Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Transportation System Vulnerability And Resilience To Extreme Weather Events And Other Natural Hazards — Final Results Of Vulnerability Assessment Of National Highway System For All Kytc Districts, Benjamin L. Blandford, Scott Schurman, Candice Y. Wallace

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Recent federal legislation and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have directed state transportation agencies to identify potential vulnerabilities associated with extreme weather events and climate change, develop a risk-based asset management plan, and incorporate findings into transportation planning, design, and maintenance practices. The Kentucky Transportation Center and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet developed and led district-level workshops to elicit local expert knowledge on asset vulnerabilities to natural hazards. Combining the results of these workshops with analysis of available data on assets and hazards, they then performed a natural hazard vulnerability assessment of the state’s National Highway System (NHS) for each of Kentucky’s …

Impact Of Seasonal Tree-Cutting Restrictions On Construction Bids, Christopher W. Van Dyke, Steven Waddle, Bryan Gibson, Sarah M. Mccormack, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Many of the maintenance and construction projects undertaken by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) span late spring to early fall (April–October), with this period’s long days, abundant sunshine, and relatively dry conditions being ideal for performing work and minimizing delays from inclement weather. But this compressed timeline for accomplishing work introduces other challenges. Specifically, many of KYTC’s maintenance and construction activities can potentially impact summer habitat of the Indiana bat, which is listed as an endangered species. Removing trees classified as Indiana bat habitat is allowed, however, to do so the Cabinet is required to pay a mitigation fee. The …

Sensor Technologies For Intelligent Transportation Systems, Juan Guerrero-Ibáñez, Sherali Zeadally, Juan Contreras-Castillo

Information Science Faculty Publications

Modern society faces serious problems with transportation systems, including but not limited to traffic congestion, safety, and pollution. Information communication technologies have gained increasing attention and importance in modern transportation systems. Automotive manufacturers are developing in-vehicle sensors and their applications in different areas including safety, traffic management, and infotainment. Government institutions are implementing roadside infrastructures such as cameras and sensors to collect data about environmental and traffic conditions. By seamlessly integrating vehicles and sensing devices, their sensing and communication capabilities can be leveraged to achieve smart and intelligent transportation systems. We discuss how sensor technology can be integrated with the …

Longer Lasting Bridge Deck Overlays, David Q. Hunsucker, Kean H. Ashurst Jr., Brad W. Rister, David L. Allen, Eileen Grady

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this report is to determine the most effective method for bridge deck overlay construction and repair by assessing current practices; examining new products and technologies; and reviewing NCHRP (National Cooperative Highway Research Program) guidelines, state standard specifications, ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) infrastructure ratings, and original bridge core chloride penetration data. Based on the review, this report offers the following conclusions. Latex modified concrete (LMC) overlays perform well, provide a long service life, and are the most commonly used method of bridge deck rehabilitation. Ohio considers microsilica concrete (MSC) overlays as state of the art due …

Redefining Commercial Vehicle Permitting And Credentialing Violations, Andrew Martin, Jennifer R. Walton, Valerie J. Keathley

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to analyze enforcement and adjudication of common commercial vehicle tax, credentialing, and safety offenses. This study examined violations of the International Fuel Tax Agreement and the Kentucky Intrastate Tax, Kentucky’s weight distance tax, Unified Carrier Registration, Kentucky size and weight laws, and federal safety regulations from 2004 to 2013. Statistical analysis showed declining conviction rates, increasing dismissal rates, and a drop in collections of court costs and fines associated with these offenses. In addition, adjudication varied significantly from district court to district court, which is creating an equity issue for motor carriers and the …

Developing Knowledge Management Strategies, Bryan Gibson, Candice Y. Wallace, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Retirements and other staff changes have led to a loss of institutional knowledge across public agencies. These changing workforce dynamics have highlighted the study of knowledge management, and how organizations can best retain their core knowledge bases. Key to understanding knowledge management is how organizations have approached the issue and the most effective methods and processes they have used to retain, store, and disseminate knowledge. Part of the knowledge management discussion includes core competencies, or what basic knowledge and skills are essential to an organization’s mission. Also, considering the impacts of outsourcing on public employment, is another key to understanding …

Overview Of Performance Based Practical Design, Christopher W. Van Dyke, Jeff Jasper, Adam J. Kirk

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State transportation agencies (STAs) have increasingly turned to practical design and performance based practical design (PBPD) to inform project development and implementation — and to reduce project costs while optimizing systemwide benefits. PBPD is a design-up philosophy that encourages agencies to formulate projects to meet the purpose and need rather than adhering to ostensibly immutable design standards. This paper reviews practical design and PBPD concepts and initiatives and their application in a variety of contexts. It also summarizes best practices STAs can use to develop a PBPD program. As a holistic approach to project design, PBPD underscores context sensitive solutions …

Review Of State Transportation Funding Initiatives, Bryan Gibson, Christopher W. Van Dyke, Steven Waddle, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Despite significant cutbacks to the funding allocated to state departments of transportation (DOTs), demand for accessible and reliable transportation has increased even as existing transportation infrastructure has continued to age. Falling gasoline tax revenues resulting from increasing fuel efficiency and technological advancements have prevented state DOTs, including the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), from funding and financing much-needed transportation projects. Meanwhile, the Federal Highway Trust Fund, which provides funding to states and is tied to the federal gas tax, routinely receives cash infusions from the Federal General Fund to remain solvent—the federal gas tax has not been increased since 1993. Needing …

Utilization Of Light Detection And Ranging For Quality Control And Quality Assurance Of Pavement Grades, Brad W. Rister, Levi Mcintosh, Gabriel B. Dadi, Ruigang Yang, Eileen Grady

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) technology is a useful tool that can assist transportation agencies during the design, construction, and maintenance phases of transportation projects. To demonstrate the utility of Lidar, this report discusses how Lidar data can be used while performing quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA) of pavement grades along road segments where safety concerns have been identified (e.g., increased crash rates due to water ponding on the roadway). Researchers modeled surface runoff using Lidar data for several roadways that had experienced significant crash increases during wet-weather events. Based on this modeling, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) undertook …

Risk Management And Practice Alignment For Utility Coordination On Transportation Projects, Roy E. Sturgill Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Utility coordination is an exceedingly complex effort of managing, communicating, and facilitating the avoidance and relocation of utility facilities as needed for highway projects. Utility coordination occurs throughout the design and delivery of a project and best practices are used to make sure this occurs efficiently and in the best interest of the public, who are not only the taxpayers but also the ratepayers. Recent research has attempted to enhance utility location technology and procedures, instill frameworks and tools for utility coordination, and proceduralize risk management relative to utility coordination. However, research attempting to improve various aspects of utility coordination …

Effect Of Socioeconomic And Demographic Factors On Kentucky Crashes, Aaron Berry Cambron

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The goal of this research was to examine the potential predictive ability of socioeconomic and demographic data for drivers on Kentucky crash occurrence. Identifying unique background characteristics of at-fault drivers that contribute to crash rates and crash severity may lead to improved and more specific interventions to reduce the negative impacts of motor vehicle crashes. The driver-residence zip code was used as a spatial unit to connect five years of Kentucky crash data with socioeconomic factors from the U.S. Census, such as income, employment, education, age, and others, along with terrain and vehicle age. At-fault driver crash counts, normalized over …

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

Kentucky Transportation Center Technical Assistance Report

No abstract provided.

Segmentation Strategies For Road Safety Analysis, Eric R. Green

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

This dissertation addresses the relationship between roadway segment length and roadway attributes and their relationship to the efficacy of Safety Performance Function (SPF) models. This research focuses on three aspects of segmentation: segment length, roadway attributes, and combinations of the two. First, it is shown that choice of average roadway segment length can result in markedly different priority lists. This leads to an investigation of the effect of segment length on the development of SPFs and identifies average lengths that produce the best-fitting SPF. Secondly, roadway attributes are filtered to test the effect that homogeneity has on SPF development. Lastly, …

Advanced Technologies For Efficient Transportation Construction Inspection, Clyde Wesley Newcomer Iv

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Collecting load tickets is an example of an antiquated practice that puts inspectors in harm’s way either adjacent to traffic, in close proximity to moving or backing equipment, or at times requires climbing onto trucks to reach tickets. Technology exists to collect this information electronically allowing for safer, efficient inspection methods. Departments of Transportation are charged with inspecting an increasing work load with a diminishing number of inspection staff. Recently, doing more with less has led to the prioritization of inspection activities and resulted in less collection of data and visual inspection on projects. Technology advancements are available to improve …

Quantifying Non-Recurrent Delay Using Probe-Vehicle Data, Jacob Douglas Keaton Brashear

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Current practices based on estimated volume and basic queuing theory to calculate delay resulting from non-recurrent congestion do not account for the day-to-day fluctuations in traffic. In an attempt to address this issue, probe GPS data are used to develop impact zone boundaries and calculate Vehicle Hours of Delay (VHD) for incidents stored in the Traffic Response and Incident Management Assisting the River City (TRIMARC) incident log in Louisville, KY. Multiple linear regression along with stepwise selection is used to generate models for the maximum queue length, the average queue length, and VHD to explore the factors that explain the …

Direct Measurement Of Crosstie-Ballast Interface Pressures Using Granular Material Pressure Cells, Travis James Watts

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The magnitudes and relative pressure distributions transmitted to the crosstie-ballast interface of railroad track significantly influences the subsequent behavior and performance of the overall track structure. If the track structure is not properly designed to distribute the heavy-axle loads of freight cars and locomotives, deficiencies and inherent failures of the crossties, ballast, or underlying support layers can occur, requiring substantial and frequent maintenance activities to achieve requisite track geometrical standards. Incorporating an understanding of the pressure distribution at the crosstie-ballast interface, appropriate designs can be applied to adequately provide a high performing and long-lasting railroad track. Although this can be …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2017, Eric R. Green, Paul A. Ross, Christopher L. Blackden, Kentucky State Police

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KENTUCKY’S TRAFFIC COLLISION FACTS report is based on collision reports submitted to the Kentucky State Police Records Branch. As required by Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.635, “every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made...shall file a report of the accident...within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.” The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize data on traffic collisions for such purposes as will improve the traffic safety program in the Commonwealth. Data contained in this report are based solely on the observations and judgements …

Fiscal Year 2017 Fhwa-536 Report For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Steven Douglas Kreis, Candice Y. Wallace, Bryan Gibson, Sarah M. Mccormack

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires state transportation agencies to submit a biennial report on local highway finances. The purpose of these reports is to provide FHWA with the data it needs to capture the financing of highway activities at the local level. Based on this information, it can identify trends in revenue, expenditures, investments, and program development, and in turn make decisions about future investments. The report, FHWA-536, asks agencies to report on four areas of local highway finance: 1) disposition of highway-user revenues; 2) revenues used for roads and streets identified by source and funding type; 3) road …

Applicability Of Zipper Merge Versus Early Merge In Kentucky Work Zones, Erin Lammers-Staats, Jerry G. Pigman, Brian K. Howell, Adam J. Kirk

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In an effort to improve work zone safety and streamline traffic flows, a number of state transportation agencies (STAs) have experimented with the zipper merge. The zipper merge differs from a conventional, or early, merge in that vehicles do not merge into the lane that remains open immediately after being notified of a lane closure. Rather, vehicles continue to occupy all lanes until they reach the taper, at which point — and directed by signage — vehicles take turns merging into the open lane, creating a zipper pattern. At the request of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Kentucky Transportation Center …

Accelerated Innovation Deployment (Aid) Demonstration: Kytc — Roundabout Installation Project In London, Kentucky, Jeff Jasper, Adam J. Kirk

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This document serves as the final report on the construction and opening of the Roundabout Project in London, Kentucky (Kentucky Item Number 11‐904.1). This project (hereafter referred to as the London Roundabout) was constructed on the authority of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), which received an Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration grant of $1 million to offset project construction costs. The AID Demonstration program requires that award recipients submit a final report to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) within six months of project completion. The purpose of this report is to document the project delivery and construction processes, benefits, and …

Coaxing His Data From Mandli Pavement Scans, Eric R. Green, William Nicholas Staats, Erin Lammers-Staats, Teng Alex Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Division of Planning’s Highway Information Systems (HIS) database provides geometric information about horizontal and vertical curves, but its accuracy is unknown. An updated method of pavement analysis collects data by scanning the pavement as a van equipped with Mandli software drives the area of interest. The scans provide detailed information that can be used to calculate roadway geometry characteristics (e.g., curve radius, cross slope/superelevation, and grade). This study evaluated the ability of the Mandli data to support curve advisory calculations and find a way to utilize Mandli data to improve the existing HIS database. To …

In-Place Recycling And Reclamation Of Asphaltic Concrete Pavements In Kentucky, David Q. Hunsucker, David L. Allen, R. Clark Graves

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Full-depth reclamation has been defined by the Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming Association as a “rehabilitation technique in which the full thickness of the asphalt pavement and a predetermined portion of the underlying material (base, subbase, and/or subgrade) is uniformly pulverized, blended and compacted to provide an upgraded, homogeneous material resulting in a stabilized base course.” The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has utilized the full-depth reclamation (FDR) process as a method to address asphalt pavements exhibiting widespread base failures. The FDR process transforms the existing hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement and underlying granular materials into a stabilized base layer. The stabilized layer …

Review Of Project Development Practices And Project Management Resources At State Transportation Agencies, Christopher Van Dyke, Bryan Gibson, Jeff Jasper, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Technical Assistance Report

At the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Department of Highways, project development encompasses all the work activities needed to move a transportation project from concept and project initiation to construction letting. Developing projects efficiently requires the adoption of sound project management practices. And having recourse to validated project development practices is critical for helping KYTC project managers negotiate the variety of tasks and processes leading up to project implementation and delivery. For a project manager to be successful, they must possess a holistic understanding of how the complex interplay of engineering, environmental, and economic issues affect different stages and facets of …

Safety Concepts For Workers From An Osha Perspective, Zamaan Al-Shabbani, Roy E. Sturgill Jr., Gabriel B. Dadi

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Highway construction and maintenance workers face numerous hazards on job sites, many of which are unique by industry standards. Despite the exposure of state transportation agency employees and contractors to these hazards, there are few safety standards, regulations, programs that directly target the sector aimed at prevention and mitigation. To help the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) improve employee safety, researchers at the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) analyzed the frequency and causes of workplace injuries for 10 essential Cabinet maintenance operations. Most incidents were attributable to human factors or ergonomics. Based on this analysis, the leading causes of incidents, and a …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky (2012-2016), Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Paul A. Ross

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents an analysis of traffic crash data in Kentucky for the years of 2012 through 2016. A primary objective of this study was to determine average crash statistics for Kentucky highways. Rates were calculated for various types of highways and for counties and cities. Difference criteria were used for exposure.

The other primary objective of this study was to provide data that can be used in the preparation of the problem identification portion of Kentucky’s Annual Highway Safety Plan. County and city crash statistics were analyzed. A summary of results and recommendations in several problem identification areas is …

Cfrp Strengthening Of Ky 583 Over The Bluegrass Parkway Bridge In Hardin Country, Abheetha Peiris, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The report details the planning, design, and construction of the retrofit measure on the KY 583 Bridge (047B00072N), which traverses the Bluegrass Parkway in Hardin County, Kentucky. Reinforced concrete girders within the span over the eastbound Bluegrass Parkway of the bridge had cracks that led to concrete delamination and deterioration of the girders.

To remedy the problem, triaxial carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabric sheets were selected to perform a retrofit due to their strength, conformability, and flexibility. The concrete surface, over which the fabric sheets were applied, were first prepared by removing all spalling and deteriorated concrete, which exposed …

Long-Term Corrosion Protection Of Bridge Elements Reinforcing Materials In Concrete, Christopher W. Van Dyke, Bobby W. Meade, Danny Wells, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Preventing or mitigating the corrosion of reinforcing steel in bridge decks is a major challenge for state transportation agencies. With agency budgets stretched thinner every year, they must implement strategies to extend the service lives of bridges and other critical structures. As such, it is imperative for them to adopt cost effective materials and maintenance practices to delay the onset of bridge corrosion. To assist the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) in its efforts to improve the condition of its bridges as well as its construction and maintenance practices, researchers at the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) investigated the use and performance …

Kytc Maintenance Overview And Budget Analysis, Nancy Albright, Bryan Gibson, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) manages over 27,500 miles of the state’s roadways and is responsible for preserving many assets in a good state of repair, including bridges, traffic signals, lighting features, traffic signs, and guardrails. The Cabinet’s Maintenance function, which encompasses maintenance (e.g., patching potholes, repainting roadway lines and markings, cleaning bridges, mowing) and operations (e.g., plowing and salting roadways; keeping signs, traffic signals, and roadway signals functional), had a budget in FY 2018 of roughly $350 million. This report describes core maintenance functions and reviews their importance for preserving Kentucky’s roadway network and analyzes trends in KYTC’s maintenance …

Truck Routing Issues, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Commercial vehicle drivers selecting inappropriate routes where the handling characteristics (e.g., off-tracking) and dimensions of their trucks are not consistent with a roadway’s cross section and geometrics can damage the vehicle, harm adjacent property, or result in crashes. Analysis of crashes that involve the use of inappropriate routes indicate a significant number are caused by drivers receiving faulty directions from in-truck GPS units or adhering to incorrect directions provided by their companies. The Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) investigated strategies to ensure truck drivers are given correct directions when traveling on Kentucky roadways. As part of this effort, this report reviews …

Quantifying Roadside Assessment For Highway Safety, Reginald R. Souleyrette, Michael A. Fields, Heather Hunt

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Many of Kentucky’s two-lane rural roads pose an above average risk for fixed object crashes. In Kentucky, run-off-road (ROR) collisions with fixed objects account for 18.9% of all crashes and 41.6% of fatal crashes. Accordingly, ROR crashes are a significant public safety hazard that must be addressed through judicious investments in safety improvements. Until recently, transportation engineers and planners have mostly leveraged qualitative metrics to prioritize safety investments, however, qualitative methodologies are problematic because they may rely excessively on subjective opinion and intuition. This study applied methodologies and software from the U.S. Road Assessment Program (usRAP) to develop quantitative, objective …