Transportation Intelligence

Volume 1 Number 1

December 2002

Development and Management
Do Bottleneck Improvements Really Reduce Congestion?
The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) on occasion collects before and after data to determine whether an improvement in travel time or capacity has been realized.
(Texas Transportation Researcher, vol. 38 #2, 2002, p.8-9.)

Construction
Maturity Meters: A Concrete Success (Focus, October 2002, p.1-2)

SuperPave Comes of Age (Public Roads, vol 66 #2, Sep/Oct 2002, p.45-49)

Research
Performance Measures for Research, Development, and Technology Programs (NCHRP Synthesis of Practice #300)

Development and Management
Enhancing Public Involvement Through High Technology (TR News, #220, May-June 2002, p.16-17)
(Request this article from TIS)

Maintenance snowplow
New Lessons in Winter Road Management
Some agencies create winter maintenance plans for a season or two, but others go with the flow or use seat-of-the-pants decision making as storms occur. In Finland and Japan, five-year plans are the rule, with a new plan following the one ahead and building on the lessons learned.
(Better Roads, vol. 72 #10, October 2002, p. 40-42.)
(Request this article from TIS)

Construction
Tynset Bridge With its 70 metres span, Norway's Tynset Bridge is the longest spanning timber bridge in the world designed for full traffic loading. (Nordic Road and Transportation Researcher, vol 14 #1, 2002, p. 4-6) SMA: Built for the Long Haul Because of its excellent performance over more than 10 years in the United States, stone matrix asphalt is enjoying a renewal of interest by highway agencies. (Better Roads, vol 72 #10, October 2002, p. 30-33) Maturity Meters: A Concrete Success To speed up the reconstruction of the collapsed Interstate 40 bridge in eastern Oklahoma, one of the technologies that was relied upon was the concrete maturity meter. (Focus, October 2002, p.1-2) SuperPave Comes of Age In 1999, no fewer than 2,515 projects used 73 million metric tons of SuperPave designed hot-mix asphalt (HMA). This figure rose to 3,166 projects by 2000, and the upward trend continued in 2001 with 3,846 projects slated for construction. (Public Roads, vol 66 #2, Sep/Oct 2002, p.45-49) Back to Top

Construction

Tynset Bridge

Tynset Bridge

With its 70 metres span, Norway's Tynset Bridge is the longest spanning timber bridge in the world designed for full traffic loading. (Nordic Road and Transportation Researcher, vol 14 #1, 2002, p. 4-6)

SMA: Built for the Long Haul
Because of its excellent performance over more than 10 years in the United States, stone matrix asphalt is enjoying a renewal of interest by highway agencies. (Better Roads, vol 72 #10, October 2002, p. 30-33)

Maturity Meters: A Concrete Success
To speed up the reconstruction of the collapsed Interstate 40 bridge in eastern Oklahoma, one of the technologies that was relied upon was the concrete maturity meter. (Focus, October 2002, p.1-2)

SuperPave Comes of Age
In 1999, no fewer than 2,515 projects used 73 million metric tons of SuperPave designed hot-mix asphalt (HMA). This figure rose to 3,166 projects by 2000, and the upward trend continued in 2001 with 3,846 projects slated for construction. (Public Roads, vol 66 #2, Sep/Oct 2002, p.45-49)

Back to Top

Maintenance

Strategic Planning for Pavement Preventive Maintenance
Michigan's pavement maintenance program uses a "mix of fixes" approach, combining reconstruction, rehabilitation, and preventive maintenance. (TR News, #219 March-April 2002, p.3-8) (Request this article from TIS)

War on Weeds
In May 2002 the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsored an interagency international conference on invasive plants. (Public Roads, Sep/Oct 2002, p. 10-15)

Safety

Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis, MN

Walking the Safety Walk: New Guidebook Puts a Safer Environment for Pedestrians Within Reach
The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Pedestrian Facilities Users Guide Providing Safety and Mobility is designed to help transportation engineers, planners, and safety professionals make cities safer and more pedestrian-friendly. (Public Roads, v66 #2, p.2-5)

Relative Risks of School Travel: A National Perspective and Guidance for Local Community Risk Assessment (3 MB PDF file)
This Transportation Research Board Special Report assesses the relative risk of each major mode of school travel and and provides insights into the potential effects on safety of changes in the distribution of school trips by mode. (Transportation Research Board Special Report 269, 2002)

Traffic Control
Major Upgrade for Controlled Motorway A pilot project in the UK uses camera technology to reduce permissible speeds at peak hours in response to actual traffic speeds and flows. (ITS International, vol 8 #3, May/June 2002, p. 56-57) (Request this article from TIS) Control by Section Gulf War technology is helping the Dutch discourage speeding and control traffic flows on the A1 and A13 highways. (ITS International, vol. 8 #5, September/October 2002, p. 47-48) (Request this article from TIS) Green Logic and the Benefits for Traffic-Actuated Control - The Dutch Experience Green logic, a new way of controlling traffic for individual intersections, offers many benefits including less time-loss for road users, reduced cycle times, and increased intersection capacity. (TEC - Traffic Engineering and Control, vol 43 #9, October 2002, p.351-353) (Request this article from TIS) Effects of Weather-Controlled Variable Message Signing on Driver Behavior The study investigated the effects of local and frequently updated information of adverse weather and road conditions on driver behavior. The information was transmitted by several VMS (Variable Message Sign) types including slippery road condition signs, minimum headway signs, temperature displays and speed limits. (Nordic Road and Transport, vol. 14 #1, p.17-19) Back to Top

Traffic Control

Major Upgrade for Controlled Motorway
A pilot project in the UK uses camera technology to reduce permissible speeds at peak hours in response to actual traffic speeds and flows. (ITS International, vol 8 #3, May/June 2002, p. 56-57) (Request this article from TIS)

Control by Section
Gulf War technology is helping the Dutch discourage speeding and control traffic flows on the A1 and A13 highways. (ITS International, vol. 8 #5, September/October 2002, p. 47-48) (Request this article from TIS)

Green Logic and the Benefits for Traffic-Actuated Control - The Dutch Experience
Green logic, a new way of controlling traffic for individual intersections, offers many benefits including less time-loss for road users, reduced cycle times, and increased intersection capacity. (TEC - Traffic Engineering and Control, vol 43 #9, October 2002, p.351-353) (Request this article from TIS)

Effects of Weather-Controlled Variable Message Signing on Driver Behavior
The study investigated the effects of local and frequently updated information of adverse weather and road conditions on driver behavior. The information was transmitted by several VMS (Variable Message Sign) types including slippery road condition signs, minimum headway signs, temperature displays and speed limits. (Nordic Road and Transport, vol. 14 #1, p.17-19)

Development & Management

A New Approach to Highway Design
For States practicing context sensitive design (CSD), the goals of ensuring safety and mobility when designing and building a road are enhanced by the aim to preserve environmental, community, scenic, and historic resources. (Focus, October 2002, p. 3-4)

Public Opinion and Traffic Flow Impacts of Newly Installed Modern Roundabouts in the United States
This study examined public opinion regarding roundabouts before and after construction in several U. S. communities and evaluated their impact on traffic flow.(ITE Journal, vol 72 #9. Sep. 2002, p. 30-37) (Request this article from TIS)

Enhancing Public Involvement Through High Technology
To improve stakeholder satisfaction with both the process and the outcome of involvement in transportation decisions, the Policy and Systems Analysis (PSA) team at the Kentucky Transportation Center is developing the Structured Public Involvement (SPI) framework. (TR News, #220, May-June 2002, p.16-17) (Request this article from TIS)

Research

Performance Measures for Research, Development, and Technology Programs
This synthesis discusses performance measures as they relate to RD&T programs. It addresses the general issue of measuring performance, and it details the various activities carried out within state DOTs, federal and other agencies, the private sector, and academia related to evaluating the effectiveness of RD&T efforts. (NCHRP Synthesis of Practice #300)

Next Step in Differential GPS Evolution: 10 Centimeter Accuracy
Continuing advancements in global positioning systems (GPs) might one day enable drivers and snowplow operators to stay within their lanes or make it easier for surveyors to measure the height, positioning, and coordinates of a specific area. (Research and Technology Transporter, June/July 2002, p. 1)