In two news stories last week, WTI was one of the MSU departments noted for its strong annual research totals: “The Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering rounds out the top three colleges for research expenditures with $15 million, led by its Center for Biofilm Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and the Western Transportation Institute.”
Graduate students who are interested in the emerging field of traffic safety culture are finding intriguing research opportunities at the Center for Health and Safety Culture (CHSC). Recently, Jubaer Ahmed joined CHSC as a Graduate Student Research Assistant, where he is helping with a project to understand driver beliefs regarding impaired driving for the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. With his advisor (and CHSC Director) Nic Ward, Jubaer is also developing a dissertation topic on the relationship between emotional intelligence and traffic safety culture.
Currently working toward a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, Jubaer holds a Master’s Degree in Logistics, Trade, and Transportation from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He previously worked for Chevron in Bangladesh as a Health and Safety Specialist, which inspired his interest in safety research that will protect people from serious injuries and fatalities.
Jubaer has a packed schedule with his research at CHSC, his position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and his Ph.D. studies. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and exploring the national parks with his wife and three children. After seeing snow for the first time last winter, he hopes to add skiing to his future activities!
WTI is excited to be working with the Small Urban and Rural Transit Center, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University to find out. Read more on the project page.
The guidebook will aid agencies in making effective decisions regarding conversion of paved roads to unpaved.
For roads with very low traffic volumes, some transportation agencies have found that that these roadways can be maintained more economically and at a higher level of service with an unpaved or granular surface, as compared with attempting to maintain an old paved surface. Through this project, WTI will develop a comprehensive information resource on effective practices for converting severely distressed paved roads to acceptable unpaved surfaces. The guide will be developed based on needs identified in a previous WTI project, NCHRP Synthesis 485 Converting Paved Roads to Unpaved.
Laura Fay, who led the NCHRP Synthesis, will also serve as Principal Investigator for this effort. The main benefit of this project will be the availability of an easy to use guidance document for agencies that operate and maintain low volume roads. The guide will help agencies select candidate roads for conversion, conduct more effective and safer conversions, and communicate with the public on how and why a conversion is taking place.
Additional project information is available on the project page of the WTI website.
WTI & MDT Will continue research on concrete cap for bridge deck supports as a long lasting, safe and cost effective solution.
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) has found concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) piles connected at the top by a concrete pile cap to be a very cost-effective support system for short and medium span bridges. This type of system offers low initial cost, short construction time, low maintenance requirements, and a long service life. While the gravity load performance of these systems is well understood, their strength and ductility under extreme lateral loads (e.g., seismic events) is more difficult to reliably predict using conventional design procedures.
MDT has sponsored previous WTI research to investigate the performance of these systems under extreme lateral loads and to develop appropriate analysis/design procedures. The primary objective of this research, led by Michael Berry, is to further validate/improve MDT’s CFST to concrete pile cap connection design/analysis methodologies, and to ensure the efficacy of these methodologies for a wide variety of potential design configurations. This research has important potential benefits for evaluating and enhancing bridge performance during earthquakes and other seismic events.
Additional information is available on the project page of the WTI website.
KBZK TV Interviews David Kack about the history and success of the Streamline Bus service.
The Streamline Bus Service in Bozeman achieved a major milestone in August – 12 years of service and three million rides! KBZK Channel 7 visited the community barbecue hosted by the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC), which operates Streamline, and interviewed WTI’s David Kack on the history and growth of the service over the years. Watch the full news story with David’s interview on the KBZK website.
The Pop-up Traffic Calming Projects, featured in the last issue of Newswire, are also “popping up” in the local news. KBZK Channel 7 traveled to the Bozeman projects locations last week to film the installations in action, and to interview WTI’s Dani Hess (in the rain!). This news clip is available on the KBZK website. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle also featured the story on the front page of the Sunday September 2, 2018 issue.
KBZK TV Interviews Dani Hess about the temporary “Pop Up” traffic calming projects.
