Continuing Research
JH 04-6 : Designing Roads that Guide Drivers to Choose Safer Speeds
JH 06-9 : Evaluating Stormwater Quality Associated with Milling of HMA Surfaces
JH 06-10 : Improving Surveying Accuracy and Efficiency in Connecticut: An Accuracy Assessment of GEOID03
JH 07-5 : Incorporating Wet Pavement Friction into Traffic Safety Analysis
JH 08-1: Structure and Properties of Ionomer Modified Asphalts (IMAs)
JH 08-5 : Assessing and Quantifying Public Transportation Access
JH 08-6 : Experimental Testing of Controllable Damping Devices toward Extending the Lifespan of Existing Highway Bridges
PROJECT TITLE: Designing Roads that Guide Drivers to Choose Safer Speeds
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: John Ivan and Norman Garrick
PROJECT STATUS: Continuing
ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE: December 2009
OBJECTIVES: To determine 1) how the prevailing road characteristics, such as the design geometry and roadside environment, influence the actual travel speeds chosen by drivers; 2) how the actual travel speeds along with these road characteristics influence the incidence of crashes; and 3) using that data, how to design the safest road for a given condition.
PROJECT TITLE: Evaluating Stormwater Quality Associated with Milling of HMA Surfaces
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Allison MacKay and James Mahoney
ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE: December 2009
OBJECTIVE: To characterize differences in water quality parameters between stormwater runoff from milled roadway surfaces and undisturbed roadway surfaces.
PROJECT TITLE: Improving Surveying Accuracy and Efficiency in Connecticut: An Accuracy Assessment of GEOID03
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Thomas Meyer, Steven Fish and Derek Massalski
ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE: December 2009
OBJECTIVE: To 1) evaluate GEOID03's performance throughout Connecticut; 2) provide the NGS staff responsible for geoid modeling with our GPS data that will be included in future geoid models; 3) highlight problem areas that may require additional attention to resolve; 4) create a local geoid model that will bring GEOID03 into acceptable levels of accuracy until such time as the Federal model meets Connecticut DOT criteria; and, 5) disseminate these results via the World-Wide-Web and continuing education seminars.
PROJECT TITLE: Incorporating Wet Pavement Friction into Traffic Safety Analysis
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: John Ivan and Nalini Ravishanker
ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE: December 2009
OBJECTIVE: To conduct a statistical analysis of the association between wet pavement friction and road safety experience, controlling for pertinent roadway characteristics.
PROJECT TITLE: Structure and Properties of Ionomer Modified Asphalts (IMAs)
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Weiss
ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE: May 2010
OBJECTIVE: To develop improved binders based on ionomers for polymer modified asphalts, especially for low temperature applications.
PROJECT TITLE: Assessing and Quantifying Public Transportation Access
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Nicholas Lownes
ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE: August 2010
OBJECTIVE: To 1) investigate the current state of the practice of quantifying public transportation access; 2) develop the best method for quantifying public transportation access in Connecticut's unique transit system, accommodating spatial, temporal and travel demand coverage; 3) apply this method to selected Connecticut public transportation corridors as a pilot study; and, 4) make recommendations regarding the use of the method in public transportation project selection and design.
PROJECT TITLE: Experimental Testing of Controllable Damping Devices toward Extending the Lifespan of Existing Highway Bridges
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Richard Christenson
ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE: May 2010
OBJECTIVE: To fundamentally advance the state-of-the-art in highway bridge control and monitoring by: 1) experimentally verifying the application of controllable MR dampers to reduce the maximum stresses in a highway bridge due to heavy truck traffic; and, 2) demonstrating experimental methodologies to utilize the controllable damping devices for enhanced bridge monitoring.