For this project, an optimization scheme was developed to locate Road Weather Information System (RWIS) stations along the Interstate Highway 35 (IH-35) corridor for the Austin TxDOT district. In order to do this, eight major roadways in the three counties, Williamson, Travis, and Hays, that IH-35 passes through were chosen for analysis. Four north-south highways were selected, IH-35, SH-130, SL-1, and US-183, and four east-west highways were selected, SH-45, US-79, US-290, and SH-71. Crash Record Information System (CRIS) crash data was used to determine crashes that happened along these routes between 2006 and 2011 during inclement weather conditions. Routes were broken up into segments of equal lengths and crash rates were determined using TXDOT AADT information. These crash rates were calculated over a smoothing distance larger than the segment distances to provide more consistent rates and optimal locations were determined using a maximization algorithm based on the crash rate for these segments and their distance away from the sensor locations. Applying different segment lengths, smoothing distances, and crash data in analysis yielded varying optimal locations that were analyzed based on coverage area within the three county analysis region based on a 10 mile radius of coverage for each station. / text

Our society needs to continuously perform transports of people and goods toensure that business is kept going. Every disturbance in the transportation ofpeople or goods affects the commerce and may result in economical losses forcompanies and society. Severe traffic accidents cause personal tragedies forpeople involved as well as huge costs for the society. Therefore the roadauthorities continuously try to improve the traffic safety. Traffic safety may beimproved by reduced speeds, crash safe cars, tires with better road grip andimproved road maintenance. The environmental effects from roadmaintenance when spreading de-icing chemicals need to be considered, i.e.how much chemicals should be used to maximize traffic safety and minimizethe environmental effects. Knowledge about the current and upcoming roadcondition can improve the road maintenance and hence improve traffic safety.This thesis deals with sensors and models that give information about the roadcondition.The performance and reliability of existing surface mounted sensors wereexamined by laboratory experiments. Further research involved field studies tocollect data used to develop surface status models based on road weather dataand camera images. Field studies have also been performed to find best usageof non intrusive IR technology.The research presented here showed that no single sensor give enoughinformation by itself to safely describe the road condition. However, the resultsindicated that among the traditional road surface mounted sensors only theactive freezing point sensor gave reliable freezing point results. Furtherresearch aimed to find a model that could classify the road condition indifferent road classes from existing road weather sensor data and road images.The result was a model that accurately could distinguish between the roadconditions dry, wet, snowy and icy. These road conditions are clearly dissimilarand are therefore used as the definition of the road classes used in this thesis.Finally, results from research regarding remote sensing IR technology showedthat it significantly improves knowledge of the road temperature and statuscompared to data from surface mounted sensors. / Vårt samhälle bygger på att det finns effektiva transporter av människor ochvaror för att säkerställa att samhällets funktioner fungerar och att företagenkan genomföra sina affärer. Störningar i transporterna av människor och varorpåverkar handeln och kan leda till ekonomiska förluster för både företag ochvårt samhälle. Allvarliga trafikolyckor orsakar personliga tragedier för deinblandade samt stora kostnader för samhället. Det är med denna bakgrundsom vägmyndigheterna kontinuerligt arbetar med att förbättratrafiksäkerheten. Trafiksäkerheten kan förbättras genom att minskahastigheterna, se till att bilarna blir krocksäkra, krav på däck med bättreväggrepp och ett bättre vägunderhåll. Miljöeffekterna från vinterväghållningdär avisningsmedel sprids på vägarna måste beaktas, d.v.s. hur mycketkemikalier bör användas för att maximera trafiksäkerheten och minimeramiljöpåverkan. Denna avhandling handlar om sensorer och modeller som gerinformation om väglaget. En kunskap om aktuellt och kommande väglag kanförbättra väghållningen och därmed öka trafiksäkerheten.I avhandlingen har prestanda och tillförlitlighet hos befintliga vägmonteradesensorer granskats i laboratorieexperiment. Data från fältstudier har använtsför att utveckla modeller som kan ge information om vägytans status baseratpå meteorologiska mätdata och kamerabilder. Det har också genomförtsfältstudier för att utforska den fördelaktigaste användningen av beröringsfriinfraröd sensorteknik.Den forskning som presenteras här visar att ingen enskild givare ger tillräckliginformation för att säkert beskriva väglaget. Från de traditionella ytmonteradesensorerna drogs slutsatsen att den aktiva fryspunktsgivaren gav de mesttillförlitliga fryspunktsresultaten. Det vidare arbetet handlade om att hitta enmodell som skulle kunna klassificera vägförhållanden i olika vägklassergenom att utnyttja information från befintliga sensorer och kamerabilder.Detta arbete resulterade i en modell som tillförlitligt kan särskilja väglagentorr, våt, snöig och isig. Dessa väglag är väsentligt olika och har därför valtssom väglagsklasser i denna avhandling. Under en säsong genomfördes ävenfältförsök med beröringsfri infraröd mätteknik där det visade sig att denberöringsfria teknologin förbättrar kunskapen om vägbanans temperatur och vägbanans status.

Weather conditions have significant impact on road safety and roadway maintenance operations. Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) play a significant role in providing weather and surface conditions to transportation agencies to monitor weather events. Fixed installations of RWIS are used for weather and pavement surface monitoring. However, permanent fixture installations may not be feasible due to reasons such as cost, accessibility to the site, siting concerns, and terrain. Portable RWIS provide a cost-effective solution in areas where permanent weather station installation is not possible. This study discusses use and benefits of the portable RWIS and outlines the issues involved in building them. This thesis presents the system design for building prototypes of two portable RWIS systems to be used by Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Portable RWIS consist of weather sensors and pavement sensors installed on a trailer-based platform and operate on solar power. The RWIS equipment mounted on trailers consists of non-invasive pavement sensors, wind sensor, precipitation sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, humidity and dew point sensor and data logger to transmit data from the sensors to a central server. RWIS equipment from two different manufacturers have been selected. The two systems have been evaluated for their cost, operability, ease- of-use and deployability. A field study of two portable RWIS has been conducted to test accuracy of the data collected by these systems and the results have been evaluated. Characterizing the issues involved in developing such portable systems provide insights into situations where these systems may be most applicable.

Covering the Northern part of the Province, Ontario’s low-volume roads provide a link from remote resource areas to markets. Thus, preserving this transportation asset from the two main sources of pavement deterioration, namely traffic loading and the environment is extremely critical to the movement of goods and to the economy. In particular, Northern Ontario’s secondary highways are challenged by a combination of heavy, low frequency traffic loading and a high number of freeze-thaw cycles for which most of these highways have not been structurally designed. Therefore they experience environmental damage and premature traffic-induced deterioration. To cope with this issue, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation places Spring Load Restrictions (SLR) every year during spring-thaw. For economic reasons, the duration of SLRs is usually fixed in advance and is not applied proactively or according to conditions in a particular year. This rigidity in the schedule needs to be addressed, as it can translate into economic losses either when the payload is unnecessarily restricted or when pavement deterioration occurs. While the traditional approaches are usually qualitative and rely on visual observations, engineering judgment and historical records to make SLR decisions, the latest approaches resort to climatic and deflection data to better assess the bearing capacity of the roadway. The main intent of this research was to examine how the use of a predictor for frost formation and thawing could improve the scheduling of load restrictions by tracking the frost-strengthening and thaw-weakening of the pavement structure. Based on field data captured in Northern Ontario, and on a preliminary analysis that found good correlation between frost thickness in the roadway and Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) variables, more advanced frost and thaw predictors were developed as part of this research and are presented herein. The report outlines how the model was developed, details the calculation algorithms, and proposes an empirical methodology for a systematic site-specific calibration. This research also involved several experimental and numerical tools, including the use of a Portable Falling Weight Deflectometer (PFWD) to estimate pavement strength during spring thaw, and the use of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) software to simulate the impact of SLR on the performance of typical Northern Ontario low volume roads.

Covering the Northern part of the Province, Ontario’s low-volume roads provide a link from remote resource areas to markets. Thus, preserving this transportation asset from the two main sources of pavement deterioration, namely traffic loading and the environment is extremely critical to the movement of goods and to the economy. In particular, Northern Ontario’s secondary highways are challenged by a combination of heavy, low frequency traffic loading and a high number of freeze-thaw cycles for which most of these highways have not been structurally designed. Therefore they experience environmental damage and premature traffic-induced deterioration. To cope with this issue, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation places Spring Load Restrictions (SLR) every year during spring-thaw. For economic reasons, the duration of SLRs is usually fixed in advance and is not applied proactively or according to conditions in a particular year. This rigidity in the schedule needs to be addressed, as it can translate into economic losses either when the payload is unnecessarily restricted or when pavement deterioration occurs. While the traditional approaches are usually qualitative and rely on visual observations, engineering judgment and historical records to make SLR decisions, the latest approaches resort to climatic and deflection data to better assess the bearing capacity of the roadway. The main intent of this research was to examine how the use of a predictor for frost formation and thawing could improve the scheduling of load restrictions by tracking the frost-strengthening and thaw-weakening of the pavement structure. Based on field data captured in Northern Ontario, and on a preliminary analysis that found good correlation between frost thickness in the roadway and Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) variables, more advanced frost and thaw predictors were developed as part of this research and are presented herein. The report outlines how the model was developed, details the calculation algorithms, and proposes an empirical methodology for a systematic site-specific calibration. This research also involved several experimental and numerical tools, including the use of a Portable Falling Weight Deflectometer (PFWD) to estimate pavement strength during spring thaw, and the use of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) software to simulate the impact of SLR on the performance of typical Northern Ontario low volume roads.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe yra nagrinėjamos Lietuvoje žiemos metu naudojamos intelektinės transporto sistemos. Didžiausias dėmesys yra skiriamas KOSIS trūkumo – nesugebėjimo prognozuoti – pašalinimui. Darbo tikslas yra išsiaiškinti, ar yra galimybė, pasinaudojus minėtos sistemos teikiamais duomenimis, prognozuoti kritulių pradžios laiką VĮ „Vilniaus regiono keliai" prižiūrimuose keliuose. Darbo aktualumui atskleisti yra aptarta kritulių prognozės svarba tiek eismo dalyviams tiek kelių priežiūros įmonėms ypač šaltuoju metų laiku. Tikslui pasiekti yra aprašoma tyrimo metodiką, kurios pagrindą sudaro vėjo, nešančio kritulių debesis, greitis. Greičiui apskaičiuoti yra pateikiami teoriniai pagrindai, padedantys pasirinkti atitinkamus parametrus šio dydžio nustatymui. Žinant debesų judėjimo greitį yra parengtos prognozės, kurių rezultatai gretinami su realiai užfiksuotais laiko intervalais. Atlikus tyrimą yra nustatyta, kokiu spinduliu yra tikslinga atlikti tokias prognozes ir kokiam laikotarpiui galima prognozuoti. Darbą sudaro 6 dalys: įvadas, literatūros apžvalga, Lietuvoje naudojamos intelektinės transporto sistemos kelių priežiūroje žiemą, klimatinių sąlygų prognozavimo tyrimas, išvados ir pasiūlymai, literatūros sąrašas. Darbo apimtis – 71 p. teksto be priedų, 35 iliustracijos, 13 lentelės, 29 bibliografiniai šaltiniai. Atskirai pridedami darbo priedai. / In this master thesis there are analysed intelligent transport systems used for winter road maintenance in Lithuania. The main attention is payed to Road Weather Information system. The aim of this thesis is to find out the posibility of forecasting the precipitation start time in Vilnius region using Road Weather stations information. All stations are located within a 200 km radius to the southwest of Vilnius region. At first there is a disputed importance of precipitation forecasting to drivers and road maintenance personnel especially during the winter season. In order to achieve the aim of this thesis, there are described forecasting method based on the wind speed. Also there is a theory that explains how to select basic parameters to calculate the wind speed. There are some forecasts made in this paperwork and their results are compared with real data. It helps to find out which stations are useful for further forecasting and what is the longest time of forecasting. The thesis includes 6 parts: introduction, survey of literature, Road Weather Information systems used for winter road maintenance in Lithuania, the reserach of weather forecasting, conclusions and suggestions, references. Pages - 71 p . text, 35 figures . , 13 tables . , 39 bibliographic sources . All appendixes are separately attached.

Because winter maintenance is so costly, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) personnel asked researchers at Brigham Young University to determine whether asphalt or concrete pavements require more winter maintenance. Differing thermal properties suggest that, for the same environmental conditions, asphalt and concrete pavements will have different temperature profiles. Climatological data from 22 environmental sensor stations (ESSs) near asphalt roads and nine ESSs near concrete roads were used to 1) determine which pavement type has higher surface temperatures in winter and 2) compare the subsurface temperatures under asphalt and concrete pavements to determine the pavement type below which more freeze-thaw cycles of the underlying soil occur. Twelve continuous months of climatological data, primarily from the 2009 calendar year, were acquired from the road weather information system operated by UDOT, and erroneous data were removed from the data set. To predict pavement surface temperature, a multiple linear regression was performed with input parameters of pavement type, time period, and air temperature. Similarly, a multiple linear regression was performed to predict the number of subsurface freeze-thaw cycles, based on month, latitude, elevation, and pavement type. A finite-difference model was created to model surface temperatures of asphalt and concrete pavements based on air temperature and incoming radiation. The statistical analysis predicting pavement surface temperatures showed that, for near-freezing conditions, asphalt is better in the afternoon, and concrete is better for other times of the day, but that neither pavement type is better, on average. Asphalt and concrete are equally likely to collect snow or ice on their surfaces, and both pavements are expected to require equal amounts of winter maintenance, on average. Finite-difference analysis results confirmed that, for times of low incident radiation (night), concrete reaches higher temperatures than asphalt, and for times of high incident radiation (day), asphalt reaches higher temperatures than concrete. The regression equation predicting the number of subsurface freeze-thaw cycles provided estimates that did not correlate well with measured values. Consequently, an entirely different analysis must be conducted with different input variables. Data that were not available for this research but are likely necessary in estimating the number of freeze-thaw cycles under the pavement include pavement layer thicknesses, layer types, and layer moisture contents.

Since ancient times, roads have tied people and cultures together. Roads have been createdwith the aim of facilitating trade and cultural exchange among different regions in the world. After the technologic development in vehicle industry and dramatically increase of motoring in the world during the past century road communication has gained a great importance for transporting people and goods. Thus, good safety and accessibility on roads all year round is now a vital necessity for a healthy economy in all modern societies. In order to keep roads safe, available for use with high transport quality they need to be maintained in real time. One of the most difficult tasks in this context is to keep the roads in good condition and accessible even during winter. The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to attempt to specify the most efficient ways of executing winter road maintenance.  The preliminary issue in this context is whether it is the use of current assistive tools, that is, technical aspects that should be optimized and developed or whether it is the way in which winter maintenance services are procured and outsourced, that is, contractual aspects that should be improved which could give the optimal impact for both clients and contractors and make winter road maintenance more effective, or both issues. In order to define the outline of the research project a comprehensive state of the art survey was initiated with the intention of collecting and gaining insights into the earlier studies in the research area. Three basic areas associated with the performance of winter road maintenance were considered to be most relevant for review due to the anchorage between the areas. The selected areas were climatological, technical and contractual aspects. The literature review was followed by an electronic questionnaire survey. The results of the study in this stage showed that current technical methods almost functioned in a reasonable manner but there was an imprecise dissatisfaction with the current maintenance contract. The second stage of the research consisted of a number of additional empirical investigations in order to identify contractual problematic issues behind the current winter road maintenance in Sweden. Generally, those factors that are rarely considered as potential underlying causes to costly performance of winter road maintenance in Sweden were studied in this research project for example improper use of related technical assistive tools, procurement of improper bundled winter services and inappropriate contract structure. This thesis consists of six papers, five of which are related to each other, and the first one is completely independent but within research area. Findings in the thesis contributes to extend understanding about; how designing appropriate contracts can improve winter road maintenance, how proper use of assistive tools can reduce unnecessary winter road maintenance costs and minimize road traffic disruptions and delays, how a partnering structure in contracts can create confidence and trust between clients and contractors that in turn leads to minimizing or eliminating conflicts and disputes between parties involved, how choice of appropriate procurement methods through proper bundling of winter road services can contribute to shorten the procurement process and create incentives for contractors, and how selection of proper payment mechanisms can contribute to higher service quality of performed winter road measures. Additionally, an adequate knowledge and understanding of climate, proper knowledge of road weather and its impact on winter road traffic is essential for contribution of better planning of how to maintain the road network during winter. Since understanding about winter issues and its effect on winter road traffic is far from complete and winter road maintenance in the cold regions is a similar challenge, broad and complex, the results of this research may even contribute to improving winter maintenance problems in the countries with severe winters like Sweden. / <p>QC 20140227</p>