Intercity Highway Research Articles

Zhengzhou Yellow River road‐cum‐railway bridge, China

AbstractZhengzhou Yellow River road‐cum‐railway bridge accommodates both the Beijing–Guangzhou passenger railway line and the Zhengzhou–Xinxiang inter‐city highway, which cross the Yellow River at Zhengzhou, China (Fig. 1). The bridge is 9177 m long and has two distinct sections[1]: the first is a six‐pylon continuous steel‐concrete composite truss extradosed bridge with a span arrangement of 120 5 ¥168 120 m; the second is a continuous steel‐concrete composite truss with a span arrangement of 5 ¥120 m. The main bridge has a double deck, with a six‐lane carriageway on the upper deck and a twin‐track railway on the lower deck. An inclined truss structure is used for the main bridge superstructure. The upper deck is of concrete, the lower deck uses orthotropic steel solution. The analysis revealed that the main bridge has good rigidity and favourable service conditions for high‐speed trains. The main steel truss was constructed by incremental launching.

The effect of a new intercity expressway based on travel time reliability using electronic toll collection data

This study describes a method of evaluating the level of service of road networks, based on the average travel time and travel time reliability using electronic toll collection (ETC) data. The authors focused on the variance in travel time under normal circumstances, thus, traffic accidents were removed from the database, and any effect of individual vehicle preference was excluded. They evaluated the travel time distribution based on the average travel time from ETC data for each 15-min interval. The level of service in an actual intercity highway network was analysed using the proposed method. This analysis showed that the level of service fluctuated according to the road section analysed, the month and the time of day. These findings were confirmed by the shape of the cumulative distribution and indices of average travel time and travel time reliability. Using the evaluation method described here, the analysis also confirmed the change in travel time distribution between major interchanges after the opening of a new intercity highway route. As a great change in the traffic conditions occurred, the authors analysed the relationship between traffic demand and the level of service using detector data.

Optimization of Highway Construction Based on Prim Algorithm

In this paper, Prim algorithm is used to solve the problem of optimizing inter-city highway paving in highway construction project. In the paper circles are used to indicate the cities, the inter-city highway with the line between circles, and the line weights on the behalf of the relative costs of highway construction. Prim minimum spanning tree algorithm is constructed on the inter-city highway, and finally make the project cost cut down from 53 to 20 in highway construction project and obtain a better eco-efficiency and social benefits under cutting down of the project cost.

A case study from the perspective of medical ethics: refusal of treatment in an ambulance

This paper will examine a sample case encountered by ambulance staff in the context of the basic principles of medical ethics.An accident takes place on an intercity highway. Ambulance staff...

Effectiveness of Road Safety Messages on Variable Message Signs

Despite being promoted as a means to improve the efficiency and safety of the road network, the focus of most advanced technologies thus far has been on improving mobility rather than safety. For example, variable message signs are often installed for the sole purpose of providing travel advices to drivers even though they can be used to communicate a wide variety of messages. However, once installed, it is simply communication device and could be used for promoting road safety when not used to display traffic related information. This study examines the effects of some anti-speeding messages on driver attitudes and traffic speed on an inter-city highway. A questionnaire survey was developed and administered to a sample of nearly 100 drivers. The test site chosen for this quasi-experiment was Highway 2 between the Cities of Edmonton and Calgary. The study showed that the messages developed have only a relatively small albeit beneficial effect on driver attitudes and on-road traffic speed.

Ten Years of World Bank Action in Transport: Evaluation

Throughout the past decade transport projects have played a pivotal role in support of economic development and poverty alleviation. This evaluation, using objectives-based methodology, assesses the World Bank’s activities in the transport sector during the past 10 years together with its preparedness to meet emerging challenges. It concludes that although past performance has been well managed and effective, especially for intercity highway construction and rehabilitation, transport must also give more focus on vital issues such as traffic congestion, air pollution, safety, and affordability which will have to be given greater priority. This will necessitate more innovative multisectoral approaches to resolve the complex global concerns confronting us in the future.

Ohio Long-Distance Travel Model

Credible forecasts of long-distance travel are an important tool for evaluating proposed intercity transportation improvements, including intercity highway and transit projects. Although researchers have studied the topic and have developed frameworks for modeling long-distance travel behavior, these research models have not been integrated into comprehensive model systems used for a wide range of applications. This paper presents a long-distance travel model that bridges the gap between research and practice. It is based on a rigorous behavioral framework that models the unique aspects of long-distance travel, such as a less regular frequency of trips and a different set of modal alternatives. The model structure includes the choice of whether to travel, the selection of the days on which to travel, scheduling to a specific time of day, destination choice, and mode choice. The model is sensitive to important descriptive variables, including the demographic characteristics of travelers, the attractiveness of possible destinations, and the levels of service of air, transit, and highway networks. It has been successfully implemented as part of the Ohio statewide model, which also features an advanced tour-based model of short-distance travel. Through this integration, it allows for behavioral consistency within the entire model system and competition among all travelers for transportation capacity. Lessons are learned about the data needs and research needs to further improve long-distance travel models.

Construction of large cross-section double-tier Metropolitan Inter-city Highway (Ken-O-Do) Ome Tunnel by NATM

Ome Tunnel is a double-tier highway tunnel with large cross-section of 220–260 m 2 excavated at a shallow depth in unconsolidated ground. The tunnel was excavated by NATM. Since the tunnel passes under a road in dense residential area, surface settlement due to tunneling was restricted. Therefore, various auxiliary construction method such as long span steel pipe fore-piling with injection was adopted based on monitoring and analyzing ground behavior during construction. A total of 1060 m of tunneling work was successfully completed without major interruption of work excessive damage on surface residents and other facilities.

Pavement and Bridge Cost Allocation Analysis of the Ontario, Canada, Intercity Highway Network

Continuous growth of road transportation demand has resulted in soaring rates of road deterioration and maintenance costs. Full road cost recovery by direct charging of road users is gaining more popularity as governments face pressure to reduce general taxes, and full road cost recovery can promote more efficient use of the road system. A sound charging system requires reliable models for infrastructure deterioration and sound methodologies for cost allocation. In Ontario, new pavement performance models have been recently developed with more emphasis on separating the effects of traffic from the effects of environmental forces on flexible pavements in different geographic locations. The recent models and data have been used to investigate the cost implications of different vehicle configurations and road characteristics for the Ontario pavements and bridges. The results are used for the allocation of costs to various users of the road system. The results generally have implied that initial road design specifications, vehicle configurations, and the types and locations of roads could significantly affect user cost responsibilities. The analyses determined that proper selection of vehicles and payload amounts could result in up to 6 percent savings in pavement costs. The analyses showed that a fair and efficient cost allocation can be achieved by consideration of various vehicle and road characteristics and their interrelated cost implications, rather than solely on the basis of damage implications of each vehicle.

Unsafe drivers behaviors caused by poor road-sign system at a junction on Metropolitan inter-city highway

Unsafe drivers behaviors caused by poor road-sign system at a junction on Metropolitan inter-city highway