Highway Work Zone Capacity Estimation Using Field Data from Kansas, TPF-5(081), 2015

Although extensive research has been conducted on urban freeway capacity estimation methods, minimal research has been carried out for rural highway sections, especially sections within work zones. This study attempted to fill that void for rural highways in Kansas, by estimating capacity of rural highway work zones in Kansas. Six work zone locations were selected for data collection and further analysis. An average of six days’ worth of field data was collected, from mid-October 2013 to late November 2013, at each of these work zone sites. Two capacity estimation methods were utilized, including the Maximum Observed 15-minute Flow Rate Method and the Platooning Method divided into 15-minute intervals. The Maximum Observed 15-minute Flow Rate Method provided an average capacity of 1469 passenger cars per hour per lane (pcphpl) with a standard deviation of 141 pcphpl, while the Platooning Method provided a maximum average capacity of 1195 pcphpl and a standard deviation of 28 pcphpl. Based on observed data and analysis carried out in this study, the suggested maximum capacity can be considered as 1500 pcphpl when designing work zones for rural highways in Kansas. This proposed standard value of rural highway work zone capacity could be utilized by engineers and planners so that they can effectively mitigate congestion at or near work zones that would have otherwise occurred due to construction/maintenance.

Synthesis of Traffic Calming Techniques in Work Zones, 2009

Nationwide, over 1,000 fatalities and 40,000 injuries occur annually in work zones, which include both construction zones and areas where maintenance is performed. The majority (85%) of work zone accidents result from unsafe driver behavior, and vehicle speed is often a factor in work zone crashes. In order to address speed and driver behavior near work zones, roadway agencies have developed different traffic calming measures. The objective of this research is to summarize the effectiveness of different traffic calming treatments for reducing speeds in work zones. This project 1. identified work zone traffic calming treatments for which information has not been well summarized, 2. identified state of the art and new technologies for work zone traffic calming, and 3. synthesized research related to items 1 and 2

Missouri Work Zone Capacity: Results of Field Data Analysis, TPF-5(081), 2011

This report presents the results of work zone field data analyzed on interstate highways in Missouri to determine the mean breakdown and queue-discharge flow rates as measures of capacity. Several days of traffic data collected at a work zone near Pacific, Missouri with a speed limit of 50 mph were analyzed in both the eastbound and westbound directions. As a result, a total of eleven breakdown events were identified using average speed profiles. The traffic flows prior to and after the onset of congestion were studied. Breakdown flow rates ranged between 1194 to 1404 vphpl, with an average of 1295 vphpl, and a mean queue discharge rate of 1072 vphpl was determined. Mean queue discharge, as used by the Highway Capacity Manual 2000 (HCM), in terms of pcphpl was found to be 1199, well below the HCM’s average capacity of 1600 pcphpl. This reduced capacity found at the site is attributable mainly to narrower lane width and higher percentage of heavy vehicles, around 25%, in the traffic stream. The difference found between mean breakdown flow (1295 vphpl) and queue-discharge flow (1072 vphpl) has been observed widely, and is due to reduced traffic flow once traffic breaks down and queues start to form. The Missouri DOT currently uses a spreadsheet for work zone planning applications that assumes the same values of breakdown and mean queue discharge flow rates. This study proposes that breakdown flow rates should be used to forecast the onset of congestion, whereas mean queue discharge flow rates should be used to estimate delays under congested conditions. Hence, it is recommended that the spreadsheet be refined accordingly.

Underseal Evaluation Project: Poweshiek County I-80 Near Milepost 189.5, Eastbound Roadway, MLR-85-10, 1985

The purpose of this project was to determine the optimal hole pattern needed for undersealing work, and also to determine if it is feasible to underseal a roadway with existing longitudinal subdrains without plugging the subdrain system. At the test site the hole pattern had little effect on the grout distribution. It was found that the hole pattern, to be effective, must locate existing voids and that holes must extend at least 2 in. (5 cm) below the underside of the pavement. It appeared that pavements can be undersealed without significant damage to the existing subdrains, but special care is needed to assure that excess grout is not injected into the drainage system. Recommendations are made concerning the hole pattern, grout efflux time, and procedures for minimizing the risk of plugging the subdrains with grout.

Close-Clearance Conditions Near Railroad Tracks: A report to the Iowa Legislature as per Section 24, HF2614, Seventy-Ninth General Assembly, December 6, 2002

Close-Clearance Conditions Near Railroad Tracks for the Iowa Department of Transportation

Iowa Commuting Patterns, 2000

A century ago, the majority of workers were employed near their homes—on farms or in cities and towns. As industrialization increased and suburbs surrounded central cities, commuting meant going from homes in suburbs to jobs in cities. Today, there is a growing trend of workers commuting between suburbs. On any given day, 61,775 workers commute to jobs in Iowa counties other than the one in which they live. The most important reason for increased commuting has been employment growth. Rising incomes and the growth of suburbs have also been factors. In the past, the increased employment of women added to the number of commuters. Commuting patterns are a key consideration in transportation planning. In more urban states than Iowa, there is concern that the use of mass transit continues to decline. In Iowa, where so much of our commuting is between counties, private vehicles are often the only practical means of getting to and from work. On any given day, 1,155,008 single-occupancy vehicles are driven to and from jobs somewhere in Iowa. At the same time, an additional158,699 workers share rides by participating in carpools.

Human Resource Information System; individual Users with Work Reporting Guide, April 2003

Guide manual for using the Human Resource Information System for the state of Iowa.

Improving Transition Outcomes: Prototype Work Plan Template

Work Plan template developed for the Improving Transition Outcomes community demonstration prototypes.

Consumer Advisory Bulletin, Warning: "Work-at-Home" Schemes, October 2004

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: Warning: "Work-at-Home" Schemes

Women, Work and the Iowa Economy, September 2008

Women play a substantial and crucial role in the Iowa economy. Women make up almost half the labor force, participating in the labor force at one of the highest rates in the nation. At the same time, disparities persist as to women’s prospects for success in that same economy. For instance, although women in Iowa are more likely than men to receive post-secondary education, they are also more likely to be in poverty and to earn a lower wage than male peers. The “gender gap,” the difference between male and female wages, is a much-discussed but often misunderstood tool that helps measure women’s success in the workforce. Women’s median wages are lower than men’s median wages largely because of differences in male and female occupations and work history, although gender discrimination in the workforce also plays a role. This report investigates Iowa’s gender gap in ways that clearly show both its causes and effects and suggests policy responses that could ensure women’s full and equal participation in Iowa’s economic future. Understanding the differences between men’s and women’s experiences in the state economy is important for developing policies that can effectively address barriers to economic success for all Iowans.

Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Annual Report 2008, January 2009

The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program operates as a unit within the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs. Duties of all long-term care ombudsmen are mandated by the Older Americans Act. This office serves people living in nursing facilities, skilled nursing facilities, residential care facilities, nursing facilities in hospitals, elder group homes and assisted living programs. The long-term care system in Iowa has changed significantly over the past 10 years. Local long-term care ombudsman programs in Iowa are now well established. Iowa still ranks near the bottom of 53 ombudsman programs in the nation for ratio of paid staff to residents with one ombudsman for each 7,400 residents compared to the national average of one ombudsman for each 2,174 residents. The Resident Advocate Committee Program remains stable at 2400 volunteers and Iowa continues to be the only state in the nation with this type of program. Because volunteers do not receive training as required by the Administration on Aging, volunteers are not certified volunteer ombudsmen and the work done by these volunteers cannot be included in Iowa’s annual federal reports. With the changing population living in long-term care facilities, this volunteer job is much more challenging than in the past. Helping to build a long-term care system in Iowa that provides individualized, person-directed quality care is the long-term goal for this office.

Living Near A Vineyard

It is widely assumed that living in rural Iowa means you live near a field of corn or soybeans. It is common to see large equipment during spring and fall and most people are aware that care should be given when using certain pesticides near these fields. In general, most everyone knows what to expect. Now there’s something new dotting the Iowa landscape . . . Vineyards! Like row crops, vineyards also use farm equipment and pesticides. We would like to take you on a written tour of what you might expect in a vineyard throughout our growing season. For a “real” tour, contact a local grape grower!

Wind Energy Where Wind and Innovation Work, 2010

Centrally located in America’s upper Midwest, Iowa lies in the heart of a 12-state region that will have installed an average of 2,701 mfi per year through 2014. In 2009 alone, this region, which is within one day delivery from Iowa, installed turbines valued at $7.8 billion! Once you understand how this exploding growth in the market intersects with the supply chain established by over 250 Iowa companies that are already providing components and services to wind energy manufacturers, you have an outstanding picture of exactly why all major wind manufacturing components are made in Iowa.

Welfare Work in Iowa, 1921.

This book, by Marcus L. Hansen, supplements a previously written book by him called Welfare Campaigns in Iowa. It details accounts of particular groups or organizations in Iowa that were active in welfare campaigns or work during World War I.

Tree and Brush Control For County Road Right-of-Way, Ocotober 2002

This manual summarizes the roadside tree and brush control methods used by all of Iowa's 99 counties. It is based on interviews conducted in Spring 2002 with county engineers, roadside managers and others. The target audience of this manual is the novice county engineer or roadside manager. Iowa law is nearly silent on roadside tree and brush control, so individual counties have been left to decide on the level of control they want to achieve and maintain. Different solutions have been developed but the goal of every county remains the same: to provide safe roads for the traveling public. Counties in eastern and southern Iowa appear to face the greatest brush control challenge. Most control efforts can be divided into two categories: mechanical and chemical. Mechanical control includes cutting tools and supporting equipment. A chain saw is the most widely used cutting tool. Tractor mounted boom mowers and brush cutters are used to prune miles of brush but have significant safety and aesthetic limitations and boom mowers are easily broken by inexperienced operators. The advent of tree shears and hydraulic thumbs offer unprecedented versatility. Bulldozers are often considered a method of last resort since they reduce large areas to bare ground. Any chipper that violently grabs brush should not be used. Chemical control is the application of herbicide to different parts of a plant: foliar spray is applied to leaves; basal bark spray is applied to the tree trunk; a cut stump treatment is applied to the cambium ring of a cut surface. There is reluctance by many to apply herbicide into the air due to drift concerns. One-third of Iowa counties do not use foliar spray. By contrast, several accepted control methods are directed toward the ground. Freshly cut stumps should be treated to prevent resprouting. Basal bark spray is highly effective in sensitive areas such as near houses. Interest in chemical control is slowly increasing as herbicides and application methods are refined. Fall burning, a third, distinctly separate technique is underused as a brush control method and can be effective if timed correctly. In all, control methods tend to reflect agricultural patterns in a county. The use of chain saws and foliar sprays tends to increase in counties where row crops predominate, and boom mowing tends to increase in counties where grassland predominates. For counties with light to moderate roadside brush, rotational maintenance is the key to effective control. The most comprehensive approach to control is to implement an integrated roadside vegetation management (IRVM) program. An IRVM program is usually directed by a Roadside Manager whose duties may be shared with another position. Funding for control programs comes from the Rural Services Basic portion of a county's budget. The average annual county brush control budget is about $76,000. That figure is thought not to include shared expenses such as fuel and buildings. Start up costs for an IRVM program are less if an existing control program is converted. In addition, IRVM budgets from three different northeastern Iowa counties are offered for comparison in this manual. The manual also includes a chapter on temporary traffic control in rural work zones, a summary of the Iowa Code as it relates to brush control, and rules on avoiding seasonal disturbance of the endangered Indiana bat. Appendices summarize survey and forest cover data, an equipment inventory, sample forms for record keeping, a sample brush control policy, a few legal opinions, a literature search, and a glossary.