Highway Construction Research Articles

COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVE CONTRACTING METHODS OVER 10 YEARS IN A LARGE STATE TRANSPORTATION AGENCY

The construction industry is currently under pressure due to the increase in population and deterioration of infrastructure in the last twenty-five years. The Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT)’s response to this pressure has led to using Alternative Contracting Methods (ACMs) as replacements of the traditional contracting method, Design-Bid-Build (DBB), which has been serving the public for over a century. ACMs such as design-build (D-B), lump sum contracting, incentive/disincentive (I/D), cost-plus-time (A+B), and no excuse bonus (NEB) have proven to increase project quality, expedite schedule and decrease costs. The performance of ACMs by FDOT on highway construction projects was evaluated by two reports conducted in 2007 (Ellis et al. 2007) and 2016 (Minchin et al. 2016). Based on these two reports, the research analyzed the change in the performance and number of projects applied in ACMs between 2007 and 2016. This research compared the number of projects, costs, and time of the above-mentioned studies to assess the change and the reason behind it encountered in this comparison. The results of this research show that all ACMs evaluated in the 2016 report were performing better than they performed nine years prior, in 2007, in terms of time and cost. Potential obstacles to applying ACMs and lessons learned were identified in the research, as well as recommendations that would help FDOT to improve the application of ACMs in transportation projects.

Research on Pavement Traffic Load State Perception Based on the Piezoelectric Effect

Accurate multi-parameter perception of pavement traffic load state is a prerequisite for smart highway construction, which is essential in improving the level of road intelligence and realising road information management. This research was based on the piezoelectric effect. Piezoelectric perception devices and strips were prepared and placed in asphalt mixture specimens and test sections, respectively. Through laboratory tests and outdoor vehicle loading tests, piezoelectric signals were collected by the data collector. The signal output peak value, peak area, and other parameters of piezoelectric sensing devices under different test conditions were analyzed. The perceptive calculation method of driving speed, axle number, wheelbase, and total vehicle weight was proposed. The perceptual calculation formula of vehicle load, including temperature, vehicle speed, and signal output parameters, was established and improved. The results show that the peak value of the output signal has a high correlation with test temperature, load, and loading frequency. Also, the signal of piezoelectric material under wheel loading has good stability; the perception accuracy of driving speed can reach more than 95%, the perception accuracy of vehicle axle number was 97.3%, the perception accuracy of vehicle wheelbase was 92.99%, and the perception accuracy of total vehicle weight was 95.19%. Piezoelectric devices have high accuracy in the perception of traffic load state.

Building Dodger Stadium: Walter O’Malley’s search for nature and modernism in Los Angeles

ABSTRACT In the mid twentieth century, a time in which modernist principles of planning and design were influential, the Brooklyn Dodgers sought a new stadium in Southern California. Increased emphasis on an auto-dominant built form aligned with the construction of freeways that would provide access for the growing suburban fan base. In addition, finding a site in an ever-expanding metropolitan region with topographic variability, required significant engineering prowess. Once acquired, the site design emphasized access, comfort, and efficiency. The modern stadium served as a window to the surrounding rugged terrain, while simultaneously meeting the expectations of a suburban populace.

Ecological Design of Expressway Based on the Perspective of Landscape Ecology

The construction and operation of expressways will also bring a series of environmental and ecological problems, such as land use conflicts, ecological damage, environmental pollution, etc. In order to solve such problems, it is necessary to strengthen the application of landscape ecology. From the perspective of landscape ecology, this paper first introduces the impact of expressways on the ecological environment, and then analyzes the principles of expressway ecological landscape design. Landscaping, ecological environment, customer satisfaction, and other aspects have all performed well, with an optimization rate of over 90%. Future expressway design can strengthen the application of landscape ecology.

“In the Way of Progress”: How a Federal Highway and Political Fragmentation Blighted Neighborhoods in the Weequahic Section of Newark

This paper chronicles the history of interstate highway construction through the Weequahic Section of Newark, New Jersey. It expands the analysis of urban redevelopment in Newark, New Jersey, by shifting the focus from the Central Ward, the primary site of urban renewal, to the Weequahic Section, one of several districts in the broader Newark landscape. Tracing how urban renewal led to a broader set of changes in the Newark cityscape, this paper examines how city and state officials exploited Newark’s geographic resources, not for the benefit of Weequahic residents or Newark citizens more generally, but for downtown and regional commercial interests, and suburban commuters. Using newspapers to map out the chronology of events; municipal and state studies, and official correspondence to document state intentions and policy decisions; and organizational minutes, flyers, and correspondence to discern local reactions to highway construction, this work will show that the construction of the highway through Weequahic was not inevitable.

Using Waste PET Shreds for Soil Stabilization: Efficiency and Durability Assessment

Encountering weak fine-grained soil presents a significant challenge during highway construction. The conventional approach to address this challenge involves incorporating calcium-based stabilizers, particularly cement, for stabilization. However, despite its widespread use, the application of cement for soil stabilization has adverse environmental consequences. Accordingly, finding alternative methods to minimize cement usage has become a prominent area of research, from researchers worldwide. This study evaluates the effectiveness of utilizing discarded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle shreds as soil reinforcement alongside lower cement contents. To this end, soil samples were mixed with varied contents of two grades of shredded PET. The ground PET pellets, which displayed diverse shapes, demonstrated properties resembling fibres. Compacted samples were subjected to CBR to determine optimum PET content. Strength, small-strain stiffness and durability of soils in original state, mixed with cement and PET were measured by a programme of CBR, wetting–drying cycles, and ultrasonic pulse experiments. Findings suggest a 28–91% increase in strength of soil upon its mixing with cement—PET shreds. Substituting cement with cement—PET shred led to a drop in accumulated loss of mass (ALM). In twelve cycles of wetting and drying, the small-strain stiffness initially decreased, but then stabilized at approximately the same value in the subsequent cycles. The porosity to binder ratio was adopted as an index for CBR, ALM and the maximum shear modulus. The latter was finally proposed as a measure for durability.

Study on influencing factors and distribution probability of asphalt mixtures’ rutting samples physical indices

Rutting deformation is one of the most prominent diseases in asphalt pavement’s early damage. In this study, the main influencing factors, mechanism, and distribution law of the principal physical indices of AC-13 asphalt mixture rutting specimens were analyzed based upon the rutting test and statistical principles. Firstly, the main influencing factors, mechanism, and changes law of AC-13 asphalt mixture rutting specimens’ main physical indices were analyzed, based upon a large number rutting test results. Secondly, it analyzes the optimum fitting distribution of the main indices based upon statistical principles. The results showed that, as the asphalt content increased, the mixture rutting samples’ ρf and VMA indices increased firstly and then decreased, VV increased and VFA changed in the converse direction. There was a good linear correlation between the indices Sa and Vbe and asphalt content, in which the indices showed an opposite change trend. The content of coarse aggregate increased by 5.5% in the asphalt mixture, the rutting samples’ ρf increased by 2.03%, and the indices VV, VMA, VFA, Sa, and Vbe decreased by 35.23, 9.1, 8.86, 35.79, and 7.60% on average, respectively. The Marshall testing specimens’ ρf, VV, and VMA were similar to those that were wheel rolled 18 times, and VFA was similar when rolled 12 times. As the number of times the mixtures were rolled increased by 6, the asphalt mixtures’ ρf, VFA, and Vbe increased by 2.05, 8.47, and 1.44%, while the indices VV, VMA, and Sa decreased by 29.49, 8.81, and 11.55%, respectively. The optimal distribution fitting function of the asphalt mixtures’ ρf, VFA, and Sa was the Weibull distribution, that of the Vbe indices was the Normal distribution, that of the VMA in asphalt mixtures was the Lognormal distribution, and that of VV was the Gamma distribution, which can provide a reference for the design and construction of highways’ pavement in this areas.

Seismic performance of large-scale rectangular reinforced concrete bridge columns with multi-spiral reinforcement

Multi-spiral rectangular column is composed of two central interlocking large spirals that are interlocked with four small spirals in the corners to match a rectangular cross-section. Compared to conventional tied column, the multi-spiral column can provide better confinement and its spiral cage can be automatically fabricated and pre-assembled in a factory. Two large-scale rectangular bridge columns were constructed and tested in this study to examine the constructability of multi-spiral reinforcement and the cyclic performance of columns subjected to strong-axis cyclic loading. The test program was also served as a pioneering demonstration of the new bridge column system to boost construction automation that was recently applied to a highway bridge construction project in Taiwan. Test results indicate that the multi-spiral column exhibits superior ductile behavior compared to the conventional tied column, even though the former has only 73% of the total weight of transverse reinforcement of the latter. The parameters of the smooth hysteresis model identified from the test results further indicate that the multi-spiral column can very closely imitate the hysteresis behavior of the conventional tied column despite its slightly greater stiffness degradation. In addition, incremental dynamic analysis of two idealized bridges with conventional tied column and multi-spiral column show that, when the former bridge reached damage index, DI = 1.0 (i.e. having 20% strength deterioration) at Sa( Tn) = 39.4 m/s2 for far-field ground motions and at Sa( Tn) = 16.4 m/s2 for near-fault ground motions, the corresponding DIs of the latter bridge are approximately 0.74 and 0.71, respectively, even without strength deterioration.

Geodynamic ‘Hotspots’ in a Periglacial Landscape: Natural Hazards and Impacts on Productive Activities in Chilean Fjordlands, Northern Patagonia

In this paper, we study natural hazards and their potential impacts on productive activities in the Comau Fjord in Chilean Northern Patagonia. We carried out hazard mapping to identify areas with evidence of geomorphological activity on slopes in terms of landslides, river/tsunami flooding, and glacial retreat. The assessment of different geomorphic processes was carried out by both detailed fieldwork and analysis of satellite remote sensing and aerial photography information. We identified terrain units that are subject to multi-hazards overlapping different spatially distributed hazard maps. This information was overlaid with spatial data of economic activities in the area in order to establish the impacts of the natural hazards on the local salmon and mussel farming infrastructure (risk). The results suggest significant exposure levels for these productive activities and potential damage due to the occurrence of natural hazards. The extension of a major highway (CH-7 Austral Highway) on the east coast of the Comau Fjord will be a new incentive for economic development in the area. However, the highway construction sites show a high level of exposure to natural hazards, especially floodings and landslides. Our study highlights that the geohazard potential might have a high negative impact on future productive activity in the fjord as well as on the new highway infrastructure.

Differences in the distribution, availability, and sorption-desorption isotherms of phosphorus fractions in soil aggregates from cut slopes with different restoration methods

The construction of highways and other transportation facilities resulted in a large number of exposed cut slopes, leading not only to the alteration of soil structure but also to phosphorus (P) losses from soils with low utilization rates. These negative effects can result in stunted plant growth and the occurrence of heavy rainfall and earthquakes-associated landslide and mudslide disasters, threatening people's lives. However, few studies have investigated soil aggregates P in cut slopes restored with different methods in the Alpine Mountainous areas of Southwest China. Therefore, three types of cut slopes (cut slopes restored by three-dimensional mesh (TCS), cut slopes restored by galvanized wire mesh (GCS), and cut slopes restored by nature (NCS)) were selected for the study, and the present study aims to assess the total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), and P fractions, as well as the P sorption-desorption isotherms in cut slope soil aggregates. The obtained results are as follows: (1) The TP contents in the soil aggregates did not differ significantly between the three types of cut slopes (p > 0.05), In addition, the AP contents and P activation coefficient (PAC) showed significant differences between TCS, GCS, and NCS, while the H2O-Pi, NaHCO3-Po, NaOH-Pi, NaOH-Po, HHCl-Pi, and HHCl-Po contents were significantly different between the three types of cut slopes (p < 0.05); (2) The AP contents in the three types of cut slopes showed a decreasing trend with increasing soil aggregate size from < 0.25 mm to > 5 mm; (3) H2O-Pi, NaOH-Pi, and HHCl-Pi were the main P fractions affecting the AP contents in the study area, among which NaOH-Pi exhibited the greatest effect on the AP contents; (4) The lowest P adsorption of soil aggregates was observed in NCS. The maximum P adsorption (Qm) values of the < 0.25 mm aggregates in TCS and GCS were higher than those of the other soil aggregate sizes. In addition, the trend of P desorption to increase with P adsorption was more obvious in large aggregates than in small aggregates. The present study provides a theoretical basis for P management in cut slope soils restored by different methods in the Alpine Mountainous region of Southwest China. Moreover, it provides some references for improving cut slope restoration and ecological slope protection techniques.

Assessing the landscape ecological risk of road construction: The case of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway in Cambodia

Extensive development of expressway infrastructure alters the layout of terrain resulting and results in major ecological concerns. Therefore, it has become necessary to investigate how to assess the effects of land use changes on the landscape pattern and explore pertinent environmental concerns related to road construction. This study develops a numerical mothed to assess the ecological risk of road construction in terms of landscape pattern by combining the landscape disturbance index and the vulnerability index. The model is used to assess the landscape ecological risk of a particular portion of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway in Cambodia. The empirical study found that the rise in the amount of construction land was transferred from the area of grassland to cultivated land. It is identified through calculating the landscape pattern index that the integrity of the landscape decreases due to the expressway construction; ecological landscape tends to be complicated and fragmented; and the gravity center of the land use landscape pattern transitions in the same direction as the expressway construction. The ecological risk was assessed and it was found that the expressway construction led to a transition to poorer ecological quality along the road as a whole, and that areas of high ecological risk and higher ecological risk were gradually concentrated from the two ends to the central area. The study develops the landscape ecological risk assessment model and extends the landscape ecological risk assessment index to the ecological assessment of expressway construction. It can also effectively guide the ecological risk assessment of major international road projects.

Effect of Aggregate Gradation on Asphalt Concrete Properties

Economic expansion is a positive side effect of national highway construction initiatives. So, the plan is to construct these projects rapidly. This calls for premium asphalt. As a result of aggregate gradation variation, numerous asphalt mixes have been rejected and rebuilt on-site in recent decades, resulting in the waste of valuable resources and valuable time. Consequently, the goal of this study was to examine the durability of asphalt mixes where the aggregate gradation ranged from +4% above to 2% below the standard range. The aggregate gradation is inconsistent throughout HMA manufacture. The aggregate is graded at 2, 4, and 6 percent over and below the allowed range. Case in point: the gradation of the control mix design. Marshall There was a quantitative evaluation of mixed properties throughout the design phase. HMA mix performance was evaluated via high temperature and water cycles by vehicle pressure observation and Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS) testing. In hot climates, asphalt with gradations above +4% and 2% of both the higher and lower standard values showed the greatest resilience to water damage and the least rutting. In warm regions, asphalt mixture design will be constrained by the higher aggregate gradation limits.

Effects of Physical and Mechanical Properties of Soft Soil on Subgrades Performances in Lubuk Bayas Village, Serdang Bedagai Regency

Generally, the existence of soft soil in Indonesia will be a problem in the construction of highway construction. One factor that influences and needs to be known in road construction is the characteristics of the subgrade where the pavement construction will be placed on it. Poor soil characteristics can cause bumpy road surfaces, cracks, or other road damage. Therefore, before carrying out a soil improvement, it is necessary to know its characteristics through the physical and mechanical properties of the subgrade. This research was conducted in Lubuk Bayas Village, Serdang Bedagai Regency, North Sumatra Province. Tests of physical properties in this study include sieve analysis, water content, specific gravity, plasticity limit test, and liquid limit test. The soil shear strength test and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test were carried out to test the mechanical properties using a Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP). From the results of testing the physical properties of the soil, it was found that Samples 1, 2, and 3 were fine-grained soils with the percentage of soil passing the No.200 sieve greater than 50%. The USCS classification system shows that samples 1 and 2 of the soil are in the Lean Clay (CL) group, while sample 3 is in the Fat Clay (CH) group. Samples 1, 2, and 3 include soils with high plasticity because the PI value is >17. The results of testing the mechanical properties of the soil Sample 1 obtained the value of c = 0.1299 kg/cm2 and Ø = 13.2°, in Sample 2 obtained the value of c = 0.1075 kg/cm2 and the value of Ø = 11.2° and in Sample 3 obtained the value of c = 0.1275 kg/cm2 and the value of Ø = 11.9°. DCP testing on samples 1, 2 and 3 obtained CBR values of 5.35%, 4.73% and 3.15%. From the CBR results, it can be seen that the soil in this location has a low soil bearing capacity, so if it is to be used as a subgrade layer, it will be necessary to repair the soil first so that structural damage does not occur in the future. Soil improvement can be made by stabilizing the soil using natural materials to maintain environmental sustainability. Natural materials that can be used include sand with certain gradations, stone ash, palm shell ash, and various other natural materials.

공공공사 용지확보의 한계 및 개선방안* : 고속도로 공사를 중심으로

공공공사 용지확보의 한계 및 개선방안* : 고속도로 공사를 중심으로

Creating building-level, three-dimensional digital models of historic urban neighborhoods from Sanborn Fire Insurance maps using machine learning.

Sanborn Fire Insurance maps contain a wealth of building-level information about U.S. cities dating back to the late 19th century. They are a valuable resource for studying changes in urban environments, such as the legacy of urban highway construction and urban renewal in the 20th century. However, it is a challenge to automatically extract the building-level information effectively and efficiently from Sanborn maps because of the large number of map entities and the lack of appropriate computational methods to detect these entities. This paper contributes to a scalable workflow that utilizes machine learning to identify building footprints and associated properties on Sanborn maps. This information can be effectively applied to create 3D visualization of historic urban neighborhoods and inform urban changes. We demonstrate our methods using Sanborn maps for two neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio, USA that were bisected by highway construction in the 1960s. Quantitative and visual analysis of the results suggest high accuracy of the extracted building-level information, with an F-1 score of 0.9 for building footprints and construction materials, and over 0.7 for building utilizations and numbers of stories. We also illustrate how to visualize pre-highway neighborhoods.

Discussion on Test and Detection Technology of Highway Asphalt Pavement

The road traffic industry in China has been developing rapidly in recent years. Asphalt has become the main material in road construction because of its seamless connection and short construction period, and it has an important impact on the overall quality of highway construction. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct scientific and reasonable tests and detections for highway asphalt pavement. This paper presents a discussion on the test and detection technology of highway asphalt pavement for future reference.

Design Strategies of Expressway Routes and Interchanges

Road traffic conditions can have an important impact on the economic development of various regions. Under the background of rapid social and economic development, more and more expressway construction projects are initiated in various regions, including both new expressways and expansion of old expressways, and interchange design plays an important role. Scientific and reasonable interchange design can not only realize energy saving and low carbon footprint, but also be people-oriented and promote regional economic development. Therefore, this paper mainly analyzes the highway route and its interchange design strategy for reference.

Finite Element Investigation of Angle Ring Confinement for Clustered Large-size Stud Shear Connector in Full-Depth Precast Concrete Bridge Deck Panel

Full-Depth Precast Concrete (FDPC) bridge deck panel system, consisting of concrete deck and steel girders, has been used widely for highway and bridge construction due to rapid construction and replacement as well as in terms of economics. This system could integrate with clusters of large size headed-stud shear connectors for more significant connection, although larger composite actions were experienced. Therefore, a new angle steel ring confinement was introduced and tested by push-off samples for the most effective shear transfer. The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the push-off model with an in-depth investigation of non-linear concrete properties, boundary parameters, and different geometries of angle ring confinement was developed in this study. The FE models were verified with the push-off test in terms of loads, displacements, and failure stages. Nonlinear concrete material models: Concrete Damage (CD) and Drucker Prager (DP) were identified the different abilities either for predicting initial cracks, or determining maximum resistance and critical failure, respectively. The thickness of the angle and the sizes of hook bars were investigated for the most effective aspects of the angle ring confinement. The results showed comparable stiffness and load resistance for various aspects. However, compatible geometries, either 5 mm thick angles with DB12 hook bars or 10 mm angles with DB25 hook bars, were suggested. The final non-linear FEA model was reliable for comparative studies to FDPC push-off with different confinement configurations.

Research on Influencing Factors and Control Measures of Construction Cost Overrun in China's Expressway Projects

In China, the expressways have been built a lot over the past decade. The construction of the expressway suffers from usual cost overrun. There are many factors of different stakeholders influencing the construction cost of expressways, and it is difficult to control all of them. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the key factors causing expressway construction cost overrun and take corresponding cost control measures. In this article, decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), interpretative structural modeling method (ISM) and system dynamics (SD) are integrated as DEMATEL-ISM-SD method to identify the key driving factors of expressway construction cost overrun and simulate the interactions of these factors to find the cost control measures. A case in China has been selected as an example to demonstrate how to use the proposed method. As a result, six key factors from different stakeholders are found. Then, six corresponding measures are put forward. This study can provide guidance for expressway construction cost control.

Highways and segregation

This paper examines the impact of the Interstate Highway System, constructed between 1950 and 1990 in the United States (US), on racial segregation. To provide causal estimates, I use the 1947 plan of the Interstate Highway System, a variant of the 1947 plan that connects city center pairs in this plan through shortest-distance and exploration routes in the 16th-19th century, as the instruments for actual highways built. Empirical results from census tracts in the US show that the construction of highways led to sorting along racial lines. I find strong evidence of heterogeneous effects based on the initial black population. I do not find any impact of highways on neighborhoods which have a lower share of initial black population. However, there is an increase in the share of the black population for neighborhoods located in close proximity to highways, and which have a higher share of the initial black population. This increase is driven by the white population moving out and black population moving into these neighborhoods. I demonstrate that whites that moved out of neighborhoods, now commute to work, made possible due to access provided by highways. These residents were on average better educated and had a higher income than the residents moving into the neighborhoods. The reasons for this movement are disamenities emanating from highways, and racial preferences for social interactions. Finally, I show that this relationship between highways and segregation is also observed at the aggregate level. Empirical estimates indicate that one new highway passing through the central city leads to 0.02 units increase in the dissimilarity index for the metropolitan area.