Paving Tobacco Road: A Century of Progress by the North Carolina Department of Transportation

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 127-129
Author(s):  
R. Dale Grinder
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North

North Carolina’s Experience in Development of Pavement Performance Prediction and Modeling

1997 ◽  
Vol 1592 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul K. Chan ◽  
Mary C. Oppermann ◽  
Shie-Shin Wu
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Performance Prediction ◽  
Pavement Performance ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Pavement Condition ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
Condition Rating ◽  
The North ◽  
Initial Idea ◽  
Pavement Performance Prediction

Development efforts in pavement performance prediction by the North Carolina Department of Transportation are described. Research into other states’ approaches was also conducted. The initial idea was to use family curves. However, because of a lack of data in key areas, it was decided to use an individual section’s pavement condition rating (PCR) data for performance prediction. The process of selection and justification of a functional form for curve fitting is detailed. An adaptive scheme to accommodate a realistic PCR history containing cycles of decline and improvement in the ratings is detailed. Abnormal sections that did not fit the models developed for individual sections were identified. These were either ( a) section with too few datum points for modeling or ( b) sections in which the last few ratings leveled out, resulting in a prediction of an unreasonably long life span. The development of family curves and their application in the processing of abnormal sections are also discussed. The developed models were then evaluated by comparing the predicted rating with the actual rating.

Effects of Flexible Notice-to-Proceed Provisions on the Performance of Transportation Infrastructure Projects

2022 ◽  
pp. 036119812110657
Author(s):  
Meng Yaw ◽  
Hyungseok David Jeong ◽  
Kunhee Choi
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Transportation Infrastructure ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Infrastructure Project ◽  
Transportation Agencies

When alternative contracting techniques are considered, one innovative approach for assuring the performance of a transportation infrastructure project is offering contractors flexibility about when they start the project. Although such flexible notice-to-proceed (NTP) provisions are becoming more common, quantitative studies examining their impact on project performance are nonexistent. This study investigates the likely effects of flexible NTP provisions on competitive bidding, bid prices, and contract time. A dataset gathered from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, United States, was carefully stratified by type and size of project to allow for unbiased analysis. The results from the hypothesis testing revealed that projects with flexible NTP provisions were more competitive in relation to bidding. The results also indicated a positive correlation between the length of flexible time window and award growth. This study is the first of its kind and will help state transportation agencies make better-informed decisions by providing a point of reference when adopting NTP provisions for alternative contracting projects.

Evaluation of Effectiveness of School Zone Flashers in North Carolina

2008 ◽  
Vol 2074 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie L. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
Speed Limit ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
School Time ◽  
Measures Of Effectiveness ◽  
Sample Set ◽  
School Zones

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has been placing flashing beacons on school zone signs where warranted in an attempt to provide more awareness of the school zone speed limit and at the request of schools. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of placing flashing beacons on school zone speed limit signs and to determine if speed compliance was improved in school zones. A sample set of 15 treatment school zones with flashers and 15 comparison school zones without flashers was selected for analysis throughout North Carolina. Sites were selected to include a mix of geometric features and geographic elements. Flashers had been installed at each of the sites for at least 3 years. The school-time speed limits at all sites ranged between 25 and 45 mph. Speed data were collected at all sites during the reduced-speed school zone hours of operation (school time) and outside the reduced-speed school zone hours of operation (nonschool time). Several different measures of effectiveness were calculated to compare the characteristics of the speed distributions, including the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit, average speed, 85th percentile speed, and pace speed. Results showed no practical difference in vehicle speeds between the flasher and nonflasher locations during school-time hours. Although vehicle speeds did decrease from nonschool-time hours to school-time hours at both flasher and nonflasher sites, the speed reductions were not enough to bring drivers into compliance with the school-time speed limit. Both locations with and without flashers had an extremely low compliance rate with the school-time speed limit.

scholarly journals Pitfalls and Potholes: Examining the Impacts of Covid-19 on the North Carolina Department of Transportation

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-18
Author(s):  
Christopher McGee ◽  
Martin Mayer
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
State And Local

Covid-19 has had devasting impacts across society and government worldwide in a span of a few short months. The disruption has been nothing short of catastrophic to the public and private sectors across the country and the responses have run the gamut. This commentary discusses the unique impacts of the global pandemic on public works and transportation at the state and local level through the lens of intergovernmental agreements and public private partnerships in the state of North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has realized budget deficits the previous two fiscal years with a significant projected deficit for the current fiscal year; however, NCDOT was not blind to a future of instability. Policy implications are clear: changes must be considered that reduce the likelihood of significant budget shortfalls and reasonable measures taken to provide practicable levels of service throughout public works.

Context-Sensitive Solutions

2005 ◽  
Vol 1904 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-74
Author(s):  
Teresa Townsend ◽  
Leigh Lane ◽  
James Martin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
Insight Into

Context-sensitive solutions (CSS) is a comprehensive approach to transportation decision making that embraces the philosophy that transportation programs and projects should address the transportation need, be an asset to the community, and be compatible with the human and natural environment. The CSS movement is rooted in years of controversy stemming from the dissatisfaction of concerned citizens, environmentalists, historic preservationists, multimodal advocates, and others in the transportation decision-making process. In 2002 the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) signed an Environmental Stewardship Policy that proclaimed, “Our goal is to provide a safe and well-maintained transportation system that meets the needs of customers and supports the development of sustainable, vibrant communities.” NCDOT viewed the CSS approach as a critical element in institutionalizing its stewardship policy and developed the CSS course to encompass the goals of the stewardship policy. To date, more than 1,000 transportation professionals in North Carolina have been trained in CSS. This paper provides insight into the course development process, including course content, participants’ experiences, and recommendations for agencies interested in developing an effective CSS course.

An Analysis of Success Plans and Performance Measures for Rural Transit Systems in North Carolina

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Monast ◽  
Charlie Stanfield
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Mission Statement ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North

Performance measurement and funding allocation based on these measurements are becoming increasingly popular in public transportation. Understanding what is important to transit systems is critical to properly assess them on their operational and administrative performance. The research goals were to determine how rural transit systems in North Carolina define success, what performance metrics the systems select for themselves, and why they selected those metrics. Each transit system was required by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to create a Success Plan for themselves that consisted of a mission statement, vision statement, values, and a scorecard that contained performance metrics. The analysis of these Success Plans shows that rural transit systems broadly define their values based on customer service, safety, and reliability. However, aside from safety, the specific metrics that the systems use for evaluating their performance are not well connected to these values. This lack of internal consistency within the Success Plans means that rural transit systems are not selecting performance metrics that complement their stated goals. This lack of internal consistency could have many causes and interviews were conducted with public transit administrators in North Carolina to try and understand the causes. From these interviews, it was determined that the lack of internal consistency in the plans could be partially attributed to the following: (1) system administrators were not aware of the importance of internally consistent plans; (2) system administrators had difficulty creating metrics; and (3) system administrators included metrics that they felt the state wanted to see.

Context-Sensitive Solutions in the Planning Process

2005 ◽  
Vol 1904 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-83
Author(s):  
Janet D'Ignazio ◽  
Julie Hunkins
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
Long Range Planning ◽  
Institutional Challenges

During the past 5 years, there has been a national movement to integrate context-sensitive solutions (CSS) into transportation project planning and design. Applying CSS principles in the long-range planning process would help ensure that projects were CSS friendly from their earliest conception. This possibility has prompted CSS experts to discuss how CSS can be integrated into long-range planning. Two environmental stewardship initiatives under way at the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) provide a unique opportunity to explore this area. In the first initiative, NCDOT has a substantial CSS training program in place. To date, nearly 800 staff members and consultants have attended 3-day CSS training courses. In a separate stewardship initiative, NCDOT is redesigning the traditional thoroughfare plan process to create a new comprehensive transportation plan (CTP) process. Although these two initiatives have not been explicitly connected, this discussion examines how CSS principles are embedded in the proposed CTP process. However, substantial technical and institutional challenges must be dealt with before the CSS-based CTP process can be implemented fully. The conclusion of this discussion is that a state-of-the-practice, long-range transportation planning process should incorporate the CSS principles and decision-making characteristics that have been adopted in North Carolina.

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