Transportation Engineering Commons^™

E-Tickets And Advanced Technologies For Efficient Construction Inspections, Roy E. Sturgill, Gabriel B. Dadi, Christopher Van Dyke, Dhaviat Patel, Joshua Withrow, Clyde Wesley Newcomer Iv

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), like many state transportation agencies, has seen demand for high-quality infrastructure skyrocket even as it endures reductions in staff numbers. To mitigate the effects of declining staff and bolster construction efficiency, the Cabinet has experimented with a variety of e-construction technologies, the goal of which are to abolish paper-based workflows and improve project-site monitoring activities. This research investigated the performance of three e-construction technologies on KYTC pilot projects — e-ticketing, paver mounted thermal profilers, and intelligent compaction. E-ticketing reduced the amount of time needed to retrieve material tickets and facilitated comparisons of theoretical tonnages to …

Training Curricula For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Department Of Highways, Nancy Albright, Bryan Gibson, Chris Van Dyke, Jeff Jasper, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Most state departments of transportation (DOTs) offer their employees professional development opportunities (e.g., training courses) so they can build their expertise and in doing so facilitate agency efforts to fulfill their business mandates. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is no different in this regard. While professional development opportunities are invaluable, and while the Cabinet offers a number of trainings to its staff, currently there exists no comprehensive training curricula to help professionals and paraprofessionals systematically grow their knowledge and skills and ensure KYTC maintains a robust portfolio of technical competencies across the organization. The inconsistent and ad hoc manner in …

Analysis Of Disengagements In Semi-Autonomous Vehicles: Drivers’ Takeover Performance And Operational Implications, Francesca M. Favaro, Sky Eurich, Syeda Rizvi, Shivangi Agarwal, Sumaid Mahmood, Nazanin Nader

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report analyzes the reactions of human drivers placed in simulated Autonomous Technology disengagement scenarios. The study was executed in a human-in-the-loop setting, within a high-fidelity integrated car simulator capable of handling both manual and autonomous driving. A population of 40 individuals was tested, with metrics for control takeover quantification given by: i) response times (considering inputs of steering, throttle, and braking); ii) vehicle drift from the lane centerline after takeover as well as overall (integral) drift over an S-turn curve compared to a baseline obtained in manual driving; and iii) accuracy metrics to quantify human factors associated with the …

Bridge Load Testing Versus Bridge Load Rating, Abheetha Peiris, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The current method of load rating bridges according to AASHTO specifications can underestimate the capacity and behavior of bridges. Analytical equations do not account for the degree of rigidity of the supports, unintended composite action due to friction between girders and the slab, and other factors. Load testing of individual bridges can produce a load rating that much more accurately reflects the capacity of a non-composite bridge. However, current methods of load testing require significant time commitments to instrument a bridge profile to record data, rendering it impractical in many cases. But there are new commercially available strain gauges that …

Review Of Non-Standard Warm Mix Asphalt Projects, Tim C. Scully Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Periodically, when the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) the Division of Construction receives requests to use non-standard warm mix asphalt technologies, it may be asked to waive the temperature specification or other product specifications/processes. The short-term and long-term impacts of this waiver are not completely understood. The Division of Construction approves these requests and notes their use, however, no follow-up studies have been done to evaluate the performance of non-standard warm mix asphalt. Similarly, no previous studies have compared data on quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and performance for these mixtures with those of standard warm mix asphalt mixtures. Thus, the performance …

Audubon Parkway Slab Lifting At Mp 22.75 — Bridge Approach And Departure Settlement, Tim C. Scully Jr.

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The approach/departure Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) panels on the eastbound and westbound side of Audubon Parkway at MP 22.75 over route KY 2120 began to exhibit settlement and cracking in a few locations, which created an uncomfortable ride for motorists. To address this problem, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) contracted with MasterDry to repair the PCC panel settlement. MasterDry claims that its two-part polyurethane material expands into a rigid foam that fills voids, stabilizes slabs, and lifts concrete. The polyurethane material is injected through 5/8-inch holes drilled in the PCC panel. Once injected, a chemical reaction converts the liquid urethane …

Reducing Construction Costs Through Effective Field Communication And Administration, Gabriel B. Dadi, Roy E. Sturgill Jr., Steven Waddle, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Falling Road Fund receipts have placed added strain on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) already-underfunded highway program. Revenue declines have increased the urgency of improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the Cabinet’s operations. One method KYTC can use to realize greater cost savings is improving the administration of construction projects. Effective field communication and administration helps control construction costs, enhances quality, and minimizes delays and claims. One challenge the Cabinet will need to confront to more effectively administer projects, however, is the loss of institutional knowledge associated with staff attrition. The report documents KYTC current methods for project staffing, communication, …

Minimizing Vehicular Traffic Via Optimized Land Use Development For A Sustainable And Equitable Future, Babu Veeregowda

Dissertations

Mixed-use developments and transit-oriented developments are becoming very common in urban areas in an effort to reduce sprawl. Numerous studies have shown that such programs would not be successful unless the mix of land uses and sizes is well-balanced and integrated with the surrounding neighborhood. Developers often ignore this aspect in favor of immediate financial gain and do not realize that there are sustainable financial benefits in land use optimization. In addition, professionals often work with limited logistics, resources, and technical knowledge and therefore struggle in setting goals and suggesting land uses that have less auto dependency based on travel …

Proposed New Military Live Load For Highway Bridges In The United States, Walter P. Parker

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the results of a mathematical analysis of various live load combinations on highway bridge spans up to 304.8 meters (1,000 feet) total lengths. The analysis included continuous beams, but only the results for simple beams is presented. The analysis was performed using an independently developed Microsoft EXCEL spreadsheet computation, based on superposition and classical mechanics.

In this thesis, several actual bridge live loadings and several hypothetical live loadings were analyzed and compared to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Load and Resistance Factor Design method. Also considered was the new bridge design method adopted …

Development Of Traffic Live Load Models For Bridge Superstructure Rating With Rbdo And Best Selection Approach, Sasan Siavashi, Christopher D. Eamon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) is frequently used to determine optimal structural geometry and material characteristics that can best meet performance goals while considering uncertainties. In this study, the effectiveness of RBDO to develop a rating load model for a set of bridge structures is explored, as well as the use of an alternate Best Selection procedure that requires substantially less computational effort. The specific problem investigated is the development of a vehicular load model for use in bridge rating, where the objective of the optimization is to minimize the variation in reliability index across different girder types and bridge geometries. …

Asphalt Binder Laboratory Short-Term Aging, Hamzeh Haghshenas, Robert C. Rea

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Rolling Thin Film Oven (RTFO) is widely used to simulate asphalt binder short-term aging. However, there is a general interest to improve the current short-term aging protocol especially for reducing the aging time. Besides, there are some doubts about the capability of RTFO in the simulation of aging of highly polymer modified asphalt binders which is mainly due to improper dispersion of such binders in the bottles during rotating and creeping of highly viscous binder out of the bottles during rotation. This work addresses the effect of time, temperature, airflow rate, and weight of asphalt binder on the laboratory …

How Av Could Shape Our Cities - Research From The Netherlands, Gonçalo H. A. Correia

PSU Transportation Seminars

Automated driving has become a hot topic of research in different fields of science. Despite the great advancements in the vehicle technology itself, researchers are now concerned in figuring out what will be the impacts of these vehicles in life as we know it. These impacts can be rather broad from traffic safety to the economy. In this lecture, Goncalo will focus on the research that is being done at TU Delft, a leading university in automated vehicles’ (AVs) impacts research, focusing on urban areas and how mobility, and even the city itself, can change with fully-automated vehicles. Goncalo Correia …

A Comparative Study Of Insertion Loss Of Traffic Noise Barriers In Georgia, Pablo Giraldo, Jidong Yang

Master of Science in Civil Engineering Theses

In this paper, three types of traffic noise barriers, interlocking steel panels, precast concrete panels, and Paragon panel 23-T, were evaluated in terms of insertion loss. Field test was conducted for the noise barriers recently installed as part of the Northwest Express Project in Georgia. The noise insertion loss was measured as noise difference in A-weighted decibels (dBA) immediately before and after the barriers. The insertion loss was then evaluated by correlating with noise barrier types and other influential variables, including the separation distance of barriers from traffic, the level of traffic, wind speed, and pavement types. The results showed …

That Bike Is Too Heavy: Merging Bicycling Physics, Human Physiology And Travel Behavior, Alexander Y. Bigazzi

PSU Transportation Seminars

Are the Biketown bikes too heavy? Does better gear motivate people to cycle more? How much faster will someone go on an e-bike?

Although urban cycling is widely known as physically active transportation, the actual physics of cycling have been given little attention in transportation engineering and planning. In contrast, the field of sports science has developed detailed data and models of road bicycle performance, but only for sport and racing cyclists.

What can we learn about utilitarian cycling by integrating knowledge of the physical attributes of bicycles and cyclists?

This seminar examines the ways in which bicycle physics, and …

2019 05 6 Asce Golden Spike Ces W Eicholtz.Pdf, Michael Oconnor

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

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Auto-Calibration Of Wim Using Traffic Stream Characteristics, Johnson Baker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project evaluates the performance of Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) auto-calibration methods used by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT). Typical auto-calibration algorithms compare the WIM measured weights of vehicles from the traffic stream to reference values, using five-axle tractor-trailer configured trucks for comparisons, e.g. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Class 9. Parameters of the existing algorithms including the Front Axle Weight (FAW) reference value, the sampling frequency required to update the calibration factor, and thresholds for Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) bins were evaluated. The primary metric used to estimate algorithm performance was Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE) between the WIM and static …

Applications Of Deep Learning Models For Traffic Prediction Problems, Rezaur Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning coupled with existing sensors based multiresolution traffic data and future connected technologies has immense potential to improve traffic operation and management. But to deal with complex transportation problems, we need efficient modeling frameworks for deep learning models. In this study, we propose two different modeling frameworks using Deep Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network (LSTM NN) model to predict future traffic state (speed and signal queue length). In our first problem, we present a modeling framework using deep LSTM NN model to predict traffic speeds in freeways during regular traffic condition as well as under extreme traffic demand, such …

Characterizing Truck Parking Shortages In Arkansas: A Data Analytical Approach, Morgan Hartsell

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Truck Parking Problem occurs when drivers have met the daily driving limit and encounter a decision between driving over time or parking in unauthorized locations. This research applies data analytics to gain further knowledge to characterize the truck parking shortage in Arkansas. Truck parking shortages are a serious problem that truck drivers face daily and is complex due to Hours of Service (HOS) regulations restrictions on legal parking areas and design. Existing research includes a one-day annual survey which compiles where public rest stops, businesses, and private rest stops are utilized by truck drivers. This research expands on the …

Structural Design Guidelines For Pervious Concrete Pavements, April Smith

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pervious pavements have gained popularity in recent years as the transportation industry focuses on sustainability and environmental impact. This research investigated the structural design of pervious concrete pavements. There is no standard design method; therefore, the goal was to lessen ambiguity surrounding the use of pervious concrete for pavement structures. By characterization of the rigid pavement design equation from the 1993 AASHTO Structural Design Guide for Design of Pavement Structures through laboratory exploration and review of existing literature, a guide was created to assist engineers in the design of pervious concrete pavements.

Exploring The Compactability And Workability Of Rap, Elizabeth Poblete

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Despite its economic and environmental benefits, the widespread use of Cold In-Place Recycling (CIR) is currently inhibited, to some degree, by a lack of laboratory testing and evaluation, specifically in the areas of compactability and workability of the reclaimed mixture stabilized with asphalt emulsion. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of admixtures in CIR using modified Superpave Gyratory Compactor (SGC) compaction metrics. The primary stabilization technique considered in this research was asphalt emulsion, an application in which asphalt binder is suspended in water, allowing it to be stored and applied at ambient temperature, rather than the …

Developing Material Specification And Application Criteria For Sealing Concrete Bridge Decks, Danny Wells, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has more aggressively pursued preventive maintenance in recent years. Sealing concrete bridge decks is one preventive maintenance activity the Cabinet has actively pursued. KYTC’s Divisions of Maintenance and Structural Design requested assistance from researchers at the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) in developing a material specification and application criteria for sealing concrete bridge decks at an appropriate time in their life cycle.

To develop a material specification and application criteria for sealing concrete bridge decks, KTC researchers conducted the following work:

1. Perform a national survey of departments of transportation (DOTs) for guidelines.
2. Perform a literature search …

Restricted Crossing U-Turns At Rural Intersections, Timothy Adams

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines the potential for replacing the standard intersection design at two-way stop control (TWSC) and all-way stop control (AWSC) intersections along rural highways with a roundabout or a restricted crossing u-turn (RCUT) facility. The geometry of the RCUT design prohibits left and through movements from the side road, and provides a u-turn location downstream from the main crossing. This type of facility has been implemented for rural highways extensively in other states and has the potential to serve as a cost-effective solution to improve roadway safety within Nebraska.

Comparative analysis is conducted for three site locations (Humphrey, Madison, …

Equilibrium-Based Workload Balancing For Robust Emergency Response Operations In Metropolitan Areas, Parya Roustaee

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an equilibrium-based modeling framework for emergency response (ER) workload balancing to achieve robust operation in large-scale metropolitan areas. The problem is formulated as a non-linear mathematical program (NLP), which determines the optimal workload cutoff for each ER station such that the weighted sum of the area-wide expected response time and its variation are minimized. The concept of Marginal Cost of Uncertainty (MCU) is introduced to measure the impact of a station’s workload increase on the area-wide service performance. The solution of the NLP is proved to be equivalent to a state of equilibrium in which all stations …

Unl-Cc Outdoor Education Center Master Plan, Marie Wagner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following report contains the work done by the group Griswold Engineering in completion of the Senior Design requirements for Civil Engineering and the Honors Requirements of the Project Manager. As the project manager, my job was to organize the project as a whole and to work alongside the Structural Engineer on the project. One of the main problems to overcome was the division of labor amongst the group. The project was originally conceived as a group project with one project manager and five other students to serve as the project engineers in each subdiscipline. Since this group only had …

An Agent-Based Evacuation Model To Improve Safety In The Cascadia Subduction Zone, Haizhong Wang

PSU Transportation Seminars

This seminar will present ongoing research into how integrated social, natural, and engineered systems can improve life safety under threat of multi-hazards. The targeted scenario is a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, threatening communities along 1,000 miles of the US Pacific Northwest coastline.

Since the mid-1980’s scientific evidence has underscored the possibility of such an extreme event, and it has taken at least another decade or more before public attitudes and policy have begun to adapt to this new hazard. Life safety is a pressing issue for the near-field CSZ tsunami hazard for several reasons. …

Laboratory Evaluation And Neural Network Modeling For Rotational Viscosity Of Reacted And Activated Rubber Modified Binders, Mayzan Isied

Civil Engineering Theses

Crumb rubber surface activation and pretreatment are considered as one of the promising newly introduced methods for asphalt rubber production. Reacted and Activated Rubber (RAR) is an elastomeric asphalt extender produced by the hot blending and activation of crumb rubber with asphalt and Activated Mineral Binder Stabilizer (AMBS). Besides RAR ability in enhancing the performance of asphaltic mixtures, its dry granulate industrial form enabled its addition directly into the mixture utilizing pugmill or the dryer drum with very minimal to no modification required on the plant level.

This study aims to evaluate the rotational viscosity of RAR modified binders and …

Modern Roundabouts: A Challenge Of The Future, Tomaž Tollazzi, Raffaele Mauro, Daiva Žilionienė, Irena I. Otković, Nikiforos Stamatiadis

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Save Our Sound Obx, Inc. V. North Carolina Department Of Transportation, Mitch L. Werbell V

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in favor of several governmental agencies seeking to construct a new bridge in the Pamlico Sound adjacent to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. For years, state and federal agencies have put forth a massive coordinated effort to address the constant weather damage and erosion which occurs to a section of North Carolina Highway 12. The court found the agencies properly cleared NEPA’s environmental review requirements for the bridge’s construction. Additionally, the opponent-litigants’ efforts to add claims challenging the project, based on new information about a shipwreck in the bridge’s path, were futile.

Examining The Effect Of Multiple Route Choice Criteria On Hurricane Evacuation Traffic Through External Validation Of Simulations, Haggai D. Davis Iii

LSU Master's Theses

Hurricane evacuations can be a chaotic experience for individuals involved, but researchers have attempted to find patterns in the routes people take. One paper laid out a model for predicting route choice based upon features that are different than standard route choice influencers. This thesis attempted to evaluate the accuracy of that model by using TransModeler modeling software. Using the building blocks of the HEMP project, this project compared the new model to the standard model and evaluated the two based upon the ability to reproduce real-world results. Interestingly, the two did not come out significantly different possibly because the …

Impacts Of Freight Consolidation And Truck Sharing On Freight Mobility, Tieming Liu, Chaoyue Zhao

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17ITSOKS02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The trucking industry is an important sector of the U.S. economy. However, it is quite fragmented, hindering the efficiency of cargo transportation and the ability for small carriers to identify demands to fill full truck loads. The focus of this research is to study models and algorithms in order to aid online freight marketplaces to identify efficient consolidation strategies. To accomplish this aim, a new mixed integer programming model for the pickup and delivery problem has been developed. The model is geared …