This report documents an initial evaluation of horizontal curve design criteria which involved two phases: an observational study and an analytical evaluation. Three classes of vehicles (automobiles, school buses and tractor semi-trailers) and three selected curves (8, 31 and 38) were utilized in the study in order to determine vehicle path and spe
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Sulfur-Extended-Asphalt (SEA) binders save asphalt, a potential energy source, by replacing some asphalt in conventional flexible pavement mixes with sulfur. These new binders appear to possess properties comparable to asphalt. The guideline manual provides the highway community in both public and private organizations with the most definitive stat
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This report describes the design, testing and production of a bituminous concrete mixture using the IIMinnesota Heat-Transfer Method" of recycling salvaged bituminous material through a conventional asphalt concrete plant. The highly successful project consisted of salvaging approximately 14,000 tons of a milled surface course from Route US 1 and p
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A whole array of existing breakaway luminaire supports were tested using the FHWA soft-nosed pendulum test device. The pendulum nose was developed to simulate a subcompact car behavior. This nose was properly validated against full-scale test data. Due to unacceptable impact performance, modifications were made to cast aluminum transformer bases to
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Asphalt and Portland cement are the principal binders used in the preparation of pavements. The costs of these materials are directly related to energy and are expected to increase. The availability of asphalt in the future in the event of an oil embargo or other crisis is questionable. Native as well as by-product sources of sulfur in the United S
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This study reviews existing reported research and experience regarding use of commercial electronic variable-message signs (CEVMS), and evaluates research findings and methods in terms of implications for highway safety and environmental design. Aspects of CEVMS design and use that are capable of adversely affecting highway safety and/or environmen
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Vehicle Downsizing and Roadside Safety Hardware; Sectional Model Versus Full Model Wind Tunnel Testing of Bridge Road Decks; Problems Associated With Power Failures at Signalized Intersections; Tolerable Bridge Movements Introduction; Optimizing the Expenditure of Maintenance Resources; Capacity and Quality of Flow on Urban Arterials
Aggradation and degradation are long term changes in stream channel elevation. The effects of gradation changes are not the same as local scour or erosion because they extend greater distances along the stream-bed. Degradation is a more common problem than aggradation and in general, has a more severe impact on highway crossings.
The report summarizes the results of an experiment, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and carried out at the Maine Facility, which examined the effectiveness of several alternative sign configurations (both warning and regulatory) for warning motorists of a hazardous horizontal curve ahead in rural two-lane situations. The principal f
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Three full-scale crash tests conducted to evaluate impact behavior of a subcompact vehicle following impact with widely used signpost designs. Each test vehicle weighed 1940 lb (863 kg) and impact speed was approximately 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in each test. Two tests involved impact with a 3 lb/ft (4.5 kg/m) steel U-post and the other test involved 3 l
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1980-04-01
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Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS)
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PDF
This guide presents information on the 1977 Nationwide Personal Transportation Study (NPTS). The 1977 NPTS was designed to update the earlier study done in 1969 to provide comprehensive data on travel and transportation patterns in the United States. This guide describes the background, scope and purpose of the study; provides information on the sa
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This study has as its basic purpose the development of objective criteria and methodologies to assist the engineer in the selection of a sign support system. To accomplish this objective, four tasks were required. These were to (1) survey existing practices, (2) evaluate the crashworthiness of widely used support systems and promising new systems,
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Construction of the modern highway system has required large, high embankments using economically available fill from adjacent cuts or nearby borrow sources. Because of their widespread occurrence, shales and other weak, fine-grained sedimentary rock (siltstone, claystone, mudstone, etc.) were the main source of fill for many embankments from the A
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Research on the fatigue behavior of horizontally curved, steel bridge elements was conducted at Fritz Engineering Laboratory, Lehigh University, under the sponsorship of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The multi-phase investigation spanning nearly five years was performed in five Tasks: 1) analysi
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The report reviews an experiment undertaken to examine the effectiveness of five sign treatments for controlling driver speeds in the vicinity of hazardous horizontal curves on rural two-lane highways. Signs examined ranged from the standard curve warning arrow to a regulatory speed zone sign in conjunction with a curve warning sign. Data collected
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