Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Making Concrete From Recycled Materials, Jason Ideker

TREC Project Briefs

Making concrete out of recycled concrete aggregate, or RCA, can be a sustainable and cost-saving alternative to other aggregates. However, the quality of concrete made with RCA is dependent on the quality of the recycled material used. OTREC researchers Jason Ideker of Oregon State University and Jennifer Tanner of the University of Wyoming, with graduate student researchers Matthew P. Adams and Angela Jones, sought to determine some of the primary concerns involved with the use of RCA and to arrive at methods of assessing its durability for use in new concrete.

Alkali-silica reaction occurs in concrete over time, causing it …

Testing And Strengthening Bridge Connections, Christopher Higgins, Peter Dusicka, Michael Scott

TREC Project Briefs

Researchers evaluate and improve the strength of gusset plate connections, essential pieces in bridge design that can fail due to buckling.

A Comparative Assessment Of Crowded Source Travel Time Estimates: A Case Study Of Bluetooth Vs Inrix On A Suburban Arterial, Fahad Fasha Alhajri

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Travel time is one of the most widely used measures of traffic performance monitoring for the transportation systems. It is a simple concept that refers to the time required to traverse between two points of interest. Travel time is communicated and used by a wide variety of audience such as commuters, media reporters, and transportation engineers and planners. Recent developments within the wireless communication area made it possible to collect travel time data at a relatively low cost. These emerging technologies include mobile phone based technologies, in-vehicle navigation technologies and automatic vehicle identification technologies. Although these technologies offer a great …

2012 Portland Metropolitan Region Transportation System Performance Report, Robert L. Bertini, Dean George, Matthew Downey

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our transportation system is a key ingredient in the economy, quality of life and urban fabric of the Portland metropolitan area. It has been stated in the past that it is not possible to manage our transportation system tomorrow unless we understand how it is performing today. In this spirit, Portland State University has been working with regional and statewide partners to develop new capabilities to measure, monitor and track the performance of the transportation system in real time and using archived data sources. We believe that it is possible to leverage these disparate data sources toward providing better transportation …

Improving Vehicle Trip Generation Estimations For Urban Contexts: A Method Using Household Travel Surveys To Adjust Ite Trip Generation Rates, Kristina Marie Currans

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research is to develop and test a widely available, ready-to-use method for adjusting the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Handbook vehicle trip generation estimates for urban context using regional household travel survey data. The ITE Handbook has become the predominant method for estimating vehicle trips generated by different land uses or establishment, providing a method for data collection and vehicle trip estimation based on the size of the development (e.g. gross square footage, number of employees, number of dwelling units). These estimates are used in traffic impact analysis to assess the amount of impact …

Exploring Data Quality Of Weigh-In-Motion Systems, Chengxin Dai

Dissertations and Theses

This research focuses on the data quality control methods for evaluating the performance of Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) systems on Oregon highways. This research identifies and develops a new methodology and algorithm to explore the accuracy of each station's weight and spacing data at a corridor level, and further implements the Statistical Process Control (SPC) method, finite mixture model, axle spacing error rating method, and data flag method in published research to examine the soundness of WIM systems. This research employs the historical WIM data to analyze sensor health and compares the evaluation results of the methods. The results suggest the new …

Development, Deployment, And Assessment Of A New Educational Paradigm For Transportation Professionals And University Students, Christopher M. Monsere

TREC Final Reports

Traditionally, engineering coursework has been delivered in a lecture-based format with accompanying exercises assigned for time outside of class. The activity-based approach to learning aims to keep students engaged in and responsible for their own learning processes. This approach has been shown to be more effective than conventional teaching approaches in terms of long-term retention of the educational material.

Reducing Seismic Risk To Highway Mobility: Assessment And Design Examples For Pile Foundations Affected By Lateral Spreading, Scott A. Ashford, Michael H. Scott, Deepak Rayamajhi

TREC Final Reports

Damage in pile supported structures due to liquefaction and liquefaction induced deformation were reported in past earthquakes around the world (e.g., Ansal et al. 1999; Seed et al. 1990; EERI 2010, EERI 2011; GEER 2010a, GEER 2010b, GEER 2011). For example, a reconnaissance report from a recent subduction zone event, the 2010 Chile earthquake (Mw=8.8), showed the pervasive nature of liquefaction and liquefaction-induced lateral spreading damage to bridge foundations (GEER 2010a, Yen et al. 2011). In terms of seismic hazard, the Pacific Northwest shares similar conditions from a Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake source with the expected earthquake magnitude of …

Reliable Travel: Clearer Roads, Cleaner Air, Miguel Figliozzi

TREC Project Briefs

A project explores the importance of travel-time reliability for evaluating the performance of a road network in terms of emissions, traffic and commuters’ route choices.

Protecting Bridges From Earthquake Damage, Peter Dusicka

TREC Project Briefs

Earthquake damage to bridges can have serious effects on a transportation network. When a bridge is out, the damage can go well beyond what is immediately visible: in addition to the cost of repairing it, the state must deal with short-term and long-term interruptions to traffic. These interruptions can delay repair and construction, as well as impacting post earthquake emergency response and causing the loss of valuable time for commuters and freight. To prevent this situation, older bridges (ones that are past an average construction life of about 50 years) should be retrofitted with stronger materials, especially in earthquake- prone …

Experimental Tests And Numerical Analyses Of Steel Truss Bridge Gusset Connections, Christopher Higgins, Peter Dusicka, Michael Scott

TREC Final Reports

The collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota has raised questions regarding the performance and possibly safety of steel truss bridges. The failure investigation indicated that the collapse was due to a design error in the gusset plates used to connect the truss members. The findings also recommend that evaluation of truss connections will be needed, which is a deviation from past practice where only members were considered. Gusset plates connect individual steel truss bridge members together at a node. In 10% of the 200,000 steel bridges in US in 2008, failure of a single truss or connection could …

Operational Guidance For Bicycle-Specific Traffic Signals In The United States, Christopher Monsere, Miguel A. Figliozzi, Sam Thompson, Kirk Paulsen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The research consisted of two phases: 1) a synthesis of practice and 2) and analysis of cyclist performance characteristics. The synthesis of current practice reviewed the literature, current engineering design and operational guidance documents, and surveyed the jurisdictions about their current deployments of bicyclespecific signals. This report summarizes research of cyclist behavior at signalized intersections in Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, Beaverton and Clackamas County, OR. These signals had both bicycle-specific indications and vehicle-only signals. A total of 4,673cyclists were observed. For each cyclist observed arriving on red, a set of descriptive variables were collected (e.g., age, sex, helmet use, presence of …

Seismic Hazard Assessment Of Oregon Highway Truck Routes, Peter Dusicka, Selamawit Tesfayesus Mehary

TREC Final Reports

This research project developed a seismic risk assessment model along the major truck routes in Oregon. The study had adopted federally developed software tools called Risk for Earthquake Damage to Roadway Systems (REDARS2) and HAZUS-MH. The model was the first time REDARS2 has been adopted and used in research outside of the original development team, presenting a number of unique challenges. The development of the model was a complex, intensive process that required a significant research effort, manipulation and adjustment of data. Furthermore, limitations of the software tools themselves had been identified that prevented the inclusion of important aspects such …

Climate Change Impact Assessment For Surface Transportation In The Pacific Northwest And Alaska, John Macarthur, Philip Mote, Miguel A. Figliozzi, Jason Ideker, Ming Lee

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The states in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska region share interconnected transportation networks for people, goods, and services that support the regional economy, mobility, and human safety. Regional weather has and will continue to affect the physical condition and serviceability of these networks, yet the nature of climate changes and their potential impacts on the regional transportation system and its use are very poorly understood. The world’s leading climate scientists, such as the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, have reached consensus that global climate changes are being observed and will continue into the future, particularly increasing temperatures. Given this fact, …

The Relationship Between Vmt And Economic Activity, B. Starr Mcmullen, Nathan Eckstein

TREC Final Reports

Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the U.S. have exhibited an upward trend over time similar to that observed for gross domestic product (GDP) and personal income (PI). While conventional wisdom suggests that economic growth leads to more driving and thus higher VMT, it is theoretically possible that the causation could also be the other way around. If causation is from VMT to GDP, then legislation such as the Federal Surface Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009’s directive to annually reduce national per capita VMT could potentially have an adverse impact on overall economic activity.

This study uses times series …

Future Flooding Impacts On Transportation Infrastructure And Traffic Patterns Resulting From Climate Change, Heejun Chang, Martin Lafrenz, Il-Won Jung, Miguel A. Figliozzi, Rolando Melgoza, David Ruelas, Deena Platman, Cindy Pederson

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated potential impacts of climate change on travel disruption resulting from road closures in two urban watersheds in the Portland metropolitan area. We used ensemble climate change scenarios, a hydrologic model, stream channel survey, a hydraulic model, and a travel forecast model to develop an integrated impact assessment method. High-resolution climate change scenarios are based on the combinations of two emission scenarios and eight general circulation models. The Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System was calibrated and validated for the period 1988-2006, and simulated for determining the probability of floods from 2020-2049. We surveyed stream cross sections at five road crossings …

Refining Greenstep: Impacts Of Vehicle Technologies And Its/Operational Improvements On Travel Speed And Fuel Consumption Curves, Kelly Clifton, Alexander Y. Bigazzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report describes analysis undertaken to establish a method for incorporating traffic operations and ITS strategies into the GreenSTEP model. We first discuss operations impacts on fuel economy and delay from the literature. Then, an investigation of delay adjustments in GreenSTEP shows that different methods of representing delay changes lead to similar (and small) impacts on fuel economy. From this result we establish average speed adjustment by congestion level as the preferred method for incorporating delay effects from operations improvements. An investigation of aggregate traffic operations impacts produces estimates of base speeds without operations improvements, maximum speeds with full operational …

Evaluation Of Safe Routes To School Programs: Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of Parental Decision-Making, Lynn Weigand, Noreen Mcdonald

TREC Final Reports

In the United States, walking to school declined from 42% of 5-18 year olds in 1969 to 16% in 20011. The US Department of Transportation has responded to this dramatic decrease by funding the Safe Routes to School program for $612 million in SAFETEA-LU. The program’s funding emphasize infrastructure improvements such as completing sidewalks and adding crosswalks by requiring between 70% and 90% of funding be allocated toward infrastructure. However, recent research shows that 2 of 3 children who currently are driven to school, but live close enough to walk, do so because it is more convenient for parents. Currently, …

Assessment Of Statewide Intersection Safety Performance, Christopher M. Monsere, Todd Johnson, Karen Dixon, Jianfei Zheng, Ida Schalkwyk

TREC Final Reports

This report summarizes the results of an analysis of the safety performance of Oregon’s intersections. Following a pilot study, a database of 500 intersections randomly sampled from around the state of Oregon in both urban and rural environments was assembled. These intersections were categorized into eight types based on number of legs (3 and 4), land use (urban or rural) and traffic control (signalized or minor stop-control). These categories were chosen to align with the intersection types in AASHTO’s recently released Highway Safety Manual (HSM). Geometric and traffic control elements were supplemented by compiling crash data and volumes on the …

Case Study Evaluation Of Dynamic Traffic Assignment Tools, John Gliebe, Åsa Bergman

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

A case study was undertaken in order to evaluate the potential use of dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) tools by Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and its partner agencies. The objectives of this study were to provide insight into the nature of DTA models, to inform the program selection process, and to develop realistic expectations for potential DTA work plans. The overarching goal of this report is to describe the process followed and experiences of the study team in developing and testing DTA network models. Two available DTA programs were selected for in-depth analysis from a preliminary screening of available programs: …

Highway Safety Investigation Manual For The Oregon Department Of Transportation, Karen Dixon, Christopher Monsere

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Across the state, region, and nation highway safety investigators have developed a wide variety of tools and techniques for highway safety investigation procedures. Analysis techniques can range from systematic evaluation approaches such as the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT’s) Safety Priority Index System (SPIS) down to specific localized safety assessment strategies. It is important to develop consistent methods for safety evaluations across Oregon to ensure that safety investigations are conducted in a similar manner. It is also important to develop a screening process for proper highway safety investigations and document the procedures used for this assessment.

The objective of this …

Freight Performance Measures: Approach Analysis, B. Starr Mcmullen, Christopher M. Monsere

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report reviews the existing state of the art and also the state of the practice of freight performance measurement. Most performance measures at the state level have aimed at evaluating highway or transit infrastructure performance with an emphasis on passenger transportation. Freight performance measurement ultimately requires evaluation of performance of the entire freight transportation system, which includes highways, waterways, rail, air, and modal connections. This requires considerable expansion of thinking beyond the traditional focus of state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) on highway performance.

This project builds upon past and current work in the area of freight performance measurement and …

Instrumentation For Mechanistic Design Implementation, Todd Scholz

TREC Final Reports

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Pavement Services Unit is in the process of implementing a new pavement design procedure being developed under the sponsorship of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Fatigue cracking is a key distress mechanism that is predicted as part of the overall process using a theoretical model calibrated to empirical data. Tensile strain at the underside of the hot-mix asphalt pavement layers induced by truck axle loads is, in turn, a key input into the fatigue cracking model. In the new design procedure tensile strain is predicted utilizing a layered elastic analysis …

Seismic Vulnerability Of Oregon State Highway Bridges: Mitigation Strategies To Reduce Major Mobility Risks, Albert Nako, Craig Shike, Jan Six, Bruce Johnson, Peter Dusicka, Selamawit Tesfayesus Mehary

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Oregon Department of Transportation and Portland State University evaluated the seismic vulnerability of state highway bridges in western Oregon. The study used a computer program called REDARS2 that simulated the damage to bridges within a transportation network. It predicted ground motions for a specific location and magnitude of earthquake, resulting bridge damage and the cost of the damage, as well as the cost to the public for traffic delays due to detours around damaged bridges. Estimated damage and delay costs were presented for major highways in the region.

Developing Corridor-Level Truck Travel Time Estimates And Other Freight Performance Measures From Archived Its Data, Christopher M. Monsere, Michael Wolfe, Heba Alawakiel, Max Taylor Stephens

TREC Final Reports

The objectives of this research were to retrospectively study the feasibility for using truck transponder data to produce freight corridor performance measures (travel times) and real-time traveler information. To support this analysis, weigh-in-motion data from each of the twenty-two stations in Oregon were assembled, processed, and uploaded in the WIM data archive is housed under the Portland Transportation Archive Listing (PORTAL) umbrella at Portland State University’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab. Nearly 42,000,000 truck records were successful uploaded to the archive dating back to July 2005. Two separate algorithms necessary for this research were scripted, tested, and validated. The closest stations …

A Strategy For Reducing The Impact Of Driving Under Influence Of Intoxicants In Portland, Oregon, Christopher Monsere, Delia Chi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) applies to operating a vehicle under the influence of any substance that can impair driving performance. Nationally and locally there is a strong desire to reduce the societal impacts of this significant social problem. The trend in U.S. alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes was generally decreasing in the mid to late 1980’s but has remained fairly flat since the early 1990s. In 1982, approximately 60% of all US traffic fatalities were alcohol-related. By 1994, this had decreased to 43% but in the decade that followed it has changed little. In 2005, nearly 39% of …

Improving Arterial Performance Measurement Using Traffic Signal System Data, Michael Wolfe, Christopher Monsere, Peter Koonce, Robert L. Bertini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The characterization of the performance of freeways in real time and on a historical basis has been successfully achieved for many years. The ability to characterize arterial performance has been more elusive. Currently numerous applications of traffic management and traveler information systems include freeways but lack the ability to extend their operation to major arterials. This paper describes methods for quantifying arterial performance using data from signal system loop detectors. Included in the array of metrics are traffic density, total delay, predicted travel time, and signal coordination effectiveness. Methods for determining performance in these areas are adapted for use in …

Evaluating And Adaptive Signal Control System In Gresham, James M. Peters, Jay Mccoy, Robert L. Bertini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cities and Counties are faced with increasing traffic congestion due to rapidly increasing population. Like many agencies, the City of Gresham has struggled with how to manage the increasing congestion with limited funds for major roadway widening projects. Gresham has recognized the need to optimize existing system capacity to get the most out of their current transportation system infrastructure investment.

In 2005, the City of Gresham, in cooperation with numerous agencies in the Portland metropolitan area, evaluated a variety of signal control systems including traditional time-of-day coordination, traffic responsive, and adaptive signal control systems. Based on that evaluation, the steering …

Enhancing Targeted Traffic Enforcement Efforts In Portland, Oregon, Max Coffman, Christopher Monsere

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Enforcement is a key component of any comprehensive traffic safety program, and through a unique effort the Portland Office of Transportation (PDOT) partners with schools, the court system, community groups and the Police Bureau to develop a coordinated citywide program to improve traffic safety. However, like many government agencies, the Police Bureau faces constraints that limit the resources it can devote to traffic safety. In response, PDOT and the Police Bureau’s Traffic Division have instituted a program of Strategic and Focused Enforcement (SAFE) to better allocate limited traffic safety personnel and resources. Using historical crash data, PDOT identified 30 high …

Gis Address-Matching And Transportation Analysis, James D. Orrell

Dissertations and Theses

Geographic Information System (GIS) address-matching combined with other GIS processing offers new analytical opportunities in the area of transportation planning and analysis. Address-matching, an automated method for generating geographically-referenced (geocoded) point locations on a map from common tabular databases, can facilitate transportation analysis by providing a planning tool based on individual rather than aggregated spatial distributions more common to transportation issues.

This thesis presents a case study in which GIS address-matching was I applied to a transportation problem at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. The transportation problem at OHSU is common to major employment centers in urban …