Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Preventing Struck-By Hazards: Defying Risk-Habituation Via Virtual Accident Simulation, Changbum Ahn

Publications

Repeated exposure to struck-by hazards in road work zones generates workers’ habituation to risks related to those hazards, a key contributor to accidents in road work zones. Thus, analyzing the development of risk habituation and providing proper intervention are crucial to preventing accidents in road work zones. In this context, this study employs a virtual reality (VR) environment as a behavioral intervention tool to investigate its effect on mitigating a decline in workers’ vigilance with habituation to hazards in workplaces. A virtual environment that simulates a road maintenance task was developed and used to repeatedly expose subjects to struck-by hazards …

Bridge Cracks Monitoring: Detection, Measurement, And Comparison Using Augmented Reality, Fernando Moreu, Kaveh Malek

Publications

Crack occurrence and propagation are among critical factors that affect the performance and lifespan of civil infrastructures such as bridges. Consequently, numerous crack detection and measurement methods have been proposed and developed in the recent decades in the areas of Structural Health Monitoring and non-destructive testing. Many novel technologies have emerged with the potential to overcome the limitations of the presented techniques of crack detection and characterization. Crack detection and characterization method used in this research lies in supplementing human visual inspection capabilities in a systematic manner through an appropriate level of automation. The Augmented Reality (AR) tool developed in …

Maintenance And Restriping Strategies For Pavement Markings On Asphalt Pavements In Louisiana, Momen R. Mousa, Marwa Hassan

Publications

In Louisiana, most districts restripe their roadways using waterborne paints every other year; this strategy is questionable in terms of efficiency and economy. Meanwhile, previous studies showed substantial variability in the paint service life throughout the United States ranging between 0.25 and 6.2 years. Shortcomings in modeling the retroreflectivity of waterborne paints appear to significantly contribute to these variations as several studies predicted these values using degradation curves with a coefficient of determination (R2) as low as 0.1. Therefore, the objective of this study was to (i) develop new cost-effective restriping strategies using 4-inch (15-mil thickness) and 6-inch (25-mil thickness) …

Determination Of The Optimal Parameters For Self-Healing Efficiency Of Encapsulated Bacteria In Concrete Simulated Subtropical Climate, Momen R. Mousa, Marwa Hassan, Gabriel Andres Arce Amador, Ricardo Hungria, Andrea Gavilanes, Omar Kamal

Publications

Concrete is a remarkable construction material. However, its low tensile strength makes it prone to cracking, which negatively affects its durability. To address this issue, bacterial concrete has been implemented as a self-healing alternative due to its capability to seal microcracks through microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICCP). In this study, a bacterial strain (i.e, Bacillus Pseudiformus) was encapsulated through three different methods: encapsulation through hydrogel beads, vacuum impregnation on lightweight aggregates, and attachment to cellulose nanocrystals. Furthermore, three precursor types were used, magnesium acetate, calcium lactate, and sodium lactate were implemented. Compressive strength tests and flexural strength tests were performed …

Development Of A Multi-Level Dynamic Model To Measure The Resilience Level Of Transportation Infrastructure Networks, Sharareh Kermanshachi, Jianling Li, Thahomina Jahan Nipa

Publications

The recent increase in disasters is making the largest critical infrastructure system namely the transportation infrastructure system susceptible to unexpected damage. Discontinuation of services provided by transportation infrastructures will create significant societal, economic, and collateral damages. Therefore, this study aims to identify dimensions to measure the resilience of the transportation infrastructures. This study also aims to develop a model to measure the resilience of the transportation infrastructures resilience. To fulfill the aims of this study, a questionnaire was developed which was supported by a comprehensive literature review. 92 valid responses were received and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Statistically significant variables …

Safety Of Vulnerable Road Users (Vru's) In Light-Rail Transit (Lrt) Environment, Samir Ahmed, Rifat Bulut

Publications

Light-rail transit (LRT), which includes modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys, is one of the fastest growing modes of public transportation in the United States. To reduce the cost and complexity of construction, most LRT systems have their tracks placed on city streets, in medians, or in separate at-grade rights-of-way with at-grade crossings. Operating light-rail vehicles (LRVs) along these alignments introduces new conflicts and increases the risk of collisions with vulnerable road users (VRUs) including pedestrians, bicyclists, and electric scooter riders. This study has two main objectives: (1) to review and evaluate the existing body of knowledge and the state …

Cross Domain Iw Threats To Sof Maritime Missions: Implications For U.S. Sof, Gary C. Kessler, Diane M. Zorri

Publications

As cyber vulnerabilities proliferate with the expansion of connected devices, wherein security is often forsaken for ease of use, Special Operations Forces (SOF) cannot escape the obvious, massive risk that they are assuming by incorporating emerging technologies into their toolkits. This is especially true in the maritime sector where SOF operates nearshore in littoral zones. As SOF—in support to the U.S. Navy— increasingly operate in these contested maritime environments, they will gradually encounter more hostile actors looking to exploit digital vulnerabilities. As such, this monograph comes at a perfect time as the world becomes more interconnected but also more vulnerable.

Analysis, Modeling, And Simulation (Ams) Case Studies Of Connected And Automated Vehicle (Cav) Implementations Specific To The South Central Region, Christopher Melson, Jiaqi Ma

Publications

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) offer potentially transformative and far-reaching impacts to the transportation system. However, realized benefits will be directly tied to how well agencies prepare for these technologies. This report documents efforts that support CAV preparatory actions in Louisiana and includes: (1) conducting a stakeholder survey to inform engagement activities to develop strategic partnerships in CAV deployment and (2) conducting crash analyses for deployment scenarios of CAV-based queue warning systems (QWSs).

An electronic survey was developed and disseminated to 273 Louisiana organizations. The purpose of the survey was to engage these organizations under the context of CAV planning …

Development Of A Self-Powered Weigh-In-Motion System, Athanassios Papagiannakis, Sarah Ahmed, Samer Dessouky, Reza Khalili, Gopal Vishwakarma

Publications

This report describes the development of a novel weigh-in-motion (WIM) system that utilizes piezoelectric elements for sensing load and powering an ultra-low power microcontroller unit (MCU) that serves as its data acquisition system. A system of 4 piezoelectric (PZT) stacks serves as the energy harvester, while load sensing is done via a set of 4 PZT elements connected in parallel. Two alternative MCUs were considered, with various data handling capabilities and power consumption requirements. These MCUs have very short “wake-up” times allowing vehicle sensing without the need for inductive loops commonly used in conventional WIM systems. Special electric circuits were …

Rails To Resilience: Evaluating New Orleans And Baton Rouge Rail Terminals And Transit Links, Tara M. Tolford, James Amdal, Guang Tian, Alahna Moore, Marin Tockman

Publications

This study evaluates the multimodal linkages to and opportunities for proposed terminal sites for a potential future passenger rail connection between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana. The project included a comprehensive analysis of recent planning processes and documents and distribution of a statewide survey aimed at understanding ridership potential (including non-work trips) and the needs of likely users, the results of which were modeled to illuminate key considerations for service design and station area planning. This study finds a strong foundation for, and support of, the proposed rail service, but distinct deficiencies in the current multimodal transportation environment connecting …

Engineered Geopolymer Composites (Egcs) For Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure, Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Miladin Radovic, Svetlana Sukhishvili, Ruwa Abufarsakh, Oscar Huang, Sang Zhen, Mauricio Cornejo, Haci Baykara

Publications

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Geopolymer Composite (EGC) materials implementing locally available ingredients to produce practical and cost-effective EGCs for repair and new construction of transportation infrastructure in the region. To this end, geopolymers (GPs) were synthesized by alkali activation of metakaolin (MK) or a combination of metakaolin and fly ash (MKFA) as GP precursors. MK-GPs were activated using sodium silicate and potassium silicate solutions prepared by dissolving silica fume (SiO₂) and KOH or NaOH in deionized water. MKFA-GPs replaced silica fume using fly ash and were activated using only KOH solution. GP …

Evaluation Of Asphalt Mixtures’ Resistance To Cement-Treated Base (Ctb) Reflective Cracking In The Laboratory, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Ipshit Idris

Publications

The primary objective of this project is to propose a laboratory setup to test and evaluate an asphalt mixture layer on top of a simulated Cement-Treated Base (CTB) layer against reflective cracking. An in-depth literature review on the experimental studies that were conducted throughout the world to investigate the resistance of asphalt mixtures to reflective cracking was conducted. Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Overlay Tester (OT) was found to be the most appropriate equipment to study thermally-induced reflective cracking in the laboratory, and thereby was selected to be modified and used to assess the performance of asphalt mixtures on top of …

Bridge Deck Inspection Using Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Based Airborne Imaging Techniques, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Publications

As one of critical components of a transportation infrastructure system, bridges are very important to a country’s economy because they provide passage over physical obstacles to substantially reduce travel time and travel cost. Similar to other types of transportation infrastructure, bridges deteriorate over time. Therefore, bridges should be routinely inspected to ensure their serviceability, capacity, and safety under current traffic. Subsequently, transportation agencies at all levels (e.g., federal, state, local, and tribal) dedicate large amounts of time and money to routinely monitor and inspect bridge conditions as part of their infrastructure asset management programs. These transportation agencies use the collected …

Evaluation Of Bagasse Ash As Cement And Sand Replacement For The Production Of Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc), Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Sujata Subedi, Ana Rivas, Samantha Hidalgo, Hugo Eguez

Publications

The objective of this study was to develop novel Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) materials implementing sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA). To this end, the effects on the mechanical and physical properties of ECC materials of: (1) Louisiana raw SCBA (RBA) as a partial and complete replacement of sand (i.e., class S mixtures); (2) Louisiana post-processed SCBA (PBA) as a partial replacement of cement (i.e., class C mixtures); and (3) Ecuador raw SCBA (EBA) as a partial and complete replacement of sand (i.e., class S-E mixtures) were studied. Sand replacement levels with RBA and EBA evaluated were 25, 50, 75, and 100% …

Corrosion Management System Of Regional Reinforced Concrete (Rc) Bridges, Homero Castaneda, Ayman Okeil

Publications

Civil infrastructure assets, including buildings, transportation networks, energy grids and networks, and water-sewer systems, are critical functional components of day-to-day life activity in a modern society. The durability and reliability of these civil infrastructures are largely affected by corrosion-induced structural deterioration. In addition to continual use and increasing traffic demands, natural environmental conditions set degradation due to corrosion damage as a critical condition to durable and reliable infrastructures. Therefore, in order to improve the durability of the bridge infrastructures affected by corrosion in the most efficient manor, we propose a procedure/methodology to manage integrity of corroding RC bridges which is …

Enhancing The Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures Containing High Rap Content With The Use Of Different Wma Technologies, Husam Sadek, Marwa Hassan, Charles Berryman, Mohammad Hossain, Farah Zaremotekhases

Publications

The production of Warm-mix asphalt mixtures in conjunction with reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has received considerable interest in recent years for economic and environmental reasons. The primary objective of this project is to enhance the performance of asphalt mixtures containing RAP in Region 6 using different WMA technologies. In this project, the effect of utilizing 0%, 25%, and 35% RAP contents on the performance of different WMA mixtures against rutting, moisture damage, and fatigue cracking are evaluated. The effects of the WMA technologies on the rutting performance of the asphalt mixtures and recovered binders were investigated using loaded wheel tracker …

Development Of A Low Power, Low Cost Rural Railway Intersection Smart Detection And Warning System, Sara Ahmed, Samer Dessouky, Raymond Downing

Publications

This project explores a different approach to provide preemptive warning for train detection at grade-crossings to increase safety and reduce motor vehicle congestion. The development of a novel, low cost, low power, and off rail right-of-way (ROW) detection and warning system will be presented. A background of track circuits, which is the rail industries standard for train detection, will also be provided to highlight the benefits and challenges of the rail industry installing a system at every grade-crossings that lack any type of active warning. The benefits of using thermal imaging instead of traditional video for computer vision will also …

Life Cycle Environmental Impact Of Houston Metro System – Evaluation Of Electric Alternatives, Raghava R. Kommalapati Ph.D, Hongbo Du Ph.D, Doeun Choe Ph.D

Publications

In the Greater Houston Area, mobile sources (on-and off-road vehicles) contribute the largest share of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and second-highest share of volatile organic (VOC) emissions. The Houston METRO system is a key element in Houston's infrastructure that can be expanded to lower emissions of criteria air pollutants (CAPs) and greenhouse gases (GHGs) and improve regional air quality. Currently, there is no comparative study for relative emissions and environmental impacts between passenger automobiles and METRO routes in Houston. Our research addressed this critical gap and developed environmental life cycle assessment for conventional diesel buses, diesel hybrid buses, and alternative …

Analysis Of The Causes Of Workforce Shortages: Create Guidelines For Education And Workforce Development In Transportation To Generate Future Careers For The Navajo Nation, Gholam Ehteshami

Publications

Activities were dedicated to the collections, summarizations and categorizing more research articles related to the analysis of the sources of workforce deficiencies. The focus was on the technical and educational solution methods and strategies, guideline relevant to the workforce development. The times also were committed to the development of educational modules related to carrier’s opportunities in the transport industry into a couple of courses. Several NTU STEM students were interviewed, selected and introduced for the summer research internships in transportation areas to LSU Tran SET center. Outreach activities conducted with the community and some of the high school professionals related …

Development, Education, And Implementation Of A Low-Cost Audio Sensor-Based Autonomous Surveillance System For Smart And Connected Transportation Infrastructure Construction And Maintenance, Yong-Cheol Lee, Jin-Woo Choi Ph.D

Publications

Each DOT has to govern and oversee an enormous number of transportation construction and maintenance projects. However, since a transportation construction project entails several miles of a job site including numerous work tasks and equipment operations, it has been increasingly challenging for each DOT to consistently monitor progress of all projects in each State as well as efficiently evaluate work performance. In particular, with limited human resources and time, DOTs in Region 6 States have managed large-scale transportation construction and maintenance projects by a human inspection and recovered direct and indirect damages of transportation infrastructure systems caused from the recent …

Influence Of Powder Activated Carbon (Pac) In Fly Ash On The Properties Of Concrete, Zahid Hossain, Sumon Roy

Publications

Class C Fly Ash (CFA) is commonly used as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in producing concrete by ready-mix concrete contractors in Arkansas. However, CFA can be used as a partial replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) if it meets certain ASTM requirements. It is believed that the presence of powder activated carbon (PAC) in CFA increases the demand of the air-entraining agent (AEA) to achieve specified air content, and this is a concern to transportation agencies such as the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) and concrete producers in recent years. Thus, the main goal of this research is to assess …

Holistic Network-Level Assessment Of Pavement Flood Damages, Yong-Cheol Lee, Kunhee Choi Ph.D, Moeid Shariatfar

Publications

After recent catastrophic flood disasters in Louisiana in 2016 and Texas in 2017, roadways in Region 6 areas suffer not only from the flood-inundation, but also from the long-term recovery processes that incur enormous maintenance costs. To assess the impacts of flooding disasters on roadways, various studies have investigated sampled roadway damages with pavement engineering techniques such as a direct damage analysis using cores/bores. However, current methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive. In addition, even though existing methods provide a detailed damage analysis of pavement in a particular location for a particular time period, there is still a large practical knowledge …

Investigating The Impacts Of Truck Platooning On Transportation Infrastructure In The South-Central Region, Hany Hassan Ph.D, Samer Dessouky, Alireza Talebpour, Md Adilur Rahim

Publications

Truck platooning is an essential application of connected and autonomous vehicles, where several trucks are connected to each other forming a platoon. It is envisioned that truck platooning can assist in minimizing transportation challenges related to freight movements in the US by improving traffic operation, safety and reducing fuel consumption and emission. One of the most valuable truck corridors in the US is in the South-central region. This study investigates the impacts of truck platooning on US highways in that region using both corridor and network-level simulation analysis. Also, the impact of truck platooning on the pavement was quantified using …

Detection And Estimation Of Inundation And Associated Risks Using Traffic And Monitoring Cameras And Image Processing Under Extreme Flooding Conditions, Suyun Ham Ph.D, Seongjin Noh Ph.D, Dong-Jun Seo Ph.D, Yin Chao Yu, Sangoo Kang

Publications

The main objective of this project is to develop an inundation detection and evaluation framework using images from traffic monitoring cameras and reliable flood monitoring under extreme precipitation conditions. This study presents a comparative assessment of image enhancement and segmentation techniques to automatically identify the flash flooding from the low-resolution images taken by traffic-monitoring cameras. Due to inaccurate equipment in severe weather conditions (e.g., raindrops or light refraction on camera lenses), low-resolution images are subject to noises that degrade the quality of information. De-noising procedures are carried out for the enhancement of images by removing different types of noises. After …

Real-Time Early Detection And Monitoring Of Flooding Using Low-Cost Highly Sensitive Ultrasound Sensing Of Water Level, Suyun Ham Ph.D, Seongjin Noh Ph.D, Dong-Jun Seo Ph.D, Sanggoo Kang, Dafnik Saril Kumar David

Publications

Flooding poses safety hazards to motorists, emergency and maintenance crews and may cause costly damage to transportation infrastructure and its operation. Flash flooding, in particular, causes the most flood-related deaths According to NOAA, in 2017 alone, flash flooding also caused $60.7 billion worth of economic damage. Low-water crossings are among the first places where deaths and significant damages to vehicles occur during flooding. With flash flooding, when a critical corridor is blocked by a high level of water, it affects the safety of the general public. To keep the critical corridors open as long as possible, and to minimize losses …

Abq Streets: Creating Alternative Residential Street Designs, Gregory Rowangould Ph.D, Nick N. Ferenchak Ph.D

Publications

This research evaluates opportunities for retrofitting residential streets with alterative designs with the overall goal of improving their function, reducing their negative impacts and reducing maintenance costs. This is accomplished through three main research tasks. First, we conduct a comprehensive review of the street design literature with a focus on studies that report how alterative or unique designs that are relevant to the residential street context affect travel behavior, traffic flow, safety, crime and environmental impacts. We then survey residential streets in several study neighborhoods to measure typical design features and cross sections. With this information we then evaluate which …

Real-Time Work Zone Traffic Management Via Unmanned Air Vehicles, Charles Malveaux Ph.D, Marcio De Queiroz Ph.D, Xin Li Ph.D, Hany Hassan Ph.D, Zewei He Ph.D

Publications

Highway work zones are prone to traffic accidents when congestion and queues develop. Vehicle queues expand at a rate of 1 mile every 2 minutes. Back-of-queue, rear-end crashes are the most common work zone crash, endangering the safety of motorists, passengers, and construction workers. The dynamic nature of queuing in the proximity of highway work zones necessitates traffic management solutions that can monitor and intervene in real time. Fortunately, recent progress in sensor technology, embedded systems, and wireless communication coupled to lower costs are now enabling the development of real-time, automated, “intelligent” traffic management systems that address this problem. The …

Assessment Of Compatibility Of Mineral Aggregates And Binders Used In Highway Construction And Maintenance Projects, Zahid Hossain Ph.D, Ashraf Elsayed Ph.D, Tandra Bagchi, Sumon Roy

Publications

Stripping and delamination have been deemed as some of the major premature pavement distresses to most state Departments of Transportations (DOTs) and highway agencies including the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT). It is believed that the poor compatibility between asphalt binders and aggregates is one of the major reasons behind this. This study aims to analyze the compatibility of selected asphalt binders and aggregates used in Arkansas. Asphalt binders used in this study include PG 64-22, PG 70-22, and PG 76-22; each prepared from two different crude courses. Additionally, four different types of aggregates (sandstone, limestone, gravel, and dolomite) from …

Selecting The Most Feasible Construction Phasing Plans For Urban Highway Rehabilitation Projects, Kunhee Choi Ph.D, H. David Jeong Ph.D, Yong-Cheol Lee, Yangtian Yin

Publications

Despite the abundance of research that has aimed to understand the effects of highway work zones, very little definitive information is available concerning the determination of work zone length (WZL). Quantitative studies that holistically model WZL are very rare. To fill this gap, this study identifies critical factors affecting WZL and develops decision support models that determine the optimal WZL in a balanced tradeoff between motorists’ inconvenience due to traffic disruption and their opportunity cost. A high-confidence dataset was created by conducting a series of scheduling and traffic simulations and analyses. The results revealed that traffic loading and work zone …

Seismic Ground Motion Data Analyses For North-East Arkansas, Zahid Hossain Ph.D, Ashraf Elsayed Ph.D, Md Ariful Hasan, Md Rafiue Islam

Publications

Estimation of liquefaction resistance and shear velocities are key elements in the assessment of potential earthquake damage of existing and new construction sites. The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) and other agencies in the region need ground motion response analysis (GMRA) data of specific construction sites. As part of a recent ARDOT’s Transportation Research Committee (TRC) project, researchers have conducted geophysical investigations several construction sites in northeast Arkansas over the past twelve years. The current study gathered the previously reported test data and estimated seismic hazard properties such as shear wave velocity profiles and seismic hazard coefficients for nearby locations. …