Research Reports
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There is increasing awareness among transportation professionals about the importance of incorporating social equity into their practices. While the transit sector has made notable progress, other areas, such as asset management, are still lagging in integrating social equity into decision making. This...

Measuring the dynamic displacements of a structure provides a comprehensive understanding of the structure, especially when subjected to different types of dynamic loading (i.e., wind, traffic, impact loads, blast loads). Despite their usefulness, direct displacement measurements are typically not collected...

Connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology has the potential to enable significant gains in energy economy (EE). Much research attention has been focused on autonomous eco-driving control enabled by various methods. In this study, the state of the literature on autonomous eco-driving control is reviewed...

Winter storms significantly increase crash risk and disrupt travel, especially under extreme conditions. Gusty winds, heavy moisture, and low temperatures can quickly make travel dangerous in the Northern Plains. This study was aimed at understanding winter truck crashes, given the prominence of commercial...

This report investigates the application of low-cost sensing technologies, including GPS, accelerometers, and smartphones, to monitor roadway pavement conditions in real time. By leveraging widely available sensors embedded in vehicles, this research demonstrates how machine learning models can detect...

Public education and outreach activities increase the effectiveness of work law enforcement does to prevent large truck-involved crashes. This demonstration project was conducted through two components including a primary education program and a complimentary education program designed to be executed...

The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) mandates that paratransit services should be comparable to fixed-route systems. However, with only 5% of the population utilizing public transit, this comparison does not adequately highlight the disparities between persons with disabilities and those without....

Potholes are a significant pavement distress compromising safety and causing costly damage. They result from pavement deterioration due to aging, weather, and traffic overloads, with the Mountain Plains region particularly affected due to freeze/thaw cycles. Timely identification and repair of potholes...

This report discusses the benefits of full-scale pavement testing and the use of accelerated pavement testing (APT) to collect pavement performance data under actual experimental conditions. The report highlights the development and operation of road test tracks, such as the Minnesota Road Research Project...

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is often used as an indicator organism to quantify the microbial safety of natural water resources. E. coli in stormwater runoff can cause serious health risks in natural water bodies. Conventional stormwater best management practices are generally not effective at removing...

This report presents the behavior of reinforced concrete beams retrofitted with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) jackets in a multi-hazard environment. Following the procedural protocol of a published standard, the beams are cyclically loaded under...

In recent years, major initiatives have been taken to replace non-renewable materials with environmentally friendly and sustainable ones. The present study was undertaken to apply a scalable process for laboratory production of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and to evaluate the feasibility of using the produced...

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is distinguished by its superior mechanical and durability properties. These characteristics are attained through a precise mixture design that includes a low water-to-cement ratio, high fineness supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and steel fibers. This...

Pavements in cold regions of the United States undergo significant accumulation of snow and ice on their surfaces during the extended winter season, leading to reduced skid resistance and increased traffic crashes. Deicers, such as sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride, have been...

A research section was built within a major highway to compare the performance of different geosynthetic-reinforced pavement systems. The first test section contained no geosynthetic reinforcement. The second section was reinforced with a layer of geogrid. In the third test section, geotextile was placed...

Recently, significant advances have been made in the development of rapid setting cementitious materials for partial-depth bridge deck repair. The rapid set times of these materials allow for traffic to be re-opened onto the bridge deck in several hours versus days once the material has been placed....

This study examines rural transit needs for Jaunt. The objective is to quantify the need for transit services in each of Jaunt's partner jurisdictions. Jaunt provides transit in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. Neighboring...

With the development of accelerated bridge construction (ABC), the seismic performance of typical ABC column-footing connections has been evaluated in high earthquake-prone states, like Utah, California, Nevada, and Idaho. But to date, the current literature has yet to fully examine the impact behavior...

The maintenance and upgrade of infrastructure and buildings are critical for ensuring their performance, safety, and minimizing costs. However, inadequate planning and budget allocation, as well as resource constraints, often result in delayed maintenance, leading to costly interventions. To address...

This research project’s objective was to investigate the impacts of transit stop location (near-side versus far-side) on pedestrian safety and traffic operations at intersections. Three different video-based behavioral observation data collections at signals in Utah were utilized and studied: (1) transit...

An efficient and safe transportation system is essential to communities during the long-term recovery period after earthquakes. A disrupted transportation network due to infrastructure damage or failure affects the functionality of the traffic system and poses increased traffic safety risks. A rational...

The rapid increase in traffic volume and heavy vehicle loads is causing accelerated deterioration of pavement infrastructure worldwide. This research investigates the impact of overweight and dynamic axle loads on pavement performance, employing advanced weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems and machine learning...

With the popularization of accelerated bridge construction (ABC), the utilization of splice sleeve connections has been researched to determine their performance using a variety of connection details and under several loading scenarios. However, fundamental research on the load distribution and load...

This report presents the relevancy of the allowable stress rating (ASR) and the load and resistance factor rating (LRFR) methods for timber bridges. Benchmark bridges constructed in the 1930s have been upgraded with hollow structural steel (HSS) beams and three-dimensional finite element models provide...

Two-lane highways comprise a considerable percentage of the nation's roads. A critical component required in the design of two-lane highways is the passing sight distance (PSD). In cases where it is inadequate, no-passing zones are established. There are multiple techniques employed for measuring the...