Provincial Highway Research Articles

Traffic-related lead pollution in roadside soils and plants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: implications for human health

The contamination of lead in roadside soils and in the leaves of selected trees grown on the corresponding roadside land was investigated. Roadside soil and leaf samples of four tree species were collected along the national and provincial highways in five towns of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The mean lead concentrations in roadside soil samples were 44.8, 39.4, 32.7, 28.4 and 41.7 mg kg−1 for Peshawar, Charsadda, Swabi, Upper Dir and Lower Dir, respectively. For leaves, the mean concentrations were 4.44, 3.48, 5.56 and 5.93 mg kg−1 for Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Dalbergia sissoo, Platanus orientalis and Morus nigra, respectively. Human health risks via ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact were estimated numerically in terms of average daily dose, hazard quotient and hazard index for the exposed adults and children. The mean hazard index value for adults was 0.37, and mean hazard index value for children was 3.23. Thus, children were found at high risk of lead-related health issues due to roadside soil pollution.

Traffic flow in the vicinity of crosswalks on a provincial highway in China

In this paper, motorized traffic flow in the vicinity of an unsignalized crosswalk on a provincial highway in China was studied. Based on the Kerner–Klenov–Schreckenberg–Wolf (KKSW) three-phase cellular automaton (CA) traffic flow model for single-lane roads, the cars’ moving rules when there were pedestrians walking on the crosswalk was redefined. A series of simulations were carried out to reveal the cars’ travel process and the influence of pedestrians crossing behavior on traffic flow. The simulations results show the redefined model can be used to study not only the characteristics of traffic flow in the vicinity of crosswalks on provincial highways but also some complex traffic problems such as traffic breakdown, synchronized flow, and moving jams. Moreover, some suggestions about signal control for the pedestrians crossing in the future were presented. Thus, this work is helpful for managing traffic flow and improving road safety and capacity in the vicinity of crosswalks on provincial highways in China.

Application of a Geographic Information System to Analyze Traffic Accidents Using Nantou County, Taiwan, as an Example

A geographic information system (GIS) is a commonly used method for analyzing traffic accidents. Through a GIS, data regarding traffic accidents can be presented visually, and traffic accident locations can be analyzed. By identifying locations where traffic accidents frequently occur and highway sections with high accident rates, traffic authorities can adopt preventive measures and enforce traffic regulations to reduce the frequency of traffic accidents, deaths, injuries, and financial losses. The present study analyzed tourist traffic accidents in Nantou County, one of the most popular tourist areas in Taiwan for domestic and international travelers, and tabulated statistical data that were subsequently input into a GIS database to determine dangerous locations and areas where traffic accidents are prone to occur. First, administrative regions in Nantou County were identified and kernel density estimation and repeatability analysis were performed to determine locations with high accident rates. The results showed that in Nantou County, traffic accidents often occur between 12:00 and 18:00 at intersections and on sloped roads and windy roads. The most dangerous locations were Provincial Highway 21 (areas around Sun Moon Lake) and Provincial Highway 14A (areas with access to Qingjing and Hehuanshan). The results of this study could serve as a reference for traffic authorities to develop measures for preventing and regulating traffic accidents.

Statistical Investigation of Truck Type Distribution on Cold Region Highways During Winter Months

Recent research on impact of weather interaction on classified traffic volume variations on provincial highways in cold regions showed that the total truck volume is not affected with severity of snowfall and cold temperature. However, no research is conducted to analyze the variations in truck distributions, despite of its importance for truck counting and monitoring program. Described in this paper is the statistical investigation of association of truck type distribution on cold region highways during severe winter months and seasons in a year. The investigation is based on weigh-in-motion data collected from six sites located on five provincial highways in Alberta, Canada. Trucks were classified into three types such as straight unit, single trailer, and multi trailer using the FHWA vehicle classification scheme. Two statistical tests namely Chi-squared test and Binomial probability test are applied to analyze the distributional change in three different truck classes during high snowfall and low temperature conditions. The analysis suggested that the truck type distribution does not change from winter to non-winter season for regional commuter road (Highway 2A) and long distance roads (Highway 2 and Highway 16). Also, no change in truck distribution from month to month was noticed during sever winter months. Consistent results were not found for special roads such as Highway 44 due to difference in road user characteristics. The study findings have practical implications for rationalization of the length and frequency of traffic counts including classified traffic monitoring programs throughout the year. The knowledge about independency of truck type distribution with various seasons is likely to help in effective traffic monitoring and estimation of the highway planning and design parameters like Truck Annual Average Daily Traffic (TAADT), Truck Average Daily Traffic (TADT) and Design Hour Truck Volume etc.

Explore pavement roughness under various funding for the Taiwan provincial highways using LCCA

ABSTRACTPavement roughness has always been a concern for road users and highway agencies. The Directorate General of Highways (DGH), which administers the Taiwan Provincial Highways, stated that the maintenance lane-kilometres it manages increase daily. In recent years, the Taiwan government has been investing a great deal of money in social and health care services while decreasing annual funding for infrastructure. DGH is no exception to these budget-cutting efforts and now faces the challenge of how to maintain an acceptable level of pavement roughness with limited funding. With this challenge in mind, the main objective of this study was to explore pavement roughness under various maintenance funding levels for the Taiwan Provincial Highway. First, the researchers visited all five Taiwan pavement maintenance offices and several branches to collect roughness data, annual financial reports and expert opinions. Then, life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA), specifically RealCost LCCA software was used to estimate an annual minimum budget for DGH. Taiwan local and typical data were used in this analysis. The results of the LCCA conducted in this study indicated that DGH should be spending a minimum of 5.2 billion NTD per year on pavements to keep them in good condition.

Geologic structure, mechanism, and conditions for rock topples on cataclinal slope, Jinchuan, China

Two rock topples with the opposite dip direction, observed in the Ribangliangzi hill and facing the China Provincial Highway S211, are located on the upper stream of the planned dam of Jinchuan Hydropower Station in China. The new site for submerged part of Highway due to reservoir impoundment is designed to be a tunnel crossing the Ribangliangzi hill. However, at this hill, the stratum facing the Dadu River dips southwestward, whereas the stratum facing the Xinzha Gully dips northeastward. Therefore, it’s regarded as an important slope structure that may lead to an occurrence of landslide directly threatening the future tunnel excavation stability and slope stability along the highway. This paper reports for the geologic structures of the overturned strata, formative processes and mechanism for toppling on cataclinal slopes. It was concluded that the toppling on cataclinal slopes was caused by a combination of toppling and sliding. Furthermore, to analyse the conditions for toppling on cataclinal slope, the cantilever beam model was established and analyzed the minimum strata dip angle required for toppling more prone to occur on cataclinal slope and the critical length of rock stratum. The results reveal that the toppling will be more prone to occur on cataclinal slope while the strata dip angle is greater than 60°even if under a very small external force or without the assistance of external forces.

Application of Source-Sink Landscape Influence Values to Commuter Traffic: A Case Study of Xiamen Island

Landscape patterns are closely related to ecological processes. Different spatial scales and research methods may lead to different results. Therefore, it is crucial to choose suitable research methods when studying different landscape patterns and ecological processes. In the present study, the methods of source-sink landscape theory were applied to the interactions between urban landscape characteristics and commuter traffic behavior around the arterial roads in Xiamen Island. After classification of land use types using remote sensing images from the IKONOS satellite and ArcGIS software (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA), the landscape patterns of areas surrounding arterial roads (within 1 km) were evaluated using source-sink landscape influence (SLI). The results showed that Xiamen Island’s urban expressway had the highest SLI value (0.191), followed by the state highways (0.067), the provincial highways (0.030), and the county roads (0.025). When considering all road types, the correlation between a road’s SLI value and its commuter traffic flow was 0.684. This result was explained by three observations: (1) The contribution of the core area of each landscape pattern to traffic flow was positively correlated with the traffic flow. (2) Areas surrounding the urban expressway and the state highways had lower values for Shannon’s diversity index, indicating that these areas had a lower degree of landscape fragmentation. (3) The landscape patterns surrounding the urban expressway and the state highways were more concentrated and complex than those around other road types. The application of source-sink landscape pattern theory allows for researchers to integrate the relationships between landscape patterns surrounding roads and commuter traffic flow on those roads and to analyze the reasons for these relationships.

Improving the Pedestrian Experience Through Strategic Partnerships ( breakout presentation )

Background Prioritizing, not just accommodating, pedestrians and cyclists in York Region is a challenge. We have a diverse geography (e.g. a mix of rural / agricultural areas & urban centres and corridors), and spread out communities (e.g. we are nearly 3 times the size of Toronto). While most residents use the car as their primary mode of travel, we are all pedestrians first. By prioritizing the pedestrian experience, we can improve the travel experience for everyone. Description of Program To move beyond accommodation, York Region is pursuing strategic partnerships to prioritize the travel experience for pedestrians and cyclists. We are pursuing partnerships with: Local Area Municipalities to address sidewalk gaps and improve network connectivity; The Province to facilitate active transportation crossings of Provincial Highways; School boards to include school travel planning in York Region's Traffic Circulation at School Sites Guidelines; and Other departments and branches within York Region, including Data Analytics and Visualization to uncover new insights and develop innovative solutions; Capital Delivery to develop York Region design standards to reflect the need to build facilities for all ages and abilities for comfort, safety, and convenience; and Road Operations to develop maintenance standards for walking and cycling facilities. Lessons Learned Note: Much of this is currently underway, with the recent completion of York Region's 2016 Transportation Master Plan Update. An update will be provided on lessons learned to-date. Conclusion Prioritizing the travel experience for pedestrians and cyclists is a non-trivial task. While we are certainly not there yet (this will be a process), we can add to the conversation from our current pursuit of strategic partnerships, and share lessons learned along the way.

Regional landslide susceptibility assessment using multi-stage remote sensing data along the coastal range highway in northeastern Taiwan

Typhoons Megi (2010) and Saola (2012) brought torrential rainfall which triggered regional landslides and flooding hazards along Provincial Highway No. 9 in northeastern Taiwan. To reduce property loss and saving lives, this study combines multi-hazard susceptibility assessment with environmental geology map a rock mass rating system (RMR), remote sensing analysis, and micro-topography interpretation to develop an integrated landslide hazard assessment approach and reflect the intrinsic state of slopeland from the past toward the future. First, the degree of hazard as indicated by historical landslides was used to determine many landslide regions in the past. Secondly, geo-mechanical classification of rock outcroppings was performed by in-situ investigation along the vulnerable road sections. Finally, a high-resolution digital elevation model was extracted from airborne LiDAR and multi-temporal remote sensing images which was analyzed to discover possible catastrophic landslide hotspot shortly. The results of the analysis showed that 37% of the road sections in the study area were highly susceptible to landslide hazards. The spatial distribution of the road sections revealed that those characterized by high susceptibility were located near the boundaries of fault zones and in areas of lithologic dissimilarity. Headward erosion of gullies and concave-shaped topographic features had an adverse effect and was the dominant factor triggering landslides. Regional landslide reactivation on this coastal highway are almost related to the past landslide region based on hazard statistics. The final results of field validation demonstrated that an accuracy of 91% could be achieved for forecasting geohazard followed by intense rainfall events and typhoons.

Evaluation Method for Traffic Operation Status on Ordinary Highway Roads

AbstractAverage travel speed and density ratio are selected as the traffic state evaluation indexes. Based on the long-term analysis of the distribution characteristics of the detection data of 166 intermodulation points of 26 national and provincial highways in Chongqing, the model for calculating the point speed and travel speed during congestion is established, and the reasonable rating thresholds for identifying indicators are determined according to the grade test scores. Based on logical rules, the synthetic evaluation model that uses travel speed and density ratio as evaluation indexes is established, and the evaluation method suitable for ordinary highway operation status in China is determined. By verifying and analyzing the determination result of the actual operation status of the 26 common highways in Chongqing, the better adaptability of the model is proven.

兴山县昭君镇安全饮水工程设计分析

在兴山县昭君镇饮水工程优化设计中，我们比选了可利用水源，确定了古夫镇净水厂一厂供两镇的方案。净水厂出水通过重力自流输送至昭君镇配水厂，再对昭君镇进行供水，管道长度17,868 m，沿途敷设经过水库，河滩及312省道，工程建设决算投资为1269.49万元，单位经营成本为0.27元/m3。 For the optimizing design of drinking water project in Zhaojun Town of Xingshan County, we chose the water resources and determined supplying two towns’ water by Gufu town’s waterworks. The water from water purification plant is delivered to Zhaojun town’s distribution waterworks by gravity, and then the waterworks supplies the town. The pipe length is 17,868 m, and pipe is laying along the reservoir, river shoal and 312 provincial highway. The total engineering investment is 12.6949 million yuan, and the unit operating cost is 0.27 yuan/m3.

Landscape evolution analysis of large scale landslides at Don-Ao Peak, Taiwan

Typhoon Megi (2010) and the co-movement of the concurrent northeast monsoon brought massive rainfall to the Suao area of Yilan County, Taiwan, causing clusters of sediment-related landslide disasters on Provincial Highway No. 9. The most notable of these events was the large-scale landslide on the upper slope at 115.9 km near Don-Ao Peak, which dumped 2.1 million cubic meters of sediment into the streambed. Rainfall runoff turned this into a debris flow forming an alluvial fan at the river mouth. This study analyzed the evolution of landscapes in the area through a field investigation, disaster-causing mechanisms, image interpretation, and airborne LiDAR. Our results indicate that the landslide was associated with its location at a lithological junction as well as local geological structures. Interpretation of micro-photography revealed that the topographical changes in landslide areas in the Dakeng Stream catchment are controlled by the headward development of erosion gullies and the concave shape of the slopes. Previous earthquakes and rainfall exceeding that of a 200-year event were the external precipitating factors.

Predicting Driver Injury Severity in Single-Vehicle and Two-Vehicle Crashes with Boosted Regression Trees

The boosted regression tree model is an emerging nonparametric tree-based model that can capture nonlinear effects of both discrete and continuous variables without preprocessing data. The model is particularly advantageous to predict severe injuries, which are more difficult to classify because of their small amount compared with nonsevere injuries. The objectives of this study were to investigate driver injury severity with the boosted regression tree model and other nonparametric models—the classification and regression tree and Random Forests—and to evaluate performance of the boosted regression tree model in comparison with the classification and regression tree model. The study identified important factors affecting injury severity by using 5-year crash records for provincial highways in Ontario, Canada. The results of the boosted regression tree model showed that ejection from a vehicle and head-on collisions commonly had a strong association with driver injury severity. Results also showed that marginal effects of continuous variables including truck percentage, annual average daily traffic (AADT), driver age, and vehicle age on injury severity were nonlinear. In particular, their effects on the injuries of heavy-truck drivers had different patterns compared with the effects on passenger-car and light-truck drivers; the risk of severe injury to heavy-truck drivers increased as the truck percentage and AADT increased and the driver's age decreased. The boosted regression tree model predicted driver injury severity more accurately than the classification and regression tree model for both single-vehicle and two-vehicle crashes. Thus, it is recommended that the boosted regression tree model be applied with separate data sets for single-vehicle crashes and different types of two-vehicle crashes for more accurate prediction of crash injury severity.

Slope Collapse Prediction Using Bayesian Framework with K-Nearest Neighbor Density Estimation: Case Study in Taiwan

AbstractSlope failures across mountain roads can damage man-made structures, interrupt traffic, and give rise to fatal accidents. Disastrous consequences of these hazards necessitate the approach for predicting their occurrences. In practice, slope collapse prediction can be formulated as a classification problem with two class labels: collapse and noncollapse. This study aims at proposing a novel approach for slope collapse assessment. The newly established method integrates the Bayesian framework and the K-nearest neighbor density estimation technique. The Bayesian framework is employed to achieve probabilistic slope stability estimations. Meanwhile, the K-nearest neighbor technique is a nonparametric approach to approximate the conditional probability density functions. In addition, a database that contains 211 slope evaluation samples has been collected in the Taiwan Provincial Highway Nos. 18 and 21 is used to construct and verify the slope assessment model. Experimental results point out that the pr...

Development of regression equations for local calibration of rutting and IRI as predicted by the MEPDG models for flexible pavements using Ontario's long-term PMS data

Local calibration is an important step before a transportation agency adopts the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG). This paper presents the challenges of and findings from the local calibration of flexible pavements in provincial highways under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO). A calibration database was developed that involved a hierarchical framework of the input parameters required for AASHTOWare Pavement ME (the MEPDG software) and the historical field performance data based on the MTO's second-generation pavement management system. A regression analysis is carried out for preliminary calibration of rutting and international roughness index (IRI) models by comparing the predicted distress to observed distress. The analysis suggested that whereas the MEPDG provided fairly unbiased prediction of the IRI value, it often over-predicted the total rutting. Calibrated predicted IRI and rut depth are found for Ontario's local conditions from MEPDG distress prediction models. A further clustering analysis based on Functional Class and geographical zone for the rutting and IRI, respectively, improved the precision of the locally calibrated models.

Analysis of injury severity of drivers involved in single- and two-vehicle crashes on highways in Ontario

This study analyzes driver's injury severity in single- and two-vehicle crashes and compares the effects of explanatory variables among various types of crashes. The study identified factors affecting injury severity and their effects on severity levels using 5-year crash records for provincial highways in Ontario, Canada. Considering heteroscedasticity in the effects of explanatory variables on injury severity, the heteroscedastic ordered logit (HOL) models were developed for single- and two-vehicle crashes separately. The results of the models show that there exists heteroscedasticity for young drivers (≤30), safety equipment and ejection in the single-vehicle crash model, and female drivers, safety equipment and head-on collision in the two-vehicle crash models. The results also show that young car drivers have opposite effects between single-car and car–car crashes, and sideswipe crashes have opposite effects between car–car and truck–truck crashes. The study demonstrates that separate HOL models for single-vehicle and different types of two-vehicle crashes can identify differential effects of factors on driver's injury severity.

Numerical simulation on a tremendous debris flow caused by Typhoon Morakot in the Jiaopu Stream, Taiwan

In August 2009, Typhoon Morakot brought a large amount of rainfall with both high intensity and long duration to a vast area of Taiwan. Unfortunately, this resulted in a catastrophic landslide in Hsiaolin Village, Taiwan. Meanwhile, large amounts of landslides were formed in the Jiaopu Stream watershed near the southeast part of the Hsiaolin Village. The Hsiaolin Village access road (Provincial Highway No. 21 and Bridge No. 8) was completely destroyed by the landslide and consequent debris flow. The major scope of this study is to apply a debris flow model to simulate the disaster caused by the debris flow that occurred in the Jiaopu Stream during Typhoon Morakot. According to the interviews with local residents, this study applied the destruction time of Bridge No. 8 and Chen’s house to verify the numerical debris flow model. By the spatial rainfall distributions information, the numerical simulations of the debris flow are conducted in two stages. In the first stage (before the landslide-dam failure), the elevation of the debris flow and the corresponding potential damages toward residential properties were investigated. In the second stage (after the landslide-dam failure), comparisons of simulation results between the longitudinal and cross profiles of the Jiaopu Stream were performed using topographic maps and satellite imagery. In summary, applications of the adopted numerical debris flow model have shown positive impact on supporting better understanding of the occurrence and movement of debris flow processes.

Development of a Safety Evaluation Model for Provincial Highway

Provincial highway safety is one of the most important issues in transportation. To evaluate or assess the safety performance of provincial highway, traffic crash analysis or traffic conflict analysis has been used for a long history. However, it is very difficult and time-consuming to obtain historical crash data or traffic conflict data. This study analyzes the provincial highways' accident data during 2006–2010, and the characteristics of provincial highway have been investigated; in addition the influencing elements are identified. A comprehensive approach is introduced to evaluate provincial highway safety performance and corresponding models are developed considering the accidents, geometrics, facilities, and traffic environment. The approach will also result in a safety index to indicate the safety performance level of the provincial highway. In this paper, the approach (called safety evaluation approach) is practically applied to evaluate the safety performance of some provincial highways in Hebei Province. Results from the real application indicate that the approach has good applicability and can be used by field safety engineers.

Decision of National and Provincial Highway Asphalt Pavement Structure Based on Value Engineering

It is important that decision of asphalt pavement structure requires overall considerations of the performance and financial investment. To have asphalt pavement structure fulfilling good reliability, the asphalt pavement structure decision was researched based on value engineering theory. According to the national and provincial highway investigation data in Shandong Province during the last decade, the asphalt pavement performance attenuation rules of traffic levels and asphalt layer thicknesses were developed, and then the road performance evaluation method was presented. In addition, the initial investments, the costs of road maintenance, and middle-scale repair in a period were analyzed. For the light traffic and medium traffic example, using the value engineering method, the pavement performance and costs of which thickness varies from 6 cm to 10 cm were calculated and compared. It was concluded that value engineering was an effective method in deciding the asphalt pavement structure.

ANALISIS KINERJA KEUANGAN DAERAH PADA DINAS BINA MARGA PROVINSI SULAWESI SELATAN

The purpose of this research is to know the government's financial performance against regional expenditure At the Highways Agency South Sulawesi in the last four years (2009-2012) and to reveal the effectiveness and efficiency of the government 's financial performance against regional expenditure achieved by the local government at the Office South Sulawesi Provincial Highways in the last four years (2009-2012). The method of analysis used in this research is descriptive method (descriptif quantitative analysis method), ie by setting concept in the calculation of financial ratios measuring the financial performance, by calculating the ratio of the actual financial budget set out in the budget and budget realization report. From the results of the analysis and discussion in this study are : First ; assessment of financial performance over the last 4 years local look -effectiveness ratio of receipts levy on Highways Agency shows that the average increase of 84.39 % per year with a fairly effective category , in 2010 a decline in the effectiveness of 82.17 % which is less effective due in 2010 to levy on legalization eliminated, and in 2012 saw an increase of 113.88 % with very effective due to the increase in the categories of activities that are managed by the Highways Agency to use RPJK increased . Second, for the efficiency of personnel expenditure in 2009 to 2012 to categorize quite effective because the activity remained without, for the efficiency of spending on goods/services in the year 2009 to the year 2012 is also considered quite effective due to the use of spending on goods/services remain without any change , while the efficiency of capital expenditure in 2009 amounted to 95.33 % , in 2011 was 95.55 % in 2012 and increased by 98.44 % categorized quite effective , whereas in 2010, a decrease of 68.68 % .