Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Using Safety Performance Models, Autonomous Vehicle Data, And Machine Learning To Develop Contextual Complexity Criteria To Establish A Standardized Process For On-Road Evaluation Of Medically At-Risk Drivers Considering Static And Dynamic Factors Of The Roadway Environment, Vijay Bendigeri

All Dissertations

The field of transportation engineering has an opportunity to positively impact the medical community, specifically the clinicians who evaluate, train, and rehabilitate at-risk drivers. Driving Rehabilitation Specialists (DRSs) have an essential role in making roads safer for medically-at-risk drivers, their passengers, and other road users. DRSs conduct on-road driving evaluations, which are considered the gold standard to make fitness-to-drive decisions due to their high face validity. Most DRSs use a fixed route, meaning the exact same route is used to evaluate each client. When a DRS develops a fixed route, that clinician identifies characteristics of the roadway they think are …

Protecting Our Community From The Hidden Vulnerabilities Of Today’S Intelligent Transportation Systems, Shahab Tayeb

Mineta Transportation Institute

The ever-evolving technology interwoven into the transportation industry leaves it frequently at risk for cyber-attacks. This study analyzes the security of a common in-vehicle network, the Controller Area Network (CAN), standard in most vehicles being manufactured today. Like many other networks, CAN comes with inherent vulnerabilities that leave CAN implementations at risk of being targeted by cybercriminals. Such vulnerabilities range from eavesdropping, where the attacker can read the raw data traversing the vehicle, to spoofing, where the attacker can place fabricated traffic on the network. The research team initially performed a simulation of CAN traffic generation followed by hardware implementation …

Investigating The Resilience Of Accessibility To Emergency And Lifesaving Facilities Under Natural Hazards, Chih-Hao Wang, Na Chen

Mineta Transportation Institute

Studying accessibility, including the resilience of city transportation networks, is critical to understand how these networks influence individuals’ mobility and lives. This study developed an analytical research framework to examine the resilience of accessibility to emergency and lifesaving facilities under the threats of natural hazards such as earthquakes and wildfires. With a cumulative-opportunity approach, the authors measured accessibility by counting emergency and lifesaving facilities (including parks, schools, hospitals, roads, and fire stations) that can be reached by driving at the census tract level in San Fernando Valley, CA. With the calculated accessibility, the authors run simulations to collect data showing …

Analyzing Vulnerabilities In The Northwest Arkansas Highway Network Using Mathematical Optimization, Brandon Jerome

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The highway and bridge network is a critical infrastructure that allows for the free transportation of citizens and enables truck-borne freight transportation. Disruption of this system could be caused by a terrorist attack, natural disaster, growth of population, required repairs and upgrades, or collapse caused by old age or malfunction. In the event of a disruption cities and regions can experience increased traffic and supply chain shortages, thus causing cascading effects throughout surrounding areas. With this motivation, we develop a network interdiction optimization model to identify a limited subset of roads that, if disrupted, causes the greatest increase in the …

A Case Study Of Protecting Bridges Against Overheight Vehicles, Aly Mousaad Aly, Marc Hoffmann

Faculty Publications

Most transportation departments have recognized and developed procedures to address the ever-increasing weights of trucks traveling on bridges in service today. Transportation agencies also recognize the issues with overheight vehicles’ collisions with bridges, but few stakeholders have definitive countermeasures. Bridges are becoming more vulnerable to collisions from overheight vehicles. The exact response under lateral impact force is difficult to predict. In this paper, nonlinear impact analysis shows that the degree of deformation recorded through the modeling of the unprotected vehicle-girder model provides realistic results compared to the observation from the US-61 bridge overheight vehicle impact. The predicted displacements are 0.229 …

Robust Multi-Period Maximum Coverage Drone Facility Location Problem Considering Coverage Reliability, Darshan Rajesh Chauhan, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Miguel A. Figliozzi, Stephen D. Boyles

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study proposes a multi-period facility location formulation to maximize coverage while meeting a coverage reliability constraint. The coverage reliability constraint is a chance constraint limiting the probability of failure to maintain the desired service standard, commonly followed by emergency medical services and fire departments. Further, uncertainties in the failure probabilities are incorporated by utilizing robust optimization using polyhedral uncertainty sets, which results in a compact mixed-integer linear program. A case study in the Portland, OR metropolitan area is analyzed for employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones to deliver defibrillators in the region to combat out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. In …

Fight For Flight: The Narratives Of Human Versus Machine Following Two Aviation Tragedies, Andrew Prahl, Rio Kin Ho Leung, Alicia Ning Shan Chua

Human-Machine Communication

This study provides insight into the relationship between human and machine in the professional aviation community following the 737 MAX accidents. Content analysis was conducted on a discussion forum for professional pilots to identify the major topics emerging in discussion of the accidents. A subsequent narrative analysis reveals dominant arguments of human versus machine as zero-sum, surrender to machines, and an epidemic of mistrust. Results are discussed in the context of current issues in human-machine communication, and we discuss what other quickly automating industries can learn from aviation’s experience.

A New Generation Of Open-Graded Friction Course For Enhanced Durability And Functionality, Hossam Abohamer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study aims at (1) enhancing Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) mixes durability using additives and other by-products; (2) investigating the impacts of selected factors on OGFC pavements seepage characteristics; (3) developing a quantitative tool to model the deterioration in OGFC pavements functional performance; and (4) developing new guidelines of Air Void (AV) content for OGFC for optimum functionality and durability. For the durability objective, eight mixes were prepared with a PG 76-22 binder and two sources of aggregate (i.e., # 78 limestone and # 67 sandstone). Three Warm Mix Additives (WMA), one by-product (i.e., crumb rubber [CR]), and two …

Evaluation Of Manual Infrared Brake Screening Technologies, Joseph Crabtree, Brian Beaven, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this project was to install and operate two manual infrared (IR) brake screening systems at Kentucky inspection facilities to enhance the quality of Level 1 safety inspections. A radio button in the inspection software allowed enforcement personnel to indicate when the IR equipment was used to select a truck for inspection. This feature allowed a direct comparison of performance measures (e.g., number of violations identified per inspection, out-of-service rate, etc.) for IR-generated inspections versus all inspections.

The evaluation focused on inspections at the Lyon County site for a 60-day period during September and October 2021. Analysis of …

Effects Of Emergency Vehicle Warning Lighting System Characteristics On Driver Perception And Behavior, Emily Hiebner

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Secondary crashes, including struck-by incidents are a leading cause of line-of-duty deaths among emergency responders, such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical service providers. The introduction of light emitting diode (LED) sources and advanced lighting control systems, provides a wide range of options for emergency lighting configurations. This study investigated the impact of lighting color, intensity, modulation, and flash rate on driver behavior while traversing a traffic incident scene at night. The impact of retroreflective chevron markings in combination with lighting configurations, as well as the measurement of “moth-to-flame” effects of emergency lighting on drivers was also investigated. …

Development And Testing Of Braking And Acceleration Features For Vehicle Advanced Driver Assistance System, Johann Carlo Marasigan, Gian Paolo Mayuga, Elmer R. Magsino

Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering Faculty Publications

Traffic congestion is a constant problem for cities worldwide. The human driving inefficiency and poor urban planning and development contribute to traffic buildup and travel discomfort. An example of human inefficiency is the phantom traffic jam, which is caused by unnecessary braking, causing traffic to slow down, and eventually coming to a stop. In this study, a brake and acceleration feature (BAF) for the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) is proposed to mitigate the effects of the phantom traffic phenomenon. In its initial stage, the BAF provides a heads-up display that gives information on how much braking and acceleration input …

Using Rwis Data For Winter Maintenance Decision Support, Tony Coventry

Purdue Road School

Road weather information systems (RWIS) data is the key component to winter maintenance decision support systems (MDSS) and solutions. In this session we will learn about the FHWA’s Weather Data Environment (WxDE), a national road weather data sharing program; how the data is integrated into decision support solutions, network monitoring, and research projects. Discussion will also include strategic application of road weather data in winter maintenance decision making.

Streamlining Project Development Through Planning & Environmental Linkages, Karen Hadley, Brett Lackey

Purdue Road School

As transportation agencies continue to explore ways to be more efficient in the project development process, they are embracing integrated methodologies like planning and environmental linkages. This tool is practical, yet highly effective and inclusive, and teams across the country are experiencing its value. This presentation will highlight a variety of use cases, discuss lessons learned and best practices, and specifically address how planning and environmental linkages can be applied in Indiana and the Midwest.

Importance Of Proactive Safety Analysis For Corridor Planning, Martin Guttenplan, Houssam Ghandour

Purdue Road School

A proactive safety analysis approach assists decision makers in addressing high-risk crash elements, particularly on low-volume roadways. Using corridor planning best practices and lessons learned, this presentation will explore creative and proactive approaches for holistic planning solutions. It will also validate 2020 pandemic crash data accuracy and highlight prioritization methodologies and AASHTO and FHWA guided countermeasures applied to at-risk locations.

Perspectives On Past And Present Mutcds, David Boruff

Purdue Road School

This session will describe the history of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Prime focus will be on the Indiana version, including the procedures that have been and those that are currently used to adopt Indiana’s manual. Pending it’s adoption prior to Road School, a summary of the significant changes in next edition of the MUTCD will also be presented.

Integrated Mobile Observations - Future Of Mobile Observation Data Technologies, Tony Coventry

Purdue Road School

Mobile observations have become an integral part of snow and ice programs. In this session we will learn about the FHWA IMO (integrating mobile observations) initiative; how mobile sensors have evolved; and what these new units are capable of doing. Discussion will include how this technology can help both the operator and the agency, how the data is visualized and used, and how agencies and airports have implemented these units.

Development Of Cost-Effective High-Modulus Asphalt Concrete (Hmac) Mixtures Using Crumb Rubber And Local Construction Materials In Louisiana., Ibrahim A.I.E Elnaml

LSU Master's Theses

One of the emerging solutions to enhance the durability of asphalt pavements is the use of a French asphalt mix known as “High-Modulus Asphalt Concrete (HMAC).” This mix uses a hard asphalt binder, high binder content (about 6%), and low air voids content as compared to Superpave mixtures. The key objective of this study was to develop a cost-effective HMAC mixture using crumb rubber and local materials in Louisiana. To achieve this objective, four HMAC mixtures were prepared using two asphalt binders (PG 82-22 and PG 76-22 plus 10% crumb rubber) and two Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) contents (20% and …

Big Data Applications: Public Involvement Tools For Public Involvement, Amy L. Livingston, Houssam Ghandour

Purdue Road School

Using big data to better understand origin-destination and regional travel patterns is critical to project development. Tools such as passive geographically based data lead to improved definitions for traffic analysis zones (TAZs), which, in turn, help inform public involvement plans for a more targeted approach and improved equity. This presentation will highlight future planning applications in Indiana and other case examples where we have used big data to aid the plan development of public and stakeholder engagement.

To Lead Or Not To Lead?, Matt Sagstetter

Purdue Road School

Why doesn’t the flashing arrow work anymore? The green arrow doesn’t turn on, is there something wrong? These questions and more will be answered in a discussion about the operation, implementation, and education of flashing yellow arrows (FYAs) at signalized intersections. Case studies of specific intersections in Indiana will be used to show the crash history and risk analysis used to make decisions related to overall signal operation and driver safety.

Missed That! Roadway Drainage Lessons Learned, Michael Mills

Purdue Road School

Intersection improvements and downtown beautification projects are common essential improvements that benefit motorists and residents of urban communities. When scoping, it is easy to disregard drainage in order to minimize cost and reduce staffing needs. However, sometimes big problems can happen when roadway drainage is not assessed. Come take a deep dive into a few examples of drainage oversights and how they were remedied.

Learning The Ropes With Stormwater Management, Jeffrey E. Kuhn

Purdue Road School

This presentation will touch on topics and skills learned by a newly employed Stormwater Engineer working for the City of West Lafayette. Topics include erosion control methods and theory, the minimum controls measures (MCMs) for Indiana’s local municipalities, the Tippecanoe County Partnership for Stormwater Quality, Wabash River infrastructures, construction-site and outfall inspections, and much more.

Accommodating Rapid Development In Design Level Forecast A Regionally Minded Methodology, Randy Kill

Purdue Road School

Rapid large-scale development presents challenges for traffic engineers to accurately forecast design-year traffic volumes. Prevailing forecasting methods, such as the ITE Trip Generation Manual, tend to exaggerate local traffic impacts on large developments and do not account for regional influences. This presentation outlines the methodologies for developing the design level forecast of two large freeway projects amid largescale private developments. This approach provides significant improvements over traditional trip generation methods and model-based forecasts.

Greenfield District Creates A Traffic Project, Luis Laracuente

Purdue Road School

Each year INDOT funds safety and mobility driven projects. There is yearlong internal process to identify the needs, define the problems, and plan the projects. This presentation aims at explaining this process from a district perspective and reveal our planning and funding process. We also discuss the shifting in planning philosophy and the ever-growing goal to plan and build multi-modal, self-enforcing, safe, and efficient intersections and streets.

Pavement Marking Updates, Joseph Bruno

Purdue Road School

Significant changes to pavement markings are under- way to improve the safety and service life of roads and to assist vehicles with lane departure warning systems. This presentation will provide an update on changes to the Indiana Design Manual, Standard Specifications, and Standard Drawings for the use of 6-in. lines as the normal line width, RPM usage and spacing changes, and increasing the use of durable marking materials. The presentation will also include other pavement marking topics, such as contrast markings and orange pavement markings for work zones.

Low Impact Roundabout Conversion, Brian W. Craig, Jay Vorisek, Johnathon Nail

Purdue Road School

Low Impact Roundabout Conversion—This presentation describes the planning, design, and construction of a $527,000 compact roundabout for the City of Westfield at 171st Street and Carey Road. This stopcontrolled intersection was converted to a roundabout by constructing a center island, splitter islands, and minor pavement widening within the general footprint of the intersection. The existing pavement was re-used by placing wedge and level to achieve the roundabout’s designed grades.

Cognitive Attention And Its Application In Countermeasures On A Curve Section, Hongyue Wu, Yunfeng Chen, Junan Shen, Weinan Gao, Mohammad Ahad, Osahon Iroghama

Purdue Road School

No abstract provided.

Life Cycle Integration Of Building Information Modeling In Infrastructure Projects, Xingzhou Guo, Chi Tian, Jinwu Xiao, Yunfeng Chen, Jiansong Zhang

Purdue Road School

No abstract provided.

Forecasting Electric Vehicle Adoption At A Local Level, Jonathon Sinton

Purdue Road School

The Biden administration has recently stated as a major policy goal that 50% of all new vehicle sales will be electric by the year 2030. However, current electric vehicle (EV) uptake sits at about 2.4% of current vehicle sales. Additionally, the administration’s goal is more ambitious than current forecasts predict will occur. Given the gap between the administration’s goals and the current EV trends, it is necessary to better forecast how current trends will progress and better understand what factors influence these trends. The purpose of this research is two-fold: to create better forecasts of EV adoption at the zip …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Queue Trucks With Navigation Alerts Using Connected Vehicle Data, Rahul Suryakant Sakhare, Jairaj C. Desai, Justin Mahlberg, Jijo K. Mathew, Woosung Kim, Howell Li, John D. Mcgregor, Darcy M. Bullock

Purdue Road School

No abstract provided.

Public Education For Work Zone Safety, Ricardo Chahine, Prince Adu Gyamfi, Nandhesh Subash Babu, Wonsang Cho, Krista Kelley, Stacey Connaughton, Nadia Gkritza

Purdue Road School

This project aims to help improve work zone driver safety in Indiana through driver education and public awareness campaigns. The project focused on two specific objectives: (1) to design a public awareness campaign to increase drivers’ knowledge and influence positive attitudes about work zone driver safety practices; and (2) to prepare educational materials to be incorporated into driver’s education or training curriculum prior to taking driving test and getting a driver’s license issued. The campaign was informed by formative research, conducted using a survey to assess public knowledge and attitudes. Based on these results, campaign messages were designed. The effectiveness …