Monday, March 25, 2024 - 13:30
Bridge decks are prone to various types of cracking due to a combination of factors, including traffic loads, temperature variations, moisture, and chemical exposure. This report tackles the critical issue of bridge deck cracking by systematically dissecting the problem, exploring various crack types, and emphasizing the crucial inspection and categorization of...
Monday, March 25, 2024 - 13:30
Many state departments of transportation (DOTs) are undergoing organizational changes to address climate change. Changes range from hiring additional staff to creating new offices within the organizational structure of the agency. State requirements in the form of legislation, executive orders, and climate action plans are primary drivers for state DOT...
Monday, March 18, 2024 - 17:45
Polymer overlays consist of polymer resins and aggregates and are used on bridge decks to extend service life by providing waterproofing and chloride penetration resistance and restoring surface friction. High friction surface treatments (HFSTs) are a specific type of polymer overlay intended to provide long-term skid resistance by using aggregates with...
Monday, March 18, 2024 - 17:45
Traffic control devices, markings, signals, guardrail, computing systems, communications infrastructure, and other permanent and temporary devices will likely each be affected by the operation of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology. State departments of transportation (DOTs) need to identify gaps in knowledge and skills and prepare for the...
Monday, March 18, 2024 - 17:45
Surficial slope failures in highway fill embankments are shallow landslides that occur within the embankment fill, usually affecting only a portion of the slope’s height. These failures tend to occur after a vulnerable embankment slope is subjected to a triggering event. An embankment’s failure susceptibility generally depends on factors such as...
Monday, March 18, 2024 - 17:30
One tool utilized by some departments of transportation (DOTs) to improve safety performance is conducting road safety audits (RSAs), also known as “road safety assessments.” An RSA is a formal evaluation of the safety performance of an existing or future highway segment or intersection performed by an independent, multidisciplinary team.
NCHRP...
Monday, March 18, 2024 - 17:30
The existing foundations of a bridge can sometimes be reused. This may occur when a completely new bridge is built but also in bridge or superstructure widening projects. Reuse of existing foundations not only eliminates the costs associated with demolishing and disposing of old foundations, but also reduces the costs of the design and construction of new...
Monday, February 12, 2024 - 15:30
Intersection control evaluation (ICE) is fundamentally a process that provides the framework, steps, and tools and offers decision support for assessing trade-offs between different types of intersection forms and controls.
NCHRP Research Report 1087: Guide for Intersection Control Evaluation, from TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program,...
Monday, February 12, 2024 - 15:15
This paper authored by CUR Senior Research Fellow, Frank Clayton, addresses why since the mid-2000s housing affordability in Ontario’s largest metropolitan area, Toronto, has deteriorated much more than in the province’s second-largest metropolitan area, Ottawa.
There is a growing awareness that an inverse relationship exists between housing...
Monday, February 12, 2024 - 15:15
In the past few years, the Systemic Road Safety (SRS) process was introduced by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to address some of the limitations of network screening based on the collision history of specific sites in a road network. The SRS process also considers the site's collision risk factors. Risk factors are those characteristics common...
Monday, February 12, 2024 - 15:15
When, where, and how autonomous shuttles are deployed can have significant safety, economic, and policy impacts on their operation and performance. This research analyzes data related to 120 existing deployments of autonomous shuttles, looking at safety, operational, economic, and policy-related issues. Analysis shows that autonomous shuttles would be an...
Monday, February 12, 2024 - 15:15
The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety impacts of increasing the speed limit from 55 mph to 60 mph on two-lane, two-way state highway road segments in Minnesota. An empirical Bayes (EB) before-after analysis was used to estimate crash modification factors (CMFs) for both segments and intersections. The segment analysis showed an 8 percent...
