Evaluation of the Buena Vista IBRD Bridge: A Furthering of Accelerated Bridge Construction in Iowa, February 2012

The need to construct bridges that last longer, are less expensive, and take less time to build has increased. The importance of accelerated bridge construction (ABC) technologies has been realized by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Bridges and Structures. This project is another in a series of ABC bridge projects undertaken by the Iowa DOT. Buena Vista County, Iowa, with the assistance of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Bridge Engineering Center (BEC) at Iowa State University, constructed a two-lane single-span precast box girder bridge, using rapid construction techniques. The design involved the use of precast, pretensioned components for the bridge superstructure, substructure, and backwalls. This application and demonstration represents an important step in the development and advancement of these techniques in Iowa as well as nationwide. Prior funding for the design and construction of this bridge (including materials) was obtained through the FHWA Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment (IBRD) Program. The Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB) provided additional funding to test and evaluate the bridge. This project directly addresses the IBRD goal of demonstrating (and documenting) the effectiveness of innovative materials and construction techniques for the construction of new bridge structures. Evaluation of performance was formulated through comparisons with design assumptions and recognized codes and standards including American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) specifications.

Concrete Overlay Field Application Program Iowa Task Report US 18 Concrete Overlay Construction Under Traffic, May 2012

The National Concrete Pavement Technology Center, Iowa Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration set out to demonstrate and document the design and construction of portland cement concrete (PCC) overlays on two-lane roadways while maintaining two-way traffic. An 18.82 mile project was selected for 2011 construction in northeast Iowa on US 18 between Fredericksburg and West Union. This report documents planning, design, and construction of the project and lessons learned. The work included the addition of subdrains, full-depth patching, bridge approach replacement, and drainage structural repair and cleaning prior to overlay construction. The paving involved surface preparation by milling to grade and the placement of a 4.5 inch PCC overlay and 4 foot of widening to the existing pavement. In addition, the report makes recommendations on ways to improve the process for future concrete overlays.

Design and Construction in Fair Housing: Enforcement, Timeless and Practical Suggestion, Spring 2010

In addition to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, other legislation has expanded protection from discrimination for individuals with disabilities, including the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Notably, the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA), signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1988, expanded equal housing protection to individuals with disabilities. The legislative history behind the 1988 Amendments notes that one aim of the law was to address both purposeful discrimination as well as what is sometimes unintentional discrimination caused by the design and construction of inaccessible housing.

Audit report on the Council Bluffs Airport Authority for the year ended June 30, 2012

Audit report on the Council Bluffs Airport Authority for the year ended June 30, 2012

FY2012 Highway Construction Program Expenditures/Obligations

This report describes the highway construction program, actual expenditures of the program and contractual obligations of the program for FY 2012.

Entre stéréotypie et singularité : la construction de l''ethos' de Laurent de Premierfait dans ses prologues

L'époque charnière de la fin du xive siècle, début du xve siècle, voit émerger des voix auctoriales de plus en plus engagées, subjectives et conscientes de leur talent. Cet article tend à montrer en quoi la notion d'ethos issue de la linguistique moderne permet de caractériser l'évolution d'une de ces voix médiévales, celle d'un traducteur du xve siècle, Laurent de Premierfait, au regard de la tradition. L'étude des prologues de ses traductions témoigne d'une forte influence de la situation de communication et de la scène d'énonciation, celle du patronage et de la tradition poétique héritée de la traduction du xive siècle, qui oblige le traducteur à négocier sa propre image dans son texte. Ainsi, l'auteure de cet article propose de caractériser à travers différents indices rhétoriques, poétiques, discursifs, voire extra-discursifs, les deux êthê qui émanent de ces prologues : un ethos de moraliste, conforme aux attentes du public et un ethos d'humaniste, révélant un positionnement singulier et individuel du traducteur dans la communauté des écrivains.

Faire croire, faire peur : diabolisation de la sorcellerie et construction de l'altérité à la fin du Moyen Age

L'objectif de ma contribution est de mettre en lumière le processus de construction de la figure du sorcier, qui répond à une double logique d'accumulations et d'exagérations des accusations. Ces dernières renvoient à quatre registres principaux, à commencer par celui de la diabolisation des pratiques de magie et de sorcellerie. Par ailleurs, le sabbat des sorcières est perçu comme une anti-église démoniaque qui réunit une secte éminemment dangereuse d'hérétiques et d'apostats qui ont conclu un pacte avec le diable. Le fantasme du complot ou de la rébellion contribue alors à construire la peur des sectes de sorciers. Enfin, le registre de la contre-nature, tels les crimes immoraux ou tabous associés aux méfaits des sorciers (comportements sexuels déviants, infanticide et cannibalisme d'enfants), favorise quant à lui le dénigrement des individus.

Use of Incentive/Disincentive Contracting to Mitigate Work Zone Traffic Impacts, 2012

Incentive/disincentive clauses (I/D) are designed to award payments to contractors if they complete work ahead of schedule and to deduct payments if they exceed the completion time. A previously unanswered question is, “Did the costs of the actual work zone impacts that were avoided justify the incentives paid?” This report answers that question affirmatively based on an evaluation of 20 I/D projects in Missouri from 2008 to 2011. Road user costs (RUC) were used to quantify work zone impacts and included travel delays, vehicle operating costs, and crash costs. These were computed using work zone traffic conditions for partial-closure projects and detour volumes and routes for full-closure projects. Conditions during construction were compared to after construction. Crash costs were computed using Highway Safety Manual methodology. Safety Performance Functions produced annual crash frequencies that were translated into crash cost savings. In considering an average project, the percentage of RUC savings was around 13% of the total contract amount, or $444,389 of $3,464,620. The net RUC savings produced was around $7.2 million after subtracting the approximately $1.7 million paid in incentives. In other words, for every dollar paid in incentives, approximately 5.3 dollars of RUC savings resulted. I/D provisions were very successful in saving RUC for projects with full-closure, projects in urban areas, and emergency projects. Rural, non-emergency projects successfully saved RUC but not at the same level as other projects. The I/D contracts were also compared to all Missouri Department of Transportation contracts for the same time period. The results show that I/D projects had a higher on-time completion percentage and a higher number of bids per call than average projects. But I/D projects resulted in 4.52% higher deviation from programmed costs and possibly more changes made after the award. A survey of state transportation departments and contractors showed that both agreed to the same issues that affect the success of I/D contracts. Legal analysis suggests that liquidated damages is preferred to disincentives, since enforceability of disincentives may be an issue. Overall, in terms of work zone impact mitigation, I/D contracts are very effective at a relatively low cost.

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.

Integrated Risk Management for Improving Internal Traffic Control, Work-Zone Safety, and Mobility during Major Construction, TPF-5(081), 2012

Highway construction is among the most dangerous industries in the US. Internal traffic control design, along with how construction equipment and vehicles interact with the traveling public, have a significant effect on how safe a highway construction work zone can be. An integrated approach was taken to research work-zone safety issues and mobility, including input from many personnel, ranging from roadway designers to construction laborers and equipment operators. The research team analyzed crash data from Iowa work-zone incident reports and Occupational Safety and Health Administration data for the industry in conjunction with the results of personal interviews, a targeted work-zone ingress and egress survey, and a work-zone pilot project.