Risk Analysis of Freeway Lane Closure during Peak Period

Author(s):  
Jake Kononov ◽  
Zane Znamenacek

This paper examines risks associated with peak period lane closure during construction or maintenance work on urban freeways. In accordance with recently implemented policy by the Colorado Department of Transportation, lane closure would be allowed if reserve capacity were available. A relatively minor accident in the work zone caused substantial delays during the peak period that virtually paralyzed traffic in the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area. This occurrence caused reexamination of the existing lane closure policy. Generally speaking, if a contractor is allowed greater flexibility in establishing work schedules, including the ability to work through peak periods, a lower bid can be expected. This paper compares savings in the cost of construction related to allowing lane closure during peak periods with the cost of potential incident-related delays in the framework of a quantitative risk analysis.

Author(s):  
Paul G. Swanson

A bridge that provided grade separation and vehicle access over a commercial rail line in a small town in the Southeast had sustained soil erosion and settlement as a result of a severe storm. Replacement of the bridge was undertaken by the State Department of Transportation as an emergency project in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration using the design-build procurement method. Subsequent to the bidding, the design-build team made several changes to the bridge foundations and superstructure that significantly increased the cost of construction. The contractor claimed damages against the other members of the design-build team resulting from design errors and an alleged breach of the customary standards associated with the design-build concept.


Author(s):  
Eric Meyer

Rumble strips can be effective in alerting drivers to road conditions that merit special attention. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) requires the deployment of rumble strips on state routes during maintenance work that necessitates the closure of a lane on a two-lane highway. In such a case, a temporary signal is placed at each end of the work zone, and rumble strips are used to alert drivers that they may need to stop. Currently, cold-mix asphalt is used to create the rumble strips. A new product, orange removable rumble strips, promises to reduce significantly the effort required to apply and to remove rumble strips, while improving safety by increased conspicuity. These removable rumble strips were evaluated at a bridge repair site in rural Kansas. Vehicle speeds were recorded with only the standard asphalt rumble strips in place; then the removable rumble strips were installed and more speed data were collected. Installation and removal times also were compared. Strips were easily applied and easily removed. The audible and tactile effects of the strips were weak due to their 3.2-mm (1/8-in.) thickness in comparison with the 12.7 to 19 mm (1/2 to 3/4 in.) thickness of standard asphalt rumble strips. However, the orange removable rumble strips were found to have a significant effect on vehicle speeds, attributable to their high visibility. KDOT plans to conduct another evaluation using a version of the same device that is 20 percent thicker.


2017 ◽  
pp. 139-145
Author(s):  
R. I. Hamidullin ◽  
L. B. Senkevich

A study of the quality of the development of estimate documentation on the cost of construction at all stages of the implementation of large projects in the oil and gas industry is conducted. The main problems that arise in construction organizations are indicated. The analysis of the choice of the perfect methodology of mathematical modeling of the investigated business process for improving the activity of budget calculations, conducting quality assessment of estimates and criteria for automation of design estimates is performed.


Author(s):  
Mirza Sangin Beg

The second part of the translation has three segments. The first is dedicated to the history of Delhi from the time of the Mahabharat to the periods of Anangpal Tomar to the Mughal Emperor Humayun as also Sher Shah, the Afghan ruler. In the second and third segments Mirza Sangin Beg adroitly navigates between twin centres of power in the city. He writes about Qila Mubarak, or the Red Fort, and gives an account of the several buildings inside it and the cost of construction of the same. He ambles into the precincts and mentions the buildings constructed by Shahjahan and other rulers, associating them with some specific inmates of the fort and the functions performed within them. When the author takes a walk in the city of Shahjahanabad, he writes of numerous residents, habitations of rich, poor, and ordinary people, their mansions and localities, general and specialized bazars, the in different skills practised areas, places of worship and revelry, processions exemplifying popular culture and local traditions, and institutions that had a resonance in other cultures. The Berlin manuscript gives generous details of the officials of the English East India Company, both native and foreign, their professions, and work spaces. Mirza Sangin Beg addresses the issue of qaum most unselfconsciously and amorphously.


Author(s):  
Sami Demiroluk ◽  
Hani Nassif ◽  
Kaan Ozbay ◽  
Chaekuk Na

The roadway infrastructure constantly deteriorates because of environmental conditions, but other factors such as exposure to heavy trucks exacerbates the rate of deterioration. Therefore, decision-makers are constantly searching for ways to optimize allocation of the limited funds for repair, maintenance, and rehabilitation of New Jersey’s infrastructure. New Jersey legislation requires operators of overweight (OW) trucks to obtain a permit to use the infrastructure. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) issues a variety of permits based on the types of goods carried. These permits allow OW trucks to use the infrastructure either for a single trip or for multiple trips. Therefore, one major concern is whether the permit revenue of the agency can recoup the actual cost of damage to the infrastructure caused by these OW trucks. This study investigates whether NJDOT’s current permit fee program can collect enough revenue to meet the actual cost of damage to the infrastructure caused by these heavy-weight permit trucks. The infrastructure damage is estimated by using pavement and bridge deterioration models and New Jersey permit data from 2013 to 2018 containing vehicle configuration and vehicle route. The analysis indicates that although the cost of infrastructure damage can be recovered for certain permit types, there is room for improvement in the permit program. Moreover, based on permit rules in other states, the overall rank of the New Jersey permit program is evaluated and possible revisions are recommended for future permit policies.


2012 ◽  
Vol 509 ◽  
pp. 209-214
Author(s):  
Shao Peng Wu ◽  
Pan Pan ◽  
Ming Yu Chen

With the widespread application of asphalt mixture, current demand from transportation managers for construction and maintenance of their pavement network consumes large numbers of aggregates. If agencies excessively favor to some certain kinds of excellent aggregates, the cost of construction could be considerably expensive. The major objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of utilizing dacite in asphalt mixtures. By means of Marshall, freeze-thaw, rutting and three-point bending tests, the performances of dacite and basalt asphalt mixture are compared. The results of the testing illustrate that dacite asphalt mixture is more susceptible to gradation and asphalt content than basalt asphalt mixture. Meanwhile it is showed that the performances of dacite asphalt mixture can be improved greatly with the involvement of additives including active mineral powder and cement. Furthermore, it is validated that dacite can be used as alternative aggregate in asphalt mixture.


2000 ◽  
Vol 1730 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Buttlar ◽  
Diyar Bozkurt ◽  
Barry J. Dempsey

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) spends $2 million annually on reflective crack control treatments; however, the cost-effectiveness of these treatments had not been reliably determined. A recent study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of IDOT reflective crack control System A, which consists of a nonwoven polypropylene paving fabric, placed either in strips longitudinally over lane-widening joints or over the entire pavement (area treatment). The study was limited to projects constructed originally as rigid pavements and subsequently rehabilitated with one or more bituminous overlays. Performance of 52 projects across Illinois was assessed through crack mapping and from distress and serviceability data in IDOT’s condition rating survey database. Comparisons of measured reflective cracking in treated and control sections revealed that System A retarded longitudinal reflective widening crack development, but it did not significantly retard transverse reflective cracking, which agrees with earlier studies. However, both strip and area applications of these fabric treatments appeared to improve overall pavement serviceability, and they were estimated to increase rehabilitation life spans by 1.1 and 3.6 years, respectively. Reduction in life-cycle costs was estimated to be 4.4 and 6.2 percent when placed in medium and large quantities, respectively, and to be at a break-even level for small quantities. However, life-cycle benefits were found to be statistically insignificant. Limited permeability testing of field cores taken on severely distressed transverse joints suggested that waterproofing benefits could exist even after crack reflection. This was consistent with the observation that, although serviceability was generally improved with area treatment, crack reflection was not retarded relative to untreated areas.


Author(s):  
Ana Maria Elias ◽  
Zohar J. Herbsman

Construction sites or work zones create serious disruptions in the normal flow of traffic, resulting in major inconveniences for the traveling public. Furthermore, these work zones create safety hazards that require special consideration. Current legislation and programs, at both state and national levels, emphasize the need for a better understanding of work zone problems to address work zone safety. This reality—coupled with the temporary closure of more miles of highway every year for rehabilitation and maintenance—makes the analysis of safety at construction sites a serious matter. A summary of a comprehensive study associated with the development of a new practical approach to address highway safety in construction zones is presented. Because empirical models require sample sizes that are not attainable due to the intrinsic scarcity of construction zone accident data, the problem was studied from the point of view of risk analysis. Monte Carlo simulations were used to develop risk factors. These factors are meant to be included in the calculations of additional user costs for work zones, or simply applied as risk measurements, to optimize the length and duration of closures for highway reconstruction and rehabilitation projects. In this way, it will be possible to assess the danger of work zones to the traveling public and minimize adverse effect of work zones on highway safety.


Author(s):  
Gary J. Higgins

Data collected by inertial profilers on new asphalt pavements in Colorado in 2012 were used to analyze the effectiveness of the localized roughness specification in Colorado. For the analyzed projects, data were collected before any corrections were made as well as after diamond grinding had been performed to remove areas of localized roughness. The data indicated that localized roughness features having a half-car roughness index (HRI) lower than 175 in./mi were rarely addressed during correction. However, about half the localized roughness features that had an HRI of 175 to 200 in./mi were successfully addressed during correction. Localized roughness features having an HRI greater than 200 in./mi appeared to be successfully addressed during correction. The analysis indicated a significant difference in the localized roughness locations identified by AASHTO R 54 and the Colorado Department of Transportation (DOT) method of detecting localized roughness. The Colorado DOT procedure specifies a minimum length for a roughness feature that is to be corrected, but AASHTO R 54 does not. This paper shows that collecting accurate profile data and analyzing the data to determine localized roughness locations are not enough. The identified locations must be correctly marked on the pavement in the field so that the feature does not cause localized roughness. This paper presents a procedure not only for collecting accurate data but also for accurately marking the roughness features in the field. It is shown that it is possible to locate and correct localized roughness accurately to the current thresholds as set by AASHTO R 54.


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