findings of a study involving the use of scrap tire chips in an asphaltic membrane. The research project was designed with two objectives in mind. First, to investigate the effectiveness of an asphaltic membrane on top of a subgrade for maintaining moisture equilibrium in subgrade, and second, to study the potential use of scrap tire chips in asphaltic membranes. The effectiveness of the membrane as a moisture barrier needs to be evaluated over a long period of time (i.e. several years). However, the method proved to be a feasible alternative for recycling waste tires in pavements. It …

Evaluation Of Portable Retroreflectometers, Kentucky Transportation Center

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Portable retroreflectometers have been used to compare the reflectivity of the various pavement marking materials. The Mirolux 12 has been used to collect reflectivity data for the products tested for the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP). The Mirolux 12 docs not have a 30 meter geometry, and there has been a desire to explore the possibility of using a retroreflectometer which has a 30 meter geometry which may better simulate the view of a driver. The objective of this report is to compare data taken with the Mirolux 12 and two other portable retroflectometers having the 30 meter geometry.

1996 Safety Belt Usage Survey And Evaluation Of Effectiveness In Kentucky, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to establish 1996 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky. The 1996 survey documents the continuing results from enacting a statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994. Data were collected at 100 sites and combined based on vehicle miles travelled for a given type of highway, rural or urban location, and county population category. Also included in the report is an analysis of accident records evaluating the effectiveness of safety belts.

The data show that the decrease in the usage rate which occurred in 1995 after the dramatic increase in 1994, …

Summary Of Results Of 1995 Field And Laboratory Evaluations Of Pavement Marking Materials, Kentucky Transportation Center

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report summarizes the results of data collected as part of the 1995 field and laboratory evaluations of pavement marking materials for the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP). The purpose of the NTPEP is to pool the professional and physical resources of the individual participating AASHTO member departments and to focus those resources to test materials of common interest in order to improve cost-effectiveness.

The type of testing performed under the NTPEP provides information that will be used to evaluate the acceptability of materials and to compare the performance of similar materials. The NTPEP also provides industry with a …

The Motor Fuel Tax Evasion Issue In Kentucky, Dwight V. Denison, Merl M. Hackbart

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Tax evasion is an elusive and burgeoning problem. Methods of tax evasion are continually changing and adapting to new methods of tax enforcement. However, there are strategies that can reduce the potential loss due to fuel tax evasion. This study of fuel tax evasion in Kentucky and the southeastern states provides additional information regarding the causes and nature of the road fund tax evasion problem, and identifies state and federal/state efforts to mitigate the tax evasion challenge. The concepts, issues, and recommendations in this report can aid in reducing evasion of the Kentucky motor fuels tax., thereby, enhancing the efficiency …

Evaluation Of Edge Drains On Interstate 64 Fayette, Scott, And Woodford Counties, L. John Fleckenstein, David L. Allen, Brad W. Rister

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents findings of the investigation of edge drains and their associated outlets on Interstate 64 from Milepost 65 to Milepost 75.6 in Fayette, Scott, and Woodford Counties. The study was initiated due to significant amounts of water and fines coming up through the AC surface. State and Federal Officials were concerned that possible failures in the edge drains were causing pumping and staining which will ultimately lead to premature pavement failure. Several factors appear to be contributing to the staining and pumping at the surface. These factors are discussed in the report.

Cost Estimating And Forecasting For Highway Work In Kentucky [1996], James D. Stevens, Jennifer R. Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

There is a need for better cost estimating and forecasting for highway work in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. KRS45.245 grants the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation oversight of the biennial highway plan, including a review of all authorized highway project phases that exceed their estimates by 15%. In recent years, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has suffered the loss of many resources necessary to produce good cost estimates.

Estimates developed using current methods are not sufficiently accurate to preclude cost overruns in excess of 15%. Over the 1992 and 1994 bienniums, 362 overruns totaling $162,487,511 have been submitted to the Committee. …