Evaluation of NDOR’s Active Advance Warning System
Laurence R. Rilett, Ph.D., P.E.
Keith W. Klaasmeyer Chair in Engineering and Technology, and
Director, Nebraska Transportation Center
Dr. Laurence R. Rilett is a Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and the inaugural holder of the Keith W. Klaasmeyer Chair in Engineering and Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He also serves as the Director of the UNL Mid-America Transportation Center and as Director of the Nebraska Transportation Center. Dr. Rilett’s field of research is in the transportation system analysis area and his specific research may be divided into two main areas: Intelligent Transportation Systems applications and large-scale transportation system modeling. Dr. Rilett has been a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on over 30 research projects with a combined funding of over $25 million. He has authored or co-authored over 60 refereed journal papers and over 70 conference papers based on his research. Dr. Rilett is Managing Editor of the ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering.
One of the most critical safety issues in the U.S. are crashes at high-speed isolated intersections. To help improve safety at these intersections the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) developed and implemented an innovative Advance Warning System. While the results from the implementation were positive they were also largely anecdotal. To provide more insight into the effectiveness of this system a thorough examination of the systems was conducted. This is the focus of this presentation. There are three main sections – system wide accident analyses, on-site observational analyses, and a simulation-based analyses. Key conclusions on the effectiveness of the systems will be presented.
Framework for Highway Safety Mitigation: The Utah Experience
Grant G. Schultz, Ph.D., P.E., PTOE
Associate Professor & Associate Chair
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Brigham Young University
Dr. Grant Schultz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Brigham Young University. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from Brigham Young University, and a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. Dr. Schultz has been at Brigham Young University for the past 10 years where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in transportation engineering, while also completing traffic safety, economics, and planning research. Dr. Schultz teaches a Study Abroad course at Brigham Young University entitled China Megacities. As part of this course he brings groups of students to China to experience the transportation systems of China. He has 3 years of research experience with the Texas Transportation Institute, as well as 7 years of consulting engineering experience in traffic and transportation engineering with The Sear-Brown Group and Keller Associates. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Utah and is a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer. Dr. Schultz is originally from Champion, Alberta, Canada, and has lived in Alberta, Utah, California, Idaho, and Texas.
Safety has always been an important component in the planning, design, and operation of highways. A framework for highway safety mitigation is outlined in this paper that provides a logical and comprehensive context within which efforts to improve highway safety can be made. This framework incorporates predictive methods of highway safety analysis to allow transportation officials to proactively improve the safety of the transportation system. This framework has been developed around the Roadway Safety Management Process contained in the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) and has six primary steps: 1) Network Screening, 2) Diagnosis, 3) Countermeasure Selection, 4) Economic Appraisal, 5) Project Prioritization, and 6) Effectiveness Evaluation. In addition to methods used in the HSM, alternative methods of predictive highway safety analysis are discussed in context of their application. This framework for safety mitigation can be applicable to transportation agencies worldwide to maximize benefits resulting from highway safety investment.