Infrastructure Annual Status Report, January 2012

Per legislative requirement, attached is the Iowa Department of Transportation’s summary of project status for infrastructure projects that have been appropriated revenue from various funds including Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure, Health Restricted Capitals, Bridge Safety, Revenue Bonds Capitals, and Revenue Bonds Capitals II. In addition, we have included status reports for the FY11 passenger rail appropriation from the Underground Storage Tank Fund and the FY2010 Commercial Service Vertical Infrastructure appropriation from the General Fund.

Infrastructure Annual Status Report, January 2010

Per legislative requirement, attached is the Iowa Department of Transportation’s summary of project status for infrastructure projects that have been appropriated revenue from various funds including Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure, Health Restricted Capitals, Bridge Safety, Revenue Bonds Capitals, and Revenue Bonds Capitals II. In addition, we have included status reports for the FY11 passenger rail appropriation from the Underground Storage Tank Fund and the FY2010 Commercial Service Vertical Infrastructure appropriation from the General Fund.

Part I. Iowa Railroad Investment Plan, 2009

The 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan details the state’s role in providing and preserving adequate, safe and efficient rail transportation services to Iowans. The plan is intended to serve as a guide for decision makers and provides a basis for future Iowa DOT policy, funding priorities and programming decisions that affect rail transportation service in Iowa. The primary purpose of the 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan is to guide the Iowa DOT in pursuing actions that maintain and improve railroad transportation in Iowa. The plan is a component of the Iowa Statewide Transportation Plan known as “Iowa in Motion.” This plan considers railroads from an intermodal perspective. Many commodities that move by rail also move by other modes (principally trucks) during part of their journey from origin to destination. The same is true of persons who use rail passenger service to make trips and who must also rely on other modes to access rail service. Therefore, railroads are part of larger intermodal freight and passenger transportation systems.

Impacts on Safety of Left-Turn Treatment at High Speed Signalized Intersections, HR-347, 1994

Left-turning traffic is a major source of conflicts at intersections. Though an average of only 10% to 15% of all approach traffic turns left, these vehicles are involved in approximately 45% of all accidents. This report presents the results of research conducted to develop models which estimate approach accident rates at high speed signalized intersections. The objective of the research was to quantify the relationship between traffic and intersection characteristics, and accident potential of different left turn treatments. Geometric, turning movement counts, and traffic signal phasing data were collected at 100 intersections in Iowa using a questionnaire sent to municipalities. Not all questionnaires resulted in complete data and ultimately complete data were derived for 63 intersections providing a database of 248 approaches. Accident data for the same approaches were obtained from the Iowa Department of Transportation Accident Location and Analysis System (ALAS). Regression models were developed for two different dependent variables: 1) the ratio of the number of left turn accidents per approach to million left turning vehicles per approach, and 2) the ratio of accidents per approach to million traffic movements per approach. A number of regression models were developed for both dependent variables. One model using each dependent variable was developed for intersections with low, medium, and high left turning traffic volumes. As expected, the research indicates that protected left turn phasing has a lower accident potential than protected/permitted or permitted phasing. Left turn lanes and multiple lane approaches are beneficial for reducing accident rates, while raised medians increase the likelihood of accidents. Signals that are part of a signal system tend to have lower accident rates than isolated signals. The resulting regression models may be used to determine the likely impact of various left turn treatments on intersection accident rates. When designing an intersection approach, a traffic engineer may use the models to estimate the accident rate reduction as a result of improved lane configurations and left turn treatments. The safety benefits may then be compared to any costs associated with operational effects to the intersection (i.e., increased delay) to determine the benefits and costs of making intersection safety improvements.

A Literature Review of Urban Bypass Studies, 1992

Urban places attract most highway travel because more people are to be per acre in urban places than elsewhere. In the beginning of highway development the objective was to provide an all-weather road for the rural people to get to town and back to their farms, but there was no consideration of getting motor vehicles through the town to the opposite side. With the development of intercity travel, it soon became apparent that travel through the urban areas would have to be given consideration along with the travel to and from the urban areas. This consideration led to the urban bypass, a provision in highway location whereby the traveler may get to the opposite side of the urban area without going through it, or at least not through the central business district. Bypasses, although highly desired by the through travelers, were not welcomed by local business interests on the basis that the community would suffer a reduction in retail trade. Some discussion of the pros and cons of bypasses and their consequences as observed from experience will shed light upon this type of local highway. The bypass report summaries in this document were based on interviews with businessmen and community leaders of cities that have actually experienced firsthand the impacts of a highway bypass. Several of the studies were conducted by newspaper reporters, city council members and residents of Iowa cities.

Improving Safety for Slow Moving Vehicles on Iowa's High-Speed Rural Roadways, TR-572, 2009

Among the variety of road users and vehicle types that travel on U.S. public roadways, slow moving vehicles (SMVs) present unique safety and operations issues. SMVs include vehicles that do not maintain a constant speed of 25 mph, such as large farm equipment, construction vehicles, or horse-drawn buggies. Though the number of crashes involving SMVs is relatively small, SMV crashes tend to be severe. Additionally, SMVs can be encountered regularly on non-Interstate/non-expressway public roadways, but motorists may not be accustomed to these vehicles. This project was designed to improve transportation safety for SMVs on Iowa’s public roadway system. This report includes a literature review that shows various SMV statistics and laws across the United States, a crash study based on three years of Iowa SMV crash data, and recommendations from the SMV community.

Evaluation of Racial Differences in Seat Belt and Child Restraint Use: A Review of Current Literature, 2004

This report presents the results of a literature review conducted to evaluate differences in seat belt use by race. A literature review was conducted to evaluate overall seat belt use, racial differences in seat belt use, overall child restraint use, racial differences in child restraint use, and information about seat belt and child restraint use specific to Iowa. A number of national studies and regional studies were found and are presented. Mixed results were found as to whether racial differences exist in both seat belt use and child restraint use. However, in the course of the literature review, several items that are of interest to safety in Iowa have emerged, although little data specific to Iowa was encountered. First, national seat belt use appears to be lower among African-Americans than for Caucasians or Hispanics. Second, national crash rates among Hispanics appear to be higher than those for Caucasians, particularly when population and lower vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are considered. One issue that should be considered throughout this literature review is that the Hispanic population may be higher than reported due to large numbers of undocumented persons who do not appear in population estimates, driver’s license, or other databases.

Road Safety Audit for Union County IA 25 from the WCL of Creston to North H-24 Intersection, 2008

In April 2008 a preliminary investigation of fatal and major injury crashes on Iowa’s primary road system from 2001 through 2007 was conducted by the Iowa Department of Transportation, Office of Traffic and Safety. A mapping of these data revealed an apparent concentration of these serious crashes on a section of Iowa 25 north of Creston. Based on this information, a road safety audit of this roadway section was requested by the Office of Traffic and Safety. Iowa 25 is a two-lane asphaltic concrete pavement roadway, 22 ft in width with approximately 6 ft wide granular shoulders. Originally constructed in 1939, the roadway was last rehabilitated in 1996 with a 4-in. asphalt overlay. Except for shoulder paving through a curve area, no additional work beyond routine maintenance has been accomplished in the section. The 2004 traffic map indicates that IA 25 has a traffic volume of approximately 2070 vehicles per day with 160 commercial vehicles. The posted speed is 55 mph. This report contains a discussion of audit team findings, crash and roadway data, and recommendations for possible mitigation of safety concerns for this roadway section.

Evaluation of Iowa's Driver Improvement Program, 2009

This study examines the effectiveness of Iowa’s Driver Improvement Program (DIP), measured as the reduction in the number of driver convictions subsequent to the DIP. The analysis involved a random sample of 9,055 drivers who had been instructed to attend DIP and corresponding data on driver convictions, crashes, and driver education training history that were provided by the Iowa Motor Vehicle Division. The sample was divided into two groups based on DIP outcome: satisfactory or unsatisfactory completion. Two evaluation periods were considered: one year after the DIP date (probation period) and the period from the 13th to 18th month after the DIP date. The evaluation of Iowa’s DIP showed that there is evidence of effectiveness in terms of reducing driver convictions subsequent to attending the DIP. Among the 6,790 (75%) drivers who completed the course satisfactorily, 73% of drivers had no actions and 93% were not involved in a crash during the probation period. Statistical tests confirmed these numbers. However, the positive effect of satisfactory completion of DIP on survival time (that is, the time until the first conviction) was not statistically significant 13 months after the DIP date. Econometric model estimation results showed that, regardless of the DIP outcome, the likelihood of conviction occurrence and frequency of subsequent convictions depends on other factors, such as age, driver history, and DIP location, and interaction effects among these factors. Low-cost, early intervention measures are suggested to enhance the effectiveness of Iowa’s DIP. These measures can include advisory and warning letters (customized based on the driver’s age) sent within the first year after the DIP date and soon after the end of the probation period, as well as a closer examination of DIP instruction across the 17 community colleges that host the program. Given the large number of suspended drivers who continued to drive, consideration should also be given to measures to reduce driving while suspended offenses.

Effectiveness of Roadway Safety Improvements, 2001

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) continuously assesses the likely causes of crashes at high-crash locations throughout the Iowa roadway network and designs solutions to reduce the incidences of crashes. This research analyzed approximately 100 safety projects constructed in the past 10 years to see what affect they had on highway safety. The projects are grouped into seven categories as defined by their scope of work: (1) install new traffic signal, (2) add turn lane(s), (3) install new signal and turn lane(s), (4) add left-turn phasing, (5) add left-turn phasing and turn lane(s), (6) replace pedestal mount signals with mast arm signals, and (7) other geometric improvements. The project makes use of an extensive statewide crash database. The results of the project will evaluate the assumed reduction factors and benefit/cost (B/C) analysis, determine the actual cost effectiveness of the Iowa DOT's safety programs, and allow the Iowa DOT to better prioritize future improvements.

The Effect of the No-Passing Zone Sign on "Passing" Accidents, 1963

The No Passing Zone sign (Wl0-4) was designed in 1958 for the purpose of informing the driver contemplating a passing maneuver of hazardous sight conditions ahead. This warning sign, of pennent shape design, was placed on the left side of the road so as to be more conspicuous to the intended driver. During the two year period 1959-1960, the Wl0-4 signs were erected throughout the Iowa Primary Road System.

Efficiency of informational transfer in regular and complex networks

We analyze the process of informational exchange through complex networks by measuring network efficiencies. Aiming to study nonclustered systems, we propose a modification of this measure on the local level. We apply this method to an extension of the class of small worlds that includes declustered networks and show that they are locally quite efficient, although their clustering coefficient is practically zero. Unweighted systems with small-world and scale-free topologies are shown to be both globally and locally efficient. Our method is also applied to characterize weighted networks. In particular we examine the properties of underground transportation systems of Madrid and Barcelona and reinterpret the results obtained for the Boston subway network.

Review of Automated Vehicle Technology: Policy and Implementation Implications; Version 1.0; RB28-015, 2016

This report provides recommendations for the state of Iowa over the next five years in regards to automated vehicle policy development. These administrative, planning, legal, and community strategy recommendations for government agencies include: • Encouraging automation by preparing government agencies, infrastructure, leveraging procurement, and advocating for safety mandates • Adjusting long range planning processes by identifying and incorporating a wide range of new automation scenarios • Beginning to analyze and, as necessary, clarify existing law as it apples to automated driving • Auditing existing law • Enforcing existing laws • Ensuring vehicle owners and operators bear the true cost of driving • Embracing flexibility by giving agencies the statutory authority to achieve regulatory goals through different means, allowing them to make small-scale exemptions to statutory regimes and clarifying their enforcement discretion • Thinking locally and preparing publicly • Sharing the steps being taken to promote (as well as to anticipate and regulate) automated driving • Instituting public education about automated vehicle technologies.

High-SNR analytical performance of spatial multiplexing MIMO systems with CSI

In this paper, we investigate the average andoutage performance of spatial multiplexing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with channel state information at both sides of the link. Such systems result, for example, from exploiting the channel eigenmodes in multiantenna systems. Dueto the complexity of obtaining the exact expression for the average bit error rate (BER) and the outage probability, we deriveapproximations in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime assuming an uncorrelated Rayleigh flat-fading channel. Moreexactly, capitalizing on previous work by Wang and Giannakis, the average BER and outage probability versus SNR curves ofspatial multiplexing MIMO systems are characterized in terms of two key parameters: the array gain and the diversity gain. Finally, these results are applied to analyze the performance of a variety of linear MIMO transceiver designs available in the literature.

Kuiva-, bio-, hyöty- ja ongelmajätteiden keskitetysti kilpailutettu kuljetusjärjestelmä Etelä-Karjalassa

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tuottaa tietoa kuiva-, bio-, hyöty- ja ongelmajätteiden keskitetysti kilpailutetun kuljetusjärjestelmän eduista ja haitoista Etelä-Karjalan Jätehuolto Oy:n alueella. Tutkimuksessa esitellään jätteenkuljetusjärjestelmien ominaisuudet ja niiden suunnittelu sekä jätehuoltoa ja jätteenkuljetuksia koskeva lainsäädäntö. Keskitetysti kilpailutettu jätteenkuljetusjärjestelmä mitoitettiin järjestelmän nykytilan kuvauksen sekä muualla Suomessa kilpailutuksesta saatujen kokemusten avulla. Järjestelmää arvioitiin vertaamalla kaluston tarvetta, kuormapainoja sekä kuljetuskustannuksia nykyiseen tilanteeseen. Lopuksi arvioitiin jatkokehitystarpeita ja tarvittavia toimenpiteitä, kun keskitettyyn kilpailuttamiseen siirrytään. Jätteenkuljetusten keskitetyllä kilpailuttamisella voidaan saavuttaa etuja nykyiseen kuntakohtaiseen jätteenkuljetukseen verrattuna. Edut syntyvät kun päällekkäiset ajot sekä siirtoajot vähenevät ja kuormakoot kasvavat. Kuljetukset voidaan hoitaa pienemmällä kalustomäärällä, jolloin myös kuljetuskustannukset laskevat.