Colorado. Department of Transportation. Applied Research and Innovation Branch.
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Description
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been trying to identify the most effective methods for managing low-volume roads (LVRs). These roads are facing multiple challenges including: reductions in maintenance budgets, impact of industrial activities, and potentially not receiving the most cost effective treatments. Considerable savings can be secured by implementing an effective and informed management system for all LVRs engineering...
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Description
The objective of this research is to develop a set of design and operational recommendations to reduce the number of rollover, jackknife, and rollback end positions for trucks entering the emergency ramp. The products of this research is a series of recommendations focusing on: a) maintenance/material replacement, b) signage and pavement marking, c) shoulder strengthening/widening, d) new construction, e) lighting, and f) drivers' outreach.
Pub. Date
2017.
Description
In late 2016/early 2017 the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) conducted an operational pilot of the Road Usage Charge (RUC) concept as a possible transportation funding replacement to the state gas tax. The Colorado Road Usage Charge Pilot Program (RUCPP) involved a total of 147 participating vehicles that used one of three mileage-reporting mechanisms to record miles traveled and simulate fees based on that travel. Overall support for...
Author
Pub. Date
2023.
Description
This project aims to assist CDOT with the initial implementation of Section 118 of Colorado HB 21-1303, "The Buy Clean Colorado Act". The bill requires contractors to submit Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for asphalt and asphalt mixtures, cement and concrete mixtures, and steel installed on CDOT projects. Ultimately, the bill instructs CDOT to establish greenhouse gas (GHG) emission limits for these materials, and contractors on CDOT construction...
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Description
This research report used a pilot project to examine the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and how Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) transportation improvement projects may result in noise and vibration levels that could affect migratory birds. The pilot project examined the vibration and noise levels that occurred as a result of standard maintenance activities.
Author
Pub. Date
2017.
Description
This research evaluates the effectiveness of the SH 9 Colorado River South Wildlife & Safety Improvement Project, including two wildlife overpasses, and five wildlife underpasses connected with 10.4 miles of wildlife exclusion fencing in Grand County, CO. The project was designed to improve driver safety while allowing for wildlife movement across the road. This study uses motion-activated cameras and WVC crash and carcass data to determine how successful...
Author
Pub. Date
2017.
Description
Infiltration-induced landslides are common hazards to roads in Colorado. A new methodology that uses recent advances in unsaturated soil mechanics and hydrology was developed and tested. The approach consists of using soil suction and moisture content field information in the prediction of the likelihood of landslide movement. The testing ground was an active landslide on I-70 west of the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels. Results indicate that...
Author
Pub. Date
2020.
Description
Proper structural design of pavement systems requires knowing the resilient modulus of the soil as this parameter is a proven predictor of the stress-dependent elastic modulus of soil materials under traffic loading. In addition, the R-value test is conducted using a device called a stabilometer, where the material's resistance to deformation is expressed as a function of the ratio of the transmitted lateral pressure to that of the applied vertical...
30) Investigation of seismic performance and design of typical curved and skewed bridges in Colorado
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Description
This report summarizes the analytical studies on the seismic performance of typical Colorado concrete bridges, particularly those with curved and skewed configurations. A set of bridge models with different geometric configurations derived from. a prototype bridge selected in Denver area were studied. Some discussions about the connection modeling are carried out in terms of the interior bent support. For the displacement-based and force-based designs,...
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Description
HDPE pipes used in CDOT drainage systems are expected to have a 50-year design life. During the T-Rex project in 2003 a number of HDPE pipes were installed with shallow cover. Later, the majority of these pipes had to be removed and replaced after they were damaged by construction equipment driving over installed pipes, and excavations occurring near installed pipes. In this study, performance of HDPE pipes under CDOT highways was evaluated by: an...
Author
Pub. Date
2017.
Description
The Colorado-specific safety knowledge base, developed and effectively applied in the design process at CDOT, is not yet used to inform the planning process. This report transfers the use of these Colorado-specific, predictive and diagnostic tools to the transportation planning process. It develops a proposed methodology for the Explicit Consideration of Safety in the Transportation Planning Process by focusing on science-based and data-driven project...
Author
Pub. Date
2017.
Description
This research report documents the findings of an investigation into automated temporary traffic control device (TTCD) deployment and retrieval technologies. The researchers found that some automated TTCD deployment and retrieval products may reduce one or more types of worker risk while increasing other types of risk. A fully automated product has the potential for the greatest risk reduction overall, but also has a much higher cost than less complex...
Author
Pub. Date
2020.
Description
Cold recycling technologies such as Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR) are sustainable and cost-effective techniques for pavement rehabilitation. Previous research has found current mechanistic-empirical (M-E) default values to be non representative and overly conservative, leading to an underestimation of the true performance capabilities of FDR materials. To address this gap, this research analyzes the performance of 11 FDR sites constructed throughout...
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Description
CDOT currently uses FHWA's HEC-18 methods to estimate bridge-pier scour values. The FHWA equations was based largely on streams with uniform sediments, subcritical-flow conditions, and flatter gradients. In western states where many bridges cross steep mountain channels, bridge-scour equations are applied beyond the range of conditions for which they were derived. In this research study, a new bridge pier-scour equation has been developed suitable...
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Description
The objective of this project was to assess the efficacy of post-fire ground treatment in mitigating erosion and runoff on soil slopes subjected to wildfires. This objective was achieved through physical slope-model experiments and discrete element method (DEM) modeling. Model simulations indicated that an increase in the root network inhibited particles dislodgement and decreased downslope movement of particles.
Author
Pub. Date
2020.
Description
CDOT has prioritized the research of select methods to evaluate the performance of the I-25 Gap work zone and future CDOT construction projects. Work zone performance measures provide comparative metrics that quantify the level of impact a work zone has on travelers, residents, businesses and workers. CDOT has identified the need to research and apply performance measures to the I-25 Gap construction project; establishing a foundation to improve...
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Description
This study analyzes the effects of temperature change and thermal gradients on deck joint movement and provide recommendations regarding deck joint elimination. The data indicates that temperature shifts and thermal gradients through the depth of the girders along the joint are impacting the bridge's movements and causing changes in stress. A strong parallel is shown between the temperature changes and the study joint's movement and changes in stresses...
Author
Pub. Date
2019.
Description
This 2-year project used a ground-based laser scanner to map avalanche path snow depths to support an effectiveness assessment of recently-installed Gazex avalanche control systems in the Loveland Pass (Seven Sisters) and Berthoud Pass (Stanley) highway corridors. Scans were collected during snow-free conditions for a baseline, and then prior to and post-storm event and post control operations, as weather and logistics allowed. Snow depth and snow...
Author
Pub. Date
2021.
Description
Mount Evans Highway (SH 5) has been severely damaged by permafrost degradation and freeze-thaw processes. We assessed the effects of the current roadway configuration on the permafrost, hydrologic processes, vegetation, and soils of the Summit Lake Park wetland complex. We also reviewed and synthesized available literature to develop design recommendations for mitigating permafrost degradation, thaw-induced subsidence and frost damage, and hydrologic...