Iowa State Highway Map, January 1, 2010

State highway map of Iowa for 2010, produced by Iowa Department of Transportation.

Roadway Alignments as Assets: Evaluating Alternatives for Valuing Major Highway Corridor Rights of Way Final Report December 2010 Sponsored

In most highway asset management exercises, real estate used in alignments is considered to be an asset class that does not depreciate. Although the treatment of right of way assets as non-depreciable real property may be appropriate as an accounting exercise, the fact is that the real estate contained in transportation corridors can in fact lose value from a traffic service point of view. Such facilities become functionally obsolete in that they no longer serve the purpose that was intended when they were planned, designed, and built. This report is intended to begin a discussion of the topic of how highway alignments ought be valued as assets as opposed to how they generally are valued, at either book value or replacement value, given it can be shown that some highway alignments do in fact depreciate in value.

Laboratory and Field Testing of an Accelerated Bridge Construction Demonstration Bridge: US Highway 6 Bridge over Keg Creek, RB02-012, 2013

The US Highway 6 Bridge over Keg Creek outside of Council Bluffs, Iowa is a demonstration bridge site chosen to put into practice newly-developed Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) concepts. One of these new concepts is the use of prefabricated high performance concrete (HPC) bridge elements that are connected, in place, utilizing advanced material closure-pours and quick-to-install connection details. The Keg Creek Bridge is the first bridge in the US to utilize moment-resisting ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) joints in negative moment regions over piers. Through laboratory and live load field testing, performance of these transverse joints as well as global bridge behavior is quantified and examined. The effectiveness of the structural performance of the bridge is evaluated to provide guidance for future designs of similar bridges throughout the US.

Multiplan Spreadsheets for Highway and Hydraulic Engineering Computations in County Engineering Offices, HR-284, 1987

Multiplan spreadsheet solutions were developed for a set of hydraulic and highway engineering computations of common interest to county engineers. These include earthwork, vertical and horizontal curves, staking superelevated curves and sign inventories for highways. The hydraulic applications were ditch flow, runoff, culvert size and stage discharge.

Non-Corrosive Tie Reinforcing and Dowel Bars for Highway Pavement Slabs, HR-343, 1993

The use of non-metallic load transfer and reinforcement devices for concrete highway pavements is a possible alternative to avoid corrosion problems related to the current practice of steel materials. Laboratory and field testing of highway pavement dowel bars, made of both steel and fiber composite materials, and fiber composite tie rods were carried out in this research investigation. Fatigue, static, and dynamic testing was performed on full-scale concrete pavement slabs which were supported by a simulated subgrade and which included a single transverse joint. The bahavior of the full-scale specimens with both steel and fiber composite dowels placed in the test joints was monitored during several million load cycles which simulated truck traffic at a transverse joint. Static bond tests were conducted on fiber composite tie rods to determine the required embedment length. These tests took the form of bending tests which included curvature and shear in the embedment zone and pullout tests which subjected the test specimen to axial tension only. Fiber composite dowel bars were placed at two transverse joints during construction of a new concrete highway pavement in order to evaluate their performance under actual field conditions. Fiber composite tie rods were also placed in the longitudinal joint between the two fiber composite doweled transverse joints.

Solar Powered Highway Delineator System, HR-367, 1993

Currently, many drivers experience some difficulty in viewing the road ahead of them during times of reduced visibility, such as rain, snow, fog, or the darkness of night- Recent studies done by the National Safety Council provide a detailed contrast between fatal accidents occurring during the day and night. Revealed was that the motor vehicle night death rate (4.41 deaths per 100 million miles driven) was sharply higher than the corresponding death rate during daylight hours (1.21). By providing a delineating system powered by the natural resource of solar power, a constant source of visibility may be maintained throughout the evening. Along with providing enough light to trace the outline of the road, other major goals defined in producing this delineator system are as follows: 1. A strong and durable design that would protect the internal components and survive extreme weather conditions. 2. A low maintenance system where components need few repairs or replacements. 3. A design which makes all components accessible in the event that maintenance is needed, but also prevents vandalism. 4. A design that provides greater visibility to drivers and will not harm a vehicle or its passengers in the event of a collision. This solar powered highway delineator consists of an adjustable solar array, a light fixture, and a standard delineator pole. The solar array houses and protects the solar panels, and can be easily adjusted to obtain a maximum amount of sunlight. The light fixture primarily houses the battery, the circuit and the light assembly. Both components allow for easy accessibility and reduce vandalism using internal connections for bolts and wires. The delineator mounting pole is designed to extensively deform in the event of a collision, therefore reducing any harm caused to the vehicle and/or the passengers. The cost of a single prototype to be produced is approximately $70.00 excluding labor costs. However, these material and labor costs will be greatly reduced if a large number of delineators are produced. It is recommended that the Iowa Department of Transportation take full advantage of the research and development put into this delineator design. The principles used in creating this delineator can be used to provide an outline for drivers to follow, or on a larger scale, provide actual roadway lighting in areas where it was never before possible or economically feasible. In either event, the number of fatal accidents will be decreased due to the improved driver visibility in the evening.

Soft Photogrammetry for Highway Engineering, HR-387, 1998

The SoftPlotter, a soft photogrammetric software and Silicon Graphics workstation, was used to evaluate the accuracy of soft photogrammetry and identify applications of this technology to highway engineering. A comparative study showed that SoftPlotter compares well with other software such as Socket and Integraph. The PC software TNTMips is inexpensive but needs further development to be comparable to SoftPlotter. The Campus Project showed that soft photogrammetry is accurate for traditional photogrammetric applications. It is also accurate for producing orthophoto and base maps for Geographic Information Systems (GISs). The Highway Project showed that soft photogrammetry is accurate for highway engineering and that the technical staff at the Iowa Department of Transportation (IA DOT) can be easily trained in this new technology. The research demonstrated that soft photogrammetry can be used with low-flight helicopter photography for large-scale mapping in highway engineering. The researchers recommend that research be conducted to test the use of digital cameras instead of the traditional aerial cameras in helicopter photography. Research that examines the use of soft photogrammetry with video logging imagery for inventory and GIS studies in highway maintenance is also recommended. Research is also warranted into the integration of soft photogrammetry with virtual reality, which can be used in three-dimensional designing and visualization of highways and subdivisions in real time. The IA DOT owns one analytical plotter and two analogue plotters. The analytical plotter is used for aerial triangulation, and the analogue plotters are used for plotting. However, neither is capable of producing orthophotos. Therefore, the researchers recommend that the IA DOT purchase soft photogrammetric workstations for orthophoto production, and if and when required, use it for aerial triangulation and plotting. In the future, the analogue plotters may become obsolete. At that time, the researchers recommend that the analogue plotters be phased out and replaced by soft photogrammetric workstations.

This is YOUR Highway Commission,1968

Before the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) was established by legislation in July 1974, there were several state agencies that handled the tasks that are now the responsibility of an integrated, multimodal Iowa DOT. Among those agencies was the Iowa State Highway Commission (IHC). You are invited to read a brief history of the Iowa DOT here:http://www.iowadot.gov/about/organizationalhistory.htm The IHC operated as an independent state agency between 1913 and 1974. In 1968, the IHC created and released This is YOUR Highway Commission, a 24 ½- minute film that showcased the responsibilities and functions of the IHC. The narrator describes the activities of various offices and employees, and explains how those activities benefited Iowa’s citizens and motorists. The film journeys through all areas of IHC responsibility to Iowa’s roadways, including administration, planning, design, bidding, right of way, materials, construction, maintenance and facilities. As part of the Iowa DOT’s effort to preserve and archive its historical resources, the original 16mm film was professionally cleaned, restored and digitized so that it could be made available via this website. The Iowa DOT is currently researching and compiling information necessary to prepare detailed biographies of the IHC employees identified in the film. Included in each biography will be still frames taken from the film, as well as other images from the Iowa DOT’s archives. This more comprehensive description of the film will be available in the future. In the meantime, below is a list of the IHC employees who have been identified. The list is arranged in the order in which each employee first appears in the film. There remain numerous unidentified employees in the film, and the Iowa DOT would greatly appreciate any assistance in identifying them. If you recognize an IHC employee in the film who is not on this list, please contactbeth.collins@dot.iowa.gov with any information you feel would be useful. Identified employees: Joseph Coupal, Jr.—Director of Highways Harry Bradley—Commissioner Derby Thompson—Commissioner John Hansen—Commissioner Koert Voorhees—Commissioner Harold Shiel—Engineer Howard Gunnerson—Chief engineer Martha Groth—Commission Secretary Robert Barry—Commissioner Nancy Groomes—Director’s Secretary Russell Moreland—Planning C.B. Anderson—Planning Gus Anderson—Engineer Carl Schach—Deputy chief engineer Raymond Kassel—Hearings engineer (later director of Transportation) Bob Given—Deputy chief engineer Don McLean—Director of Engineering Howard Thielen—Surveying (using rod) John Huss—Surveying (using leveling transit) John “Harley” McCoy—Surveying (taking notes) Jim Smith—Right of Way Keith Davis—Contracts Sherrill P. Freed—Sign Shop Olav Smedal—Director of Public Information

Asphalt Emulsions for Highway Construction, HR-216, 1985

A 5.8 mile section of Dubuque County (Iowa) Road D-53 was selected for this project, the objective of which were to: 1. identify a cost effective asphalt emulsion bound macadam typical cross section; 2. determine the effectiveness of engineering fabric placed under macadam roadbeds; and 3. evalaute the use of emulsions in surface seal coats. A number of conclusions were reached: 1. The minus #200 sieve material for the macadam stone should be held to a minimum. For the emulsion used on this project, the minus #200 material had less than 4 percent to achieve satisfactory coating of the macadam stone. 2. The placement of the emulsion treated macadam required no additional equipment or time than the plain macadam placement. 3. Emulsion treating the macadam stone for the shoulder base appears unnecessary. 4. The emulsion treated macadam base beneath an asphaltic concrete wearing surface yielded a higher structural rating than the plain macadam beneath a comparable ashaltic concrete surface. 5. The performance of the fabric between the subgrade and the macadam base to prevent soil intrusion into the base could not be determined by the non-destructive testing conducted. 6. When no choke stone is used over the macadam base, allowance for ac mix overrun should be made. 7. Use of an emulsion instead of a cutback asphalt saved money and energy. However, the poor performance of the seal coat negated any real savings.

Video Evaluation of Highway Drainage Systems, HR-317, 1991

Since 1978 the concept of longitudinal edge drains along Iowa primary and Interstate highways has been accepted as a cost-effective way of prolonging pavement life. Edge-drain installations have increased over the years, reaching a total of nearly 3,000 mi by 1989. With so many miles of edge drain installed, the development of a system for inspection and evaluation of the drains became essential. Equipment was purchased to evaluate 4-in.-diameter and geocomposite edge drains. Initial evaluations at various sites supported the need for a postconstruction inspection program to ensure that edge-drain installations were in accord with plans and specifications. Information disclosed by video inspections in edge drains and in culverts was compiled on videotape to be used as an informative tool for personnel in the design, construction, and maintenance departments. Video evaluations have influenced changes in maintenance, design, and construction inspection for highway drainage systems in Iowa.

Micro-Computer Based Linear Scheduling Application for Highway Construction Project Control, HR-339A, 1995

This report describes a new approach to the problem of scheduling highway construction type projects. The technique can accurately model linear activities and identify the controlling activity path on a linear schedule. Current scheduling practices are unable to accomplish these two tasks with any accuracy for linear activities, leaving planners and manager suspicious of the information they provide. Basic linear scheduling is not a new technique, and many attempts have been made to apply it to various types of work in the past. However, the technique has never been widely used because of the lack of an analytical approach to activity relationships and development of an analytical approach to determining controlling activities. The Linear Scheduling Model (LSM) developed in this report, completes the linear scheduling technique by adding to linear scheduling all of the analytical capabilities, including computer applications, present in CPM scheduling today. The LSM has tremendous potential, and will likely have a significant impact on the way linear construction is scheduled in the future.

A Feasibility Study on Embedded Micro-Electromechanical Sensors and Systems (MEMS) for Monitoring Highway Structures, TR-575, 2011

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) provide vast improvements over existing sensing methods in the context of structural health monitoring (SHM) of highway infrastructure systems, including improved system reliability, improved longevity and enhanced system performance, improved safety against natural hazards and vibrations, and a reduction in life cycle cost in both operating and maintaining the infrastructure. Advancements in MEMS technology and wireless sensor networks provide opportunities for long-term continuous, real-time structural health monitoring of pavements and bridges at low cost within the context of sustainable infrastructure systems. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the use of MEMS in highway structures for health monitoring purposes. This study focused on investigating the use of MEMS and their potential applications in concrete through a comprehensive literature review, a vendor survey, and a laboratory study, as well as a small-scale field study. Based on the comprehensive literature review and vendor survey, the latest information available on off-the-shelf MEMS devices, as well as research prototypes, for bridge, pavement, and traffic applications were synthesized. A commercially-available wireless concrete monitoring system based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and off-the-shelf temperature and humidity sensors were tested under controlled laboratory and field conditions. The test results validated the ability of the RFID wireless concrete monitoring system in accurately measuring the temperature both inside the laboratory and in the field under severe weather conditions. In consultation with the project technical advisory committee (TAC), the most relevant MEMS-based transportation infrastructure research applications to explore in the future were also highlighted and summarized.

Dynamic Tests of a Three-Span Continuous I-Beam Highway Bridge, HR-43, 1959

This paper presents the results of the static and dynamic testing of a three-span continuous I-beam highway bridge. Live load stress frequency curves for selected points are shown, and the static and dynamic load distribution to the longitudinal composite beam members are given. The bridge has four traffic lanes with a roadway width of 48 ft. Six longitudinal continuous WF beams act compositely with the reinforced concrete slab to carry the live load. The beams have partial length cover plates at the piers. Previous research has indicated that beams with partial length cover plates have a very low fatigue strength. It was found in this research that the magnitude of the stresses due to actual highway loads were very much smaller than those computed from specification loading. Also, the larger stresses which were measured occurred a relatively small number of times. These data indicate that some requirements for reduced allowable stresses at the ends of cover plates are too conservative. The load distribution to the longitudinal beams was determined for static and moving loads and includes the effect of impact on the distribution. The effective composite section was found at various locations to evaluate the load distribution data. The composite action was in negative as well as positive moment regions. The load distribution data indicate that the lateral distribution of live load is consistent with the specifications, but that there is longitudinal distribution, and therefore the specifications are too conservative.

Dynamics of Highway Bridges, HR-67, 1961

The AASHO specifications for highway bridges require that in designing a bridge, the live load must be multiplied by an impact factor for which a formula is given, dependent only upon the length of the bridge. This formula is a result of August Wohler's tests on fatigue in metals, in which he determined that metals which are subjected to large alternating loads will ultimately fail at lower stresses than those which are subjected only to continuous static loads. It is felt by some investigators that this present impact factor is not realistic, and it is suggested that a consideration of the increased stress due to vibrations caused by vehicles traversing the span would result in a more realistic impact factor than now exists. Since the current highway program requires a large number of bridges to be built, the need for data on dynamic behavior of bridges is apparent. Much excellent material has already been gathered on the subject, but many questions remain unanswered. This work is designed to investigate further a specific corner of that subject, and it is hoped that some useful light may be shed on the subject. Specifically this study hopes to correlate, by experiment on a small scale test bridge, the upper limits of impact utilizing a stationary, oscillating load to represent axle loads moving past a given point. The experiments were performed on a small scale bridge which is located in the basement of the Iowa Engineering Experiment Station. The bridge is a 25 foot simply supported span, 10 feet wide, supported by four beams with a composite concrete slab. It is assumed that the magnitude of the predominant forcing function is the same as the magnitude of the dynamic force produced by a smoothly rolling load, which has a frequency determined by the passage of axles. The frequency of passage of axles is defined as the speed of the vehicle divided by the axle spacing. Factors affecting the response of the bridge to this forcing function are the bridge stiffness and mass, which determine the natural frequency, and the effects of solid damping due to internal structural energy dissipation.

Wind Tunnel Analysis of the Effects of Planting at Highway Grade Separation Structures, HR-202, 1979

Blowing and drifting snow has been a problem for the highway maintenance engineer virtually since the inception of the automobile. In the early days, highway engineers were limited in their capability to design and construct drift free roadway cross sections, and the driving public tolerated the delays associated with snow storms. Modern technology, however, has long since provided the design expertise, financial resources, and construction capability for creating relatively snowdrift free highways, and the driver today has come to expect a highway facility that is free of snowdrifts, and if drifts develop they expect highway maintenance crews to open the highway within a short time. Highway administrators have responded to this charge for better control of snowdrifting. Modern highway designs in general provide an aerodynamic cross section that inhibits the deposition of snow on the roadway insofar as it is economically feasible to do so.