Transportation Intelligence

Volume 2 Number 4

August 2004
Winter Maintenance
Administration
Pavements
Safety
Environment
New Reports
TAC Training Calendar Fall 2004
Feedback

Winter Maintenance
Sixth International Symposium on Snow Removal and Ice Control Technology (26.3 MB PDF)
TRB Electronic Circular 63 is the compendium of papers for the June 7-9, 2004, Spokane, Washington symposium. Issues addressed at the symposium included winter weather; winter maintenance; customers’ perspectives on winter operations; environmental stewardship; winter maintenance vehicle advancements; bridge support systems; winter pavement temperatures and road conditions; material distribution, performance and residual; and large-volume snow control. (TRB Electronic Circular 63, June 2004, 676 p.)

Safety
Testing the Safety Level of a Road Network
This paper describes how traffic engineering designs can be tested and evaluated on meeting the criteria and the application of the variables and features of a Sustainably-Safe road system.. (Netherlands SWOV Report D-2003-15, October 2003, 23 p.)

Environment
Protecting Water Resources with Smart Growth
"Protecting Water Resources with Smart Growth" is intended for audiences such as communities, local governments, state and regional planners already familiar with smart growth that are now seeking more ideas on how to protect their water resources. The document is a compilation of 75 policies designed to protect water resources and implement smart growth. The majority of these policies (46) are oriented to the watershed, or regional level; the other 29 are targeted for specific development sites. (US Environmental Protection Agency report EPA 231-R-04-002, 2004, 120 p.)

Winter Maintenance

Extending the season for concrete construction and repair. Phase I, establishing the technology
Portland cement concrete generally cannot be placed during subfreezing weather without thermal protection; however, recent research by the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory has demonstrated that commercial admixtures can protect concrete from freezing. As a result of this research, cold weather construction costs can be reduced and the concrete construction season can be extended. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Report TR-04-2, 2004, 147 p.)

Intelligent Transportation Systems and Winter Operations In Japan
The U.S. delegation visited Hokkaido, Japan, to review advances in winter operations procedures, winter maintenance equipment development, and road weather data collection. The team also observed that significant advances are being made in Japan on improving communication systems and protocols used between road weather information system sensors and operations centers. (FHWA International Program, September 2003, 58 p.)

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Administration

Strategic Planning and Decision Making in State Departments of Transportation
TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 326: Strategic Planning and Decision Making in State Departments of Transportation examines state and provincial transportation departments' experience with strategic planning and synthesizes current approaches to linking strategic planning with other decision-making processes, including operational and tactical planning, resource allocation, performance management, and performance measurement. (NCHRP Synthesis of Highway Practice 326, 2004, 72 p.)

Freeway Management Operations Handbook
This document is the third such handbook for freeway management and operations. It is intended to be an introductory manual – a resource document that provides an overview of the various institutional and technical issues associated with the planning, design, implementation, operation, and management of a freeway network. The goal is to provide the user with a better understanding of the wide variety of potential strategies, tools, and technologies that may be used to support management and operation of the freeway network. (FHWA Report FHWA-OP-04-003, September 2003, 564 p.)

Highways and Transit: Private Sector Sponsorship of and Investment in Major Projects Has Been Limited
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine cases where state and local governments have used active private sector sponsorship and investment on major highway and transit projects where the private sector was the primary stakeholder in designing, financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining such projects. Among its objectives, GAO (1) identified the extent to which states have used active private sponsorship and investment to finance and build highway and transit projects; (2) identified some advantages, from the perspective state and local governments, resulting from private sponsorship and investment and some tradeoffs; (3) determined challenges that the private sector faced in these projects; and (4) presented legislative proposals that could help increase private sponsorship and investment in highway and transit projects. (GAO Report GAO-04-419, 25 March 2004, 69 p.)

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Pavements

Warm Mixes Are a Hot Topic
Warm-mix asphalt pavements (heated to less than the standard 300 degrees F (150 degrees C)) offer environmental and economic advantages. This article looks at European and American applications of the technology. (Better Roads, June 2004, p. 30-41.)

Evaluation and Analysis of Highway Pavement Drainage
This report presents an analysis of pavement drainage using various finite element models. The analysis included a range of pavement materials and drainage parameters. Finite element models in this study covered various drainage practices and quantified their relative drainage advantages. Finally, recommendations were provided for optimum drainage practices as well as future research topics in this area. (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet report KTC-03-032/SPR207-00-1F, October 2003, 45 p.)

Effect of Road Roughness on Capacity of Two-Lane Roads
The Highway Capacity Manual (2000) states that the capacity of a two-lane rural highway under ideal conditions is 3200 passenger car unit per hour for both directions combined. The ideal conditions as given in the manual do not include the riding quality of a road, which deteriorates with time. The present study has shown that the capacity of a two-lane rural road is also affected by the road roughness. Data collected on the roughness and free-flow speed of cars and heavy vehicles at a length of 55 km on three highways in India was used to establish the relationship between these two variables. Further, speed–volume data collected at eight different sections of two-lane roads were analyzed and the effect of road roughness on capacity was evaluated. (Journal of Transportation Engineering, May/June 2004, p. 360-364.)(Request this item from TIS)

Bitumen emulsions in road construction - A review
This paper presents a summary of global industry processes for preparing bitumen emulsions (including a review of commonly used emulsifiers), and discusses the factors that can affect the characteristics and behaviour of these emulsions with particular reference to their application to mineral aggregates. (Road and Transport Research, March 2004, p. 25-38)(Request this item from TIS)

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Safety

A Review of Pedestrian Safety Research in the United States and Abroad
The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of research studies on pedestrian safety in the United States; some foreign research also is included. Readers will find details of pedestrian crash characteristics, measures of pedestrian exposure and hazard, and specific roadway features and their effects on pedestrian safety. (FHWA Report FHWA-RD-03-042, January 2004, 150 p.)

New Consistency Model for Rural Highways and Its Relationship to Safety
The goal of the research was to study consistency of design on two-lane rural highways and to ascertain the existence of a relationship between consistency and safety level. The immediate objectives were to develop new, independent measures of consistency that could reflect the similarity (or lack thereof) of performance along an entire level or hilly section, to develop a new consistency model, and to find the relationship between the new model and crash rates on two-lane rural highways. (Journal of Transportation Engineering, May/June 2004, p. 286-293.)(Request this item from TIS)

WHO ReportWorld Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention
The World Health Organization and the World Bank have jointly produced this World report on road traffic injury prevention. Its purpose is to present a comprehensive overview of what is known about the magnitude, risk factors and impact of road traffic injuries, and about ways to prevent and lessen the impact of road crashes. The document is the outcome of a collaborative effort by institutions and individuals. Over 100 experts, from all continents and different sectors - including transport, engineering, health, police, education and civil society - have worked to produce the report. (World Health Organization, 2004, 217 p.) (Request this item from TIS)

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Environment

Behavior of tire shred - sand mixtures
Tire shreds and tire shred – soil mixtures can be used as alternative backfill material in many geotechnical applications. The reuse of tire shreds may not only address growing environmental and economic concerns, but also help solve geotechnical problems associated with low soil shear strength. In this study, an experimental testing program was undertaken using a large-scale triaxial apparatus with the goal of evaluating the optimum dosage and aspect ratio of tire shreds within granular fills. (Canadian Geotechnical Journal, April 2004, p. 227-241.)

Erosion Control with Recycled Materials
The use of compost to control roadway soil erosion is a growing trend, thanks in large measure to fertile minds at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and its sister agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Compost has proven to be extremely effective in preventing soil runoff during and after roadway construction. (Public Roads, March/April 2004, p. 12-15.)

COST 341 - Habitat Fragmentation Due to Linear Transportation Infrastructure
COST 341 established the state of the art of the current situation of habitat fragmentation caused by construction and use of the transportation networks in Europe. The best practice regarding methodologies, indicators, technical design and procedures for avoidance, mitigation and compensation of adverse effects on nature is gathered in a handbook of best practice. Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom participated in the project. (European Economic Community, 2003, 1 CD-ROM.)(Request this item from TIS)

Walking and Cycling - An Action Plan
Walking and cycling are easy and relatively low cost ways to integrate physical activity into the daily routine. This action plan sets out the shorter-term, practical steps which Government and its partners will now take with the aim of increasing levels of cycling and walking. The plan is the result of a wide-ranging consultation within Government and with cycling and walking groups. (UK Department for Transport, 2004, 68 p.)

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New Reports
Winter Maintenance

Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts
(Government of Canada, April 2004)

Administration

Audit and Surveillance of Sprayed Sealing Contract Works - Draft for Public Comment
(Austrorads; Sydney, Australia, 2004, 27 p.)(Request this item from TIS)
Making Public Transport Work
(Bunting,M.; McGill University Press, 2004, 161 p.)(Request this item from TIS)

Pavements

Using Foamed Asphalt as a Stabilizing Agent in Full Depth Reclamation of Route 8 in Belgrade
(Maine Department of Transportation Transportation Research Division, 2003, 17 p.)
Longitudinal Joint Treatment Interim Report - Third Year, March 2004
(Maine Department of Transportation Transportation Research Division, 2004, 10 p.)(Request this item from TIS)
Experimental Placement of Stone Matrix Asphalt - Project STP-8724(00)X South Portland
(Maine Department of Transportation Transportation Research Division, 2004, 13 p.)

Safety

Evaluation of ET2000 Guardrail End Treatment
(Kentucky Transportation Center Report KTC-04-01 SPR107(4)-98-2F, January 2004, 26 p.)
U-Turns at Signalized Intersections
(Kentucky Transportation Center Report KTC-04-12/SPR-258-03-3F, June 2004, 33 p.)

Security

Guide to Highway Vulnerability Assessment for Critical Asset Identification and Protection
(AASHTO/NCHRP Project, 2002)
Guide to Updating Highway Emergency Response Plans for Terrorist Incidents
(AASHTO/NCHRP Project, 2002)

Traffic Control

Effect of Altered Road Markings on Speed and Lateral Position: a Meta-Analysis
(Netherlands SWOV Report R-2003-31, 2004, 51 p.)
Traffic Control Devices for Managed Lanes
(Texas Transportation Institute Report 0-4160-16, April 2004, 50 p.)
Unclogging America's Arteries - Effective Relief for Highway Bottlenecks 1999-2004
(American Highway Users Alliance, February 2004, 100 p.)

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