Engineering Commons^™

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 …

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 …

Safety Evaluation Of 2+1 Roadway Design, Kenneth R. Agent, Jeff Jasper

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

An assessment and analysis of the safety of 2+1 roads introduced in 2013 and later.

Kytc Department Of Aviation Aircraft Maintenance Technician (Amt) Program Optimization, Bethany Paris, P. Gayle Marks, Bryan Gibson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The aviation industry is a linchpin of Kentucky’s economy. Major firms such as UPS, Amazon, and DHL have major hubs at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). As of December 2022, 4,570 aircraft mechanics and service technicians (AMTs) were employed in the state. Demand in this sector is poised to grow. As such, it is critical to understand what resources Kentucky has available to train the next generation of professionals and the number of people the aviation industry is likely to employ statewide over the next decade. Kentucky and the surrounding states are home …

2023 Final Report For Databases In The 2022 Traffic Records Improvement Plan: Facilitating The Development Of Projects To Attain The Goals In The Implementation Plan For The 2022-26 Traffic Records Strategic Plan, Lenahan O'Connell, Samantha Wright, Reginald Souleyrette

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

During fiscal year 2023, with financial support (Grant #M3Da-2022-04) from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC)-continued its work with traffic database officials to facilitate successful attainment of the remaining goals from the 2017-21 Traffic Records Strategic Plan (TRSP), which goals are in the 2022-26 TRSP Transportation Records Improvement Plan (TRIP). For most databases, some new goals were developed; this required further refinement of some projects or strategies to improve database performance. Projects to complete the goals in the TRIP were continued and some completed for the following databases: CRASH, Citation/Adjudication, Injury Surveillance (KIPRC and EMS), …

Evaluation Of Durable Pavement Striping, William Staats, Erin Lammers-Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Roadway pavement markings, colloquially referred to as “striping”, can be made of various combinations of paint and reflective beads. In the interest of aligning Kentucky with the state-of-the-art durable pavement marking practices of other states, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) developed a research study aimed at improving pavement marking specifications and practices. This study reviewed current practices, identified potential improvements, and performed a systematic evaluation in a controlled environment on both asphalt and concrete roads. The state evaluated high-build waterborne paint, extruded and spray thermoplastic, polyurea, and preformed plastic tape, as well as several bead packages including M247, Missouri blend, …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky 2018-2022, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents analysis of traffic crash data in Kentucky. A primary objective of this study was to determine average crash statistics for Kentucky highways. Where used, rates were calculated for various highway types and for counties and cities. Difference criteria were used for exposure. Average and critical numbers, SPFs, and crash rates were calculated for various highway types in rural and urban areas. These metrics rely on crashes identified on highways where Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) volumes were available. Data in this report may be used to help identify problem areas. The other primary objective of this study …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2022 Report, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Kenneth R. Agent, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky’s Traffic Collision Facts is based on collision reports submitted to the Kentucky State Police Records Branch. As required by Kentucky Revised Statute 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 data on traffic collisions to improve the Commonwealth’s traffic safety program. Unless otherwise noted, data in this publication are for public roads only. Data contained in this report are based solely …

2023 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Erin Lammers-Staats, Derek S. Young, Kenneth R. Agent, Aidan Elias

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Data and results of a statewide observational survey used to establish the statewide usage rate for safety belts in Kentucky.

Combined Behavioral And Engineering Approach To Preventing Highway Fatalities, Benjamin Blandford, Reginald Souleyrette, Caitlin N. Pope, Tony Fields, Erin Lammers-Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traditional, single-discipline highway safety approaches can be augmented through multidisciplinary approaches that consider both engineering and behavioral interventions (e.g., education, enforcement, public outreach campaigns). Leveraging a systems-based conceptual framework of roadway safety, multiple forms of statistical and geospatial analysis, and SPF modeling and network screening, this report proposes and demonstrates methods for unpacking the influence of behavioral-related factors on crash occurrences and outcomes. The primary focus is on behaviors targeted in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan — aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving, and driving without proper restraint (i.e., seatbelts). Based on application of these methods, the report highlights areas …

Facilitated Identification Of Kytc Performance Measures, Candice Wallace, Jon Wilcoxson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Federal and state government agencies are embracing performance management as a means to (1) justify the use of tax dollars and (2) monitor and report program accomplishments. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) efforts to fold Transportation Performance Management (TPM) into its business processes and workplace culture required training that would educate personnel about TPM’s benefits, objectives, and activities. After reviewing training resources on performance management from FHWA, NHI, AASHTO, and state DOTs, Cabinet leadership concluded that their emphasis on federal requirements was not exactly what KYTC was looking for in a training program. Instead, KYTC wanted a training program that …

Evaluating The Use Of A Near-Miss Reporting Program To Enhance Employee Safety Performance, Gabriel Dadi, Farshid Taherpour, Seth Atkins, Ashtarout Ammar, Jon Wilcoxson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Using safety incidents and crashes to improve safety performance is an outdated and reactive practice in safety and health programs. One component of a modern approach to safety is a near-miss reporting program. This type of program tracks close calls or near misses that do not result in an incident or crash, but which often can be an early indicator that one may happen. While most construction companies have implemented some methods for reporting near-miss events, many agencies, such as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), struggle getting employees to report near misses. To fill this gap, potential factors that result …

Innovative Methods To Strengthen Internal Kytc Communications, P. Gayle Marks, Jeff Jasper

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Communication is the linchpin of every organization. Poor communication leads to inefficiencies, frustration among staff, and employee disaffection and disengagement. Although some state transportation agencies have adopted comprehensive strategic plans for internal communications, many have taken a more piecemeal approach, with some Offices and units (e.g., incident management) developing their own plans that apply only to their operations. The latter approach is less than ideal because establishing a comprehensive communications plan provides an organizing framework for all communications within an organization and is critical for uniting staff around a shared sense of purpose and equipping them with the tools they …

Merging Multiple Existing Geotechnical Databases, Charlie Sun, Brad Rister, Eileen Grady

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report discusses a project undertaken by Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers to create a comprehensive geotechnical database for highway planning, design, maintenance, and repair. The project consolidated multiple geotechnical data sources into a unified database accessible to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) staff, enabling informed decision making and improving project outcomes. Databases were merged with great attention to detail, ensuring data integrity and coherence. A geotechnical data collector app developed as part of the project supports convenient and efficient data collection in the field, even when phones or tablets lack network connectivity. A rockfall rating app and landslide hazard rating …

Fiscal Year 2021 Fhwa-536 Report For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Doug Kreis, Candice Wallace, Bryan Gibson, Sarah Mccormack

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Incorporating Variability In Kytc Planning And Project Development, Reginald Souleyrette, Teng Wang, Riana Tanzen, Arnold Stromberg

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Transportation planning and design decisions are typically made using point estimates of traffic and safety measures. This report addresses the uncertainty of data used to make these decisions. It focuses on two data elements — project safety ratings and volume estimates from traffic counts. For safety ratings, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Strategic Highway Investment Formula for Tomorrow (SHIFT) crash history score is used as a case study. Confidence intervals are developed for the Cabinet’s new safety metric, which incorporates estimates of future crashes by severity as well as excess expected crashes above safety goals. For traffic counts, the report develops …

Incorporating Crash Severity And Continuous Improvement Of Shift, Reginald Souleyrette, Riana Tanzen, Teng Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Strategic Highway Investment Formula for Tomorrow (SHIFT) is the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's data-informed approach for comparing capital improvement projects and prioritizing limited transportation funds. SHIFT 2022 incorporates advancements in methods and flexibility. This project revises the SHIFT crash data safety metric. The crash data safety metric from the previous version of SHIFT was excess expected crashes (EECs). It is computed using the total number of crashes of all severities. Locations with a higher proportion of severe (fatal and injury) crashes received the same weight as locations with an equal number of property damage only crashes. This project redefines the …

2+1 Roadway Design Guidance Update, Jeff Jasper, Jeff Wolfe, Robin Baskette, Paul Ross, Chris Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The frequency and severity of crashes on rural two-lane roadways have increased in the US relative to other road types. This trend can be explained by the growing number of vehicles, higher speeds, narrow shoulders, and vehicle mixes. One solution for improving traffic flow and safety outcomes on rural two-lane roadways is to adopt a 2+1 design, which confers the benefits of four-lane highways but at a lower cost. Transportation agencies throughout Europe — and increasingly the US — have seen good results from 2+1 layouts. Crash data from Sweden, Germany, Finland, and Denmark reveal better safety outcomes following the …

Graduated Driver Licensing Program, Jeeyen Koo, Andrew Martin, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

To address challenges related to teen driver safety, Kentucky adopted a simple graduated driver licensing (GDL) program in 1996 and further expanded it in 2006 by adding an intermediate licensing phase, requirements for supervised practice driving, and instituting restrictions on passenger age. Despite GDL programs having been adopted throughout the US, young drivers (ages 16 – 20) continue to be overrepresented in fatal crashes. In 2019, despite this segment making up roughly 5.3 percent of licensed drivers it accounted for 11.5 percent of fatal vehicle crashes (Kentucky recorded 732 crash fatalities, of which 73 involved young drivers). Although teen driver …

Pedestrian And Bicycle Improvement Scoring Method For Shift–2024, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Daria Korostina, Teng Wang, Reginald Souleyrette

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State transportation agencies have limited funding to deliver multimodal transportation programs that address the needs of all users. To allocate project funding in an impartial and objective manner, many agencies have adopted data-driven scoring systems that are used to evaluate the merits of proposed capital improvement projects. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet introduced the Strategic Highway Investment Formula for Tomorrow (SHIFT) for this purpose. Until now SHIFT, has evaluated projects based five core variables — congestion, safety, benefit-cost ratio, asset management, economic growth. To address local needs, SHIFT has also allocated points that Area Development Districts, metropolitan planning organizations, and Cabinet …

Spf-R Online User Guide, Eric Green, Paul Ross, Christopher Blackden, William Staats, Reginald Souleyrette

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

SPF-R Online greatly improves and simplifies the SPF development process. Building on the original SPF-R script, the online tool eliminates many of the technical barriers associated with the original process, allowing for a much larger audience to take advantage of SPF-R’s capabilities. Like the original SPF-R script, SPF-R Online lets users quickly explore the effect of roadway network heterogeneity on SPF development, compare CURE plots , and compare goodness-of-fit measures to decide which SPF is most appropriate for a given dataset.

Rapid Pothole Repair In Concrete Bridge Decks, Abheetha Peiris, Issam Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Using traditional methods to repair potholes in reinforced concrete (RC) bridge decks is time-consuming and requires significant manpower and equipment. However, commercially available epoxies and similar materials provide a repair option that does not require saw cutting the deck around the pothole, concrete removal, and replacement. Researchers laboratory tested three epoxies to identify which is best for pothole repairs. Based on assessments of substrate penetration times and set times for epoxy and epoxy mortar, as well as compressive strength gain over time for epoxy mortar, researchers selected Sikadur 52 for static and dynamic bending tests using small-scale beams with simulated …

Best Practices For Highway Project Scoping, Jeff Jasper, Samantha Wright, Jon Wilcoxson, Robin Baskette, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

One of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) foremost priorities in fulfilling its mission is to deliver successful projects — quality solutions that meet the defined scope and are delivered on time and within the budget specified in the Highway Plan. When a project scope is not clearly defined or uncertain, revisions may take place after the project is already underway, leading to delays or overpromising what can be delivered. Ideally, a reliable, decisive project scope is defined in the early phases of the highway project development process. The scope should include a project definition that clearly communicates the project scope’s …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2021 Report, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Michael Fields, Kenneth Agent, Christopher Van Dyke, Ed Harding

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Center publishes the Traffic Collision Facts report in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky State Police, and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. This is the fiscal year 2022 report, which covers collisions reported during calendar year 2021. For the year, 734 fatal crashes, 20,117 nonfatal crashes, and 88,440 property damage only crashes occurred on the state’s roadways. Overall, 109,291 crashes were reported in calendar year 2021, a 8.4 percent increase over calendar year 2020.

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky 2017-2021, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Christopehr Van Dyke, Michael Fields, Riana Tanzen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Center publishes Analysis of Traffic Crash Data in Kentucky, a report that reviews state-level crash data from the previous five years. This report summarizes crash data for 2017 through 2021. In addition to presenting a review of crash data, the report also contains safety performance functions (SPFs) for nine roadway types. Because SPFs were derived using 2017-2021 data, the models predict crashes for a five-year period. Users must adjust the model by adding a coefficient of 1/5 to models to avoid overestimating crashes by a factor of five.

2022 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Erin Lammers-Staats, Derek S. Young, Eric Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year Kentucky Transportation Center researchers conduct a safety belt usage survey to estimate Kentucky’s statewide safety belt usage rate. In 2022, the safety belt usage rate in Kentucky was 86.72 percent, which represents a 3.06 decline over 2021. Safety belt usage peaked in 2018 at 89.99 percent. Declines in safety belt usage rate over the past couple years may be attributable in part to changes in driver behaviors and traffic dynamics following the COVID-19 pandemic. If Kentucky wants to increase safety belt usage rates, the state may need ramp up enforcement of safety belt laws or bolster educational outreach …

Investigation Of Illegal Weigh Station Bypassing, Mallory Brown, Andrew Martin, David Leddy, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study recommends best practices to curb illegal weigh station bypassing by commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Analysis of historical data collected by Kentucky State Police – Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (KSP-CVE) for 2017-2021 revealed that CMV drivers were charged with illegally bypassing weigh stations 2,616 times. Drivers were charged with an average of two other violations when cited for illegal bypassing — most often violations related to credentialing, vehicle safety, or driver safety. Site visits to three permanent weigh stations in Kentucky revealed that CMVs regularly bypass weigh stations illegally, including those authorized to use preclearance systems (Drivewyze and PrePass). A …

Krs And Kar Review Of Models As A Legal Contract Document, Bryan Gibson, Pam Clay-Young, Rachel Catchings, Chris Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State departments of transportation (DOTs) are expanding the use of electronic engineering data (EED) throughout highway projects — from design and construction through asset management. Included under the umbrella of EED are technologies such as building information modelling (BIM), digital terrain models (DTMs), and 3D models and plan sets. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Digital Project Delivery (DPD) Initiative is spearheading the transition to EED in the state. While digital delivery promises to streamline project development and management it does not come without hurdles. This report discusses methods for agency wide implementation of EED and highlights best practices for managing, …

Bridge Project Prioritization, Bryan Gibson, Christopher Van Dyke, Sudhir Palle, Ryan Griffith, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky’s 14,000+ bridges are key nodes within the state’s surface transportation network. They facilitate the movement of freight, commercial vehicles, and personal vehicles alike. Historically, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has prioritized bridge maintenance projects using sufficiency ratings. These ratings are based on three factors — structural adequacy and safety, design obsolescence, and an asset’s importance within the roadway network. Although useful, sufficiency ratings do not account for factors that should be considered during the prioritization process (e.g., condition factors, risk). To address the shortcomings associated with using sufficiency ratings, KYTC — with the assistance of the Kentucky Transportation Center …

Updating The Bridge Construction Cost Database, Rachel Catchings, Ying Li, Ryan Griffith, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Adopting a comprehensive suite of methods to track, analyze, and maintain data on bridge construction costs can help state transportation agencies identify and implement strategies to mitigate the influence of factors which escalate project costs. This report discusses how the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) should approach updating, maintaining, and analyzing its bridge construction cost data. Based on a review of practices introduced at other agencies and interviews with public and private industry stakeholders, the report catalogues practical strategies for improving estimating procedures and tracking cost data as well as the most important cost drivers of bridge construction. Analysis of KYTC …