Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Analysis Of Responder-Involved Struck-By Crashes, Jacob Wilhelm

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Emergency responders face significant risks of injury and death from struck-by crashes while operating on or near roadways. Annually, about 50 responders are killed, and hundreds more are injured, leading to operational disruptions and damage to life-saving equipment (ERSI, 2024). This study takes a data-driven approach to identify key risk factors and effective countermeasures for reducing the severity of struck-by crashes. Key findings indicate that struck-by crashes most frequently occur on weekends during late-night hours (2 AM–4 AM), often at crash scenes or disabled vehicle scenes on limited-access highways. Driver behavior – particularly “D” drivers (distracted, drugged, drowsy, disgruntled) – …

Evaluating The Impact Of Access Density On Pedestrian And Bicycle Safety, Charles Hruda

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study examines the impact of access density on pedestrian and bicycle crash rates in urban areas of Florida. Access management, defined as the strategic control of vehicular access points along roadways, plays a crucial role in mitigating conflicts between various roadway users. Previous research has established a positive correlation between access density and crash rates, yet limited studies have analyzed its effects on vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

To quantify these impacts, this study identified high-crash roadway segments using Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) data. Geometric, traffic, crash, and access management information was collected and analyzed …

Modeling The Impacts Of Disruptive Events On Driving Behaviors, Transportation Safety, And Equity: Advanced Statistical Insights From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Xiaomeng Dong

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation aims to understand how disruptive events —particularly the COVID-19 pandemic—affect driving behaviors, transportation safety and equity by leveraging advanced statistical modeling techniques and data from Virginia. This research pursues three overarching objectives. First, it employs multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) to uncover the complex interrelationships among risky driving behaviors, injury severity, and pandemic-related factors, delineating the mechanisms through which COVID-19 has impacted crash outcomes via changing risky driving behaviors. Second, it leverages hidden Markov models to trace shifts in safety states over the pre-, during-, and post-pandemic periods, determining whether and when safety conditions return to pre-pandemic norms. …

Advancements In Pavement Marking Practice And Standards, Joseph Bruno

Purdue Road School

This Road School presentation details INDOT's initiative to improve road user safety through upgrades to pavement marking practices and standards. The presentation also discusses other recent changes to INDOT pavement marking standards and design guidance.

Low Cost And Systemic Safety Treatments For Local Governments, Taylor Ruble, Daniel Mccoy

Purdue Road School

The INDOT Traffic Engineering team WILL discuss lowcost safety options that can be used by local governments with or without dedicated safety funding. We’ll dive into the details and specifics of these treatments and discuss when they are appropriate for use. This interactive workshop is a great way for city and county engineers and local elected officials to gain a better understanding of systemic safety treatments.

The Evolution Of Traffic Signal Detection Technology, Carly Schiene, Haydn Malackowski

Purdue Road School

How has traffic signal actuation changed over time? Originally, a traffic signal’s main purpose was to assign the right-of-way to vehicles for collision avoidance, and now they are crucial tools to manage traffic flow, alleviate congestion and provide safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. This presentation will explore early detection methods, evaluate current technology, and explore the future of detection technology

Preserve Your Hma Pavements From The Start, Tim Zahrn, Andrew Eicher

Purdue Road School

This presentation will review sustainable preservation treatments and their application timeline to extend the life of asphalt pavement. We will discuss how pre-preservation treatments like a void reducing asphalt membrane, early-life preservation treatments such as rapid penetrating emulsion, and topical rejuvenators can reduce future maintenance and delay reconstruction. We will also look at mid-life treatments, such as micro-surfacing, fit into a preventative maintenance preservation plan. And finally cover end of life cold pavement recycling alternatives.

Louisville Viasmart Over-Height And Flood Driver Prevention And Protection Systems, William R. Lyon, Dana Spratt, Terri Combs, Chris Seidt

Purdue Road School

This exciting project is a federal grant project that deploys and uses the latest advancements on transportation technology to prevent over-height truck from striking tunnel/bridge overpasses and viaducts and to prevent all drivers from entering dangerous flooded roadways. These systems use the latest cyber-security and connected/automated vehicle (CAV V2X & X2V), Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Language solutions. The system also deploys new experimental technology assured to enhance all existing traveler notification systems currently in use. This project was specifically called out by then acting transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the 2024 ITS America Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. He called …

Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer, George Mccue, Dionysios Aliprantis, Patrick Patterson, Benjamin O'Brien, Chiara Cervini, Bruno Krause Moras

Purdue Road School

Purdue University, in partnership with INDOT, PC Krause and Associates, White Construction, William Charles Electric, and Cummins, Inc. transitioned the embedment of dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) technology from a controlled test setting to real roadway implementation. This presentation delves into the construction process of the quarter-mile DWPT project on northbound US 52/231 in West Lafayette and outlines the plans for testing the technology with a Cummins truck later this year.

Bell Ford Bridge Reconstruction Project, Daniel Kurdziel, Jim Barker, Matt Lee

Purdue Road School

The Bell Ford Bridge was originally constructed in 1869 until it collapsed in the 20th century. The remains were salvaged and stored for 20 years until it was to be rebuilt in Hamilton County, IN. This is the only remaining Combination Post Truss in existence and was rebuilt using 95% of the original iron and 10% of the original timber.

Winning Your Team With Intentional Connection, Jessica Miller, Kenny Franklin

Purdue Road School

152. Winning Your Team With Intentional Connection As the leader of a team, how do you inspire others even when you don’t have all the answers? This session will introduce ways to be intentional in our relationships and make deeper connections with our team members. We hope you leave this session with the courage to be vulnerable and drive your vision.

Enhancing Road Performance With Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane, Tim Zahrn, Todd Thomas, Randy Miller

Purdue Road School

This presentation will discuss how using the technology of a Void Reducing Asphalt membrane can improve performance of our Asphalt Pavements by creating a more durable asphalt surface that resists cracking and reduces permeability. Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane (VRAM) Specifications: VRAM reduces voids in longitudinal joints, which improves the longevity of a quality road surface. INDOT has already required VRAM on certain road designs. We will review the current specifications for VRAM and outline specifications that may update with the technology. We will also discuss the Impact of Rumble Strips on Longitudinal Joint Performance. The session will also highlight how …

Charging Indiana’S Crossroads, Kerri Garvin, George Mccue, Jack Sinton

Purdue Road School

Join us for an insightful update on INDOT’s Charging the Crossroads Program. Speakers will highlight the latest program activities, key milestones and challenges with Round 1 and Round 2 projects, and offer a glimpse into activities beyond the stations themselves. Learn how Indiana is paving the way for a sustainable, accessible, and equitable deployment of DC fast charging infrastructure.

Presentation Speakers/Participants

• George McCue, INDOT, [email protected]
• Jack Sinton, HNTB Corporation, [email protected]
• Kerri Garvin, HNTB Corporation, [email protected]

Innovative Intersection Public Involvement: Strategies That Work, Nathaniel Shellhamer, David Reamer

Purdue Road School

This presentation will share best practices for effectively engaging the public and local stakeholders during the development of innovative treatments. We will cover why innovative treatments work; their selection process; case studies from finished projects; and tips and tricks for effective, positive engagement and collaboration. This presentation will benefit project managers, public involvement professionals, and engineers involved in developing innovative treatments.

Gravel Road Performance Enhancement, Bora Cetin, Kristin Cetin, Charan Sai Vangaveeti, Mehdi Bulduk, Md Mahir Asif

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Nearly 30% of roads in the U.S. are unpaved, significantly impacting rural connectivity with Nebraska alone having approximately 75% unpaved roads. This study systematically evaluates local materials to improve gravel road performance, reduce maintenance frequency, and decrease financial burdens on counties. Survey responses revealed that nearly 70% of counties follow NDOT specifications for gravel road design, while more than 90% lack knowledge of local material quality. The most common distresses identified were raveling, loss of crown, dust, and improper drainage. These findings indicate that construction practices rely heavily on experience, rather than systematic design, highlighting the need for a performance-based …

Development Of Measures For Highway Criticality Assessment, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Existing network criticality assessments, often biased towards heavily used highways in populous areas by incorporating traffic and sociodemographic attributes, can lead to an underestimation of the vital role of rural infrastructure. Consequently, rural highways, particularly low-volume roads, often receive less consideration despite their critical role in network connectivity and local access to services and economic opportunities. To address this, we develop a criticality framework based on the egalitarian principle, which prioritizes equitable consideration of all network links regardless of traffic volume or population density, comprising two complementary measures. First, the normalized betweenness centrality quantifies a road's relative importance in efficiently …

University Avenue Bike Plan, Emma Meyer

City and Regional Planning

The University Avenue Bike Plan provides recommendations for bicycle infrastructure along the 1.7-mile University Avenue corridor in Palo Alto, California. The plan includes background, existing conditions, community engagement, alternatives of conceptual designs, and implementation tools. The University Avenue Bike Plan builds on Palo Alto's Bike and Pedestrian Transportation Plan and informs the multiple University Avenue related projects and plans that are underway.

Smart Highway Construction Site Monitoring Using Artificial Intelligence, Mehran Mazari, Yahaira Nava-Gonzalez, Ly Jacky N. Nhiayi, Mohamad H. Saleh

Mineta Transportation Institute

Construction is a large sector of the economy and plays a significant role in creating economic growth and national development,and construction of transportation infrastructure is critical. This project developed a method to detect, classify, monitor, and track objects during the construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation of transportation infrastructure by using artificial intelligence and a deep learning approach. This study evaluated the performance of AI and deep learning algorithms to compare their performance in detecting and classifying the equipment in various construction scenes. Our goal was to find the optimized balance between the model capabilities in object detection and memory processing requirements. …

Advancing Sustainable Road Construction With Cold Mix Rap And Rejuvenator, Abeeb G. Oyelere

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Presentations

Presentation slides for a presentation given at the 1st annual Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum at the University of South Alabama.

Static Performance And Stability Of A Multi-Span Hybrid Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge With High Piers, Huang Yu, Liu Guanyu, Yi Jianbo, Xing Xuan, Su Miao, Peng Hui

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to study the static performance and stability of a steel-concrete composite continuous rigid frame bridge in Suichang,Zhejiang Province,a single girder and girder lattice finite element model for the whole bridge was established by using Midas Civil,and a local solid finite element model was established by using Ansys.A detailed analysis of the structural displacement and stress state of the bridge in use and the local stress in the solid section of the pier and girder under different loads was carried out.The influence of the pile-bottom restraint stiffness and pier-girder connection form on the overall stability of the bridge was …

Influence Of Train Speed On Thermal Insulation And Anti-Thawing Length For Tunnel In Cold Region, Huang Huanan, Chen Yong, Wang Yibo, Wu Yaping

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study the influence of train speed on thermal insulation and anti-thawing measures for surrounding rock of tunnels in cold regions,it is necessary to analyze the temperature field.By using the Kunlun Mountain Tunnel Project in cold regions as a case study,the effects of external atmospheric temperature,piston wind effects caused by varying train speeds,and the driving resistance on the distribution of the tunnel ’s internal temperature field were considered.A three-dimensional numerical calculation model including the surrounding rock,concrete lining,and tunnel air was established by utilizing the thermo-fluid-structure interaction (TFSI ) technique.The thermal environment variations caused by trains at different speeds were predicted.The …

Parametric Analysis Of Composite Slab With Steel Bar Trusses At Construction Stages, Zhang Junhao, He Jun, Tan Chao, Feng Sidong, Wang Zitong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To clarify the structural behavior of composite slab with steel bar trusses at key construction stages including hoisting and concrete post-pouring,a composite beam bridge with a main span of 60 m in Georgia ’s E60 Highway was investigated.A finite element model was developed by using ABAQUS to simulate the construction process and analyze the influence of parameters such as prefabricated bottom slab material,number of hoisting points,slab thickness,and number of steel bar trusses on the principal stress of concrete and mid-span deflection.The results indicate that ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC ) prefabricated bottom slabs prevent plastic damage and enhance slab stiffness.Normal concrete (NC) …

Cracking Characteristics Of Cement-Stabilized Macadam With Early Strength Agent Under Variable Temperature And Humidity Curing Conditions, Ge Dongdong, Liu Dingyuan, Lyu Songtao, Jiang Xiangyang, Xue Yanhua, Yu Yang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In environments with large temperature variations and low humidity,the curing conditions of cement-stabilized macadam fail to meet the specifications,leading to slow early strength development and increased susceptibility to cracking.This study aimed to investigate the effects of actual environmental temperature,humidity,curing age,and addition of early strength agents on the cracking characteristics of cement-stabilized macadam.Variable temperature conditions were determined based on actual environmental temperature data.Four curing conditions were set by combining temperatures (variable temperature and standard temperature ) with relative humidity of 95%,80%,and 65%,respectively.Three types of specimens were prepared with 0%,10%,and 15% early strength agent contents and cured for 14 and 28 days,respectively.The …

Identification And Prediction Model For Traffic Blockage State Of Highways To Xizang, Wu Ling, Liu Jianbei, Zhang Zhiwei, Shan Donghui, Chi Gandu

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To identify the traffic blockage state on highways to Xizang in extreme environments,comprehensive evaluation indicators for traffic blockage state based on the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method were proposed by using the traffic blockage event parameters observed on four major highways to Xizang:Sichuan ‒ Xizang Highway,Yunnan ‒ Xizang Highway,Qinghai ‒ Xizang Highway,and Xinjiang ‒ Xizang Highway.The K-Medoids clustering algorithm was used to categorize the traffic blockage state into different levels.By considering factors such as hazard types,road types,traffic volume,and vehicle type ratios,a classification model for the traffic blockage state on highways to Xizang was constructed based on machine learning algorithms.The results show that …

Seismic Performance Of Bridge Pile Foundation Considering Effects Of Material Freeze-Thaw Deterioration And Permafrost Degradation, Zhang Xiyin, Yu Shengsheng, Wang Wanping, Wen Hairong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In cold and high-seismic regions,such as the Qinghai‒Xizang Plateau in China,the deterioration of material properties caused by freeze-thaw cycles and permafrost degradation due to climate change have become increasingly severe,posing significant challenges for the seismic performance assessment of bridge pile foundations.To systematically investigate the impact of permafrost degradation and material freeze-thaw deterioration on the seismic performance of bridge pile foundations and ensure proper seismic design,a finite element model was established,considering the dual effects of permafrost degradation and material freeze-thaw deterioration.A comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the influence mechanisms of various factors on the seismic performance of bridge pile foundations …

Design And Simulation Evaluation Of Converged Toll Collection Schemes For Senegalese Highways, Lai Zengcheng, Zhang Ning, Yang Shichun, Ding Xueqi, Ji Yanjie

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The Senegalese highway toll collection system is inefficient,and significant congestion and delays frequently occur at toll stations in the face of sudden traffic surges during holidays.This paper examined the limitations of the existing toll collection methods on Senegalese highways and combined the image detection algorithm and electronic license plate recognition technology with the existing MTC and ETC toll collection methods to construct a converged toll collection method based on vehicle information recognition.The paper aimed to optimize the Senegalese highway toll collection system,reduce its cost of use,and improve the efficiency of toll collection.The BPV Thiès toll station in Senegal was selected …

Model Test On Bearing Capacity Of Gravity Anchor Foundation Considering Rock Socketed Effect, Yin Jingze, Guo Chao, Zhang Xinmin, Li Wei, Shi Haiyang, Fu Baiyong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The calculation of the bearing capacity of traditional gravity anchor foundation instructed by Code for Design of Ground Base and Foundation of Highway Bridges and Culverts (JTG D 63—2007 ) only considers the friction effects of the basement and neglects the rock socketed effect of bottom plate,which is simply regarded as a safety margin,on the improvement of bearing capacity.To study the influence of rock socketed effect on the bearing capacity of gravity anchor,this paper designed two groups of indoor scale model tests on non-rock-socketed and rock-socketed gravity anchors with a scale of 1∶50 to discuss the bearing capacity and load …

Theoretical And Experimental Studies On Adaptive Spatial Rotating Main Cable Saddle, Chen Yuanlin, Huang Anming, Chen Long, Xie Jun

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To ensure the accuracy of the main cable alignment during adaptive rotation,an adaptive spatial rotating main cable saddle suitable for spatial suspension bridges was designed.The main cable saddle had two adaptive rotating pair mechanisms with axes passing through the IP point.By using a specific suspension bridge as a case study,the design was validated through a combination of finite element analysis and model testing to assess the reliability and structural safety of the adaptive rotation mechanism.The results show that the adaptive spatial rotating main cable saddle can automatically adjust its orientation based on variations in the main cable load during construction,with …

Section Form Of Open-Cut Tunnel By Ultra-Large-Diameter Shield Empty-Push Technology, Sun Chao, Zhang Guangwei

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Based on the engineering background of the open-cut section by the shield machine with overall movement in the rapid transformation project of Wanghai Road,Shenzhen City,the structural stress and economy of three types of section forms under construction and operation conditions were analyzed to determine the optimal section design.The load-structure model was used to analyze the parameters affecting the internal force of the optimal section.The research results show that the top and bottom plates and side walls in the scheme with ribs set at the corner (scheme 3) have uniform force,and force during the construction period is close to that during …

Application Of Superelevation Detection Technology In Ship Collision Prevention System Of Cross-Sea Bridges, Song Xiaodong, Duan Min, Ren Quanli, Hu Jianan, Yang Naiheng, Chen Jingwen, Tong Jianrong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Cross-sea bridges are an important component of national infrastructure and an important regional transportation hub,which have a significant impact on economic development,regional integration,and cultural exchange.Ship superelevation is an important factor that threatens the safety of bridges.Therefore,superelevation detection is an important means to improve the service level of channel navigation,standardize the navigation order of ships in the water area near the bridge,and enhance the ship collision prevention ability of bridges.This paper conducted theoretical analysis and engineering feasibility research on superelevation detection by using laser alignment,laser ranging,optoelectronic detection,LiDAR detection,and machine vision.According to the superelevation detection requirements of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge,two technical …