Transportation Intelligence

Volume 3 Number 5

October 2005

Environment

Structures

Pavements

Safety

Administration

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Safety
Terrorism, Transit, and Public Safety - Evaluating the Risks
This paper evaluates the overall safety of public transit, taking into account all risks, including recent terrorist attacks. It indicates that transit is an extremely safe mode, with total per passenger-mile fatality rates approximately one-tenth that of automobile travel. It is important for individuals and public officials to avoid overreacting to terrorist threats in ways that increase overall danger. (Victoria Transportation Policy Institute Paper, July 2005, 9 p.)

Environment
Noise Reducing Pavements - State of the Art in Denmark
Noise is one of the most serious environmental problems caused by road traffic. About 28 % of all Danish homes are exposed to more than 55 dB, which is the official recommended noise limit for road traffic noise. According to the national road noise strategy, one of the most cost-effective means of noise abatement is the use of noise-reducing pavements. In this report, the ongoing Danish research to develop and test different types of noise reducing pavements is presented and discussed. (Danish Road Institute Report 141, April 2005, 26p.)

Pavements
Guidance on the Development, Assessment and Maintenance of Long-Life Flexible Pavements
This report has been produced by TRL as a result of collaboration between the Quarry Products Association, Refined Bitumen Association and Highways Agency. The report provides guidance on the construction, assessment and maintenance of pavements that are not expected to experience structural deterioration, commonly referred to as long-life pavements. (UK Transport Research Laboratory Report TRL 639, 2005, 30 p.)

Environment

Gestion du bruit à proximité des chantiers routiers (Noise Management Near Road Construction Sites)
Given that many highways on the Island of Montreal are bordered by residential areas, that the number of noise-related complaints is increasing, and that night work must sometimes be halted due to ongoing complaints, the Island of Montreal Branch of the Ministry of Transportation of Quebec has developed an approach to managing this issue. This article discusses the main components of this approach as well as the mitigation measures in place and under development (Innovation Transport, Juin 2005, pp. 13-20.)

Traffic Management and Noise Reducing Pavements - Recommendations on Additional Noise Reducing Measures
This report is a deliverable in the SILVIA project on reducing road noise. The goal was to investigate traffic management measures in order to highlight their capacity for noise control and to evaluate the possibilities and effects of combining traffic management measures with the use of noise reducing pavements especially in urban areas. The main goal of this document is to describe recommendations for road administrators with respect to additional noise reducing measures. (Danish Road Directorate/Danish Road Institute Report 137, December 2004, 110 p.)

Determination and Evaluation of Alternative Methods for Managing and Controlling Highway-Related Dust: Phase II - Demonstration Project
The State of Iowa currently has approximately 69,000 miles of unpaved secondary roads. Due to the low traffic count on these unpaved roads, paving with asphalt or Portland cement concrete is not economical. Therefore to reduce dust production, the use of dust suppressants has been utilized for decades. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of several widely used dust suppressants through quantitative field testing on two of Iowa s most widely used secondary road surface treatments: crushed limestone rock and alluvial sand/gravel. These commercially available dust suppressants included: lignin sulfonate, calcium chloride, and soybean oil soapstock. (Iowa Highway Research Board Project TR-506, June 2005, 117 p.)

Environmental Impacts and Fuel Efficiency of Road Pavements
Surface texture is the predominant factor in the effect of roads on vehicle fuel consumption, so the condition of the pavement is more important than the type of pavement in place. Optimal maintenance of roads is therefore a tool to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gases. (Revue générale des routes et aérodromes, Special Issue 2, 2004, pp. 30-36) (Request this item from the TIS.)

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Structures

Field performance of a concrete pipe culvert installed using standard installations
In August 2000, a concrete pipe culvert of 1370mm inside diameter was installed under a truck route in the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (now City of Ottawa) using the Standard Installations method. The project demonstrated two installation conditions, known as Type 2 and Type 3. In order to evaluate the pipe performance and verify the Standard Installations theory, two (2) pipe sections were instrumented to evaluate the loading conditions and enable a comparison of the Standard Installations theory. (National Research Council of Canada Paper NRCC-48332, June 2005, 14 p.)

Field Observations and Evaluations of Streambed Scour at Bridges
The variability and complexity of site conditions make it difficult to develop methodology for predicting scour at bridges. Laboratory investigations often oversimplify or ignore many complexities common in the field. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and many State highway agencies, has collected and compiled field data on scour at bridges at 79 sites located in 17 States. These data have been analyzed to isolate pier scour, contraction scour, and abutment scour. The national data base contains 493 local pier scour measurements, 18 contraction scour measurements, and 12 abutment scour measurements. The pier scour measurements were used to evaluate 26 published pier scour equations. (FHWA Report FHWA-RD-03-052, May 2005, 134 p.)(Request this item from the TIS.)

Recommended Guidelines for Curb and Curb–Barrier Installations
This report presents the findings of a research project to develop guidelines for the use of curbs and curb–guardrail combinations on high-speed roadways. The report includes recommendations concerning the location of curbs with respect to the guardrail for various operating speeds. (NCHRP Report 537, August 2005, 106 p.)

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Pavements

Computer-Based Guidelines for Concrete Pavements Volume 1-Project Summary and Volume 2-Design and Construction Guidelines and HIPERPAV II User's Manual
This report documents enhancements incorporated in the (HIgh PERformance PAVing) HIPERPAV II software. Enhancements made within this project include the addition of two major modules: a module to predict the performance of jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) as affected by early-age factors,and a module to predict the early-age behaviour (first 72 hours) and early life (up to one year) of continuously reinforced concrete pavement. (FHWA Reports FHWA-HRT-04-121 and -122, February 2005, v.1 - 106 p., v.2 - 173 p.)

Low-energy asphalt (LEA) with the performance of hot-mix asphalt (HMA)
Low energy asphalt involves the manufacture and application of asphalt mixes at a temperature lower than 100 degrees Celsius. This process can save energy and reduce gas emissions. This article looks briefly at the process and sets it within its appropriate context. (Revue générale des routes et aérodromes, Special Issue 2, 2004, pp. 20-29.)(Request this item from the TIS.)

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Safety

Red-Light Running and Limited Visibility Due to Left Turning Vehicles Using the University of Central Florida's Driving Simulator
The University of Central Florida (UCF) Driving Simulator was used to test a proposed pavement-marking design. This marking is placed upstream of signalized intersections to assist the motorists with advance warning concerning the occurrence of the clearance interval. The results of the experiment have indicated promising results for intersection safety. (Florida Department of Transportation Contract BD548-01, August 2005, 172 p.)

Analysis of Speeding-Related Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes
This study analyzes speeding-related motor vehicle traffic fatal crashes using NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Of interest are characteristics of drivers that are speeding as well as the extent of this problem in the states. The analysis is presented along major categories of interest that are likely to affect speeding like environmental, behavioral and vehicle-related factors. A separate section discusses the extent of speeding-related crashes by state. (US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Report DOT HS 809 803, June 2005, 70 p.)

Validation of Accident Models for Intersections
This report describes the results of validation and calibration of motor vehicle crash models for rural intesections. Both the validation and recalibration activities were conducted in pursuit of one overriding research objective, which was to make marginal improvements to an existing set of statistical models for predicting crashes at two and four lane intersections, with the primary intent to be used in the Interactiv Highway Safety Design Module (IHSDM). (FHWA Report FHWA-RD-03-037, July 2005, 311 p.)(Request this item from the TIS.)

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Administration

Toward sustainable neighbourhoods: the need to consider infrastructure interactions
This paper details the role of infrastructure in promoting sustainability at the neighbourhood scale. A sustainable neighbourhood design process is outlined and the importance of adopting a systems perspective and considering infrastructure interconnections is emphasized. The performance of local infrastructure systems (e.g., buildings and local transportation network) is influenced by interactions with the greater urban region and with other local infrastructure. Through a broad review of the literature on transportation, water, building, and urban forestry systems, this paper identifies many of these extra- and inter-neighbourhood interactions. (Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, February 2005, pp. 45-57)

Geographic information system (GIS) based decision support for neighbourhood traffic calming
In suburban areas, traffic issues are generally related to elevated speeds and volumes and a perceived reduction in personal safety. In response, traffic engineers have designed and implemented a variety of traffic calming measures for local and collector streets, with significant speed reductions and other benefits. Less common are measures to address traffic issues on arterials which (if implemented) might reduce speeds, thereby encouraging more sustainable transportation modes and lessening automobile dependence. A geographic information system (GIS) based tool has been developed to provide decision support for the development of neighbourhood traffic calming plans for all street types. (Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, February 2005, pp. 86-98)

Network-level bridge management using a multiobjective optimization decision model
This paper presents an approach for network-level bridge maintenance optimization that prioritizes bridge structures for maintenance by considering several relevant objectives. Three relevant and conflicting objectives are selected in this study, namely: the minimization of maintenance costs, maximization of condition rating, and minimization of traffic disruption. (NRC Institute for Research in Construction Paper NRCC-47691, June 2005, 10 p.)

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