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Detection Of Multiple Flaws In Concrete Bridge Decks Using Ultrasonic Wave Propagation, Ece Erdogmus, Eric Garcia, Michael Schuller, Donald Harvey, Kelsey Stithem, Monica Houck

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Tncs & Congestion, Joe Castiglione, Drew Cooper, Bhargava Sana, Dan Tischler, Tilly Chang, Gregory D. Erhardt, Sneha Roy, Mei Chen, Alex Mucci

Civil Engineering Reports

From the executive summary:

This document:

• Identifies common measures of roadway congestion;
• Discusses factors that contribute to roadway to congestion; and
• Quantifies the relative contributions of different factors, including population, employment, road network changes and TNCs, to observed changes in congestion in San Francisco between 2010 and 2016, by location and time of day.

The report utilizes a unique TNC trip dataset provided to the Transportation Authority by researchers from Northeastern University in late 2016, as well as INRIX data, a commercial dataset which combines several real-time GPS monitoring sources with data from highway performance monitoring systems. These data are …

Policies That Impact The Acceleration Of Electric Vehicle Adoption, Florida Solar Energy Center

FSEC Energy Research Center®

To better understand the influence of policy initiatives that relate to electric vehicles (EVs) have on accelerated deployment, this project focused on a number of successful public and private initiatives and policies designed to encourage the adoption of EVs and related infrastructure. References to databases that keep pace with this rapidly evolving and transformative industry are included, and best practices for design of laws and incentives are provided.

2018 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Erin Lammers-Staats, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of the survey summarized in this report was to establish a statewide safety belt usage rate in Kentucky for 2018. This rate can be compared to those determined from previous surveys. The 2018 statewide survey documents the continued increase in usage associated with the change in the law to allow primary enforcement and related education and enforcement.

Data-Driven Development Of A Roadside Safety Marketing Campaign For Tree Removal – Phase I, Cody S. Stolle, Thomas Ammon, Chris M. Vargas, Ronald K. Faller, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Erin L. Urbank

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Since the 1970s, tree crashes have been one of the most common and deadly fixed-object fatal crash types, resulting in more than 3,000 fatal crashes and 3,500 fatalities each year. While fatal tree crashes could be prevented by removing trees adjacent to the roadway, an extensive national tree removal project would be unnecessary, cost-prohibitive, and would experience significant political resistance.

The Midwest Pooled Fund Program jointly funded a research study to develop marketing methods and approaches which would focus on tree removal, replacement, or relocation in the most critical areas. Researchers conducted an extensive background investigation into tree crashes, other …

Development Of The Nebraska Department Of Transportation Winter Severity Index, Mark R. Anderson, Behzad Esmaeili, Curtis L. Walker, Dylan Steinkruger, Sogand Hasanzadeh, Pouya Gholizadeh, Bac Dao

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Adverse weather conditions are responsible for millions of vehicular crashes, thousands of vehicular deaths and billions of dollars in economic and congestion costs. Many transportation agencies utilize a performance or mobility metric to assess how well they are maintaining road access. This research focuses on the development of a winter severity index for the State of Nebraska (NEWINS). NEWINS is an event-driven index that was derived for the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and its districts across the state. The NEWINS framework includes a categorical storm classification framework and climatological aspect to capture atmospheric conditions more accurately across the diverse …

Implementation Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs) For Assessment Of Transportation Infrastructure - Phase Ii, Colin Brooks, Richard Dobson, David Banach, Thomas Oommen, Kuilin Zhang, Amlan Mukherjee, Timothy C. Havens, Theresa Ahlborn, Rudiger Escobar-Wolf, Chaitanya Ganesh Bhat, S. Zhao, Q. Lyu, Nicholas Marion

Michigan Tech Publications

Technological advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies continue to enable these tools to become easier to use, more economical, and applicable for transportation-related operations, maintenance, and asset management while also increasing safety and decreasing cost. This Phase 2 project continued to test and evaluate five main UAV platforms with a combination of optical, thermal, and lidar sensors to determine how to implement them into MDOT workflows. Field demonstrations were completed at bridges, a construction site, road corridors, and along highways with data being processed and analyzed using customized algorithms and tools. Additionally, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted, comparing manual …

New Mixture Additives For Sustainable Bituminous Pavements, Gabriel Mukristu Nsengiyumva, Kommidi Santosh, Yong-Rak Kim, Helan Xu, Yiqi Yang

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

In an effort to improve mechanical properties of asphalt concrete, an exploratory research using mixture additives was attempted. Two different types of additives on two material scales were used: asphalt concrete (AC) level and binder level. At the start of this study, the effect of natural cornhusk fibers on the resistance of two types of AC mixtures on cracking were tested for hot-mix asphalt (HMA) and cold-mix asphalt (CMA). The results showed slight improvements in cracking resistance in cornhusk reinforced HMA, and in the case of the CMA, marshal flow. Overall, based on the test results, cornhusk-reinforced HMA and CMA …

Phase Ii Evaluation Of Floor Pan Tearing For Cable Barrier Systems, Dylan T. Meyer, Mojdeh Asadollahi Pajouh, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Ronald K. Faller, Robert W. Bielenberg, James C. Holloway

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The objective of this research effort was to mitigate the potential for floor pan tearing and penetration into the occupant compartment by modifying the posts utilized in a prototype cable barrier system. A series of dynamic component tests were conducted on the modified Midwest Weak Post (MWP). A bogie vehicle was equipped with a simulated floor pan designed to replicate the height, thickness, and strength of the floor pan of a Kia Rio. Two methods of post modification were investigated, including edge protection on the top of the MWP as well as weakening of the MWP at the ground line. …

Mash Test No. 3-10 Of A Non-Proprietary, High-Tension, Cable Median Barrier For Use In 6h:1v V-Ditch (Test No. Mwp-9), Mojdeh Asadollahi Pajouh, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Ronald K. Faller, James C. Holloway, Robert W. Bielenberg, Scott K. Rosenbaugh

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Midwest Pooled Fund Program has been developing a prototype design for a non-proprietary, high-tension, cable median barrier for use in a 6H:1V median V-ditch. This system incorporates four evenly spaced cables, Midwest Weak Posts (MWPs) spaced at 8 to 16 ft (2.4 to 4.9 m) intervals, and a bolted, tabbed bracket to attach the cables to each post. Full-scale crash testing was needed to evaluate the barrier’s safety performance. According to the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware 2016 (MASH) testing matrix for cable barriers installed within a 6H:1V median V-ditch, a series of eight full-scale crash tests are required …

Hot Applied Sealant Bond Test For Joints With Penetrating Sealers, Lieska Halsey

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Recently a concern has been raised for hot applied sealant bond for joints with penetrating sealers. The objective of this study will be to determine if the bond between the sealant and the concrete is compromised by the sealer currently approved to be used in Nebraska. The expected results will be that the bond is not compromised and is serving for the expected joint service life.

Systematic Approach To Identifying Deeply Buried Archeological Deposits, Anthony L. Layzell, Rolfe D. Mandel, Courtney L. Ziska, John R. Bozell

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This project is designed to assist cultural resource specialists involved in Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) project planning and development. The goal was to develop Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers that spatially delineate different landform-sediment assemblages (LSAs) and depict the associated geologic potential for buried cultural deposits in select watersheds in Nebraska. The Nebraska Buried Sites GIS resource will allow planners and cultural resource specialists to determine whether future project areas are likely to be free of deeply buried sites or whether subsurface exploration is necessary.

Compressive Strength Of Concrete Cylinders By Different Preparation Methods: Sulphur, Neoprene Pads And Grinding, Wally Heyen, Lieska Halsey

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The purpose of this evaluation is to compare the effects of four types of cylinder preparation methods prior to compressive strength testing in accordance to ASTM C 39.

Modeling Air Traffic Situation Complexity With A Dynamic Weighted Network Approach, Hongyong Wang, Ziqi Song, Ruiying Wen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In order to address the flight delays and risks associated with the forecasted increase in air traffic, there is a need to increase the capacity of air traffic management systems. This should be based on objective measurements of traffic situation complexity. In current air traffic complexity research, no simple means is available to integrate airspace and traffic flow characteristics. In this paper, we propose a new approach for the measurement of air traffic situation complexity. This approach considers the effects of both airspace and traffic flow and objectively quantifies air traffic situation complexity. Considering the aircraft, waypoints, and airways as …

Time-Dependent Transportation Network Design Considering Construction Impact, Yi He, Ziqi Song, Lihui Zhang

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A traditional discrete network design problem (DNDP) always assumes transportation infrastructure projects to be one-time events and ignores travelers’ delays caused by construction work. In fact, infrastructure construction usually lasts for a long time, and the impact on traffic can be substantial. In this paper, we introduce time dimension into the traditional DNDP to explicitly consider the impact of road construction and adopt an overtime policy to add flexibility to construction duration. We address the problem of selecting road-widening projects in an urban network, determining the optimal link capacity, and designing the schedule of the selected projects simultaneously. A time-dependent …

Review Of Literature And Maintenance Practices At State Transportation Agencies, Bryan Gibson, Nancy Albright, Candice Y. Wallace, Christopher Van Dyke, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Technical Assistance Report

No abstract provided.