Implementation of the Soil Compactor Analyzer Into Test Method TEX-113-E : Technical Report (open access)

Implementation of the Soil Compactor Analyzer Into Test Method TEX-113-E : Technical Report

This report describes a study showing that the Soil Compactor Analyzer(SCA) enables excellent precision precision of total statistics of test method Tex-113-E.
Date: April 2012
Creator: Sebesta, Stephen & Taylor, Ross
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Unknown Foundation Determination for Scour (open access)

Unknown Foundation Determination for Scour

This report describes a project to develop a global approach that would reduce the level of uncertainty associated with unknown foundations.
Date: April 2012
Creator: Briaud, Jean-Louis; Medina-Cetina, Zenon; Hurlebaus, Stefan; Everett, Mark; Tucker, Stacey; Yousefpour, Negin et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Alternative Methods of Flexible Base Compaction Acceptance (open access)

Alternative Methods of Flexible Base Compaction Acceptance

"This report summarizes the concerns expressed with the current Texas Department of Transportation(TxDOT) methods, presents approaches some TxDOT districts have taken to overcome problems, and summarizes the current status of other agencies' efforts at mechanistic based acceptance for flexible base. Also this report presents results and findings from a full-scale compaction experiment."
Date: May 2012
Creator: Sebesta, Stephen; Taylor, Ross & Frazier, James
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Positive Feedback:  Exploring Current Approaches in Iterative Travel Demand Model Implementation (open access)

Positive Feedback: Exploring Current Approaches in Iterative Travel Demand Model Implementation

This report looked at the current Texas Department of Transportation Travel Demand Model (TxDOT TDM) and found that they do not include any impedance or accessibility measures in the trip generation step and found that the best approach is to feed back the output from the traffic assignment step to the trip distribution step.
Date: January 2012
Creator: Reeder, Phillip; Bhat, Chandra & Hall, Kevin
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Research and recommendations for a statewide sign retroreflectivity maintenance program (open access)

Research and recommendations for a statewide sign retroreflectivity maintenance program

"This report evaluated Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) current sign retroreflectivity maintenance practices, assessed their effectiveness, and recommended statewide sign retroreflectivity maintenance practices that could be easily and effectively implemented to ensure that TxDOT would be in compliance with the new Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) language related to minimum sign retroreflectivity."
Date: April 2012
Creator: Carlson, Paul J.; Higgins, Laura L. & Re, Jonathan M.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Evaluation of traffic control devices : year 3 (open access)

Evaluation of traffic control devices : year 3

Report summarizing the research activities that were conducted between September 2010 and August 2011. The five primary activities were evaluating nighttime visibility along rural highways with bright signs, continuing the evaluation of lead-free thermoplastic pavement markings, evaluating contrast pavement marking layouts, continuing the evaluation of accelerated pavement marking test decks, and providing district support for hurricane evacuation routing.
Date: March 2012
Creator: Carlson, Paul J.; Pike, Adam M.; Miles, Jeff D.; Ullman, Brooke R. & Borchardt, Darrel W.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Identification of priority rail projects for Texas: initial methodology/user manual and guidebook (open access)

Identification of priority rail projects for Texas: initial methodology/user manual and guidebook

"This project developed a system of evaluative tools for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to prioritize its investments in rail-related projects on a statewide basis. This work is meant to ensure that the limited available funding for rail projects is applied in the most beneficial and efficient manner and is focused upon addressing TxDOT's strategic goals. From the findings, researches recommend a transparent methodology for evaluating proposed rail projects and establishing an initial process through which rail-related investments can periodically be re-evaluated."
Date: February 2012
Creator: Morgan, Curtis Alan
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Positive feedback: exploring current approaches in iterative travel demand model implementation (open access)

Positive feedback: exploring current approaches in iterative travel demand model implementation

"This project researched current trends, practices, and tools in implementing a feedback approach for potential implementation in the TxDOT TDMs."
Date: October 2011
Creator: Reeder, Phillip; Bhat, Chandra; Lorenzini, Karen & Hall, Kevin
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Statewide implementation of PAVE-IR in the Texas Department of Transportation (open access)

Statewide implementation of PAVE-IR in the Texas Department of Transportation

Report on demonstrations of Pave-IR thermal profiling on eight construction projects around Texas.
Date: September 2011
Creator: Scullion, Thomas & Scullion, Tom
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Effect of climate change on crop production patterns with implications to transport flows and inland waterways (open access)

Effect of climate change on crop production patterns with implications to transport flows and inland waterways

"This report analyzed the demand for transportation capacity and changes in transportation flows on inland waterways due to shifts in crop production patterns induced by climate change."
Date: December 2011
Creator: Vedenov, Dmitry V.; Fuller, Stephen W.; McCarl, Cruce A.; Attavanich, Witsanu & Ahmedov, Zafarbek
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Mobility and economic effects of system investments in Texas: 2010 to 2020 (open access)

Mobility and economic effects of system investments in Texas: 2010 to 2020

"The report summarizes estimates of the consequences of current funding levels and a range of greater and lesser funding amounts. The report describes the population, travel, system extent and expenditure data and analyses used to develop the mobility and economic effect analyses. An associated study by the Center for Transportation Research analyzed pavement maintenance spending and condition. Both the mobility and pavement studies were used as part of the March 2011 Texas 2030 Committee report."
Date: August 2011
Creator: Lomaz, Tim
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Landside freight access to airports : findings and case studies (open access)

Landside freight access to airports : findings and case studies

Report identifying the issues, and infrastructure needs concerning access to airports in Texas for both travel and freight shipping purposes and proposing solutions to the identified problems.
Date: August 2010
Creator: Frawley, William E.; Borowiec, Jefferey D.; Protopapa, Annie A.; Morgan, Curtis Alan & Warner, Jeffery E.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Peer grouping and performance measurement to improve rural and urban transit in Texas (open access)

Peer grouping and performance measurement to improve rural and urban transit in Texas

"Rural and small urban transit systems in Texas will become even more important with predicted changes in population trends. Rural demographic trends indicate growth in the number of persons age 65 and over coupled with a decrease in population density. Small urban area trends indicate substantial population growth and broadened geographic boundaries, yet resources to provide rural and small urban transit are limited. Therefore, transit managers find it is increasingly important to maximize service efficiency and effectiveness. The purpose of this research was to identify peer groups, performance benchmarks, and strategies used by successful transit providers to achieve high performance. The research project identifies peer groups based on the transit environment within which each agency operates, so that agencies can be compared to other operators who face similar environments. Peer group effectiveness and efficiency performance are examined within and between rural and urban peer groups, and high performers are identified for case studies. Through the case studies, key attributes are identified for achieving high operating efficiency and/or effectiveness. Performance strategies are categorized to provide transit providers with transferrable information to improve performance and increase the return on transit investment."
Date: September 2010
Creator: Arndt, Jeffrey C.; Edrington, Suzie; Sandidge, Matthew; Quadrifoglio, Luca & Perkins, Judy
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Prototype Design for a Predictive Model to Improve Evacuation Operations: Technical Report (open access)

Prototype Design for a Predictive Model to Improve Evacuation Operations: Technical Report

"This project focused primarily on the specific issue of developing a new technical tool to help TxDOT and other key operating agencies/stakeholders better predict when major elements of evacuation operations should be implemented."
Date: March 2011
Creator: Henk, Russell H.; Songchitruksa, Praprut; Venglar, Steven & Lim, Gino
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Development of precast bridge deck overhang system: technical report (open access)

Development of precast bridge deck overhang system: technical report

"The testing and analyses documented in this report (0-6100-3) provides a new equation for determining the number of shear pockets required for the various shear connector/coupler systems evaluated in this research. This equation was used to determine the number of shear pockets required for the newer TxDOT girders."
Date: February 2010
Creator: Kim, Young Hoon & Trejo, David
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Treatments to reduce the frequency of freeway exit sign hits (open access)

Treatments to reduce the frequency of freeway exit sign hits

Report of a project to identify and evaluate methods that may reduce the number of sign hit by errant vehicles with field studies conducted near Corpus Christi, Texas.
Date: January 2011
Creator: Pesti, Geza; Oben-Boampong, Kwaku; Songchitruksa, Praprut & Theiss, LuAnn
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Characterization of Exhaust Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Area (open access)

Characterization of Exhaust Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Area

"For this study, a total of 30 heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) were selected from City of Houston (COH) fleet based on opacity testing for HEs and random selection for non-HEs. With the selected 30 vehicles, driving and idling emission testing were performed to characterize their emissions with respect to vehicle classes, types (HE or non-HE), and model years."
Date: October 2011
Creator: Johnson, Jeremy D.; Lee, Doh-Won; Farzaneh, Reza; Zietsman, Josias & Yu, Lei
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Evaluating the Impact of Overweight Load Routing on Buried Utility Facilities [Report 2] (open access)

Evaluating the Impact of Overweight Load Routing on Buried Utility Facilities [Report 2]

"The objectives of this project were to (a) provide a review of technical design and engineering requirements for utility accommodation in Texas, (b) provide an assessment of potential impact of overweight loads on buried utilities, (c) provide recommendations for a business process for TxDOT overweight routing coordination, (d) provide recommendations for changes to TxDOT manuals, (e) provide an assessment of UAR adequacy to deal with overweight loads on buried utilities, and (f) provide recommendations for changes to the UAR" (abstract, para. 2).
Date: December 2011
Creator: Kraus, Edgar; Oh, Jeong Ho; Fernando, Emmanuel; Li, Yingfeng; Quiroga, Cesar & Koncz, Nicholas
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Use of Intelligent Transportation Systems in rural work zones (open access)

Use of Intelligent Transportation Systems in rural work zones

"This project defined an approach to integrating data collected and traveler information displayed in a work zone with a regional transportation management center and/or other state websites. The project conducted a literature review to define the state of the practice in work zone Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS; smart work zones) and worked with the Texas Department of Transportation traffic managers to identify their safety and nobility needs in a work zone and where ITS can play a role."
Date: September 2011
Creator: Middleton, Daniel R.; Brydia, Robert; Pesti, Geza; Songchitruksa, Praprut; Balke, Kevin N. & Ullman, Gerald
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
School Traffic Workshop: Dealing With Texas-Sized Problems Around Schools (open access)

School Traffic Workshop: Dealing With Texas-Sized Problems Around Schools

"This report summarized the series of "Traffic around Schools"" workshops conducted throughout the state of Texas to familiarize TxDOT employees and partner agencies with two key products from previous research projects (0-4286 and 0-5470) and other tools and guidance that are available for dealing with problems around schools."
Date: October 2011
Creator: Brewer, Marcus A.; Fitzpatrick, Kay & Cooner, Scott A.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Development guidance for sign design standards (open access)

Development guidance for sign design standards

"This two-year project was designed to provide TxDOT with comprehensive review and update of mounting details and standards for large and small sign supports, and to provide a mechanism for TxDOT to quickly and effectively evaluate and address high priority needs related to sign support systems."
Date: November 2011
Creator: Silvestri, Chiara; Arrington, Dusty R.; Bligh, Roger P. & Menges, Wanda L.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Studies to determine the effectiveness of longitudinal channelizing devices in work zones (open access)

Studies to determine the effectiveness of longitudinal channelizing devices in work zones

"This report describes the methodology and results of analyses performed to determine whether the following longitudinal channelizing device (LCD) applications improve the traffic safety and operations of work zones relative to the use of standard drums."
Date: October 2010
Creator: Finley, Melisa D.; Theiss, LuAnn; Trout, Nada D.; Miles, Jeffrey D. & Nelson, Alicia A.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improving stop line detection using video imaging detectors (open access)

Improving stop line detection using video imaging detectors

Report discussing research conducted on video imaging vehicle detection system [VIVDS] products which resulted in the development of a VIVDS test protocol and performance measures that transportation agencies can use to uniformly evaluate VIVDS products.
Date: August 2009
Creator: Middleton, Daniel R.; Longmire, Ryan; Charar, Hassan; Bullock, Darcy & Bonneson, James A.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Collision Loads on Bridge Piers: Phase 2. Report of Guidelines for Designing Bridge Piers and Abutments for Vehicle Collisions (open access)

Collision Loads on Bridge Piers: Phase 2. Report of Guidelines for Designing Bridge Piers and Abutments for Vehicle Collisions

"An instrumented, simulated bridge pier was constructed, and two full-scale collisions with an 80,000-lb van-type tractor-trailer were performed on it. The trailer was ballasted with bags of sand on pallets. The simulated pier was 36 inches in diameter and was supported in the longitudinal direction by two load cells. Force-versus-time data were obtained from the load cells."
Date: March 2011
Creator: Buth, Eugene; Brackin, Michael S.; Williams, William F. & Fry, Gary T.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History