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University of Nebraska - Lincoln

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Articles 241 - 270 of 436

Full-Text Articles in Civil Engineering

The Use Of Cell Phone Network Data In Traffic Data Collection And Long-Haul Truckshed (Geographic Extent) Tracking, Ming-Heng Wang, Steven D. Schrock, Nate Vander Broek, Thomas Mulinazzi Jan 2012

The Use Of Cell Phone Network Data In Traffic Data Collection And Long-Haul Truckshed (Geographic Extent) Tracking, Ming-Heng Wang, Steven D. Schrock, Nate Vander Broek, Thomas Mulinazzi

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This study analyzed the potential of cell phone positioning techniques in freight truck data collection and long-haul truckshed (geographic extent) tracking. Freight truck identification and tracking algorithms were developed by means of cell phone network data and the established freight truck analysis GIS, to recognize freight trucks and determine their geographic extent (trucksheds). A case study was conducted to illustrate the truckshed tracking process and verify the tracking results from the cell phone network. Cell phones leaving from the test logistics distribution center were tracked and classified based on the developed tracking algorithms. The case study also demonstrated the processes …

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Onsite Use Of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Materials And Geocells To Reconstruct Pavements Damaged By Heavy Trucks, Jie Han Ph.D., P.E., Bhagaban Acharya, Jitendra K. Thakur, Robert Parsons Ph.D., P.E. Jan 2012

Onsite Use Of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Materials And Geocells To Reconstruct Pavements Damaged By Heavy Trucks, Jie Han Ph.D., P.E., Bhagaban Acharya, Jitendra K. Thakur, Robert Parsons Ph.D., P.E.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Asphalt pavements deteriorate with traffic (especially heavy trucks) and time. Maintenance and overlaying may solve minor to medium pavement distress problems. When the condition of a pavement becomes badly deteriorated, reconstruction of the pavement may become an economic and feasible solution. Reconstruction of a pavement requires removal of pavement surfaces. On-site use of recycled asphalt pavement materials has obvious benefits from economic, to environmental, to sustainability points of view. One attractive option is to use recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) materials as base courses with a thin new overlay. However, RAP has its limitations; for example, it creeps under a sustained …

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Initial Study And Verification Of A Distributed Fiber Optic Corrosion Monitoring System For Transportation Structures, Hai Xiao Ph.D., Genda Chen, Zhan Gao Ph.D., Ying Huang Ph.D, Fujian Tang Ph.D. Jan 2012

Initial Study And Verification Of A Distributed Fiber Optic Corrosion Monitoring System For Transportation Structures, Hai Xiao Ph.D., Genda Chen, Zhan Gao Ph.D., Ying Huang Ph.D, Fujian Tang Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

For this study, a novel optical fiber sensing system was developed and tested for the monitoring of corrosion in transportation systems. The optical fiber sensing system consists of a reference long period fiber gratings (LPFG) sensor for corrosive environmental monitoring and a LPFG sensor coated with a thin film of nano iron and silica particles for steel corrosion monitoring. The environmental effects (such as pH and temperature) are compensated by the use of the reference LPFG sensor. The sensor design, simulation, and experimental validation were performed in this study to investigate the feasibility of the proposed sensing system for corrosion …

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Offset Right-Turn Lanes For Improved Intersection Sight Distance Final Report, Karen Schurr P.E., Timothy J. Foss Jr. Jan 2012

Offset Right-Turn Lanes For Improved Intersection Sight Distance Final Report, Karen Schurr P.E., Timothy J. Foss Jr.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Many transportation agencies have started using offset right-turn lanes (ORTLs) at two-way stop-controlled intersections in the hope of improving driver safety by providing intersection departure sight distance triangles that eliminate through roadway right-turning vehicle obstructions. Currently, there are no specific geometric guidelines for key three-dimensional characteristics to allow drivers the optimal use of laterally-shifted right-turn lanes. Results of driver behavior studies at existing locations of offset right-turns lanes indicate that drivers are not performing as expected at parallel-type ORTLs, rendering its presence useless. Tapered-type ORTLs appear to be much more intuitive to driver expectancy and appropriate for the three-dimensional characteristics …

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Monitoring The Effects Of Knickpoint Erosion On Bridge Pier And Abutment Structural Damage Due To Scour, Thanos Papanicolaou, David M. Admiraal, Christopher Wilson, Clark W. Kephart Jan 2012

Monitoring The Effects Of Knickpoint Erosion On Bridge Pier And Abutment Structural Damage Due To Scour, Thanos Papanicolaou, David M. Admiraal, Christopher Wilson, Clark W. Kephart

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The goal of this study was to conduct a field-oriented evaluation, coupled with advanced laboratory techniques, of channel degradation in a stream of the Deep Loess Region of western Iowa, namely, Mud Creek. The Midwestern United States is an ideal place for such a study, considering that approximately $1 billion of infrastructure and farmland has been lost recently to channel degradation. A common form of channel degradation in this region is associated with the formation of knickpoints, which naturally manifest as short waterfalls within the channel that migrate upstream. As flow plunges over a knickpoint face, scouring of the downstream …

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Development Of A Methodology For Assessment Of Crash Costs At Highway- Rail Grade Crossings In Nebraska, Aemal Khattak, Eric Thompson Jan 2012

Development Of A Methodology For Assessment Of Crash Costs At Highway- Rail Grade Crossings In Nebraska, Aemal Khattak, Eric Thompson

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

An accurate measure of crash costs is required to support effective decision-making about transportation investments. In particular, underinvestment will occur if measurement fails to capture the full cost of crashes. Such mis-measurement and underinvestment may be occurring in the case of crashes at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs). HRGC crash costs can be substantial because of the severity of crashes. However, another important potential cost is the disruption to the transportation and logistics system. Existing methodologies capture the first set of costs but often fail to fully capture the second set. This research provides a standardized methodology for assessing the expected …

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Safety Improvements At Highway-Railroad Crossing For Pedestrians And Bicyclists And The Assessment Of Long- Term Effects Of Centerline Curbing, Aemal Khattak, Zheng Luo Jan 2012

Safety Improvements At Highway-Railroad Crossing For Pedestrians And Bicyclists And The Assessment Of Long- Term Effects Of Centerline Curbing, Aemal Khattak, Zheng Luo

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The focus of the research reported herein was on assessing the long-term effectiveness of median barriers at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs), the impacts of barrier maintenance in resurrecting safety, and on exploring and assessing ways to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety at HRGCs. Nebraska has about 7,000 HRGCs and each one represents a potential conflict point among trains and highway users, i.e., motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Safety at HRGCs is compromised when highway users resort to unsafe maneuvers, such as passing around closed gates when trains are approaching. Gate-related violations by motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists were studied at three selected …

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Implementation Of Warm-Mix Asphalt Mixtures In Nebraska Pavements, Yong-Rak Kim, Jun Zhang, Hoki Ban Jan 2012

Implementation Of Warm-Mix Asphalt Mixtures In Nebraska Pavements, Yong-Rak Kim, Jun Zhang, Hoki Ban

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of several WMA mixtures as potential asphalt paving mixtures for Nebraska pavements. To that end, three well-known WMA additives (i.e., Sasobit, Evotherm, and Advera synthetic zeolite) were evaluated. For a more realistic evaluation of the WMA approaches, trial pavement sections of the WMA mixtures and their HMA counterparts were implemented in Antelope County, Nebraska. More than one ton of field-mixed loose mixtures was collected at the time of paving and was transported to the NDOR and UNL laboratories to conduct comprehensive laboratory evaluations and pavement performance predictions of the …

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Speed Limit Recommendation In Vicinity Of Signalized, High-Speed Intersection, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Laurence Rilett Ph.D., Zifeng Wu M.S., Shefang Wang Jan 2012

Speed Limit Recommendation In Vicinity Of Signalized, High-Speed Intersection, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Laurence Rilett Ph.D., Zifeng Wu M.S., Shefang Wang

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This report presents the results of Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) research project SPR-P1 (11) M307, which evaluated the traffic operations and safety effects of 5 mph and 10 mph speed limit reductions in the vicinity of high-speed, signalized intersections with advance warning flashers (AWF). The methodology involved two studies: 1) field study of the impact of speed limit reduction at seven high-speed intersections, 2) crash analysis using the 10-year history from 28 high-speed intersections. In the field study, traffic operational effects of the reduced speed limits were analyzed for seven high-speed, signalized intersections with AWF, using the Quantile regression …

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Assessing The Structural, Driver And Economic Impacts Of Traffic Pole Mounted Wind Power Generator And Solar Panel Hybrid System, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Justice Appiah Ph.D., Scott K. Rosenbaugh Jan 2012

Assessing The Structural, Driver And Economic Impacts Of Traffic Pole Mounted Wind Power Generator And Solar Panel Hybrid System, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Justice Appiah Ph.D., Scott K. Rosenbaugh

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This project evaluates the physical and economic feasibility of using existing traffic infrastructure to mount wind power generators. Some possible places to mount a light weight wind generator and solar panel hybrid system are: i) Traffic signal pole and ii) Street Light pole. Traffic signal poles can themselves have multiple designs depending on type of mount (mast arm vs. span wire) and the width of the intersection (load carried) etc. The close proximity of street light poles and traffic signal poles to the traffic cabinets, which can be used for storing the battery banks, make them good candidates to mount …

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Concrete Surface With Nano-Particle Additives For Improved Wearing Resistance To Increasing Truck Traffic, Genda Chen, Dongming Yan Ph.D., Chenglin Wu Ph.D., Nicholas Leventis Ph.D, Shruti Mahadik Ph.D., Zhibin Lin Ph.D Jan 2012

Concrete Surface With Nano-Particle Additives For Improved Wearing Resistance To Increasing Truck Traffic, Genda Chen, Dongming Yan Ph.D., Chenglin Wu Ph.D., Nicholas Leventis Ph.D, Shruti Mahadik Ph.D., Zhibin Lin Ph.D

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This study focused on the use of nanotechnology in concrete to improve the wearing resistance of concrete. The nano materials used were polymer cross-linked aerogels, carbon nanotubes, and nano-SiO2, nano-CaCO3, and nano-Al2O3 particles. As an indirect measurement of the concrete wearing resistance, the tensile and compressive properties and the permeability of concrete were evaluated for various mix designs. The optimal amount of nano material additives were determined following the American Society of Testing Methods (ASTM) standard test methodologies. The test results from the materials were compared for their mechanical behaviors. This type of technology may potentially improve the comfort level …

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Pilot Study On Rugged Fiber Optic Brillouin Sensors For Large-Strain Measurements To Ensure The Safety Of Transportation Structures, Genda Chen, Zhi Zhou, Hai Xiao, Ying Huang Jan 2012

Pilot Study On Rugged Fiber Optic Brillouin Sensors For Large-Strain Measurements To Ensure The Safety Of Transportation Structures, Genda Chen, Zhi Zhou, Hai Xiao, Ying Huang

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Brillouin-scattering Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (BOTDR) is a viable technology for simultaneous, distributed strain and temperature measurements for miles-long transportation structures. It is a promising tool to ensure the smooth operation and safety of bridge structures that are key links in surface transportation networks or between various transportation modes: i.e., from airport to train station. Currently, telecom-grade optical fibers are widely used in civil engineering for strain and temperature measurements. These fibers are very fragile and easy to break during installation and measurement. In order to understand the ultimate behavior of structures, more rugged optical fibers such as carbon/polyimide coated …

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Use Of Fiber Bragg Grating (Fbg) Sensors For Performing Automated Bridge Pier Structural Damage Detection And Scour Monitoring, A.N. Thanos Papnicolaou Ph.D., Achilleas Tsakiris Jan 2012

Use Of Fiber Bragg Grating (Fbg) Sensors For Performing Automated Bridge Pier Structural Damage Detection And Scour Monitoring, A.N. Thanos Papnicolaou Ph.D., Achilleas Tsakiris

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors able to detect impacts with different frequencies on a bridge pier. The FBG technology was evaluated under controlled conditions in a laboratory flume set-up to mimic the flow, sediment, and design characteristics of a pier structure. The system was calibrated using site-specific properties to relate strain to a known magnitude force for different bridge pier designs, different scour depths, and structural impacts. The FBGs proved a reliable measure of strain and displacement for key components of bridge structures, such as piers, during varying flow …

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Improving Freight Fire Safety: Experiment Testing And Computer Modeling To Further Development Of Mist-Controlling Additives For Fire Mitigation, Albert Ratner Ph.D., University Of Iowa Jan 2012

Improving Freight Fire Safety: Experiment Testing And Computer Modeling To Further Development Of Mist-Controlling Additives For Fire Mitigation, Albert Ratner Ph.D., University Of Iowa

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

With the purpose to minimize or prevent crash-induced fires in road and rail transportation, the current interest in bio-derived and blended transportation fuels is increasing. Based on two years of preliminary testing and analysis, it appears to be clear that polymeric additives may be added to diesel fuel to mitigate the formation of fine mists while allow regular flow through the fuel system. In this work, computer modeling was adapted as a fast and cost-effective methodology to identify the target range where polymeric additives could impact the shear-thickening effect on fuels. The Volume of Fraction (VOF) method was used within …

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Transportation Impacts Of The Chicago River Closure To Prevent An Asian Carp Infestation, Aaron Strong Ph.D., Nikhil Sikka Ph.D., Lindsay Salvatore Ph.D. Jan 2012

Transportation Impacts Of The Chicago River Closure To Prevent An Asian Carp Infestation, Aaron Strong Ph.D., Nikhil Sikka Ph.D., Lindsay Salvatore Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This project develops a simple linear programming model of the Upper Midwest regions rail transportation network to test whether a closure of the Chicago River to freight traffic would impact the capacity constraint of the rail system. The result suggest that the rail network in the Upper Midwest regions are nowhere near approaching capacity and that a closure would have little impact on the rail network. Two noteworthy sets of commodities may be adversely affected, cereal grains and other agricultural product and gravel and crushed stone.

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Calibration Of Microsimulation Models For Multimodal Freight Networks, Justice Appiah Ph.D., P.E., Bhaven Naik, Scott Sorensen Jan 2012

Calibration Of Microsimulation Models For Multimodal Freight Networks, Justice Appiah Ph.D., P.E., Bhaven Naik, Scott Sorensen

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This research presents a framework for incorporating the unique operating characteristics of multi-modal freight networks into the calibration process for microscopic traffic simulation models. Because of the nature of heavy freight movements in US DOT Region VII (Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas), the focus of the project is on trucks or heavy gross vehicles (HGV). In particular, a genetic algorithm (GA) based optimization technique was developed and used to find optimum parameter values for the vehicle performance model used by “Verkehr In Staedten-SIMulationmodell (VISSIM)”, a widely used microscopic traffic simulation software. At present, the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), which is the …

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Phase I Development Of An Aesthetic, Precast Concrete Bridge Rail, Ronald K. Faller, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Robert W. Bielenberg, Dean L. Sicking, John D. Reid Jan 2012

Phase I Development Of An Aesthetic, Precast Concrete Bridge Rail, Ronald K. Faller, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Robert W. Bielenberg, Dean L. Sicking, John D. Reid

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Precast concrete bridge rail systems offer several advantages over traditional cast-in-place rail designs, including reduced construction time and costs, installation in a wide range of environmental conditions, easier maintenance and repair, improved railing quality, and greater flexibility for aesthetic treatments. The objective of this project was to develop a precast concrete bridge rail system that met the TL-4 impact safety standards provided in MASH. The design criteria for the new bridge rail system included criteria for barrier geometry, provisions for open and closed rail options, constructability, weight limitations, segment length, design impact loads, connection of barrier segments, and connection to …

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Truck Safety At Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, Aemal Khattak, Miao Gao Jan 2012

Truck Safety At Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, Aemal Khattak, Miao Gao

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Safety at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGC) is a major concern for different agencies because increasing highway and rail traffic presents a greater risk of crashes at these locations. In 2008, there were 2,391 crashes and 523 fatalities reported at grade crossings across the U.S. Of these, 187 crashes were reported in Nebraska, including 35 involving trucks with trailers and 10 involving trucks only. At gated crossings, gate-related violations by truck drivers are a primary cause of collisions between trains and trucks. The objectives of this research were to report on the frequency and type of gate violations by truck drivers …

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Assessing The Risk Of Crash For Trucks On Onset Yellow, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Nathaniel P. Burnett Jan 2012

Assessing The Risk Of Crash For Trucks On Onset Yellow, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Nathaniel P. Burnett

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Each day, millions of signal changes to the yellow phase occur at isolated high speed intersections, when erroneous driver decisions to stop or go may often lead to a crash. Dilemma zone protection systems are typically used to control these intersections in order to ensure the safe and efficient movement of vehicles. However, traditional dilemma zone protection systems show deterioration in performance during medium to heavy traffic volume conditions, jeopardizing both the safety and efficiency of intersections. The performance of these control systems for heavy vehicles is even more greatly affected, as traditional dilemma zone boundaries were developed for passenger …

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Effect Of Freeway Level Of Service And Driver Education On Truck Driver Stress - Phase 1, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Senem Velipasalar Ph.D., Sanjay Singh M.D., Dave Engel B.S., Sunil Gyawali Ph.D. Jan 2012

Effect Of Freeway Level Of Service And Driver Education On Truck Driver Stress - Phase 1, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Senem Velipasalar Ph.D., Sanjay Singh M.D., Dave Engel B.S., Sunil Gyawali Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This research primarily deals with truck driver stress and its nature, stressors, and their mutual relationship. During the study, the different demands of driving that are related to roads, vehicle, traffic conditions, driver predisposition to stress and the surrounding environmental conditions were explored. The two distinct clusters of ―Low Stress level‖ and ―High Stress level‖ were identified in the stress distribution. The binary logistic regression method was used to relate these two conditions of stress with wide range of stressors. The result found that truck driver training was a statistically significant factor in predicting the low stress level. Other statistically …

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Intellidrive Technology Based Yellow Onset Decision Assistance System For Trucks, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Nathaniel Burnett, Sepideh S. Aria Ph.D. Jan 2012

Intellidrive Technology Based Yellow Onset Decision Assistance System For Trucks, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Nathaniel Burnett, Sepideh S. Aria Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Erroneous decisions by drivers to stop or go at the onset of yellow can lead to incidences of premature stopping or red light running, which in turn can cause severe rear end or right angle collisions. Because trucks or busses are relatively less maneuverable, have lower available acceleration and lower comfortable deceleration rates, and have a higher line of sight than do passenger vehicles, the risk of crashes is higher for trucks than other vehicles upon stop or go situations. Dilemma zone protection systems are used at high speed intersection s to enhance safety; however, such systems are generally designed …

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Cable Median Barrier Failure Analysis And Prevention, Dean L. Sicking, Cody S. Stolle Jan 2012

Cable Median Barrier Failure Analysis And Prevention, Dean L. Sicking, Cody S. Stolle

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Cross-median crashes have been identified as one of the highest injury or fatality risk crash types. Although crossmedian crashes account for only 2% to 5% of all median crash events, they are disproportionately represented in the number and frequency of fatalities on interstate roadways. Many states have utilized cable median barriers to reduce the risk of cross-median crashes, frequently with great success. However, cable median barriers are also fixed obstacles to errant vehicles. Cable median barriers can place occupants at increased risk of severe injury or fatality if the barrier fails to adequately contain and redirect errant vehicles, resulting in …

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Feasibility Of Integrating Natural And Constructed Wetlands In Roadway Drainage System Design, John S. Stansbury, Massom Moussavi, Tian Zhang Jan 2012

Feasibility Of Integrating Natural And Constructed Wetlands In Roadway Drainage System Design, John S. Stansbury, Massom Moussavi, Tian Zhang

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Stormwater from roadways could have negative effects on the environment and aquatic ecosystems. Typical highway runoff pollutants include solids; heavy metals, particularly cadmium, copper, and zinc; petroleum hydrocarbons; gasoline constituents; PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons); oxygen demanding compounds measured as COD (chemical oxygen demand) and BOD (biochemical oxygen demand); and road salts. Roadway runoff falls under the legislation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) via the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). CWA regulates discharge of nonpoint source pollutants, such as roadway runoff, by issuing permits to public entities which manage Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s). Part of the Nebraska Department …

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Characteristics And Contributory Causes Related To Large Truck Crashes - Phase Ii, Sundanda Dissanayake Ph.D., P.E., Siddhartha Kotikalapudi Jan 2012

Characteristics And Contributory Causes Related To Large Truck Crashes - Phase Ii, Sundanda Dissanayake Ph.D., P.E., Siddhartha Kotikalapudi

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Statistics clearly demonstrate that large-truck crashes contribute to a significant percentage of high-severity crashes. It is therefore important for the highway safety community to identify the characteristics and contributory causes of these types of crashes. The first phase of the current research endeavor examined fatal crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database. In the second phase, presented in the current report, truck-crashes of all severity levels were analyzed with the intention of understanding characteristics and contributory causes, as well as identifying factors contributing to increased severity of truck-crashes. This goal could not be achieved by analyzing fatal …

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Improving Safety Of The Surface Transportation System By Addressing The Issues Of Vulnerable Road Users: Case Of The Motorcyclists, Sundanda Dissanayake Ph.D., P.E., Mohammad Saad B. Shaheed Jan 2012

Improving Safety Of The Surface Transportation System By Addressing The Issues Of Vulnerable Road Users: Case Of The Motorcyclists, Sundanda Dissanayake Ph.D., P.E., Mohammad Saad B. Shaheed

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Over the past few years, motorcycle fatalities have increased at an alarming rate in the United States. Motorcycle safety issues in Kansas are no different from the national scenario. Accordingly, this study examines motorcycle crashes in Kansas in order to identify and evaluate critical crash-related factors and subsequent impacts on motorcycle crash injury outcomes. State-level motorcycle rider fatality rates were investigated while considering various factors including helmet laws, using generalized least-squares regression modeling. A detailed characteristic analysis was carried out for motorcycle crashes, using Kansas crash data. Comparisons were made between several aspects of motorcycle crashes and other vehicle crashes. …

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Evaluation Of Large Truck Crashes At Horizontal Curves On Two-Lane Rural Highways In Kansas, Eric J. Fitzsimmons Ph.D., Steven Shruck Ph.D., P.E., Tomas E. Lindheimer Jan 2012

Evaluation Of Large Truck Crashes At Horizontal Curves On Two-Lane Rural Highways In Kansas, Eric J. Fitzsimmons Ph.D., Steven Shruck Ph.D., P.E., Tomas E. Lindheimer

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between roadway and environment-related factors and truck crash severity at horizontal curves located on rural, two-lane state highways in Kansas. Single vehicle truck crashes and multi-vehicle crashes involving at least one truck were extracted from the Kansas Department of Transportation’s crash and roadway databases for the years 2006-2010, resulting in 452 crash records. Descriptive statistics and 95 percent confidence intervals were constructed for an odds ratio analysis comparing single-vehicle truck crashes to multi-vehicle crashes involving at least one truck for the variables that were included in both databases. Overall, the …

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A Preliminary Appraisal Of The Safety And Operational Effects On The Regional Transportation System Caused By New Rail- Truck Intermodal Facilities, Thomas E. Mullinazzi, Steven D. Schrock, Eric J. Fitzsimmons, Robert A. Rescot Jan 2012

A Preliminary Appraisal Of The Safety And Operational Effects On The Regional Transportation System Caused By New Rail- Truck Intermodal Facilities, Thomas E. Mullinazzi, Steven D. Schrock, Eric J. Fitzsimmons, Robert A. Rescot

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Potential for impacts to a small Kansas city were evaluated in light of a planned rail to truck intermodal facility. The city of Edgerton, Kansas, was selected for an intermodal terminal in 2006 by a Class I railroad due to its regional proximity to the Kansas City market and market conditions favorable to such a facility. Through an analysis of various reports and literature along with original traffic, railroad, and environmental data, along with citizen feedback, the framework was laid to be able to compare the impacts of the facility to a snapshot in time prior to its opening.

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Earmarked Revenues And Spending Volatility: The Case Of Highway Finance, Phuong Nguyen-Hoang Ph.D., William Duncombe Ph.D. Jan 2012

Earmarked Revenues And Spending Volatility: The Case Of Highway Finance, Phuong Nguyen-Hoang Ph.D., William Duncombe Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Over the last decade, state governments have experienced two recessions (including the recent “Great Recession”) which have resulted in significant disruptions in state budgets and highlighted the volatility of the personal income tax and general sales tax. Since infrastructure maintenance funding may be particularly vulnerable to budget cuts during recessions, it is important to identify more stable revenue sources and budgetary institutions. One of the distinguishing characteristics of highway finance in the United States is the heavy use of earmarked revenues linked to highway users. Our key research question is whether an increase in the share of highway funding from …

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Determining The Stresses In Steel Railroad-Track Rails Due To Freight Movements Using Non-Contact Laser-Speckle, Robert Peterman Ph.D., P.E., Rob Murphy, Weixin Zhao Ph.D. Jan 2012

Determining The Stresses In Steel Railroad-Track Rails Due To Freight Movements Using Non-Contact Laser-Speckle, Robert Peterman Ph.D., P.E., Rob Murphy, Weixin Zhao Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This research was aimed at developing a procedure to determine the existing stresses in steel rails used in railroad tracks. These stresses are caused by the combination of both thermal restraint and physical/mechanical loads. However, since the track sections are installed at various temperatures and then continuously welded together and secured to wood or concrete ties, the stresses existing in the track at any given time are currently unknown. In fact, not only the magnitude of stress is unknown, but also the basic knowledge about whether the rails are in tension or compression at a given time. Since the stresses …

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Optimal Advance Detector Location For Green Termination Systems On High-Speed Isolated Rural Intersections, Lili Du, Anuj Sharma, Srinivas Peeta Jan 2012

Optimal Advance Detector Location For Green Termination Systems On High-Speed Isolated Rural Intersections, Lili Du, Anuj Sharma, Srinivas Peeta

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study seeks to identify the optimal location of an advance point traffic detector (APTD) to support green termination algorithms for enhanced dilemma zone protection systems at high-speed isolated signalized rural intersections. This is done by developing a nonlinear optimization model with the objective to maximize the opportunities to predict empty dilemma zones during a look-ahead time period subject to the prediction accuracy which is manifested through prediction efficiency and safety constraints in the model. The distance of the APTD from the stop bar of the intersection represents the decision variable. The Golden-Section line search algorithm combined with numerical integration …

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