Highway Design Research Articles

Reliability risk modelling of asphalt pavement structure performance under the impact of freeze-thaw cycles

This paper delivers an in-depth risk analysis of asphalt pavement structural strength in the cold Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region. It encompasses a wide range of risk factors, including environmental conditions, traffic dynamics, pavement structures and materials, and various human-related factors. These risk factors are quantified using probability distributions, with emphasis on the changes in their mean and variance to simulate the effects of risk. A novel risk metric, termed “CVall”, is introduced to encapsulate the cumulative risk associated with each random variable. The paper describes the risk in the load and resistance equations, which govern the asphalt pavement strength, using the probability density function distribution. This approach takes into account the variation coefficient of each parameter. The study highlights that the risk related to the pavement structure number following freeze-thaw cycles significantly influences the reliability of pavement structural strength. These insights are particularly crucial for highway design, construction, and maintenance in cold regions, where the durability and longevity of pavement are paramount.

Estimating impact of pavement surface condition and geometrics design on two-wheeler run-off road crashes on horizontal curves

Introduction-Motorized Two-Wheeler (MTW) is a convenient and affordable mode of transportation despite being highly vulnerable to rollover crashes. The possible fact may be that MTW is a single-track vehicle and thus lack longitudinal stability, particularly on horizontal curves (HC). This stability depends on external factors such as curve geometrics and contact surface properties. Therefore, this research aims to identify the impact of pavement surface conditions and roadway geometrics on MTW run-off road crashes on HC. Method-To consider the temporal effect of pavement surface conditions, this study analyzed different combinations of light and surface moisture conditions for pre- and post-pavement surfacing conditions. Thus, Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) linked with the log function was used to account for repeated observations. Sample data were collected bi-annually from 76 HC for two years of pre- and post-resurfacing. Pavement surface condition parameter includes skid resistance, rut depth, and international roughness index (IRI). However, to restrain the impact of pavement surface conditions, a separate analysis was carried out to investigate the impact of geometrical design attributes. Results-The analysis concluded that surface moisture condition, light condition, rut depth, and their interactions with AADT were found significant for pre-resurfacing. For post-resurfacing, surface moisture condition, and light condition, IRI and its interaction with AADT were found significant. Similarly, roadway geometrics such as curve radius and their interaction with the presence of sight distance, public activity centre and cross-slope were found significant. Conclusion-Overall, the study insights and confirms how and to what extent pavement surface properties and geometric attributes impact the subject crashes. The results will enhance the understanding of roadway architecture and may help highway designers to implement, either at the intervention or treatment level, to improve safety and comfort.

Mitigating air and noise pollution through highway capping: The Bundang-Suseo Highway Cap Project case study

Highways, while vital for transportation, often lead to heightened air and noise pollution, adversely affecting nearby communities. This study delves into the effectiveness of highway capping, a sustainable urban development strategy, in addressing these environmental challenges, with a specific focus on the Bundang-Suseo Highway in South Korea. This study employed a multifaceted approach, incorporating on-road monitoring, in situ measurements, and vertical assessments using UAVs. Following the cap's installation, the area experienced more stable pollutant levels, marking a notable shift from the previously fluctuating conditions heavily influenced by the highway. In-depth in situ monitoring near the cap revealed significant reductions in noise and pollutants like UFP and BC. Furthermore, UAV monitoring captured these changes in pollutant levels at different altitudes. Notably, the installation of the highway cap led to increased PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 levels at ground level, but a decrease above the cap, emphasizing the critical importance of intentional highway cap design in enhancing urban air quality and reducing exposure to harmful pollutants. This research yields invaluable insights for urban planners, health authorities, and policymakers, aiding the precise identification of pollution-prone areas and advocating for improved highway cap design to enhance urban environments.

Adopting the Performance Margin in Horizontal Curve Design

A vehicle negotiating a curve experiences a centripetal force that is partially supplied by the tire–pavement friction. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ design handbook, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (“Green Book”), dictates the design of horizontal curve segments according to the side friction (demand) factor, which is a fraction of the available friction used during a maneuver. However, the Green Book casts the side friction factor not as a measure of tire–pavement friction but as a measure of lateral acceleration. In this way, the Green Book conflates these independent concepts (tire–pavement friction versus lateral acceleration). It is shown in this work that keeping these curve design parameters independent has meaningful benefits. A rigorous mathematical clarification of the differences among the side friction (demand) factor, lateral acceleration, and coefficient of friction is developed. It is shown that changing the coefficient of friction affects the side friction factor, but the opposite is not necessarily true. An alternate metric is proposed, the performance margin [Formula: see text], that has several advantages for assessing friction margins. Currently, horizontal curves are designed only with a lateral friction reserve. Excluding longitudinal dynamics may not be realistic given the manner in which drivers react in limit handling maneuvers. The [Formula: see text] accounts for both bidirectional dynamics and road geometry, and highlights regions where the Green Book’s standards are inconsistent with vehicle performance capabilities. The work concludes by posing recommendations aimed at implementing the [Formula: see text] in future Green Book editions.

Expressway Route and Interchange Design

With the rapid development of the socio-economy and the growing demand for transportation, highways have become an indispensable and important part of the modern transportation network. The design of highway routes and interchanges is a key link in highway construction, which directly affects the efficiency, safety, and traffic smoothness of highways. Based on this, this article analyzes in detail the highway route design and the design of two common interchanges, in order to improve the highway route design and the quality and efficiency of highway construction.

Leveraging Generative Design and Point Cloud Data to Improve Conformance to Passing Lane Layout.

Inadequate highway design is a leading cause of traffic accidents, underscoring the importance of adhering to guidelines and regulations for highway design. These standards exist to safeguard road users by addressing crucial factors, like road geometry, signage, and lane markings. Thus, emphasis is placed on computational methods that can optimize towards higher levels of safety, capacity, efficiency, and sustainability in highway designs. Building Information Modeling (BIM) enhances this process by creating a digital model with physical and operational attributes. In this study, a user-friendly, logic-based language is utilized to encode rules for designing highway passing lanes by which designs are automatically evaluated and generated in the BIM-kit software toolkit. This approach is applied to 16 real-world passing lanes in Alberta, showcasing its utility in transportation. The analysis reveals significant enhancements, with rule compliance increasing from 61.82% to 91.31% after employing generative design techniques. These findings underscore the significance of generative design in transportation, offering engineers an efficient tool to create innovative, compliant solutions for highway projects.

Highway Alignment Optimization Design Method Based on Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization

Highway alignment design is a nonlinear multi-objective optimization problem. Due to the uncertainty and complexity of the constraints, it is challenging to develop a suitable model for 3D road alignment design. To comprehensively consider the constraints and realize the intelligent design, this study puts forward a novel highway alignment model to optimize the horizontal and vertical alignment design, in which the length utility cost and structure construction cost are projected into the optimization space. Finally, the numerical solution is carried out by MOPSO on MATLAB platform. The results show that this method can effectively solve the problem of highway alignment design under the condition of realizing the highway design specifications, shortening the design cycle, and improving the design quality, which verifies the feasibility of the optimization algorithm for the horizontal and vertical alignment optimization design of highway.

Mechanical properties of reinforced loess soils in road pavements

The modern development of road construction promotes the tasks of not only increasing the strength of road structures, but also the need to effectively use local materials and soils in road construction. During the design and construction of highways, many road scientists of the world have carried out their scientific and research work on soil strengthening based on the road bed. Several methods and techniques have been developed for this. Also, developed countries are producing a lot of surfactants, modifiers and additives for soil strengthening. In this article, research work was carried out in laboratory conditions to study the mechanical properties of soil strengthened with the help of a modifier. Measurement, comparison, experimental laboratory, mathematical statistical analysis in the processing of test results, analytical methods specified in regulatory documents were used in the performance of research work. The results of the conducted laboratory research are specific to loess soils found in the conditions of Uzbekistan. The use of construction work on the foundation of the road bed from reinforced soil allows to reduce the volume of construction work, reduces the consumption of transported sand and gravel materials, and increases the service life of the road.

Performance of asphaltic concreate binder course (AC-BC) using gilsonite modified asphalt

The road pavement structure is the most important part of the design and manufacture of highways, so there is a need for innovation in designing pavement to get a type of pavement that has good quality and is efficient in its design. At this time, many road pavements have suffered damage caused by poor quality. Gilsonite is a natural asphalt that has a relatively high asphalt content compared to other additives, which is 70.9%. In addition, Gilsonite has a maltene content of 27% and 2% oil, then has a nitrogen content of 3.2%. After that, to carry out this test, a test object was made with the addition of Gilsonite Resin using 3 variations of the addition, namely 6%, 7%, and 8%, and compared to the mixture without Gilsonite. The mixture using the addition of Gilsonite (6%, 7%, 8%) an increase in the stability value of the mixture using the addition of Gilsonite, but the flow becomes increased so the properties of the mixture have large deformations. From all the tests that have been carried out, the optimum Gilsonite content is 8%

ESG approach in the design of auto tourism facilities

The article reveals the study of the behavioral motives of tourists. The emphasis was placed on the youth audience of respondents, who largely determine the development of the industry. Respondents were interviewed on the subject of modes of transportation, preferred types of recreation. The article examines the relationship between the projected new generation of the social system and the technical and technological one. It is noted that this work should be based on the application of the principles of sustainable development (ESG approach). The purpose of the study is to develop practical recommendations for the design of tourist infrastructure based on the interests of the social system. The scientific novelty consists in determining the patterns of the modern user of the road and tourist infrastructure, as well as determining the composition of work in the design of a modern high-quality highway.

Determination of soil parameters using in situ soil testing for the design of highway

Determination of soil parameters of any soil is very important before executing highway construction as it gives detailed information of the soil and its various properties which will be useful in the design of the pavement. The paper discusses determination of soil parameters of the ongoing construction work, which includes grain size analysis, consistency test, compaction test, 4 day soaked CBR at 3 energy levels, and field details. Boreholes drilling was done using augers. Using rotary diamond (core) drilling equipment, cores were drilled into the bedrock, and bedrock core samples are then extracted from the cores. Test pits were excavated with hydraulic excavators. This paper summarizes the different geotechnical design parameters for the subsurface conditions at the site to support the highways. A review of rotary drilling and rock coring in terms of the correct handling, transportation, and storage of soil and rock samples in preparation for laboratory testing is also given.

Effect of Traffic Volume Towards Operating Speed Approaching Terowong Meru

The rising number of accidents has been associated with inconsistencies in the geometric design of highways. To evaluate design inconsistency, estimation of reduction in 85th percentile speeds is vital important. Therefore, to enhance the safety of the road it is crucial to produce road design that permits and encourages operating vehicles at uniform speed. This study was conducted at Terowong Meru located in Perak which is the South Bound of the expressway. Data collection was done at two sessions, the first session was between 12.30 p.m. until 1.30p.m. and the second session were conducted between 1.35p.m. until 2.35p.m. This research investigates and expands the use of operating speeds of vehicles influenced by the traffic volume when approaching the tunnel. From the analysis, it is found that the operating speed for Lane 1 has exceed the posted speed limit while the operating speed on Lane 2 is within the posted speed limit. The minimum speed or 15th percentile is also analysed in this study.

ГЕОДЕЗИЧНИЙ МОНІТОРИНГ ПРИ РОЗРОБЦІ КОМПЛЕКСНИХ ПЛАНІВ ПРОСТОРОВОГО РОЗВИТКУ

The purpose of the article is the development and research of a system for determining complex plans of spatial location and geometric characteristics using geodetic methods. The tasks set in the work are solved by analyzing the database of satellite geodetic and inertial measurement systems. Method. The application of satellite technologies, which allow determining the spatial position in automatic mode (shooting in motion), is a priority direction for solving the tasks of increasing the safety and efficiency of geodetic work in full in accordance with the strategic direction of scientific and technical development. The results. Since the 1950s, an intensive process of electronicization and automation has been observed in geodesy. Electronicization in geodesy made it possible to improve the technologies of performing geodetic works, to achieve higher productivity while increasing the accuracy of measurements. In principle, these processes and problems were internal to topographic and geodetic production and did not affect users directly. The first product that differed from traditional topographic maps and plans was digital terrain models. The first such model of the Earth's surface was created in 1957 in the USA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was a model of the relief of the earth's surface and was intended for the design of highways, constructed objects by optimizing project solutions. With the development of electronic computers and data processing methods, new forms of presenting information about the earth's surface began to appear. Currently, the study and research of the natural environment is closely related to the use of geographic information systems and various types of geo-information resources: electronic digital maps and spatial databases, GIS services and many others. Geo-informational software complexes allow you to process a large volume of data obtained during various studies, as well as organize and regulate information that has a spatial reference. Various geographic information systems, such as 3D cartography and virtual reality, are described, which allows creating more visual and understandable representations of geographic information. Geovisualization and 3D modeling provide quick access to geodata. Scientific novelty. The joint use of satellite and inertial measurements for surveying is substantiated, a theoretical solution for data processing is performed, and a methodology for drawing up large-scale plans is proposed. The geodetic component of the development of complex plans has been updated. Practical significance. The obtained results can be used to develop complex spatial development plans with a geodetic component. In addition, the materials of the article can be used in geodetic and cartographic activities.

Pemodelan Kondisi Geometrik Jalan Terhadap Potensi Kecelakaan Lalu Lintas

Road infrastructure has an impact on the occurrence of road traffic accidents. The geometry of a road is a variable that influences the occurrence of road traffic accidents. Interpreting the observed crashes into an equation that can describe the crashes is one of the most difficult problems faced by scientists and engineers in any research. The traffic accident research conducted is still limited to analyzing the causes of accidents and jumping to handling strategies that do not reveal how much geometric influence on accidents at the location. This research was developed using a comprehensive modeling approach to illustrate how highway geometric design, in this case the alignment, influences crash rates. This study aims to analyze the influence of road geometrics on the incidence of accidents. The method used is multiple liner regression measurement model using R-Studio. The variables to be studied include road geometry planning parameters, especially horizontal alignments which include stopping sight distance (X1), radius of horizontal curve (X2), shoulder width X3, and transition curve length (X4). The results of the study obtained a relationship in the mathematical equation Y = 99.55508-0.02634X1+1.17647X2-0.06999X3-0.03906X4 with the most significant correlation value produced is the transition curve length and radius of horizontal curve. Based on the multiple R-squareed value of 0.8775 this model has a very strong correlation category. Where the ability of X1 to X4 is able to explain Y by 80%.

Evaluating the Moisture Susceptibility of Asphalt Mixtures Containing RCA and Modified by Waste Alumina

The management of building and demolition waste is an important subject in the government's sustainability efforts. Today, recycling and reusing industrial waste and by-products is a topic of considerable relevance in every industry, but it is especially important in cement and concrete technology. Within the asphalt pavement sector, the necessity for environmentally friendly highway design and construction is at the top of the priority list. Nevertheless, due to the inferior behavior of the resulting recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) mixes, additional enhancement materials are needed. In this study, the effect of using alumina waste in the form of secondary aluminum dross (SAD) in the asphalt compacted specimens that contained RCA as coarse aggregate was discussed. The conventional limestone dust filler is replaced by SAD at rates of 10, 20, and 30% by filler weight in the control mix, and then the best percentage is used in mixtures containing RCA at rates of 25, 50, 75, and 100%. The experimental work includes volumetric properties by employing the Marshall design method, indirect tensile strength (ITS), and compressive strength. All the used percent of SAD enhanced the properties of the asphalt mixture; the tensile strength ratio (TSR) of the control mixture increased by 4.58%, 8.52%, and 7.64% for SAD rates (10, 20, and 30%), respectively. The best dosage of SAD was added to the mixture containing RCA at different specified rates. The maximum TSR (13.92%) was obtained at 25% RCA. The same steps were followed in the compressive strength test; adding SAD increased the index of retained strength (IRS) of the control mixture by 55.11, 13.42, and 9.13% for 10, 20, and 30%, respectively. Thereafter, the best dosage of 20% SAD was added to the hot mix asphalt (HMA) containing different RCA percents. The maximum IRS (17.43%) was also obtained at a 25% RCA. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-SP2023-09-019 Full Text: PDF

Study on early shrinkage and cracking of slab in UHPC light-weight composite deck based on ambient temperature and humidity effects

This study investigates the early performance and potential issues of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) light-weight composite decks (LCBDs) used in municipal highway bridge design. The major objective of this research was to understand the complex evolution of temperature and humidity within immature UHPC thin layers, which can lead to deformation and secondary stress, potentially causing cracks and threatening the long-term applicability and safety of steel-concrete composite bridges. Understanding of the mechanism of this process will be the basis for subsequent work. The early performance of UHPC with ordinary concrete is compared. Besides, discussions are conducted on the basic thermal conductivity theory of three-dimensional porous media and the hydration mechanism of cement-based materials that are appropriate for early-stage UHPC. Subsequently, a refined thermo-mechanical coupling analysis method for steel-UHPC LCBD was proposed, implemented using ABAQUS, and validated through a UHPC composite beam test. This method was applied to calculate the early shrinkage of the UHPC layer in a steel-UHPC LCBD and evaluate the risk of cracking in an actual bridge expansion project, providing a rationality evaluation of a bridge design and its construction procedure.

ПРОЄКТУВАННЯ АВТОМАГІСТРАЛЕЙ КОНТИНЕНТАЛЬНОГО, СУБКОНТИНЕНТАЛЬНОГО ТА ТРАНСРЕГІОНАЛЬНОГО СПОЛУЧЕННЯ В РОЗРІЗІ ПОЛОЖЕНЬ ЗАКОНОДАВЧИХ АКТІВ ЄС

Introduction. The introduction to the paper highlights the importance of the design and construction of highways of various link functions levels as a key factor in modern integration processes and also emphasizes the role of highways for substantial increasing of the road network safety. Problem statement. The issues of the paper concern aspects of highways design based on the experience of European colleagues in the context of the provisions of the relevant legislative acts of EU. Purpose. The goal of the paper is to analyze the main provisions for the design of continental, subcontinental and transregional highways considering, within the format of the publication, the design features of the highways elements which are universal for various design systems. Results. The highways categorization regarding their link functions levels and with this categorization linked classification by design classes were reviewed which accept the highways jurisdiction and the build-up areas related location and also the corresponding restrictions on vehicle speed limits. The highways characteristics were defined allowing the determination of highways as a separate category of motor roads in the world-wide practice of the road building industry.

ОСНОВНІ ПРОБЛЕМИ ІНЖЕНЕРНО-ПЛАНУВАЛЬНИХ РІШЕНЬ ТРАНСПОРТНИХ РОЗВ’ЯЗОК ТИПУ «РОЗІРВАНЕ КІЛЬЦЕ» ТА ШЛЯХИ ЇХ УСУНЕННЯ

Introduction. Interchange designs that provide specific benefits to road users will always be of interest. It is extremely interesting a type of interchange in the same level named in literary sources as a «hamburger roundabout» or «throughabout». Usually, two separate lanes run through the extended roundabout, crossing each other inside the interchange. Such intersections can be regulated by both road signs and traffic lights, depending on their size and the intensity of incoming traffic flows. Problem Statement. The analysis of the designs of the intersection at one level by the type of throughabout is insufficiently presented both in the normative documentation for the design of highways and in modern scientific periodicals. However, this type of intersection refers to alternative junctions used in road construction practice in European countries. Thus, an urgent task is to evaluate the operational efficiency indicators and surrogate traffic safety indicators of the throughabout, which can later serve as a basis for making decisions about the need to construct this type of intersection. Purpose – to identify the main problems of the interchange by the type of throughabout based on the analysis of traffic efficiency and safety indicators, carried out by the method of traffic microsimulation.

3D HIGHWAY CURVE RECONSTRUCTION FROM MOBILE LASER SCANNING POINT CLOUDS THROUGH DEEP REINFORCEMENT LEARNING

Abstract. Reconstructing the geometric curves of highways holds significant value for various tasks, such as highway design, traffic simulation, and road network planning. An essential step in highway curve reconstruction is fitting highway curve models to the extracted road markings from laser scanning point clouds. Existing methods for highway curve fitting typically handle one curve at a time. However, a stretch of highway often contains multiple curves. In this paper, we introduce a novel method capable of fitting multiple highway curves simultaneously. The method leverages a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm to achieve this goal. Specifically, we design a unique RL environment that empowers the RL algorithm to fit multiple highway curves. Our experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our method over other methods.

A Case Study on the Effect of Geometric Design Consistency on Road Crashes on Narayanghat-Muglin Road Section

Design consistency is overlooked while designing roads, resulting in unsafe road facilities. The safety performance of a highway can be greatly enhanced by detecting and addressing any inconsistencies present on the road. Over time, the application of geometric standards shifted from new road construction to upgrading, which could result in limited design options. Due to the emerging importance of design consistency in geometric design, this research has been initiated to evaluate horizontal curve consistency based on an established operating speed prediction model.
 Horizontal curve data of the Narayanghat–Mugling Road section has been collected from the Division Road Office, Bharatpur, and accident data has been obtained from the District Traffic Police, Chitwan. Out of 242 horizontal curves in the Narayanghat-Muglin road section, the design consistency of 223 horizontal curves was evaluated, while 19 horizontal curves with posted speed limits were not considered because these curves are not within the range of design criteria set out in Asian Highways Design Standards (1993).
 The average, maximum, and minimum 85th percentile speed was found to be 78, 101, and 32 kmph respectively. Out of 223 horizontal curves evaluated for individual consistency based on operating speed, 75% of the curves were categorized as “poor”, 16% as “fair”, and 9% as “good”. It was found that under successive element consistency evaluation based on operating speed, 22% of horizontal curves were categorized as “poor”, 23% as “fair”, and 55% as “good”. When studied under vehicle stability consistency evaluation criteria, 88% of the curves were classified as “fair” and 12% as “good”. It was found that the predicted accidents caused by geometric design inconsistency and vehicle stability are 5.12% of total accidents per year.
 From the safety standpoint, if the condition |V85-Vd|>20 is met, critical discrepancies between the design speed and operating speed arise, resulting in unsafe operations. Therefore, it is generally advisable to consider redesigning those road sections.