Small Projects Year 2 (2013-2014)
Modeling Passing Behavior on Two-Lane Rural Highways: Evaluating Crash Risk under Different Geometric Condition
PI: Michael Dixon (UI)
Dates: 07/01/2013 – 7/31/2015
Final Project Report: PacTrans-47-UI-Dixon
Passing maneuvers on rural two-lane highways are a complex task with a significant effect on safety, capacity, and service quality. This maneuver, which involves driving in the lane of the opposing traffic, is associated with simultaneously increasing crash risk and increasing the driver’s speed. Understanding drivers’ passing behavior and their decision-making on two-lane rural highways can significantly contribute to accurately predicting risk and service quality. Only limited research has been conducted to capture and document drivers’ perception of when they need to pass and passing decision-making. This is partly because it is difficult to collect detailed data on driver perceptions and passing behavior in the real-world environment. Read More
A Framework for Improved Safety and Accessibility through Pedestrian Guidance and Navigation
PI: Denise Bauer (UI), dbauer@uidaho.edu
Dates: 07/01/2013 – 7/31/2015
Final Project Report: PacTrans-30-UI-Bauer
With the changes in America’s demographics comes a need to provide improved accommodation of individuals with reduced capabilities. To date, our research has focused upon assistive pedestrian signal technologies for pedestrians with impaired vision. Such individuals must learn to cross complex intersections safely using a range of sensory inputs, including auditory cues from traffic surge and beaconing systems. Unfortunately, reduced vehicle noise, particularly for hybrid or electric vehicles, combined with increases in background sound levels, reduces the effectiveness of this approach. Read More
Geospatial Analysis of Bicycle Network “Level of Stress”, Bicycle Crashes and the Geo-coded Pavement Conditions for Risk Factors
PI: Haizhong Wang (OSU), Haizhong.Wang@oregonstate.edu
Dates: 07/01/2013 – 8/31/2015
Final Project Report: PacTrans-35-OSU-Wang
Safety remains a problem on U.S. roadways, with more than 32,000 fatalities, 2.2 million injuries and 6 million crashes each year. Less than two percent of motor vehicle crashes deaths are bicyclists. The loss of 677 lives in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2011, although lower than the 830 fatalities in 1995, is still on the rise just a few years ago. Cities and counties in the United States have made small progress promoting bicycling by developing painted bike lanes, separate bicycle-only highways, bike share programs and incentives for businesses that encourage employees to bike to work. Recent research proposes evaluating urban bicycle treatments of this kind by how to reduce bicycle crashes and the stress-level for cyclists on road networks (Mekuria, Furth and Nixon 2012). Read More
Assessing the Capacity of the Pacific Northwest as an Intermodal Freight Transportation Hub
PI: Hectro Vergara (OSU), hector.vergara@oregonstate.edu
Dates: 07/01/2013 – 8/31/2015
Final Project Report: PacTrans-36-OSU-Vergara
The economic health of the Pacific Northwest greatly depends on domestic and international trade markets and the efficient performance of freight transportation systems and their interconnections across the region. Very important industries in the region such as manufacturing, agriculture, retail and construction are heavily dependent on freight transportation. In the state of Oregon only, $16 million worth of cargo was moved on roads each hour of every day during 2008. Intermodal transportation refers to the use of two or more transportation modes to move goods from origin to destination to take advantage of economies of scale (for example, containers that are moved from a ship to a truck or to a train). Read More
SSI Bridge 2: Evaluation of Soil Structure Interaction Effects on PNW Bridges
PI: Ben Mason (OSU), ben.mason@oregonstate.edu
Co Investigator: Andre Barbosa (OSU)
Dates: 07/01/2013 – 6/30/2015
Final Project Report: PacTrans-25-OSU-Mason
The Pacific Northwest (PNW) is prone to large subduction zone earthquakes as well as smaller, shallow, crustal earthquakes. The effects of these types of earthquakes on PNW bridges is not well understood – especially the effects of the large magnitude, long-duration subduction earthquake motions. In this project, we will solve the following problem: How will typical bridges in the PNW respond during impending earthquake events? The term “typical bridges” here is meant to imply the majority of the bridge stock in the PNW that has not been subjected to rigorous seismic analysis and design. Read More
