March/April 2000
Vol. 63· No. 5

Recent Publications

by Zac Ellis

Below are brief descriptions of the reports recently published by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Research, Development, and Technology. All the publications are available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). In some cases, limited copies of the publication are available from the Research and Technology (R&T) Report Center.

Please Note: Contact NTIS for current pricing at www.ntis.gov or at Telephone: (703) 605-6000.

When ordering from NTIS, include the NTIS PB number (or publication number) and the publication title. You may also visit the NTIS Web site at www.ntis.gov to order publications online. For customers outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the cost is double the listed price. Address requests to:

Requests for items available from the R&T Report Center should be addressed to:

For more information on research and technology publications coming from FHWA, visit the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center's (TFHRC) Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/, FHWA's Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov, or the OneDOT information network at http://dotlibrary.dot.gov/.

These studies were conducted to crash test and evaluate new or modified safety hardware and, where necessary, redesign the devices to improve their impact performance.

The three major areas addressed in this study are the impact performance of bridge railings, transitions from guardrails to bridge railings, and end treatments for guardrails and median barriers.

The NTIS numbers and costs for these publications are as follows:

• Volume I, PB99-155079; $60 for a paper copy or $23 for the report on microfiche.
• Volume II, PB99-155087; $25.50 for a paper copy or $12 for the report on microfiche.
• Volume III, PB99-155095; $29.50 for a paper copy or $12 for the report on microfiche.
• Volume IV, PB99-155103; $25.50 for a paper copy or $12 for the report on microfiche.
• Volume XI, PB99-155111; $47 for a paper copy or $23 for the report on microfiche.

This guidebook provides a means for practitioners to better understand and estimate bicycle and pedestrian travel and to address transportation planning needs. The guidebook describes and compares the various methods that can be used to forecast the demand of non-motorized travel and supports the prioritization analyses of non-motorized projects. These methods are categorized according to four major purposes: (1) demand estimation, (2) relative demand potential, (3) support quality analysis, and (4) supporting tools and techniques. Discrete choice models, regional travel models, sketch plan methods, facility demand potential, bicycle compatibility measures, and geographic information systems are among the methods and tools described.

The NTIS number for the Overview of Methods is PB99-166175; the cost is $27 for a paper copy or $12 for the report on microfiche. The NTIS number for the Supporting Documentation is PB99-166183; the cost is $44 for a paper copy or $17 for the report on microfiche.

Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), a mixture of calcium acetate and magnesium acetate, is used as an environmentally benign roadway deicer. The present commercial CMA deicer made from glacial acetic acid and dolomitic lime or limestone is expensive compared to salt and other deicers. The goal of this project was to develop low-cost acetate deicers from cheap feedstocks, such as biomass and industrial wastes, via fermentation. Two alternative methods to produce low-cost acetate deicers from cheese whey were studied. CMA deicers produced from cheese whey by fermentation and extraction were tested for their acetate content and deicing properties.

The NTIS number is PB99-148991; the cost is $36 for a paper copy or $17 for the report on microfiche.

This report summarizes a study of installation practices for buried (culvert) pipes. Current practice was reviewed through a literature search and a survey of users, manufacturers, and others involved in the use of buried pipes. Typical backfill materials were characterized through standard and variable effort compaction tests, CBR tests, penetration tests, and one-dimensional compression tests. Standard classification systems were compared and standard groups of backfill materials were evaluated. The soil properties that were used to develop the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' SIDD designs are proposed for use as standard properties for application to the installation of all types of pipes.

The NTIS number is PB99-153603; the cost is $56 for a paper copy or $23 for the report on microfiche.

This study analyzed the impact of emergency vehicle traffic signal preemption across three coordinated intersections on Route 7 (Leesburg Pike near Landsdowne) in Virginia. FHWA's Traffic Software Integrated System package, which includes the CORSIM simulation model and the vehicle animator, TRAFVU, was used for this study. Using FHWA's Traffic Research Laboratory as a test bed, ITT Systems utilized the Controller Interface Device to interface a modified version of the CORSIM simulation with Type 170 controllers programmed with the identical signal plans to those existing at the Route 7 intersections, with minor modifications to allow signal preemption.

The NTIS number is PB99-157950; the cost is $25.50 for a paper copy or $12 for the report on microfiche.

As part of the study, analysis of data from the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) GPS-5 test section was conducted to identify factors that influence long-term crack spacing in CRC pavements and determine the effects of crack spacing on pavement performance. Data from the 85 test sections from the GPS-5 experiment were analyzed.

The NTIS number is PB99-162778; the cost is $27 for a paper copy or $12 for the report on microfiche.

A portable trailer-mounted bridge scour inspector was developed and tested under flood conditions for inspecting bridge scour in the vicinity of piers from bridge decks. The bridge scour inspector features a remotely controlled arm to deploy a sonar probe in the water from a vehicle located on the bridge deck. The bridge scour inspector was field tested under low water conditions in Texas and was field tested under extreme flood conditions in Georgia during the 1994 Tropical Storm Alberta flooding. A more sophisticated remotely controlled work station was designed conceptually and is described in the report, but was not fabricated for testing. This system could be used above and below the water surface to inspect and repair bridges.

The NTIS number is PB99-157968; the cost is $33 for a paper copy or $17 for the report on microfiche.

Time domain reflectometry (TDR) has become one of the most reliable methods for measuring in situ soil moisture content. TDR sensors developed by FHWA are being used in the LTPP Seasonal Monitoring Program to monitor the in situ moisture content at selected LTPP sites. The main goal of the study reported here was to develop procedures to produce good estimates of in situ gravimetric moisture content. All the TDR traces in the LTPP database were processed using the approach described in this report.

The NTIS number is PB99-146607; the cost is $47 for a paper copy or $23 for the report on microfiche.