Transportation Intelligence

Volume 3 Number 1

February 2005

Safety

Maintenance

Pavements

Planning and Development

Environment

Urban

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Maintenance
Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity and the Canadian Environment
The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada (MUTCD-C) states that traffic signs “must be illuminated or reflectorized to show the same shape and colours by night as by day." The criterion laid out in the U.S. version of this document is almost identical. Unfortunately, neither manual currently provides much guidance to road authorities concerning the replacement of worn traffic signs due to diminished reflectivity characteristics. (University of New Brunswick Transportation Group, 2004, 24 p.)

Environment
Reuse and Recycling of Road Construction and Maintenance Materials
This Best Practice (currently in review) describes the current practices being used by municipal agencies to reuse and recycle asphalt pavements and concrete recovered during road construction and maintenance work carried out within the public right-of-way. It also discusses the current practices for recycling of winter sand (also called street sand) spread to enhance road surface friction during winter maintenance activities and collected by road sweepers during spring maintenance. (National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure, 2005, 70 p.)

Traffic Management
Lessons Learned: Monitoring Highway Congestion and Reliability Using Archived Traffic Detector Data
This report summarizes the top 10 lessons learned from the Mobility Monitoring Program (http://mobility.tamu.edu/mmp/) with respect to using archived traffic detector data for monitoring highway performance (e.g., traffic congestion and travel reliability). The top 10 lessons learned are centered on these three general areas: analytical methods, data quality, and institutional issues. (FHWA Report FHWA-HOP-05-003, October 2004, 36 p.)

Safety

Fact Sheet - Bicycle facilities on road segments and intersections of distributor roads
Bicycle facilities that separate motorized traffic from relatively vulnerable road users such as cyclists and (light)-mopedists (i.e. the sum of light-mopedists and mopedists) are necessary in a sustainably-safe traffic environment. Research has shown that the road segments of distributor roads with adjacent or separated cycle paths are safer than road segments without such bicycle facilities. The number of crashes can be reduced by additional measures at intersections: priority regulations, speed bumps, and plateaus. The absolute separation of the various road users is not always feasible, even in a sustainably-safe traffic environment. That is why conflict situations, and the accompanying crashes, can never be completely excluded. (Netherlands Institute for Road Safety Research, 2004, 5 p.)

Safety Impacts of Street Lighting at Isolated Rural Intersections-Part II (DRAFT)
Several research efforts, including one initiated by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB), have suggested that rural intersection lighting reduces nighttime crashes and is a cost effective crash mitigation strategy. However, many Minnesota highway agencies do not routinely install or maintain streetlights at rural intersections or retain formal warrants or guidelines for installation. This study was initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of rural street lighting in reducing nighttime crashes at isolated rural intersections so that Minnesota agencies have more information to make lighting decisions. (Iowa State University Center for Transportation Research and Education, November 2004, 93 p.)

PIARC Road Safety Manual
This manual, written by experts of the World Road Association (PIARC), is a basic reference for all transportation engineers concerned about road safety problems. It was written by the technical experts of the road safety technical committee, under the coordination of the Canada-Quebec representative, Mr. Carl Bélanger. (PIARC, 2004, 500 p.) (Request this item from the TIS.)

Handbook of Road Safety Measures
This book takes a broad view of what constitutes a road safety measure. It is not limited to a particular class of safety programs, but tries to cover everything that is intended to improve road safety. A total of 124 safety measures are included. The purpose of this publication is to describe, as objectively as possible, the effects of road safety measures on road safety. Some measures influence not only road safety, but also the ease of travel and the quality of the environment. (Elsevier Publishing, 2004, 1078 p.) (Request this item from the TIS.)

Maintenance

Dust Control for Unpaved Roads
This best practice (currently in the review stage) provides a readily available source of information for minimizing or controlling dust from unpaved roads in rural and urban areas. It is also intended to assist the reader to determine when additions or modifications to dust control programs may be effective and cost efficient. (National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure, January 2005, 56 p.)

Rehabilitation criteria for post-tensioned voided-slab bridges
Current rehabilitation practices for aging, post-tensioned, voided-slab bridges typically reduce the geometric properties of the concrete cross section and so permanently increase post-tensioning stresses, change primary and secondary prestress moments, and create new primary and secondary moments because the original concrete restrains shrinkage of the new concrete. These changes affect the resistance of the rehabilitated bridge at limit states specified for new construction in the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC) and may cause other limit states not currently identified in the CHBDC to govern. (Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, December 2004, pp. 977-987.)

Estimating Fatigue Life of Patroon Island Bridge Using Strain Measurements
This report presents a study where the remaining fatigue life of the Patroon Island Bridge, which carries Interstate 90 over the Hudson River, was estimated as part of a structural integrity evaluation and a larger evaluation of the entire interchange. (New York State Department of Transportation Special Report 142, 61 p.)

Pavement Management Applications Using Geographic Information Systems
NCHRP Synthesis 335: Pavement Management Applications Using Geographic Information Systems examines the state of the practice and knowledge of pavement management systems (PMS) using geographic information systems (GIS) and other spatial technologies, and discusses how the technologies have been combined to enhance the highway management process. (Transportation Research Board, 2004, 76 p.)

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Pavements

Instrumentation and Field Testing of Thin Whitetopping Pavement in Colorado and Revision of the Existing Colorado Thin Whitetopping Procedure
This report summarizes the verification and revision of a thin whitetopping pavement mechanistic design procedure developed for the Colorado Department of Transportation. The original whitetopping procedure and design guidelines were developed during a 1998 study on thin whitetopping pavements in Colorado. This report includes information on the installation and construction of the test sections, instrumentation, field and laboratory testing, data acquisition, and data analysis. (Colorado Department of Transportation report CDOT-DTD-R-2004-12, August 2004, 101 p.)

Performance-Based Models for Flexible Pavement Structural Overlay Design
Performance of flexible pavement has long been recognized as an important parameter in the design of flexible pavements. The presented flexible overlay design models are constructed using performance curve parameters to provide an adequate overlay thickness at any given future time. The undertaken approach attempts to compensate an existing pavement structure for the loss in performance (strength) that it has endured over a specified service time. (Journal of Transportation Engineering, February 2005, pp. 149-159.) (Request this item from the TIS)

PIARC Guideline on In Situ Recycling of Pavements with Cement
Recycling techniques to take advantage of materials from existing pavements are being increasingly used, for different technical, economical, and ecological reasons. Therefore, PIARC Technical Committee C7/8 on Pavements has prepared a guideline on cold in-place recycling with cement. This article presents the main features of the new guideline. (Revue générale des routes et aérodromes, Supplement 1, 2004, pp. 23-30.) (Request this item from the TIS)

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Planning and Development

Optimizing geometric design of single-lane roundabouts: consistency analysis
One of the main objectives to promote traffic safety at roundabouts is design consistency. Design consistency ensures that the speed differences along a vehicle path or between conflicting paths are smaller than a specified criterion. This paper presents an optimization model that directly provides the design parameters that maximize design consistency. (Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, December 2004, pp. 1024-1038)

An Evaluation of Red Light Camera (Photo-Red) Enforcement Programs in Virginia: A Report in Response to a Request by Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation

Transport and Spatial Policies: The Role of Regulatory and Fiscal Incentives
Anticipated growth in transport volumes means addressing greater environmental damage and congestion, and increasing investment for the expansion of infrastructure capacity. Transport policies in general and urban transport policies in particular will have to find new ways of satisfying demands for both accessibility and lower levels of mobility. Achieving this requires recognition of the interdependence between transport and spatial policy, and the design of institutions which would take account of the synergies and trade-offs in both fields. Lack of co-ordination between transport and spatial policies has negatively influenced the effectiveness of both areas to date. (European Council of Ministers of Transportation Round Table 124, December 2004, 180 p.)

Effectiveness of Transitional Speed Zones
This study found the use of transitional speed zones to be inconsistent among road authorities in North America. The objective was to determine whether sites with transitional zones were more effective in reducing speeds. In the absence of any significant positive findings, the use of transitional speed zones is not recommended. (ITE Journal, October 2004, pp. 30-32, 37-38) (Request this item from the TIS)

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Environment

Application of recycled waste aggregate to lean concrete subbase in highway pavement
As aggregates recycled from various types of construction waste are continuously being produced, interest has focused on how to apply them for use in highway pavement. This paper considers the application of waste aggregates to lean concrete, based on basic mechanical property tests and environmental toxicity. (Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, December 2004, pp. 1101-1108)

Risk-Based Ranking System for CDOT Salt Pile Facilities
The goal of this research is to produce a preliminary facility ranking system, utilizing a risk-based model, that is protective of human health and the environment for salt contamination in soil, groundwater and surface water. Concurrent and parallel activities are to identify salt toxicity values that are appropriate to the ecosystem and habitat in which a facility is located and to develop an approach to identify and evaluate potential impacts to groundwater that may be used as a drinking water source. The objective is to replace a highly subjective background-based standard for remediation with a risk-based, toxicological approach that is based on sound science and meets statutory requirements. (Colorado Department of Transportation report CDOT-DTD-R-2004-14, August 2004, 110 p.)

Environmental Stewardship Practices, Procedures, and Policies for Highway Construction and Maintenance (10.9 MB PDF)
The National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 25-25 has released a compendium of environmental stewardship best practices in construction and maintenance. The compendium was developed from literature, state transportation agency manuals and procedures, and the contributions of state departments of transportation and practitioners. The best practices included in the compendium are designed to help guide development of Environmental Management Systems and environmental strategic plans. (Transportation Resaerch Board NCHRP Project Report 25-25-4, 2004, 850 p.)

Transportation Planning - State and Metropolitan Planning Agencies Report Using Varied Methods to Consider Ecosystem Preservation
The nation’s roads, highways, and bridges are essential to mobility but can have negative effects on plants, animals, and the habitats that support them (collectively called ecosystems in this report).GAO reported on (1) the extent to which transportation planners consider ecosystem conservation in planning, (2) the effects of such consideration, and (3) the factors that encourage or discourage such consideration. (US Government Accountability Office report GAO-04-536, 2004, 49 p.)

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Urban

Evaluating Public Transit Benefits and Costs - A Best Practices Guidebook
This guidebook describes how to create a comprehensive framework for evaluating the full impacts (benefits and costs) of a particular transit service or improvement. It identifies various categories of impacts and how to measure them. It discusses best practices for transit evaluation and identifies common errors that distort results. (Victoria Transport Policy Institute Report, October 2004, 89 p.)

National Bicycling and Walking Study Ten Year Status Report - October 2004
This report builds on previous work to assess the Department of Transportation's activities and progress in respect to the National Bicycling and Walking Study goals and action plans in the ten years since the Study was released. (FHWA, October 2004.)

Trends Affecting Public Transit's Effectiveness - A Review and Proposed Actions
This paper reviews a wide range of information, including demographic and socio-economic trends, changes in land use and mobility patterns, societal changes and concerns, emerging professional practices in urban planning, etc. The objectives of the study are to distill from these medium-to-longer trends, the challenges they create for transit system effectiveness and for the industry as a whole, and to identify some questions, opportunities, and potential actions for consideration in the formulation of future strategic directions for transit in the community. (American Public Transit Association Report, November 2004, 77 p.)

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