Bøger af U S Department of Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation's number one prior- ity is the safety of the traveling public. Highway fatalities account for roughly 93 percent of total U.S. transportation fatalities. U.S. DOT initiatives helped reduce highway fatalities by 28 percent between 1990 and 2011.

The objective of this scanning tour was to review and document innovative policies, programs, and techniques that promote the use of recycled materials in the highway environment. The U.S. delegation met with more than 100 representatives from transportation and environmental ministries, research organizations, and industries in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and France.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) LRFD 2002 Bridge Design Specifications contain serviceability deflection criteria perceived to control excess bridge vibrations and structural deterioration. Results of past research efforts indicate that the current AASHTO serviceability deflection criteria is inadequate in controlling excess bridge vibration and structural deterioration. These past studies also state that bridge vibration is better controlled by a limit based on a dynamic property of the bridge, such as natural frequency (Barth, Bergman, Roeder, 2002).

This handbook was created to provide individuals responsible for managing and implementing Traffic Signal, and Freeway Management programs with an understanding of the basic technologies of telecommunications.

This report presents the results of a pilot study on the seismic behavior and response of steel bridges with integral abutments. Analytical investigations were conducted on computational models of steel bridges with integral abutments to determine their seismic behavior as a system and to develop seismic design guidelines. The effect of the superstructure flexibility due to inadequate embedment length was investigated using 3D finite element models. This flexibility, modeled as translational and rotational springs, proved to have significant effect on the overall bridge dynamic characteristics in terms of periods and critical mode shapes. Lateral and longitudinal load paths and the seismic response were investigated using modal pushover and nonlinear time history analyses. A limited investigation on the effect of skew was conducted on a single-span integral abutment bridge. A procedure for incorporating the system level damping due to the yielding and inelastic responses of various components was proposed for use in the seismic analysis. Based on the analytical investigations and available experimental research, guidelines for the seismic analysis and design of integral abutment bridges were developed.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), presents State Transportation Statistics2010, a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is the eighth annual edition of theState Transportation Statistics, and a companion document to the National Transportation Statistics (NTS), which is updated quarterly on the BTS websi

The transportation, urban planning, and public health professions are placing an increased emphasis on walking and bicycling as part of the solution to problems such as traffic congestion, suburban sprawl, and childhood obesity. An interdisciplinary approach from educated professionals is needed to create healthy, sustainable, and livable communities. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) University Course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation is one of several resources that can be used to prepare the next generation of professionals for the challenges ahead.

This is the ninth in a series of combined documents prepared by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to satisfy requirements for reports to Congress on the condition, performance, and future capital investment needs of the Nation's highway and transit systems. This report incorporates highway, bridge, and transit information required by 23 U.S.C. sec. 502(h), as well as transit system information required by 49 U.S.C. sec. 308(e). Beginning in 1993, the Department combined two separate existing report series that covered highways and transit to form this report series; prior to this, 11 reports had been issued on the condition and performance of the Nation's highway systems, starting in 1968. Five separate reports on the Nation's transit systems' performance and conditions were issued beginning in 1984. This 2010 Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit: Conditions and Performance report to Congress (C&P) report) draws primarily on 2008 data. The 2008 C&P report, transmitted on January 14, 2010, was based primarily on 2006 data. In assessing recent trends, many of the exhibits presented in this report present statistics for the primary data years reflected in the last five C&P reports (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008). Other charts and tables cover different time periods depending on data availability and years of significance for particular data series. The data presented within this report generally reflect the latest available information as of December 2009 or the date the individual chapters were written. The prospective analyses presented in the report generally cover the 20-year period ending in 2028.

This appendix provides detailed documentation of the rules for estimating Fully Allocated Costs by assigning or allocating expense transactions.

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation (DOT) in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. The information contained herein constitutes sponsored research only. It shall not be considered either a statement of, or a change from, any DOT policy or position, including the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)/Federal Transit Administration Joint Statement of Agency Policy Concerning Shared Use of the Tracks of the General Railroad System by Conventional Railroads and Light Rail Transit Systems. Furthermore, end users of any results forthcoming from this document should be aware that the waiver process shall remain in its entirety when a rail operator desires to introduce any procedure or equipment that does not meet FRA requirements on any railroad under FRA's jurisdiction.

Two safety issues are raised on the aerodynamic effects of a passing train on its surroundings. First, a high-speed train passing other trains on an adjacent track exerts aerodynamic pressure that can affect the structural integrity of window mount and glazing, and the stability of the railroad car being passed. Second, as a high-speed train passes train stations immediately adjacent to the platform without stopping, people and objects on these station platforms are exposed to strong airflow causing debris and objects to be blown about and people to potentially lose their balance. This safety issue also extends to railroad workers on trackside as a high-speed train passes.

In this study, the evaluation team reviewed relevant literature, interviewed key participants (management and labor) from transportation carriers that had undertaken safety rules revision, and analyzed relevant incident and injury data. Although outcome data were statistically inconclusive, a number of other indicators in this study suggested a positive benefit on carriers that used the process. Interviewees reported more enforceable safety rules, increased compliance, and overall improvements in several aspects of safety culture, such as labor-management relations. Moreover, some carriers reported significant reductions in the number of claims related to the Federal Employer's Liability Act and the cost per claim. This report examines other potential benefits, challenges, and successful implementation strategies, as well as future directions and activities.

The Federal Radionavigation Plan (FRP) is the official source of radionavigation policy and planning for the Federal Government. The FRP covers common-use, Federally operated radionavigation systems. These systems are sometimes used in combination with each other or with other systems. Systems used exclusively by the military are covered in the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Master Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Plan (MPNTP). The plan does not include systems that mainly perform surveillance and communication functions.

The Guide to Transportation Management Center (TMC) Data Capture for Performance and Mobility Measures is a two-volume document consisting of a summary Guidebook and this Reference Manual. These documents provide technical guidance and recommended practices regarding concepts, methods, techniques, and procedures for collecting, analyzing, and archiving TMC operations data to develop measures of roadway and TMC performance, as well as documenting the benefits of TMC activities for a variety of stakeholders. This guide is designed to be used by TMC technical and management staff involved in developing, implementing, and/or refining a TMC performance monitoring program. Effective performance monitoring efforts can assist the user in a variety of tasks including traffic performance monitoring, asset management, evaluation of TMC activities and strategies, and planning and decision-making. They can also provide persuasive data in support of continued or enhanced TMC programs; conversely, a lack of available data regarding the value of TMC programs can make agencies more vulnerable to budget reductions when resources are constrained and the remaining budgets are being allocated.

This report summarizes the first-year efforts of assessing the requirements and feasibility of simulating radio communications automatically.

This report is the third in a series describing the development and evaluation of a software application to facilitate communications for railroad roadway workers using a wireless handheld computer. The current prototype operated on a cell phone integrated with a personal digital assistant (PDA). The roadway worker can perform two types of communication related tasks with the application: request information about train status and territory without assistance from the dispatcher and request track authority.

Service loading conditions for railroad wheels include those due to wheel-on-rail contact, as well as thermal loads from frictional heating during on-tread braking. Studies have shown the wheel surface temperatures can reach 1000 degrees Fahrenheit during stop-breaking.

This report focuses on transportation indicators pertinent to key initiatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the topics specified in legislative mandate. In addition, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics highlights efforts to improve transportation statistics.

This report provides an overview of the development and technology transfer of the Railroad Traffic Planner application, a visualization tool with string line diagrams that show train positions over time. The Railroad Traffic Planner provides support for scheduling activities and also includes near-real-time position information for trains and maintenance vehicles with associated global positioning system tracking devices installed. One objective of this project was to research the potential for this type of visualization tool to improve safety and productivity in the railroad industry. Another objective was to demonstrate the process of technology transfer by bringing this tool to additional railroads and other interested parties in the railroad industry. While some challenges were encountered during this project, many potential benefits of string line tools were identified. Recommendations for people interested in developing, transferring, and using systems like the Railroad Traffic Planner are offered.

Congress has directed the Secretaries of the Departments of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and Health and Human Services (U.S. DHHS) to work together to develop guidelines for state and local planning agencies to achieve transportation coordination. The departments formed the U.S. DOT/U.S. DHHS Transportation Planning Workgroup to address those guidelines. In support of this process, the U.S. DOT's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), working with the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Office of Planning, undertook this study of "Innovative State and Local Planning for Coordinated Transportation." The study examines seven specific planning strategies that can be used as part of a flexible regional planning process for coordinating transportation services of health and human service and transit agencies. The DOT/DHHS Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility has also authored "Planning Guidelines for Coordinated State and Local Specialized Transportation Services," which complements this report and is cross-referenced.

Recent gage restraint measurement system (GRMS) developments include the redesign of GRMS vehicles to conduct testing from a deployable axle instead of using freight truck mounted axle and GRMS on hi-rail vehicles. This new test configuration results in boundary condition changes in the applied loads and split axle location; both of which influence the results. To ensure equivalent safety considering these significant changes, a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanistic basis for previous GRMS rulemaking, coupled with a fundamental investigation of factors influencing GRMS performance and inspection accuracy, was conducted along with field-testing to verify conclusions. Results of the investigation to date suggest a need for reconsideration of the gage widening ratio (GWR) equation, which treated vertical load as a constant parameter. With the new GRMS testing capability at a wider range of test loads, it is necessary to include vertical load in the GWR equation. GWR has been the leading source of discrepancies between the inspections conducted by original GRMS design and redesigned vehicles over the same territory. This report describes the analysis and recent field-testing to provide the fundamental basis for a proposed gage widening projection formula.

This report documents the results of a cognitive task analysis (CTA) that examined the cognitive and collaborative demands and activities of railroad roadway workers. The purpose of the CTA of roadway workers was to understand the factors that complicate performance in today's environments, as well as the knowledge and skills that roadway workers have developed to cope with the cognitive and collaborative demands placed on them.

This report discusses data acquisition and analysis for grade crossing risk analysis at the proposed San Joaquin High-Speed Rail Corridor in San Joaquin, California, and documents the data acquisition and analysis methodologies used to collect and analyze grade crossing data and evaluate the effects of each method in the overall risk calculations for the entire corridor. This report describes grade crossing data acquisition techniques from existing Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) inventory data, track charts, site surveys and interviews, and aerial and video surveys. Costs for data acquisition and analysis associated with each method were documented and analyzed to determine their influences on the overall risk assessment for the corridor. Results using FRA's Accident Prediction Formula indicate that all data acquisition and analysis methods are suitable for evaluating the grade crossing risk at a given corridor.

The purpose of this study was to examine controller and pilot errors in airport operations to identify potentially tower remedies.

In 1990, Congress amended the Clean Air Act (CAA) to strengthen National efforts to attain the National air quality standards. Among other strengthening provisions, the amendments required stronger coordination and linkages between transportation and air quality planning. Shortly thereafter, in 1991, Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), which realigned the focus of transportation planning toward a more inclusive, environmentally sensitive, and multimodal approach. This included the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program, which was created to help fund transportation projects that reduce emissions. CMAQ was reauthorized in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998, and again in 2005 with the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). In 2007, in consultation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) began a two-phased study as required by SAFETEA-LU Section 1808(f). Section 1808(f) calls for an evaluation and assessment of the direct and indirect impacts of CMAQ-funded projects on air quality and congestion levels to ensure the program's effective implementation. The following report presents results from the second phase of that study and should be read in conjunction with "SAFETEA-LU 1808: CMAQ Evaluation and Assessment, Phase I Final Report." The primary objectives of the Phase II study were to: Explore practices and approaches to CMAQ project selection and implementation. Provide information for use by local, regional, and State transportation agencies for the purpose of ensuring effective CMAQ implementation.

The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program provides funds to States for transportation projects designed to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion, particularly in areas of the country that do not attain national air quality standards. Created by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991, the program was reauthorized under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1997, and again as part of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005. Since 1991, the CMAQ Program has provided funding to over 16,000 projects, and has been a key mechanism for supporting investments that help urban areas meet air quality goals, encourage alternatives to driving alone, and improve traffic flow. In SAFETEA-LU Section 1808, Congress required the U.S. Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to evaluate and assess the direct and indirect impacts of CMAQ-funded projects on air quality and congestion levels. This study responds to that request by analyzing 67 CMAQ-funded projects, using data supplied by States and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) CMAQ database. From this information, the study team examined the estimated impacts of these projects on emissions of transportation-related pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), ozone precursors - oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), as well as on traffic congestion and mobility. The study team also conducted additional analyses of the selected set of CMAQ-funded projects to estimate their cost-effectiveness at reducing emissions of each pollutant.

The ability of our nation's transportation system to provide for and maintain the efficient movement of freight is important to the continuing economic health of the United States. U.S. domestic freight tonnage is anticipated to approximately double - and international freight tonnage expected to nearly triple - by 2035. This has led to a growing need to find new ways to address air quality concerns and greenhouse gas emissions associated with freight movements. Diesel exhaust from freight vehicles is a primary source of PM2.5, air toxic contaminants, and NOx emissions (one precursor to ozone), all of which have potential health implications. Freight emissions comprise close to one-third of U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions, and have grown by more than 50 percent since 1990. As a result, there is a steadily increasing number of challenges faced by both freight and air quality planners as they attempt to simultaneously meet the growing demand for freight while improving environmental outcomes. They must meet the requirements of new and varied initiatives being put into place across the nation as states and regions grapple with air quality issues and emissions budgets, understand how to integrate emerging equipment and infrastructure technologies, look for ways to make the system more efficient, and identify new funding sources for these activities. A wide range of strategies is available to mitigate these freight and air quality challenges, ranging from technological strategies such as engine retrofits and alternative fuels, to operations strategies such as congestion mitigation and idling reduction. Not only must planners identify viable mitigation strategies, they also must navigate the myriad transportation and environmental funding programs to identify ones that could be applicable to their project. The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Freight Management and Operations in cooperation with the Office of Natural and Human Environment developed this handbook as a resource for states, metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), FHWA and other public- and private-sector organizations to use in developing solutions to these challenges. This handbook provides the background needed to understand how freight contributes to air quality issues, describes strategies to mitigate those freight-related pollutant emissions and improve air quality, and identifies funding and financing tools available for freight-related air quality projects (e.g., freight projects designed to reduce the emissions of air pollutants). It is designed to be used by all involved in the identification, financing, and delivery of freight-related air quality projects, whether approaching from a freight or an air quality perspective.

This report documents the implementation and early operation of an automatic vehicle location system by the Regional Transportation District in Denver, Colorado.

The Guide to Transportation Management Center (TMC) Data Capture for Performance and Mobility Measures is a two-volume document consisting of this summary Guidebook and a Reference Manual. These documents provide technical guidance and recommended practices regarding concepts, methods, techniques, and procedures for collecting, analyzing, and archiving TMC operations data to develop measures of roadway and TMC performance, as well as documenting the benefits of TMC activities for a variety of stakeholders. This guide is designed to be used by TMC technical and management staff involved in developing, implementing, and/or refining a TMC performance monitoring program. Effective performance monitoring efforts can assist the user in a variety of tasks including traffic performance monitoring, asset management, evaluation of TMC activities and strategies, and planning and decision-making. They can also provide persuasive data in support of continued or enhanced TMC programs; conversely, a lack of available data regarding the value of TMC programs can make agencies more vulnerable to budget reductions when resources are constrained and the remaining budgets are being allocated. The Guide to TMC Data Capture for Performance and Mobility Measures consists of two parts: The summary Guidebook and the more detailed Reference Manual. This Guidebook provides an overview of TMC performance monitoring guidelines, measures, and issues, with a focus on the "what" and the "why"(i.e., what are the primary metrics that TMCs should consider for their performance and mobility monitoring programs, and why should they be used?). The Reference Manual includes details on the "how" (i.e., how does a TMC implement a monitoring program using a given performance metric?). The Reference Manual also expands on the discussion in the Guidebook and provides a convenient synopsis of each performance measure (or group of related performance measures), including an overview of the measure's usefulness, required data sources, primary calculation steps or equations, useful variations of the measure, issues or implementation considerations associated with the use of that measure, and example applications from TMCs around the country.