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Current Projects

Linear Scheduling Evaluation and Best Practices, Phase 2

Traditional project scheduling methods provide overwhelming amounts of data for large projects. This can make the task of fully communicating project information to diverse audiences and communities challenging. In addition, WSDOT’s design teams, working with multiple and varied partners and internal specialists, need to be able to quickly grasp the nature of a project, its context, and the work activities, locations, and timing that will occur. Linear scheduling has the potential to be an extremely effective tool in tracking cost, duration, and appropriate justification and can enhance WSDOT’s current processes related to project cost risk assessment and value engineering. Other industries regularly use linear scheduling. Phase 1 of this study conducted a literature review of best practices related to linear scheduling for heavy civil engineering projects. In Phase II, the researchers will develop project performance metrics to quantify the benefits of using a linear scheduling program. They will also investigate available tools and software to provide vendor selection guidelines. The findings will build confidence in the adoption and use of a linear scheduling program to further improve project metrics.

Principal Investigator: Amy Kim, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW
Sponsor: WSDOT
WSDOT Technical Monitor: Mark Gabel
WSDOT Project Manager: Mustafa Mohamedali
Scheduled completion: December 2021

Extending the SR 522 SPaT Challenge to Active Transportation Users

This project will give researchers hands-on experience with the connected transportation environment and interactions among pedestrians, bicycles, vehicles, and traffic signals. Specifically, this project will integrate data from traffic control system signal phase and timing (SPaT) broadcasts along SR 522 north of Seattle within an application (app) that pedestrians and bicyclists will use on their mobile devices. Pedestrians will be able to use the app to request right of way and receive information on the status of the pedestrian signal. Bicycle users will be able to indicate their presence to actuate the traffic signal. All users will also be able to send/receive better quality information on their location within a crosswalk, bicycle lane, pathway, or vehicle travel lane. The project not only has the potential to improve intersection operations but has clear implications for helping increase the safety of all non-motorized road users, particularly those with vision impairments and other disabilities.

Principal Investigator: Yinhai Wang, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW
Sponsor: WSDOT
WSDOT Technical Monitor: Justin Belk
WSDOT Project Manager: Doug Brodin
Scheduled completion: June 2023

Seismic Retrofit of Hollow Piles

The overall goal of the proposed research is to design, and prove experimentally, methods to seismically retrofit prestressed concrete hollow pile-columns used in bridges.  WSDOT maintains approximately 25 bridges that are supported on hollow precast, prestressed concrete pile-columns. Most were constructed in the 1960s. The seismic performance of these bridges is in now question because the hollow sections have been shown to have little flexural ductility, which may cause them to fail prematurely. This project will determine the flexural strength and deformation capacity of a typical as-built, hollow, precast, pre-tensioned pile-column before retrofitting. Researchers will then develop a retrofit method, including design procedures, for the potential plastic hinge at the cap beam connection, and they will develop implementation procedures for the retrofit method. In addition, this project will create a simple numerical modeling tool that will allow WSDOT to rank existing bridges according to the risk that they pose to help it prioritize bridge retrofitting.

Principal Investigators:
John Stanton, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW
Paolo Calvi, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW

Sponsor: WSDOT
WSDOT Technical Monitor: Bijan Khaleghi
WSDOT Project Manager: Doug Brodin
Scheduled completion: December 2019

Freight Policy Transportation Institute at WSU

The purpose of the Freight Policy Transportation Institute at WSU is to undertake research on a variety of topics and issues that will improve our understanding of the importance of efficient and effective freight transportation, both to the national economy and to regions, states, and international trade.  Research topics address the need for improved intermodal freight transportation policies and implementable actions that would increase the effectiveness of intermodal transportation in lowering operating costs while also increasing the safety and decreasing the environmental impacts of freight transportation nationwide. Distributing the benefits of improved freight transportation performance to specific industries and sectors of the economy are important objectives of the Institute. The continuing focus of research projects falls generally under five themes: infrastructure investment and alternative financing/pricing, transportation security and freight efficiency, transportation and economic development, alternative energy sourcing and transportation systems, and freight transportation and international trade.

Principal Investigator: Eric Jessup, School of Economic Sciences, WSU
Sponsor: FHWA
Scheduled completion: Ongoing

TRAC