Search

Copyright of Erciyes Akademi is the property of Erciyes Universitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Speeding has been reported as a major cause of highway accidents. The purpose of this study was to observe the speed choice and speeding intention of Indonesian drivers using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), legal sanctions, and Homel's model. Methods: Five hundred Indonesian driver respondents with experience crossing Indonesian highways voluntarily participated in this study (mean age = 40.48 years, Stdev = 12.59 years; 355 male, 145 female). A self-administered questionnaire including demographic characteristics and a questionnaire based on the construct of the TPB, legal sanctions, and Homel's model were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were applied to present demographic data and speeding behavior. Structural equation modeling was then used to model speeding intention. Results: The average speed of Indonesian drivers on highways was 90.1 km/h. The demographic data of respondents indicated that speeding behavior differs based on occupation, with non-government employees speeding more than other occupations. Conclusion: The model shows that speed intention is directly influenced by cognitive attitude, affective attitude, and non-legal sanctions.

The increasing adoption of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) has motivated researchers and practitioners to better understand their impact on traffic congestion. It is well acknowledged that congestion results in increased travel time, fuel consumption/emission, and reduced traffic throughput on roads. Furthermore, causes of congestion such as lane closures and cyber infrastructure failures present various challenges to drivers in reaching their destinations. Strategies such as high occupancy vehicle lanes and fast-track routes have been implemented nationwide to improve the performance of road networks. However, the advent of CAVs has opened up new avenues for research to explore their positive effects on traffic and their contribution to improved network performance. Thus, we developed and validated an agent-based simulation model to capture the interactions of CAVs, regular vehicles, traffic lights, and the road network under both physical and cyber disruption scenarios. Experiments were conducted in two different study sites—highway and urban road networks in the State of Oklahoma. The results indicated that introducing CAVs to the selected road networks improved travel times under different magnitudes of random lane closures and communication failures. Despite a 30% communication failure and 20% random lane closures, CAVs outperformed non-CAVs with better mean travel times. Redundancy mechanisms also allowed CAVs to manage congestion effectively, although CAVs with functional communication still exhibited 5% better performance than those relying solely on redundancy mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the research outcomes of a study on the spatial transitions of areas around the highway interchanges of the eastern section of the A4 highway in Poland. We hypothesise that the changes that occur in the areas around these interchanges are a direct result of the construction and use of the new highway. The aim of this research was to determine the nature and scale of these transformations over a period of about 10 years, with the intent to find possible geometric regularities and taking into account the spatial relationships between the highway interchanges under study and the existing network of cities. The analysis of the highway interchanges were quantitative, expressed by the quantitative growth of new buildings located in the vicinity of a given junction, as well as in spatial terms – examining the geometric distribution of the placement of new buildings and identifying the zones of the most dynamic spatial transformation for each interchange/junction. The findings were individually referenced to each interchange, after which they were aggregated to the cities that these junctions or groups of junctions serves. The study was based on original field research and a comparative analysis of satellite imagery that depicted the site development of the space investigated in the period preceding the construction of the junctions and at the time of the study. GIS and CAD tools, as well as a review of the literature and the state of the art were used. The results presented contribute a number of important insights into the scale and nature of the transformation of the areas around the junctions under study. They also allow for general conclusions to be drawn concerning the impact of highway corridors on space, particularly that of suburban areas, and the impact of the location of highway interchanges on the transformation of the functional and spatial structure model of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been widely adopted in the building sector. However, it is still an emerging topic in road infrastructure projects despite its enormous potential to solve ongoing issues. While there have been several recent studies on BIM implementation in road projects, there is a lack of research analyzing the actual BIM Uses in road projects as reported in academic and technical documents. Considering this gap, this paper presents a systematic review of BIM Uses and complementary technologies to BIM in road infrastructure projects. The research method consisted of a systematic review composed of five stages: (1) question formulation, (2) searching of relevant documents, (3) document selection, (4) evidence collection, analysis, and synthesis, and (5) results report. A total of 384 documents were collected, from which 134 documents reporting BIM Uses on roads were analyzed. This study has two main contributions. First, 39 BIM Uses were identified, which are classified into nine categories: road design, traffic analysis, soil aspects, road safety, environmental issues, other engineering analysis, construction planning and analysis, cost analysis, and construction monitoring and control. Second, a set of 26 technologies complementary to BIM adoption in roads were identified, among the most prevalent of which are geographic information systems (GISs) and laser scanning. The results serve as a basis for researchers to learn about the status and propose future developments on BIM adoption in road infrastructure.

This paper mainly studies the deployment of hybrid sensors on highways. By constructing the deployment location constraint model, the overall accuracy of sensor deployment can be maximized. In addition, in order to meet the needs of intelligent transportation, the consideration of traffic data communication is added to the work. The highway under study is first divided into several units, and the combination type of sensors is used to represent the possible layout of two adjacent sensors. Then, a 0–1 optimization model reflecting the interaction between the sensor position and the server position is established. Then, a two-step search algorithm is proposed to find the optimal solution of the model and determine the deployment scheme with maximum accuracy. Finally, an example is given to verify the method. The results show that there are significant differences between uniform unit-deployment schemes and non-uniform unit-deployment schemes. Through the sensitivity analysis of each factor, the influence of budget and communication radius on the deployment plan is proven. In addition, the ramp length can also have a negative impact on the target value.

The article presents a calculation of the strength of the road structure according to the allowable tensile stresses during bending in monolithic layers. The test is carried out according to the criterion of maximum tensile stresses on the sole of the layer along the load axis. The continuity of monolithic layers will not be violated if the tensile stresses during repeated bending do not exceed the permissible stresses (for the material of this layer), established taking into account fatigue phenomena. Therefore, for layers with an organic binder, the test is carried out according to the criterion of maximum tensile stresses on the sole of the layer along the load axis. This work is aimed at establishing the probability of cracks in the monolithic layer during bending, depending on the qualitative condition of the structures and changes in soil moisture of the roadbed in the spring period. It is taken into account that the distribution of tensile stresses in a monolithic layer during bending does not contradict the normal distribution law.

[Objective] The susceptibility zoning and meteorological forecast model of highway geological hazards were studied in order to provide a theoretical basis for implementing the meteorological forecast of geological hazards along the highways in Linzhi City, Tebit Autonomous Region. [Methods] Firstly, eight zoning factors, including fault density, soil type, slope, valley density, annual precipitation, land use, bare rock ratio and distance from rivers, were selected in the 15 km buffer zone along the highway in Linzhi City. The coefficients of each zoning factor were determined by the information and logistic regression method, and the zoning model of geological hazard susceptibility was obtained. Secondly, based on the daily precipitation data of the rainfall occurrence day, the first day, the second and and the third day before the landslide hazards, a meteorological forecast model of geological hazards was established by using logistic regression method. [Results] The susceptibility of most areas in the 15 km buffer zone along the highway in Linzhi City was less than 0.4, and the closer to the road, the greater probability of geological hazard susceptibility. The accuracy rate of the model was 85.71%, and the failure rate was 14.29%. [Conclusion] Affected by topography, geomorphology and precipitation data, the prediction results of the established model may deviate from the actual situation, but it can reflect the basic trend.

The article discusses the possibility of reaching a main increase with the use of hybrid equilibrium interbranch balance model. The advantages and disadvantages of each model separately from the point of view of achieving the main rates of development are shown. The conclusion is made about the need for cooperation of models to obtain different types of hybrids that significantly replenish the information and statistical database of macroeconomic systems developing in the main direction.

The article discusses an example of construction and operation of a high embankment of the road, which was constructed in the central part of Moldova. A detailed historic reference about the behavior of the embankment over 40 years of its operation is given. The reasons for the repeated deformations of the embankment have been identified. The analysis of the effectiveness of the undertaken landslide prevention works has been performed. In order to increase the effectiveness of landslide protection, the authors propose a procedure for multifactorial analysis of the interaction of complex natural systems and various engineering structures, which will allow designers to reasonably predict and make accurate design decisions in diverse geological settings.

Introduction: The benefits of incorporating technological advancements and digitalization into construction firms’ inspections and material supply procurement operations have been well documented. Despite this and the availability of the technology, however, there is a pervasive lack of understanding in the industry about the appropriate application(s) and benefits for highway construction. This study aims to 1) assess the merits of e-Ticketing technology based on the benefits it provides to the construction industry, and 2) determine the amount of time that it can save inspectors.Method: A structured survey questionnaire was designed and distributed to a variety of state DOTs to ascertain how they view the benefits of technology, and the advantages cited were ranked according to their importance.Results and Discussion: The time savings that could be realized by incorporating technology into their operations were estimated by comparing the number of personnel required for inspections before and after implementing e-Ticketing and revealed that 24% of the workforce could be eliminated or reassigned. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing information about how utilizing technology can help state departments of transportation improve the productivity of their workforce, increase safety and morale, minimize schedule delays, mitigate the prevailing shortage of inspection staff, and prepare for the next pandemic or similar event.

The metal composition of road-deposited dust along the Abu Dhabi-Liwa Highway was investigated to provide insight into the contamination profile and levels of road dust. The average concentrations of metals decreased in the order Al (28668 ± 4631 mg/kg)> Fe (21461 ± 2594 mg/kg) > Mn (711.8 ± 76.3 mg/kg) > Zn (210.6 ± 51.6 mg/kg) > Cu (94.9 ± 15.8 mg/kg) > Pb (83.6 ± 5.3 mg/kg) > Cd (75.1 ± 1.6 mg/kg) > Co (62.6 ± 6.4 mg/kg) > As (4.7 ± 2.9 mg/kg) > Ni (0.10 ± 0.19 mg/kg) > Cr (0.08 ± 0.06 mg/kg). The spatial variations of metals suggest different sources and contributing factors for these metals, with most dust metals having mixed traffic and non-traffic origins. The contamination factor (CF) and enrichment factor (EF) showed identically the same order, Cd> Pb> As> Zn> Co> Cu> Mn> Ni> Cr, whereas the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) follows a slightly different ranking, Cd> Pb> Zn> Co> As> Cu> Mn> Ni> Cr. Based on EF and CF levels, roadway dusts are enriched in all metals, except for Ni and Cr. Similarly, the average Igeo values show differing rates of pollution for all metals except for Mn, Ni, and Cr. All pollution indicators suggest extreme pollution with Cd. The pollution loading index values showed sites 1–10 are generally polluted, while sampling sites from 11 to 19 are unpolluted with decreasing pollution loadings. Dusts collected from both sides of highway were higher in metal content than those obtained from the central reservation area. This may be due to the prevailing southeast wind direction, resuspension of road dust, and farmlands, among others. Soils bordering the highway showed high metal contents with potential consequences on the agricultural products.

Delay in payment is considered to be one of the most periodically arisen problems in the construction industry. It harms time, cost, and quality. This paper presented a result of a survey which investigated causes of delay in payment of road and highway construction projects in Thailand. Parties involved in construction-borne failure identified the causes of delay in payment and their severity through a questionnaire survey. The delay in payment causes were categorized into 4 main groups (owner, contractor, consultant and architect) which was based on parties-borne failure. The questionnaire listed of 41 factors and sought to identify the significance of major delay in payment factors and determine their impact on road and highway construction projects. The total of 120 responders was asked to weight the degree on seriousness via a questionnaire survey. The survey concluded that top five severity indexes in causing a delay in payment were delays in progress payment, the financial status of owners, poor qualification of the contractors' technical staff, delays in issue approval documents and failure in applying for claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transportation industry is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels and sources of carbon dioxide emission, with highway transportation accounting for more than 70% of the total. In order to promote efficient, clean, diversified, and intelligent use of energy, this study proposes an innovative application technology model for integrating highway transportation and energy to improve the utilization of clean energy and reduce the proportion of fossil energy and carbon emissions in highway transportation. This study addresses the current problems of green energy development in China's highways, and combines green low-carbon development policies in international transportation with inspirations based on experience. Based on the principles of safety, efficiency, environmental friendliness, wisdom, and economy, this study systematically analyzes the current situation of green energy application in China's highway transportation. It proposes one core objective, two major roles, and five major security systems of development measures for green energy application China's highway transportation with the aim of promoting the transformation and upgrade of China's highway transportation industry. This study can also help to achieve green and low-carbon development of highway transportation and provides a decision-making reference for the ecological civilization construction goals of the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The position and shape of sliding surface of the massive landslide accumulation in Gesala, Yanbian County were discussed, and the stability of landslide was analyzed to provide effective suggestions for highway route design. Using high-density electrical method as the means of landslide exploration in preliminary exploration stage, landslide forward modeling with different acquisition devices was established for numerical analysis, the apparent resistivity pseudo-section of the proposed landslide and determination of the type of acquisition device were preliminary understanded, the main inversion parameters was determined according to the geological survey results, and the forward modeling was modified based on the inversion results for comparison and discrimination. The results show that the inversion parameters have a good effect. The apparent resistivity section after forward model modification matches the inversion results, so that the inversion interpretation results can better reflect the position and shape of the real sliding surface, and have been verified by drilling. The calculation results show that the landslide is in an unstable state. Finally, the research results were adopted in the route selection design of the proposed highway, and avoidance measures were taken for the huge landslide accumulation, which indicates that the geophysical exploration method using high-density electrical method as sliding surface investigation of the huge landslide accumulation in the preliminary investigation stage of the expressway is economic and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emission changes significantly when the vehicle is driving at a variable speed. Given that the rule of vehicle carbon emissions under different driving behaviors is underexplored, this study filled this research gap by establishing a theoretical carbon emission model when vehicles are driving at fluctuating speed. The model was established based on the law of conservation of mechanical energy, the first law of thermodynamics, the theory of vehicle dynamics. Two passenger cars and three trucks were selected as typical vehicles. A field test was carried out under different driving behaviors with uniform acceleration. The proposed model can forecast the carbon emissions of vehicles that fluctuate in speed during travel and showed strong accuracy in model validation. As the speed fluctuation increased, the influence of acceleration on carbon emissions became more apparent. Gradient has a more significant influence on vehicle carbon emissions, followed by acceleration. By controlling the driving behavior of the vehicle on the round trip, the same carbon emissions as driving on a flat route at a constant speed can be achieved. The findings of this study will provide a theoretical basis for low-carbon transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the congestion of highways in China is severe. Traffic flow prediction plays an important role in the intelligent transportation system. If it can achieve high-precision prediction, it will be able to efficiently manage traffic and alleviate congestion. To solve this issue, this paper proposed a multi-channel traffic flow prediction method (MCST-Transformer)considering spatiotemporal correlation. Firstly, it used Transformer to extract the internal laws of different data, and then introduced a spatial correlation module to mine the association features of different data. Finally, it integrated global information through channel attention. Using the data of Guangdong province highway, the proposed method realized the traffic flow prediction of 92 toll stations within two hours with high precision. The results show that MCST-Transformer is superior to traditional machine learning methods and time series models based on the attention mechanism. Under the prediction horizon of 120 min, MAPE decreases by 5. 1 % compared with Bayesian regression. Compared with deep learning algorithms like Seq2Seq-Att and Seq2Seq, the overall MAPE of the proposed method can also be reduced by 0. 5%. It indicates that the multi-channel approach can distinguish the characteristics of different data, so as to acquire better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of piles for slide stabilization is considered among the most important innovative reinforcement techniques. Piles have been successfully used in many situations to stabilize slopes or as parts of a stability improvement. Our case study is in the Tlemcen section. The left side of the roadway collapsed following the slide of the downstream side. Inclinometer readings showed signs of instability with a slip depth of about 9m near the motorway platform. The likely causes of the instability were the removal of the lower abutment of the embankment upstream of the road and the establishment of an earth deposit which overloaded the embankment and disrupted the flow of water downstream. The stabilization study is based on the installation of two rows of anti-slip piles. Stability analysis study was carried out under static and dynamic loads and highlights that this solution is advantageous and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of road transport in Nigeria dates back to 1910, when the existing bush pathways were converted into motorable highways. When the country witnessed a modernized network of important roads for articulated vehicles and passenger automobiles at the conclusion of the Second World War. Since 1975 and via the third and fourth Development Rolling Plans in Nigeria, the government at all levels has used road construction as a tool of pollution control since it impacts people's socioeconomic lives. As a result, many road construction projects are failing long before the worldwide standard lifespan of 20 to 25 years. This study evaluates the carriageway cambering condition, which is one of the primary fundamental elements influencing highway durability. It determines the carriage water drain and road pounding by vehicular weight transfer along the "A2" trunk route linking Lokoja, Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, and Kano. According to the study, the gradient of all the portions of the road rehabilitated tends to be zero camber, resulting in the occurrence of visible surface folding, potholes, and pounding ln a defined pattern. It is thus recommended that all major road constructions in Nigeria be subjected to cambering tests prior to project delivery and utilisation in order to reduce the economic waste expended on constant repairs of this and other such roads in a country, which mostly transport its goods and services on roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shell 90 # base asphalt and waste tire rubber powder are selected as the main test materials, and the penetration, viscosity, ductility and softening point of asphalt are taken as the indicators to evaluate the performance of rubber asphalt. The preparation temperature, rubber powder dosage, rubber powder mesh, mixing mode, heat storage mode, heat storage time and microstructure of rubber asphalt are studied in depth. The results show that the influence of preparation temperature on rubber asphalt is complex; When the mesh number of rubber powder is less than 30 and the content of rubber powder is less than 20%, the penetration of asphalt produced by shear method is greater than that by mixing method; The softening point of asphalt produced by mixing method is higher than that of asphalt produced by shear method, and the viscosity of asphalt produced by mixing method is higher than that of asphalt produced by shear method under the conditions of different rubber powder mesh and different rubber powder content; The viscosity of rubber asphalt in static storage is much faster than that in dynamic storage. Finally, it is concluded that the prepared asphalt can be reheated for up to one time at the preparation temperature of 185 ℃ after mixing for 1h, and the storage time under the static hot storage condition is not more than 2h. The produced rubber powder asphalt has the best performance in terms of ductility, viscosity, penetration, softening point and other technical indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is one of the inevitable environmental problems caused by the increasing population all over the world. There are various sources of noise that have physiological and psychological effects on people. One of these is traffic noise, which is especially effective in residential areas. This study aims to investigate the effect of different vegetation types on noise reduction in a highway model with heavy traffic. Six locations with dense planting along the highway in terms of plant groups and species density were selected, and the correlation of species density with noise analysis values was examined. For each location point, 2 points were assigned on the line, in front of and behind the vegetation, and measurements were made at 12 stations in total. Measurements were taken by performing fieldwork 5 times in different seasons and months and expressed as Leq differences. Since the vegetation types at the measurement points were not ordered, the species density analysis was determined in percentage (%) within the square areas of 100×100 meters in the existing field conditions. Mapping was completed using GIS to visualize the spatial spread of the noise measurement results, and zoning was done with interpolation to determine the noise contours and noise effect. According to all the findings obtained in this study, the leafy shrub or the tree group were found more effective in noise absorption than the coniferous species. Numerical calculations on maps suggest that plant community size and diversity can have a positive impact on noise reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now well evidenced that wildlife crossing structures paired with exclusion fencing reduce wildlife vehicles collisions while facilitating wildlife connectivity across roadways. Managing animal mortality and subpopulation connectivity is crucial to successful species and landscape stewardship. Highway mitigation projects are large economic investments that remain on the landscape for many decades. Governments and planning agents thus strive to balance cost and benefit to build cost-effective structures with the greatest positive impact on local wildlife and motorists. Ideal dimensions of overpasses and underpasses vary by species, but scientists generally suggest that overpasses for large mammals should be approximately 50 m wide. Optimal width also depends on structure length, with longer structures requiring additional width. Accordingly, experts have suggested a width to length ratio of 0.8. We sought to assess how these recommendations manifested in practice--where agencies use this information to design and build structures while also balancing cost and logistical challenges--and the degree to which built structures conform to current recommendations. We identified 120 wildlife overpasses across the world that were constructed to reduce the negative impacts of roads. Using a novel measurement technique, we analyzed the dimensions of these 120 overpasses located in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The average width of the wildlife overpasses was 34 m. Most wildlife overpasses located in North America and Europe did not meet their respective dimensional expert guidelines. We investigate reasons explaining the non-compliance and provide recommendations for future overpass designs. Building on previous evidence showing that wider overpasses have increased crossing rates, we examined crossing rates for multiple large mammal species across 12 overpasses located in western North America. We qualitatively observed that wider North American overpasses (40-60 m), in or near compliance with expert guidelines, were associated with a more diverse set of species use and had nearly twice the average crossing rates when compared to non-compliant, narrow North American overpasses. In reviewing various studies from around the world, we conclude that wide overpasses (~50 m) continue to present ecologically sound and cost-effective solutions for decreasing the barrier of roadways, especially when targeting width-sensitive species and large assemblages of mammals. Future studies, however, are encouraged to further explore the specific instances when underpasses and narrower overpasses present more cost-effective ecological solutions, or how these structures can complement wide overpasses in successful wildlife crossing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate predictions of the clearance time of highway accidents can help make more effective decisions and reduce the economic losses caused by the accidents. This paper compares two representations of traffic accidents with mixed vehicle types and establishes two different classification models. The traffic accident data in Shandong Province, China from 2016 to 2019 are used as a case study. The interpretability of the parametric model indicates that the types of vehicles involved in the accident, the type of accident, and the weather can significantly affect the clearance time of the accident. The results of this study can not only provide evidence of whether the types of vehicles involved in the accident will affect the accident clearance time, but also provide advice for the authorities to quickly clear accident scenes and prevent further accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper identifies promising directions in the economic development of the road sector, ensuring the rational use of investments and improving the processes of construction, reconstruction and repair of roads based on the logisticsapproach, as well as contributing to the organization of safe and economically profitable transportation of goods and passengers necessary for the sustainable economic development of the country and increasing its transit potential. The set of basic logistics principles is supplemented with applied ones, the application of which will allow to manage the cycle of economic activity in the road sector as a whole. Describing the features of the logistics approach in the field under study, it has been established that the hierarchy of the construction of logistics systems is due to the use of various schemes of control actions, depending on the specifics of the functioning flows of each level. The management of the macro-logistic road management system is based on the need to increase the competitiveness of road transport services by improving the maintenance of transport flows, which is dependent on the level of development of the road infrastructure and the construction of a system for changing its state. The foundation of micro-logistic systems is formed by the resource flows of road construction production, perceived in a systemic unity. The main idea of the logistics approach to the economic development of the road economy is manifested through rational planning (macro-level) and implementation (micro-level) of measures for the development and operation of roads. The requirements of users are the basis for the choice of directions for improving their condition, which links the organization of work on road facilities with the strategy for the development of the transport and logistics system of the country. Organization of transportation of goods and passengers by road is consistent with the processes of road works, which together makes them optimal for each of the areas and the formed system as a whole. The logistics approach provides the necessary connecting framework in the management of intersectoral flow processes for the provision of road transport services and road activities, as well as intra-industry – between road services as part of the logistics system.

In order to find out the slip surface of the highway slope, the transient surface wave and the symmetric four-level electrical sounding method were used for comprehensive geophysical exploration. The position, shape and range of the potential slip surface were successfully identified. The geological section of the sliding body can be efficiently and accurately provided with basic data for landslide treatment design. The application of engineering examples shows that transient surface wave imaging is accurate and intuitive in the identification of sliding surface and, and can provide wave speed parameters; electrical sounding method can provide resistivity parameters of different geological bodies, and can perform transient surface waves. the combination of the two methods can greatly reduce the ambiguity of geophysical prospecting. Combined with a small number of drilling holes, it can provide a more accurate landslide body geological profile, which can play an important role in the detection of unstable highway slopes.

Speed is one of the most important factors that can significantly change the severity of accidents. Providing a model with predictive factors leads to designing traffic plans to promote safety. This study aims to create statistical models for accidents occurred on Firuzkuh highway, Iran. Moreover, the probability of each type of accident was determined using the logit model. Various modeling methods, such as backward, forward, and entering methods, were evaluated to find the best method. Finally, since the backward method had the best performance in terms of R2 and goodness of fit, the logit model of accidents was created. According to the model, the independent variables of the 12-24 hours, rainy weather, a speed of 81-95 and 96-110 km/h, the lack of attention ahead and the Pride brand of vehicle increased the severity of accidents, while the variables with negative coefficients of Tuesdays, the summer and spring seasons, sunny weather, a male driver, and daylight, reduced the severity of accidents.

A method is proposed for determining the fuel consumption of a wheeled vehicle depending on its speed, road surface flatness and road slope in the longitudinal direction. The purpose of the research is to derive mathematical relationships for calculating the fuel consumption of vehicles, which is one of the transport cost factors during the construction/reconstruction or overhaul of a highway. The proposed polynomial dependencies for calculating fuel in addition to vehicle speed, road surface flatness and its longitudinal slope take into account the mass-dimensional parameters of vehicles involved in road traffic. New mathematical relationships between the speed of wheeled vehicles, road surface flatness and longitudinal road slope allow to simulate the change in the value of fuel consumption of a wheeled vehicle when the speed of traffic flow or the slope of the road surface changes in the forward or reverse direction of the vehicle. In a graphic way, the influence of the pavement slope on the value of fuel consumption, both loaded and unloaded wheeled vehicle is presented. When determining transport costs associated with the highway construction, reconstruction or overhaul it is proposed to use empirical mathematical relationships, which make it possible to obtain fuel consumption with an accuracy of 5 % and save up to 15 % of budget (private) investments. The analysis of scientific publications of the existing approach determine the transport costs associated with highway construction, reconstruction or overhaul. The presented method for determining the fuel consumption of wheeled vehicles with small and large loading capacity increases the accuracy of determining transportation costs and reduces the level of financial costs for highway construction, reconstruction or overhaul.

Ground fissures are widely developed in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, posing a major threat to the construction of the proposed Modjo−Hawassa (MH) Highway. The development characteristics, distribution, and communication law of ground fissures along the highway are studied using the comprehensive investigation method and technology. On this basis, the deformation mechanism and evolution of ground fissures are analyzed, which can provide geological support for the prevention and control of highway cracks in the area where ground fissures are developed.

Conventional highway design approaches have primarily focused on the use of guidelines in the design of highways. These design guidelines provide nominal safety where conservative percentile values of the design inputs are used to account for the uncertainty associated with the inputs. Reliability-based analysis (RBA) been one of the elements of reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety (RAMS) has been identified as an effective method to account for the uncertainty in the design input and to assess the risk related to a particular design. RBA approaches have effectively been used for certain purposes in other disciplines. In highway geometric design literature, these methods were also investigated and showed promise. Given the compelling importance of RBA in highway design, this paper provides a systematic analysis and evaluation of RBA applications for ten highway geometric elements: stopping sight distance, passing sight distance, intersection sight distance, horizontal curve design, vertical curve design, number of freeway lanes, highway grade length, truck escape ramp, and design guide calibration. The review consists of four parts: the concept of RAMS, background on reliability theories, applications in highway geometric design, and guidelines for the use of reliability analysis. The literature review revealed that the application of reliability-based analysis in highway geometric design leads to significant improvements in traffic safety. It is our hope that this paper will serve as a source of information on RBA for highway designers and practitioners, promoting its development and application in highway geometric design.

It is now well evidenced that wildlife crossing structures paired with exclusion fencing reduce wildlife vehicles collisions while facilitating wildlife connectivity across roadways. Managing animal mortality and subpopulation connectivity is crucial to successful species and landscape stewardship. Highway mitigation projects are large economic investments that remain on the landscape for many decades. Governments and planning agents thus strive to balance cost and benefit to build cost-effective structures with the greatest positive impact on local wildlife and motorists. Ideal dimensions of overpasses and underpasses vary by species, but scientists generally suggest that overpasses for large mammals should be approximately 50 m wide. Optimal width also depends on structure length, with longer structures requiring additional width. Accordingly, experts have suggested a width to length ratio of 0.8. We sought to assess how these recommendations manifested in practice—where agencies use this information to design and build structures while also balancing cost and logistical challenges—and the degree to which built structures conform to current recommendations. We identified 120 wildlife overpasses across the world that were constructed to reduce the negative impacts of roads. Using a novel measurement technique, we analyzed the dimensions of these 120 overpasses located in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The average width of the wildlife overpasses was 34 m. Most wildlife overpasses located in North America and Europe did not meet their respective dimensional expert guidelines. We investigate reasons explaining the non-compliance and provide recommendations for future overpass designs. Building on previous evidence showing that wider overpasses have increased crossing rates, we examined crossing rates for multiple large mammal species across 12 overpasses located in western North America. We qualitatively observed that wider North American overpasses (40–60 m), in or near compliance with expert guidelines, were associated with a more diverse set of species use and had nearly twice the average crossing rates when compared to non-compliant, narrow North American overpasses. In reviewing various studies from around the world, we conclude that wide overpasses (~50 m) continue to present ecologically sound and cost-effective solutions for decreasing the barrier of roadways, especially when targeting width-sensitive species and large assemblages of mammals. Future studies, however, are encouraged to further explore the specific instances when underpasses and narrower overpasses present more cost-effective ecological solutions, or how these structures can complement wide overpasses in successful wildlife crossing systems.

The proportion of highways in infrastructure investment is growing and playing a significant role. It has many advantages in all aspects of social life and has become a timely subject of recent research. However, the existing literature lacks a systematic review of the current research status of highway investment. Thus, this study aims to conduct a scientometric analysis of the existing literature on highway investment to provide an overview of its current state of research. Using the Web of Science Core Collection database, this study conducted searches and screenings of 614 documents related to highway investment from 2013 to 2023. Subsequently, VOSviewer software was employed to perform a visual analysis of source journals, authors, countries/regions, article citations, and keywords. The results reveal that Transportation Research Record is identified as the most influential journal in the field of highway investment. Bullock, Darcy M. has published the greatest number of articles. In addition, the United States has published the largest number of studies and contributed significantly to the advancement of highway investment. Benjamin Faber has received the highest number of citations and normalized citations. Through co-occurring keywords analysis, keywords such as “risk”, “influence”, “investment decision”, and “infrastructure investment” receive more attention. The findings of this research can contribute to providing researchers and scholars with a more comprehensive understanding of the current research status of highway investment and its key issues.

In order to maintain a suitable road pavement level with limited resources, a management system must be established. In order to achieve this goal, a program using AI (artificial intelligence) was developed to manage and evaluate a sizable volume of survey data. A national highway pavement data management system (PDMS) built on the WEB was also constructed. By connecting several artificial neural networks, the AI crack analysis algorithm was created and taught to automatically recognize cracks in road photos and calculate crack rates. In the PDMS, the current condition of a national highway can be shown on a map, and all the data are updated to allow for verification in increments of 100 m for each lane. The system was also improved to enable the collection of information on the detailed survey section’s pavement repair specifics according to survey year.

Light pollution (LP), induced by human activities, has become a crucial threat to biodiversity on the Tibetan plateau (TP), but few studies have explored its coverage and dynamics. In this study, we intended to measure the spatiotemporal patterns of LP on the TP from 1992 to 2018. First, we extracted the annual extent of LP from time-series nighttime light data. After that, we analyzed its spatiotemporal patterns at multiple scales and identified the natural habitats and the species habitats affected by LP. Finally, we discussed the main influencing factors of LP expansion on the TP. We found that the LP area increased exponentially from 1.2 thousand km2 to 82.8 thousand km2, an increase of nearly 70 times. In 2018, LP accounted for 3.2% of the total area of the TP, mainly concentrated in the eastern and southern areas. Several national key ecological function zones (e.g., the Gannan Yellow river key water supply ecological function zone) and national nature reserves (e.g., the Lalu Wetland National Nature Reserve) had a large extent of LP. The proportion of LP area on natural habitats increased from 79.6% to 91.4%. The number of endangered species with habitats affected by LP increased from 89 to 228, and more than a quarter of the habitats of 18 endangered species were affected by LP. We also discovered that roadways as well as settlements in both urban and rural areas were the main sources of LP. Thus, to lessen LP's negative effects on biodiversity, effective measures should be taken during road construction and urbanization on the TP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the practice of a highway pavement overhaul project, the feasibility of the old concrete pavement recycling scheme in terms of technology, economy and sustainable development is analyzed. The dynamic characteristics of concrete pavement were tested. The results show that crushing the old concrete panels into recycled aggregates and then re-use them not only eliminates the negative impact on the ecological environment caused by the land occupation of waste aggregates and needs to be disposed of, but also promotes the recycling of engineering waste and reduces the project cost. The pavement paved with recycled cement concrete can basically achieve the same dynamic performance as the pavement paved with conventional concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Railway Science & Engineering is the property of Journal of Railway Science & Engineering Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Autonomous vehicles have great potential for application and lane changing is a common behavior in highway environments. To further analyze the microscopic lane change decision of autonomous vehicles in highway, the paper defines road dissatisfaction was defined to indicate the vehicle’s dissatisfaction with the driving road and classifies the vehicle’s intention to change lanes into two categories according to whether the vehicle reaches the target speed or not. When the vehicle does not reach the target speed, it is the second category, and the intention to change lane is generated from the decrease of the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front and the increase of the moving distance relative to the vehicle in front when the vehicle reaches the target speed. The road dissatisfaction algorithm is designed by combining fuzzy reasoning for the generation mechanism of different types of lane change intentions. The lane change decision uses the magnitude of road dissatisfaction, safe following distance, and safe distance of lane change for the current driving lane and neighboring lanes to synthesize the occurrence of lane change intention. Finally, the automatic driving environment is set up and the lane change decision model is simulated in MATLAB environment. The results show that the paper is more practical than other lane change decisions because it not only considers the lane change safety but also considers the following safety of the target lane and the lane. Meanwhile, the fuzzy lane change decision in the paper can balance safety and intelligence and is suitable for lane change under various complex conditions such as constant speed cruise according to the target speed, acceleration and deceleration to reach the target speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expressway toll station is listed by lightning protection experts as one of the five difficult problems in the field of international lightning protection. So far, the direct lightning protection of the expressway toll station is mainly based on the electrical geometry model-rolling ball method. Lightning rod or lightning belt is installed on the high pole lamp of the toll square and the ceiling of the toll island as a flash catching device to intercept lightning. The lightning rod is a section of metal conductor with the tip. From the process of the connection between up leader generated by the lightning rod and down leader of lightning, the lightning rod has the ability to attract the lightning rod, and can prevent lightning strike of the protected objects within a certain range. From the perspective of lightning protection methods and means, lightning protection plays an interception role against lightning discharge, also called interceptor. A large number of practice has proved that the lightning rod plays an important role in protecting the building structure from lightning damage. With the development of electronic information society, the limitations of lightning rod are more and more prominent, resulting in more and more lightning strike accidents. In 2019, China invented a new flash connection device-lightning interceptor that can overcome the limitations of lightning rod and has applied it on expressways, which has achieved remarkable results. In this paper, the physical parameters of lightning receiving process by the lightning interceptor and the lightning rod are compared, and the solution to prevent direct lightning strike at expressway toll station is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers the problem of energy security as one of the main factors of sustainable development of European countries. Research results indicate that supply security is an important aspect to be considered when identifying threats to Europe's energy security and ways of countering them. It is necessary to develop a method for determining the sustainable power level of the gas transport system, which would reflect the relationship between accidents on main gas pipelines and their economic, environmental and social consequences. The paper presents such a method based on the systematic-functional approach, the decomposition method and the concepts of set theory; its core principles and design are revealed. The informative nature of the power level of the gas transport system development in Ukraine is proved with regards to making regulatory decisions that take into account the economic, environmental and social consequences of their influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Aksaray University Faculty of Economics & Administrative Sciences / Aksaray Üniversitesi Iktisadi ve Idari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Aksaray University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Multimodal transportation is a transportation process completed by connecting and transporting two or more vehicles, also known as combined transportation. Road transportation plays a unique role in the operation and development of the logistics industry, and has unique characteristics in many modes of transportation. This article aims to study the optimization of high-speed logistics routes and provide favorable conditions for the development of multimodal transport. In this article, the node time window defined by multi-transmission network scheduling plays a role, and the transmission time is studied. It analyzes at the lowest cost, searches for the best multimodal road route, and provides decision support and route optimization for multimodal transport through two sets of experiments. According to the survey results, more than 80% of expressways have logistics problems, and 60% of expressways have failed to successfully complete transportation operations. By measuring the exchange time of nodes in different modes of transportation and the transportation time between nodes, it can provide effective support for optimizing multimodal transportation routes, effectively promoting the development of the logistics industry and developing the country. Economics and experimental results prove that this procedure is highly applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research on the evolution of the competition culture of highway construction enterprises aims to provide suggestions for highway construction enterprises to respond to the call of the Belt and Road Initiative and cope with overseas market competition in the new era. Based on the TF-IDF algorithm to extract the keywords of each enterprise culture, 291 enterprise culture texts were used as the analysis samples, and the evolution pattern of the competition culture of construction enterprises was explored. Relevant suggestions are made with the help of visualization and other technical means. It was found that: the competition culture of enterprises shows a trend from catering to the market to the internal construction of enterprises; the internal construction of enterprises is mainly reflected in talent competition, technological innovation and the optimization of management; the higher the level of competition, the more talent and technological innovation are valued; the development of competition culture is driven by the policy environment; and the focus of competition culture is affected by the maturity of the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize the less humanized and unmanned transaction services of lanes under normal conditions, provide intelligent services for special vehicles, improve vehicle traffic efficiency, and improve intelligent high-speed construction, combined with cloud, big data and artificial intelligence(AI) technologies, intelligent hardware and application software were used as carriers at the front-end of the lane, and software as a service(SaaS) cloud service was used as the main form at the back-end to build a smart charging cloud + unmanned toll station system. The system saves the toll operation cost, construction investment cost and later maintenance cost of the road section management unit, improves the service level of the road section management unit, and highlights the intelligent service ability of the expressway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large linear transport infrastructure projects, such as highways connecting large metropolitan areas, are continuously under development in France. Although the economic and social benefits of such projects are often disputed, their impacts on the environment and local populations are multiple. These potential impacts almost systematically result in conflicts between decision-makers and planners on one side, and local actors with various profiles (e.g. farmers, residents, environmental associations) mobilised against the projects on the other. In the context of a citizen mobilisation against the A45 highway project in eastern France, this study aimed to analyse the social contributions of maps in terms of information reception. The study is based on the creation of maps representing combined spatial impacts (on mobility, housing, land, landscapes, agriculture, and ecosystems). These maps, created by researchers, were presented in the form of posters aimed at opening discussions with non-experts. The maps created an original medium for discussing and debating the impacts of a highway project through the participatory encounter. Under the lens of spatial and environmental justice, this study questions the discrepancies between who makes decisions on a project and who suffers its impacts, and also raises questions about the position of scientific research in citizen mobilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]