Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Identification Of Hazardous Rural Highway Locations, John A. Deacon, Charles V. Zegeer, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

An effective procedure was determined for identifying hazardous rural highway locations based on accident statistics. Multiple indicators of accident experience that are necessary include the number of fatal accidents, the total number of accidents, the number of effective-property-damage-only accidents, and the accident rate. Critical levels of these four indicators should vary from state to state depending on the nature of the local safety improvement program as well as local traffic and roadway conditions and prevailing attitudes toward highway safety. Specific recommendations are given for use in Kentucky. Critical accident rates are established using quality control procedures.

To identify hazardous highway …

Evaluation And Modification Of The Traffic Noise Prediction Procedure For Kentucky Highways, Kenneth R. Agent, Charles V. Zegeer

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Approximately 270 noise-level recordings were obtained at 39 highway sites and compared with the noise-level predictions obtained by the procedure outlined in NCHRP Report 117. The measured noise levels were computed in terms of the A-weighted L₁₀ value (level exceeded 10 percent of time) and then compared to the predicted noise levels. A significant discrepancy was found between predicted and measured noise levels; generally, the predicted values exceeded the measured values. Average error per location was 4.8 dBA; the maximum error was 13 dBA. A nomograph was devised to correct the predicted value; this nomograph involves observer-to-roadway distances, truck …

Fatigue Analysis From Strain Gage Data And Probability Analysis, Robert C. Deen, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Central Bridge over the Ohio River between Newport, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, was completed in 1891 and in 1972-73 was considered to be in danger of fatigue failure. A series of investigations were undertaken to determine the likelihood of failure and to estimate the time of probable failure. During the investigation, a methodology was developed to determine fatigue damage from a probability analysis of traffic data by reconstituting or synthesizing the load (traffic) history of bridges. Strain gage data obtained with Prewitt scratch gages and SR-4 resistivity gages were used to evaluate fatigue damage incurred by the Central Bridge.

Experimental Portland Cement Concrete Shoulders Design And Construction, James H. Havens, Assaf S. Rahal

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky's first portland cement concrete shoulder project was conceived in 1970 and was inspired by the Portland Cement Association's issue Concrete Shoulders for Safe Modern Highways, Concrete Report, 1970, and FHWA's Informational Memorandum CMPB-17-70, Experimental Project for the Evaluation of Portland Cement Concrete Shoulders Adjacent to Concrete Mainline Pavement; Project Prospectus, National Experimental and Evaluation Program; May 12, 1970. It was expected that at least two states in each region would participate in the national program. A 3.442-mile section of US 31 W, between Radcliff and Tiptop, beginning at the intersection of US 60 and extending southward, …

A Rock Classification Schema, Robert C. Deen, C. D. Tockstein, M. W. Palmer

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The need for engineering data on earth materials for use in site selection, design, construction, and maintenance of major engineering structures is generally accepted. Probably the most pressing need is for such data to use in preliminary considerations of site selection and design alternatives. Maps and(or) surveys giving the areal distribution of earth materials and their characteristics, together with topographic maps available for many areas, would permit much preliminary work on engineering structures to be done without the engineer ever having to leave his office.

Heating The 9th Street Interchange, Louisville, Ky, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The 9th Street interchange, I 64-2(87)3, was first conceived about 1959. Preliminary design studies began in the early 1960's. Design began about 1964. The idea of heating the ramps was first considered in the early 1960's but was not pursued intently until the final design stage (about 1968). As the design progressed, it became more and more evident that snowing and icing conditions could prevent otherwise normal passage of traffic up and down the ramps. At one point on the structure, a combination of superelevation and grade would produce a 6 1/2 percent slope. The highest ramp or "fly over" …

High-Intensity Reflective Materials For Signs, Rolands L. Rizenbergs

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Field observations and laboratory tests and evaluations were conducted on High-Intensity and Engineering Grade materials (Scotchlite), manufactured by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, and were compared in regard to reflectivity, durability, and cost.

The High-Intensity Grade materials were found to have outstanding performance characteristics in comparison to Engineering Grade materials. The material significantly enhances sign legibility under low-beam illumination, and accelerated weathering tests showed superior durability.

Optimal Highway Safety Improvement Investments By Dynamic Programming [Aug. 1974], Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent, Jesse G. Mayes, Charles V. Zegeer

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The process of determining which projects to implement under a given budget, and which to defer until later, is central to the planning and management of highway systems. With a limited budget for construction, maintenance, and safety improvements, investments which will produce the optimal benefits must be chosen. This is often impossible to accomplish without the aid of a computer because of the complexity of the problem. Dynamic programming has been tested and verified as an efficient method for selecting priority projects to derive maximum benefits.

There are several approaches to priority programming as it is related to the capital …

Before-And-After Analysis Of Safety Improvements On I 75 In Northern Kentucky, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In September 1971, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight met in Covington, Kentucky, to discuss the accident experience and remedial procedures taken to alleviate the frequency of accidents occurring on approximately five miles of I 75 just south of Cincinnati. This section of highway had been and was continuing to be the subject of several safety improvements. The objective of this study was to conduct before-and-after investigations of the effectiveness of the following safety improvement projects: (1) five variable message signs within a two-mile section, (2) a New Jersey-type median barrier wall extending approximately four miles, …

Operational Characteristics Of Lane Drops, Don L. Cornette, Robert C. Deen, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traffic behavior studies were conducted at seven lane-drop locations, representing three lane-drop classes. These studies consisted of conflict observations (that is, erratic movements and brakelight applications), spot-speed observations, and lane volume counts. Such a study was made before and after each different traffic control device installation in an attempt to determine which device was the most effective in minimizing conflicts at existing lane drops. A study of conflict deviations indicates that no single type of traffic control device studied was significantly effective in reducing erratic movement and brakelight rates at all seven lane-drop locations. Rather, it appears that different traffic …

Raised Pavement Markers As A Traffic Control Measure At Lane Drops [No. 418], Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Raised pavement markers are an effective means of reducing erratic movements at lane-drop locations, particularly under nighttime driving conditions. The cost of raised pavement markers and their installation is nominal (approximately $150 per lane-drop location). It is recommended that raised pavement markers be installed at other lane-drop locations. Markers installed at locations described in this study have not been in place for a sufficient time to determine their durability; however, reports from other states indicate their durability is sufficient to render them economical. If raised pavement markers are installed routinely, steps should be taken to insure they are not damaged …

Porous Sand-Asphalt Mixtures, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Size is relative. Densely graded sand-asphalts are relatively similar to conventional, bituminous concretes. Porous sand-asphalts possess the same attributes as other porous, bituminous mixtures. Surely, sand-asphalt mixtures, can be designed to be as porous as the so-called, open-graded plantmix seals. Particle shape and texture otherwise define skid-resistance. Stability remains an assurance against scaling. Stability is assured by maximum utilization of filler-bitumen ratio and the stiffness of asphalt cement.

The Safety Barrier Dilemma, James H. Havens, Don L. Cornette, William M. Seymour

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

"Ran-off-the-road" fatal accidents currently account for approximately 65 percent of all freeway fatalities (1). Accordingly, ever-increasing emphasis has been given to the development of effective safety barrier systems, from guardrails to earth berms to median barriers to energy absorbing barriers and mires. However, highway designers have also recognized that safety barriers are hazards in themselves, misfits in the highway environment, and that they are items to be eliminated wherever possible. In a study of fatal accidents on the Interstate Highway System, it was found that fixed object collisions have been the leading source of fatalities, accounting for 43 percent …

Characteristics Of Outdoor Recreational Travel, Jerry G. Pigman, John A. Deacon, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the characteristics of travel to outdoor recreational areas in Kentucky. Data were obtained by means of a license-plate, origin-destination survey at 160 sites within 42 recreational areas and by means of a continuous vehicle counting program at eight of these sites. A computer algorithm was developed for error detection and subsequent adjustment of the volume data as necessitated by occasional malfunction of the traffic recorders and vandalism. Vehicle occupancy was found to depend of the type of recreational area, distance traveled, and vehicle type. Occupancy increased with increasing distance and was greatest …

Tar Concrete Pavement Construction And Performance, Jerry G. Rose

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In 1969, a 6.6-mile section of relocated KY 15 in Perry and Knott Counties was paved utilizing coal-tar (RT-12) concrete base and surface. This project was authorized under the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 and was designated as experimental as a means of implementing a section of the Act.

Two nearby sections of KY 15, containing asphalt (PAC-5) concrete base and surface, were designated as control sections and used for comparison purposes. With the exception of the bituminous material, the experimental and control sections were purposefully made equal in all other respects. A design soil CBR of 9 was …

A Pavement Design Schema, James H. Havens, Robert C. Deen, Herbert F. Southgate

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Elastic theory and 40 years of empirical flexible pavement design in Kentucky have been joined into the design system presented herein. A brief discussion is presented of the coupling mechanisms relating experience to theoretical analyses. An annotated design procedure is presented as a guide for pavement designers. Design nomographs account for a wide range of input parameters and permit the designer a wide choice of alternative thickness designs.

Mercury-Filled Settlement Gage, Tommy C. Hopkins, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A description is given of a remote sensing, multiple-point, mercury-filled settlement gage designed for measuring in-place settlements. The gage consists of settlement units positioned at locations where settlement measurements are desired and a monitoring unit located outside of construction limits. Settlement readings are observed on a mercury manometer located at the monitoring site and are· equal to the differences in initial and subsequent pressure head readings. Comparisons of measurements obtained at a highway construction site from mercury gage settlement units and conventional settlement platforms are presented and show very good agreement. With the mercury gage, a large amount of settlement …

Elements Of Median Design In Relation To Accident Occurrence, Gordon R. Garner, Robert C. Deen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this study was to compare the accident histories of different median types and to provide verification of generally recommended median widths and slopes. A major limitation of the analyses was the small number of possible combinations of median width and cross slope available for study.

The analyses reported provided evidence from accident histories to support the general requirement that wider medians are safer medians. It was indicated that medians should be a minimum of 30-40 feet wide for high speed facilities and that flat slopes should be provided; 4:1 slopes are inadequate for medians less than 60 …

Spraygrip Anti-Skid Treatments, Kentucky Turnpike, Jerry G. Rose

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Energy Absorption Devices, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

An ironic consequence of modern highways has been the emergence of new types of accidents. Recent investigations (1) have shown that "running off the road" may be the largest, single cause of fatalities on limited access, multilane roads. According to the 1967 Report of the Special AASHO Traffic Safety Committee ("Yellow Book") (2) the rate of accidents in gore areas is approximately four times that of ran-off-the-road accidents at other locations. Gore areas which are not or cannot be modified to provide favorable terrain and unobstructed recovery zones have been recognized as misfits in the environs of the highway. Crash …

Accident And Economic Analyses Of Access Control On Several Bypasses, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In an effort to relieve congestion on urban streets, bypasses have been built to provide through traffic a route by which the downtown areas can be avoided.

In many cases, though, bypasses have created a serious accident potential because they were built with at-grade intersections and no access control. This leads to commercial developments along the bypass and congestion at major intersections. Bypasses were constructed in this manner because of the high initial cost involved in building a bypass with access control and grade-separated interchanges. There is, therefore, a need to determine if the accident cost savings, along with time …

Application Of Gravity And Intervening Opportunities Models To Recreational Travel In Kentucky, Kenneth D. Kaltenbach

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Weekend outdoor recreational travel has a major impact on the highway network in Kentucky. Data from a previous study (1) indicate that the number of people visiting 42 typical Kentucky outdoor recreation areas on an average summer Sunday in 1970 was approximately 260,000. Most of these 42 areas, by virtue of their outdoor nature, are located in rural settings. Most have access to major arterial highways only by means of narrow, low standard rural roads. Traffic generated by the recreation areas and their associated developments severely strains these secondary access highways and places a significant additional load on the rural …

Unstable Embankment: Us 119 Harlan-Pineville Road Stations 1260 To 1265, Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In January I972, an in-depth investigation of an unstable embankment, Figure 1, on US 119 near Station 1262+00 was initiated. The site is approximately five miles southwest of Harlan and near Wilhoit. Figures 2 and 3 show a plan view and a typical cross-section, respectively. US 119 travels on a tangent from Station 1252+16 to 1255+54 in a northerly direction. From that point, the roadway gradually curves four degrees to the east, becoming tangent again near Station 1275+00. At about Station 1258+00, the roadway emerges from a cut, and near Station 1266+00 it reenters a small cut. Between the latter …

Skid Resistance Of Pavements [July 1972], Rolands L. Rizenbergs, James L. Burchett, Cass T. Napier

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Standard pavement types and experimental surfaces on roads throughout Kentucky were evaluated in terms of skid resistance and effects of traffic, wear, and polishing. Friction-vs-speed gradients and the relationships between locked-wheel and incipient friction were determined. Class I bituminous pavements on high-speed, four-lane roads were found to be significantly more skid resistant than on two-lane highways and somewhat more skid resistant than concrete surfaces (especially those containing calcareous gravel aggregates). Sand-asphalt surfaces containing significant proportions of limestone sands showed inadequate level of friction for the traffic sustained. Several experimental sand asphalts without limestone sands exhibited greater skid resistance; Kentucky rock …

High-Intensity Reflective Materials For Signs, Rolands L. Rizenbergs

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The intuitive need for improved sign legibility has increased through the years as traffic volumes, speeds and roadway designs have advanced. Because of increased traffic volumes, low-beam headlight illumination at night has become more imperative. Signs are being located farther from the travelled lanes; higher speeds are requiring messages to be more legible at greater distances (for driver decision and response). Recent studies have indicated that even Engineering Grade (2200 and 3200 Series) Scotchlite or materials designated as Type I, Class A in S.P. No. 89-A, may be inadequate for some signing situations. Signs may be made larger and(or) incorporate …

Proposed Remedies: Unstable Embankment At Mile Post 188 And Channel Erosion At Mile Post 190-191; I 64, Boyd County, David R. Houchin, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Department became aware of fill slippage on I 64 some 300 feet east of mile post 188 during the summer of 1967. In September of that year Mr. L. E. Richardson, Division of Maintenance, and Mr. Gordon D. Scott, Division of Research, made an inspection of the area. Mr. Scott reported cracking of shoulder, movement of the guard rail, and a failure in the berm along the toe. However, subsequent inspections showed the slip to be stabilizing by itself until late in 1970 when some additional movement was observed. In January of 1971, the most conspicuous pavement failure was …

Expansive Limestone Aggregate In A Concrete Pavement, James H. Havens, Assaf S. Rahal

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Recurrent blowups and surface cracking are common symptoms of distress in concrete pavements. Premature appearance of distress symptoms is alarming because the materials used in the concrete become suspect. Criteria for design, quality of materials, and construction are necessarily re-evaluated. Indeed, a dutiful effort to discover the cause(s) and to provide future safeguards is reasonably expected.

The analysis of causative factors besetting I 65-1(13)13 was complicated by an intuitive notion that blowups and surface cracks might be separate and independent problems. The crack pattern resembled the configuration of the wire mesh -- which was vibrated into position after the concrete …

An Operational Analysis Of The I 64, I 65, I 71 Route Junction In Louisville, Jerry G. Pigman, William M. Seymour, Kenneth R. Agent, Don L. Cornette

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kennedy Interchange in Louisville is the most geometrically complicated of any in Kentucky; it is the junction of three interstate routes, I 64, I 65, and I 71. The many diverging, weaving, and merging movements demand a driver's attention. One merging situation collapses into an impasse during peak-hour traffic. This study is responsive to certain inquiries by the Department concerning safety and possible discovery of design deficiencies at this interchange. It was not intended to be an in-depth study but rather an exploratory identification of problems and their locations; more comprehensive studies, by others, would ensue if needed. The …

Comparative Evaluation Of Raygo 404 Vibratory Roller, Jerry D. Ross, Herbert F. Southgate, Donald C. Newberry Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Roller evaluations are rather phenomenological -- that is, one must rely somewhat on observations. Density measurements following each excursion of the compactor may not relate directly to the work done in compressing the layer. When no increase in density is realized, no work is accomplished. Work is defined here in the classical sense. Energy expended without producing an increase in density is wasted. Thereafter, the only way additional classical work can be done on the layer is to reduce density.

The number of excursions necessary to achieve an acceptable or comparable density generally reflects efficiency of the compactor. Much may …

Stress Histories Of Bridge Members From Scratch Gage Records, Ronald D. Hughes

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report describes the use of scratch gages for obtaining strain histories of bridge members. Basic components of the gage are designated and its operation is described in general terms. Stress histories, deduced from strain records, for various members of three bridges obtained through use of the gages are presented. A procedure for use in replicating sections of deteriorated members is described.