Evaluation of Work Zone Safety Using the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study Data - Volume 2 Description of Research

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Date Created
2022
Report Number
2022-13V2
Description
This report is one of the deliverables for the culmination of several phases of a project, which evaluated driver behavior in work zones using the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) data. This study utilized SHRP2 NDS to evaluate the impact of traffic control devices in reducing driver speed in work zones. The main advantage to the SHPR 2 NDS data is that on-road driver behavior was captured and can be used to evaluate how drivers behave in various situations. The study included four different analyses. The first evaluated where drivers began reacting to various work zone traffic control devices. The second assessed how drivers changed speed upstream to immediately downstream as they encountered various traffic control devices. The third assessed how drivers react when they encounter the back of a queue and the fourth developed speed based on work zone characteristics such as presence of barriers.

Evaluation of Work Zone Safety Using the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study Data - Volume 1 Toolbox of Work Zone Countermeasures

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Date Created
2022
Report Number
2022-13V1
Description
This toolbox is one of the deliverables for the culmination of several phases of a project, which evaluated driver behavior in work zones using the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) data. The toolbox summarizes information about work zone traffic control devices, countermeasures, and work zone features that have a demonstrated impact on speed in work zones. Features were identified through a survey of the literature. Additional information for some of the features and countermeasures was gained through the various analyses of SHRP2 data conducted through this project. Guidance from the work zone traffic control manuals for various states was summarized when appropriate. Recommendations for use of each feature or countermeasure relevant to addressing speed in work zones was developed by the team and reviewed by work zone experts and the project panel.

Investigating the Necessity and Prioritizing Pavement Markings on Low-Volume Roads

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Date Created
2018
Report Number
2018-21
Description
The installation and maintenance of pavement markings represents a significant financial investment for local agencies. Local agencies need a mechanism to better understand the value; cost; and need for markings along their roadways to make the best use of available budgets. This project developed a prioritization approach and spreadsheet tool (link provided in box 15) to assist local agencies in meeting this need. Multicriterion decision analysis using the simple additive weighting method was employed to assess the multiple factors/criteria that affect pavement marking decisions. An Excel spreadsheet tool was developed to implement this approach using different pavement marking alternatives; including centerlines; edgelines; centerlines and edgelines; high-visibility markings; and enhanced-durability markings. The criteria considered by the process include project type; County Roadway Safety Plan (CRSP) rating; functional classification; pavement condition; traffic volume; age of current markings; pavement width; preferences for marking costs; desired marking durability; and crash reduction potential. This tool is posted on the Local Road and Research Board (LRRB) website in the "Resources" section at the following URL: https://lrrb.org/resources/. Factor weights are used to assign a relative importance to each of these criteria for a respective alternative compared to other alternatives. The result is a performance rating score for each marking alternative relative to all model criteria and factors that provide users with information on the relative performance of different marking alternatives in comparison to one another and an estimated project cost for the highest ranking alternative for a site. The highest scoring alternative represents the marking that should be considered for use. Additionally; the tool ranks all sites being evaluated compared to one another based on the highest rating scores from each individual site.

Minnesota Local Agency Pavement Marking: Mining Existing Data

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Date Created
2017
Report Number
2017-43
Description
Pavement marking is important for safety. Maximizing pavement marking performance in terms of increased retroreflectivity; within limited budget constraints; allows agencies to make better decisions toward providing more effective pavement marking performance on their roadway networks. This research project included conducting a survey of local agencies' pavement marking practices; mining existing National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) pavement marking data; and developing recommendations for future pavement marking research to support local agency needs. The NTPEP pavement marking performance data (related to pavement marking products used by local agencies in Minnesota) was analyzed to provide guidance to local agencies in terms of pavement marking material selection based on performance. The objective included determining pavement marking products of interest to local agencies and developing performance metrics for these products based on existing NTPEP data. The analysis performed on the NTPEP included modeling the deterioration behavior as a function of time. Also two-way ANOVAs were performed to compare various performance measures and the impact of different conditions on these measures.

Rumble Stripe: Evaluation of Retroreflectivity and Installation Practices

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Date Created
2016
Report Number
2016-13
Description
This research effort provided the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) with field data on the performance of pavement marking materials when used as rumble stripes on MnDOT roadways. These field efforts provide a perspective on the impact that both wear and winter maintenance practices have on retroreflectivity. Given that these markings were installed by a variety of MnDOT contractors and at different times and roadways, this report also serves to document the range of retroreflectivity provided to drivers at any given time on similar two-lane MnDOT roadways under the installation practice guidelines at the time of installation (2012 to 2013). More specifically, these measurements consider the difference in retroreflectivity provided by direction of travel (e.g., for the same marking, what is the retroreflectivity while driving northbound versus southbound?) and by roadway. The long-term evaluation collected field measurements both initially and after two winters (18 months) for centerline rumble stripes only and on seven segments over three different roadways. The in-service evaluation included new centerline and profile rumble stripEs, all of which were installed as part of the 2013 mill and overlay projects on bituminous surfaces within District 4 on two-lane MnDOT roadways. The retroreflectivity data were collected one winter (approximately 12 months) after installation with no initial measurement data being available. This effort included measuring the centerline rumble stripe performance over eight segments on four different roadways and the profile rumble stripe performance over 18 segments on 10 different roadways.

Evaluation of Pavement Markings on Challenging Surfaces

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Date Created
2016
Report Number
2016-08
Description
The objective of this research was to conduct a field trial to evaluate the marking performance of different combinations of pavement marking materials and installation practices on challenging surfaces. The trial included a range of pavement marking products over varied roadway characteristics to assess the performance of different marking materials over different challenging surfaces by product, thickness, bead package, and whether or not a primer was applied. The research team worked with the technical advisory panel (TAP) to document pavement marking performance on several municipal roadways within the city of Eden Prairie and to organize and prepare for field testing of different marking materials on both a seal coat and micro surface roadway. These projects provide pavement marking performance on challenging surfaces information over different conditions (traffic levels and line types) apart from the MnDOT research test deck scenarios. These results provide MnDOT with a basis to consider pavement marking striping practices on challenging surfaces in terms of performance and cost. The high-build materials (primer plus VISILOK) and epoxies showed similar performance, which provides a good basis for material selection.

Toolbox of Countermeasures for Rural Two-Lane Curves

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Date Created
2013
Report Number
2013-25
Description
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that 58 percent of roadway fatalities are lane departures, while 40 percent of fatalities are single-vehicle run-off-road (SVROR) crashes. Addressing lane-departure crashes is therefore a priority for national, state, and local roadway agencies. Horizontal curves are of particular interest because they have been correlated with increased crash occurrence. This toolbox was developed to assist agencies address crashes at rural curves. The main objective of this toolbox is to summarize the effectiveness of various known curve countermeasures. While education, enforcement, and policy countermeasures should also be considered, they were not included given the toolbox focuses on roadway-based countermeasures. Furthermore, the toolbox is geared toward rural two-lane curves. The research team identified countermeasures based on their own research, through a survey of the literature, and through discussions with other professionals. Coverage of curve countermeasures in this toolbox is not necessarily comprehensive. For each countermeasure covered, this toolbox includes the following information: description, application, effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages.

Implementation, Training, and Outreach for MnDOT Pavement Marking Tool - Phase II

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Date Created
2012
Report Number
2012-31
Description
The objective of this project was to fully implement the Pavement Marking Management Tool by incorporating retroreflectivity and striping data (MnDOT and contractors) and simplifying the process of data collection, storage, and analysis. As part of achieving full implementation, the researchers provided training to MnDOT central office staff and staff in each of the districts. Improved pavement marking management has the potential to reduce MnDOT's costs, improve pavement marking performance, and in return provide a more efficient and safe driving experience for the traveling public. The result of this effort included a web-portal for submitting pavement marking data (paint and retroreflectivity), a geographic information system (GIS) web based tool to manage, view, and create reports on pavement marking data, and training on the data collection and tool. This technical memorandum presents project findings by task.

Pavement Marking Compatibility with Chip Seal and Micro Surfacing

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Date Created
2011
Report Number
2011-24
Description
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) staff has experienced that pavement markings do not perform well on seal coat and micro surface treated roadways, referred to as "challenging surfaces." This report serves as a beginning point and organized approach in addressing pavement marking practices on challenging surface roadways. The project objective was to document existing district practices and issues through several key tasks, which include a literature review, field review, and analysis of existing practice and performance. This effort identified the need for a field trial to provide control in the evaluation of these markings on challenging surfaces. An outline was developed for a future field trial effort, which will evaluate the marking performance of different combinations of pavement marking materials and installation practices. These project findings will be used in conjunction with the resulting field trial evaluations to improve MnDOT guidance and standard practice that will result in better performance, efficiencies, and roadway safety.

Mn/DOT Truck Parking Study: Phase 2

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Date Created
2010
Report Number
2010-34
Description
Previous research sponsored by the Minnesota DOT (Mn/DOT) documented the state of truck parking issues throughout Minnesota. The study specifically examined the supply and demand of public and private commercial vehicle parking along Minnesota's three primary Interstate corridors: I-35, I-90, and I-94. Results of the study were published in January 2008. This report revealed some critical parking capacity issues at many of the state's rest area facilities and concluded that further research would be necessary to identify potential remedies to improve truck parking into the future. Mn/DOT funded this second phase with the objective of determining opportunities for expanding truck parking where needed across Minnesota. Existing research suggests that although interstate and intercity truck parking may be very limited and marginally expanding existing congested facilities would be useful, parking in urban core areas was overwhelmingly identified as the key truck parking problem in Minnesota. Therefore, Phase 2 looked at parking both in the Twin Cities and in greater Minnesota.