Eng. Proc., 2023, MAIREINFRA 2023

The Second International Conference on the Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Constructed Infrastructure Facilities (MAIREINFRA2; Chairman: Hosin “David” Lee, Professor of University of Iowa, Associate Editor of the MDPI journal Infrastructures, Immediate Past President of iSMARTi and the Founding Board of Trustees of the Seoul Institute of Technology), was organized by the International Society for Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Transport Infrastructures (iSMARTi) in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, from 16 to 19 August 2023 [...] Full article

Surface damage detection, geometry measurement and monitoring are important for assessing the condition and risk of concrete structures. Therefore, to effectively assess the damage to a concrete structure, a 3D laser scanner accurately estimates the damage within a short timeframe and with less cost than the traditional inspection approaches. This study presents a framework for automated surface damage detection and structural health monitoring of a concrete structure using a X7 laser scanner (Trimble, Westminster, CO, USA). The methodology includes the use of 3D laser scanning technology to capture the 3D geometry of the concrete structure, followed by a detailed analysis of the data to identify any areas of damage or crack. The isodata and object-based image analysis (OBIA) techniques were applied to a 2D image generated from 3D cloud points. Overall accuracy (>89.6) and kappa statistics (>0.83) of both classification techniques exhibit good agreement between the classified and reference image. The OBIA technique was shown to be more effective in detecting minor cracks (<5 mm) and damage on a concrete structure. It was observed that the proposed approach is effective at identifying and monitoring the structural health of a concrete structure. The ability to continuously monitor the structure in this manner allows for early detection of damage and can aid in the maintenance and repair of the structure. Furthermore, this approach can robustly perform structural health monitoring and damage estimation. Full article

The passage of superloads over the jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCPs) causes signification fatigue damage to the JPCPs. This mainly happens because of their non-standardized loading configurations and high gross vehicle and axle weights. Developing a high-accuracy prediction model for JPCP fatigue damage under superloads is strongly required to complement the mechanistic–empirical (ME) pavement design in aspects of its wide range of dimensions, including number, spacing, and loading of tires and axles. In this study, various data-driven models based on different theoretical approaches, including artificial neural network-based models, generalized additive models, and multiple linear regression models, were constructed using a well-established database derived from finite-element analysis results in order to predict the target response for JPCP fatigue damage when subjected to superloads. The prediction accuracies of these data-driven models were then evaluated to confirm their further applicability to the existing ME pavement design software. Full article

Maintenance of homogeneous road sections is one of the approaches to economizing the overall management of pavement systems. The objective of this study was to develop a multi-parameter-based delineation approach to segmenting the pavements into subsections in a way that considers multiple pavement characteristics. Deflection bowl parameters, pavement functional performance, surface layer modulus, and traffic were analyzed to develop a multi-parametric delineation index (MPDI), which was used in C-charts-based segmentation to obtain homogeneous sections. Importantly, the segmentation processes were automated using a deep neural network designed for rational implementation by practitioners. The devised approach was found to be efficient in segmenting the pavements, selecting the sections that are in direst need of maintenance, and necessitating prompt response from the agencies. Full article

Cement stabilization has been successfully used to improve poor-quality subgrade soils by increasing the soil support to remedy these soils useful for pavement construction. Cement stabilization has the potential to reduce initial construction costs through improved subgrade stability in the pavement structure. Cement stabilization also provides greater long-term stability of the pavement structure and lower pavement life-cycle costs through reduced pavement maintenance. Unfortunately, flexible pavements over cement-stabilized subgrade are experiencing reflective cracking originating from the shrinkage cracks on top of cement-stabilized subgrade due to poor construction. In this study, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was used to capture the inconsistent layer thickness of cement-stabilized subgrade and its cement content. The results show that GPR is capable of capturing different dielectric constants along with different percent cement contents in subgrade soils. Full article

Asset management decision support tools determine which action (maintenance, rehabilitation, or reconstruction) is applied to each facility in a transportation network and when. Sophisticated tools recognize uncertainties and consider emerging priorities. However, these tools are often computationally complex and lack transparency, the models are difficult to evaluate, and the outputs challenging to validate. This paper explores computational complexity, transparency, and realism in transportation asset management decision support tools to better understand how to select the right tools for a particular context. The results provide direction for agencies when selecting decision support tools, and for researchers and tool developers working towards developing the right tool for an application. Full article

Slope failure is a severe natural disaster that can cause property damage and human costs. In order to develop a warning system for slope failure, various studies have been conducted, including research based on both physics-based models and machine learning-based models. While machine learning-based approaches have shown promise due to their ability to automatically extract hidden patterns in data, conventional machine learning models have their limitations. Specifically, while they can always provide a prediction value, they fail to provide information about the uncertainty of the prediction results. In this study, we developed a machine learning model that can predict the slope failure by training trends in time-series data. Our proposed model addresses the limitations of the conventional machine learning models by incorporating the Monte Carlo dropout to calculate the uncertainty during the prediction stage. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed model significantly outperforms the conventional machine learning models in terms of both its prediction accuracy and the ability to estimate uncertainty. Furthermore, the model proposed in this study can support decision-makers by providing more accurate information than the conventional models. Full article

Lightweight cellular concrete (LCC) has gained attention in the pavement industry as a potential subbase material due to its workability, freeze–thaw resistance, and thermal insulation properties. Research has shown that LCC has sufficient strength to support pavement structures and reduce subgrade pressures. However, a successful application requires the consideration of construction provisions, such as equipment and quality control, and design parameters, such as strength requirements and structural coefficients. This paper provides recommendations for using LCC as a pavement subbase material, including when and how to design pavement with it. Full article

Various studies have been conducted on reducing NO_x emissions; titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is widely used to reduce NO_x in the air. This study proposes a method for exploiting the advantages of photocatalytic technology and water permeability to reduce NO_x emissions. The study comprises porosity, water permeability coefficient, compressive strength, and NO_x removal experiments. Based on the experiments, an optimum mix proportion is suggested. The results revealed that the NO_x removal effect is greater for variables with higher porosity. The removal is further enhanced by the use of siloxane, which hardens the surface of the TiO₂-incorporated cementitious materials in the mixture. Full article

Conducting small asphalt repairs on airfields in remote locations can be technically and logistically challenging. An alternative to cold patch products is using an engineered polymer binder (EPB) mixed with recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). This paper presents the results of a laboratory evaluation of EPB with both wet and dry RAP. Compacted specimens were tested for rut resistance, indirect tensile strength (ITS), and Cantabro mass loss (ML). The results indicate that RAP mixed with EPB exhibited substantial rut resistance with ITS and ML similar to that of conventional dense-graded asphalt. Overall, the EPB and RAP blend appears to be a promising alternative for airfield repairs. Full article

The extreme arid climatic conditions and poor asphalt mix design characteristics have further accelerated the rate of deterioration of in-service asphalt pavements in Kuwait. Pavement distresses, such as raveling, rutting, and fatigue cracks, worsen in severe climatic and loading conditions, such as high temperatures, elevated humidity levels, and high traffic loads on the pavement surfaces. In this study, a life performance evaluation using mechanistic–empirical analysis of a new modified Superpave mix design was undertaken. The performance life of the modified Superpave asphalt mixture was evaluated, and the results showed that the new modifications to the mix improved the rutting and fatigue cracking resistances of the asphalt mixture for the unconditioned state. However, fatigue cracking resistance under the moisture-conditioned state still needs further improvement for the newly modified Superpave asphalt mixture. Full article

Advancements in computer vision applications have led to improved object detection (OD) in terms of accuracy and processing time, enabling real-time solutions across various fields. In pavement engineering, detecting visual defects such as potholes, cracking, and rutting is of particular interest. This study aims to evaluate YOLO models on a dataset of 665 road pavement images labeled with potholes for OD. Pre-trained deep learning models were customized for pothole detection using transfer learning techniques. The assessed models include You Only Look Once (YOLO) versions 3, 4, and 5. It was found that YOLOv4 achieves the highest mean average precision (mAP), while its shortened version, YOLOv4-tiny, offers the best-reduced inference time, making it ideal for mobile applications. Furthermore, the YOLOv5s model demonstrates potential, attaining good results and standing out for its ease of implementation and scalability. Full article

The use of recycled aggregates, including waste materials and by-products, has attracted increasing interest in the last decades as a sustainable and cost-effective solution for the construction and maintenance of road pavements, due to the reduction of excavation operations and depletion of natural resources. Life cycle assessment (LCA) represents a valuable methodology for the evaluation of the environmental sustainability of technologies involving the use of such materials. This paper deals with the LCA of an innovative emulsion-based cold recycled mixture specifically conceived to be used as a sustainable solution for the surface finishing of unpaved rural roads. Two scenarios entailing the employment of recycled or virgin materials were analyzed with the assessment of global warming potential (GWP), energy requirement, and water consumption. Results obtained confirmed that the scenario entailing the use of recycled materials represents the most sustainable and environmentally friendly solution. Full article

This paper presents the novel concept of titanium alloy reinforced ultra-high performance concrete (TARUHPC) that can be utilized in bridges. This research highlights the advantages associated with titanium alloy bars (TiABs) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). To validate the concept, pullout tests were implemented to assess the pullout behavior of TiABs with concrete and UHPC. Twelve beam samples (normal concrete and UHPC) were prepared using #6 (ø 0.75 inch) TiABs with different embedment lengths. TARUHPC specimens performed exceedingly better, with an average ultimate force of about 29 kips and a resulting shear stress of 1.82 ksi. Full article

Design of emulsified cold asphalt mixes using reclaimed asphalt pavement requires optimization of the emulsion and moisture content to achieve either maximum density or a minimum strength level of the mix, and in some cases both. Municipalities and local governments most often lack advanced testing equipment to design the cold mixes based on strength or stiffness results. This study was conducted with the objective of developing a simple mix design process for emulsion-based cold mixes using simple laboratory equipment such as proctor molds which are commonly used for optimization of moisture content for soil compaction. Full article

Civil infrastructure over the years has experienced a dominant reliance on concrete material compared to other construction materials. Human inspection is the main mode of inspection for such structures, including concrete columns, which has been proven to be inaccurate and time-consuming. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are a substitute for such problems for both detection and quantification. However, storing the results and visualizing them at a later stage has always been a challenge. Additionally, integration of the concrete crack deep learning model to a mobile platform is an area that has received less attention. This study focuses on segmenting the concrete crack sections using the latest state-of-the-art (YOLOv7) neural network, which is then used to obtain the quantification data about the length and width of the detected crack using image binarization, and finally the results are published using a reporting system integrated to a mobile platform using a web and IoT system. The published report uses a checklist from the quantification results to grade the crack as well as its structure. The results show a mAP of 0.85, while the quantification results show a 10.82% absolute error, respectively. The reporting system takes a combined average of 5940 ms to store the data inside a database, which is then published through a mobile device. It has been demonstrated through this study that an automatic mobile reporting system is feasible to be used on buildings for maintenance, which can be further applied across other sectors of construction for monitoring and repair purposes. Full article

This research discusses the viability of the next-generation novel materials, e.g., titanium alloy bars (TiABs) and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) that have potential to be utilized in civil infrastructures, e.g., bridges, in combination with machine learning (ML) techniques. Since UHPC and TiABs have been demonstrated to be a realistic alternative to traditional construction materials for civil infrastructures, it is important to characterize bond performance of reinforcing, i.e., TiABs embedded in UHPC. The research utilizes improvement of ML techniques, e.g., transfer learning (TL) to predict the bond strength of TiABs in UHPC. Full article

The use of recycled materials is necessary to realize the green transition towards carbon neutrality. Several waste products are highly valued materials that cannot be landfilled without exploiting their full potential. Promoting the circular economy concept, this study aims to produce more sustainable paving materials using selected recycled products in binders and asphalt mixes. Rubber (R) from End-of-Life Tyres (ELTs) and Re-refined Engine Oil Bottom (REOB), i.e., the by-product of waste lubricants refining, were employed to produce extended bitumens (25%wt. bitumen replacement) trying to solve the ELTs and REOBs large production, thus disposal, worldwide. In addition, recycled aggregates from various urban and industrial sources were used to halve the quantity of virgin mineral aggregates in the developed asphalt mixtures. Considering two different types of REOBs, two mass proportions of R and REOB and two production temperatures of extended bitumens, eight asphalt mixes containing about 50%wt. of recycled materials were manufactured and underwent to preliminary mechanical tests. The stiffness, tensile and moisture resistances of the greener asphalt concretes were evaluated and compared to two reference mixes: one mainly consisted of virgin materials, and another contained 50%wt. of recycled aggregates and neat bitumen. The eight greener mixes exhibited promising responses in terms of stiffness and tensile strength, showing better intermediate values than the reference ones, but more water susceptibility. Full article

The paper presents an accelerometer-based system that can be implemented in a passenger car to estimate water depths on a road surface. Tests conducted on various road surfaces at different vehicle speeds allow the determination of an appropriate location of the accelerometers and define a relevant filtering of the recorded signals. Results show that the system can relate acceleration amplitudes to water depths lower than 0.5 mm. The potential use of the system to warn drivers under adverse weather conditions, especially when skid resistance drops during and after a precipitation, is presented and discussed. Full article

Speeding is known to be one of the main causes of traffic crashes. Therefore, various speed management techniques are applied to prevent accidents caused by speeding in many countries. Among them, speed humps are regarded as a cost-effective facility compared to other speed management techniques. Although the development of speed bumps continues through various studies, most studies focus on reducing the amount of impact, so there is no study that can comprehensively determine the driver’s feeling. Therefore, in this study, a generalized ordered regression model was used to demonstrate the driver’s feelings when passing a speed hump under various driving conditions through field experiments. Full article

Over the past few years, in order to extend the service life of pavements, the authors developed a special asphalt mixture that adequately prevents the ingress of water from the foundation layer of the asphalt into the top layers. The highly flexible mixture with a premix-type modified asphalt has been applied on a road, and the mixture showed excellent cracking performance in serviceability. Since the highly flexible mixture uses a premix-type modified asphalt that is transported by an asphalt tanker truck, it is difficult to manufacture in small quantities for responding to small-scale and emergency constructions. In order to deal with this difficulty, the present study developed a plant-mix-type modified asphalt mixture using a special additive at the plant. The laboratory tests and field evaluation results indicated that both the premix-type asphalt mixture and the plant-mix-type modified asphalt mixture exhibited excellent flexibility and stress relaxation properties. Full article

Conventional steel bars are mostly used as the main load transfer mechanism between jointed slabs in rigid pavements; however, they are generally prone to corrosion which reduces the load transfer efficiency at the joints. This study evaluates the performance of steel bars wrapped with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets, introducing a corrosion-free alternative to conventional steel bars while maintaining the required strength. This paper explains the test setup of large-scale shear strength and load transfer efficiency tests that are currently conducted on the slab samples to evaluate the structural performance of the proposed dowel bars and concrete mix designs. Full article

This study proposes a method to determine a spatial boundary of traffic operation and management techniques in strategic schemes against sudden traffic incidents based on historical data in the Seoul metropolitan area. Through the combination of data analysis and a geographical information system, it was found that there were general tendencies after the occurrence of an incident pertaining to its significance and how long the effects of incidents last. We classified the properties of accidents based on their duration and the space left available within the relevant road lane. This study found that the longer the incident’s duration, the greater the effect of the traffic incident. When the number of available lanes was one, the impact of the traffic accident was greater. In the case of two or more available lanes, the spatial boundary tended to be identical, while changes in travel speed were affected by incident type. Full article

The objective of this work is to determine the appropriate resolution of pavement textures representative of their surface skid resistance. The friction and the texture of different pavement surfaces were first measured. Then, the friction of these pavements was computed using the dynamic friction model (DFM) and the resampled textures at different resolutions. Finally, a comparison of the experimental and model results is made possible to determine the optimal resolution, bringing them as close as possible. After analyzing the results, it was found that the optimal resolution is 500 µm in these study conditions. Full article

Chip seal is a pavement preservation treatment that is usually used on lower-volume routes by States and local agencies. Chip seal provides a low-cost surface treatment, improves skid resistance, and reduces the deterioration of the existing underlying pavement. Chip seals consist of a layer of aggregate (chip) spread evenly on top of an emulsion that is sprayed onto the deteriorated surface. The performance of chip seals is significantly affected by the existing conditions and pretreatment carried out before the chip seal is applied. A study was conducted by retrieving long-term performance of chip seals from the Washington pavement management system (WSPMS). In collaboration with Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), twelve (12) road sections previously paved with hot mix asphalt (HMA) or chip seal and later maintained with chip seal were selected, and their performance was analyzed in terms of cracking, rutting, and roughness index (IRI). It was found that chip seal greatly reduced the cracking and slowed down the crack growth when compared to HMA overlay. However, no improvement in rutting or international roughness index (IRI) caused by the chip seal was found. Full article

The carpet-Type materials painted yellow in pedestrian waiting areas are safety devices used to prevent collisions with vehicles and children. They are primarily recommended to be placed on both the pavement and the wall sides, but local governments in the Republic of Korea place them only on the pavement side, excluding the wall part to reduce the deployment costs and increase the number of deployment sites. The difference in effectiveness between these Types may be different, but this has not yet been proven. This study examines the difference between these Types found in the field test. The test employed two different measures: (1) the level of driver visibility and (2) the vehicle deceleration rate. As a result of the analysis, the yellow carpet installed on both the pavement and the wall sides was comparatively more effective. The test results suggest that this yellow carpet Type should be installed on both pavement and wall sides, particularly for school zone areas, to maximize its safety effects. Full article

Rail transport is a vital asset for U.S. Army distribution networks for movements of oversized and overweight vehicles and munitions. As the rail infrastructure ages on military installations, the reliability of these rail systems is a critical concern to support military power projection requirements. The Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) evaluates over 1500 miles of Army track approximately every four years. Many Army installations have significant problems with fouled ballast. These installations have few resources to remediate fouled ballast, and/or may not be aware of remediation techniques. The primary objective of this paper is to provide a list of remediation techniques for installations to implement with efforts to reduce fouled ballast and improve track maintenance. Full article

Bitumen rejuvenators are used to improve or restore the physical and mechanical performance of aged bitumen. Traditional bitumen rejuvenators are a product of crude oil. As crude oil production declines and the environmental and financial costs of crude oil increase, there is an urgent need to identify more environmentally sustainable bitumen rejuvenator alternatives. Bitumen rejuvenators generated from biological sources offer an environmentally friendly and economically viable alternative to the crude oil-based bitumen rejuvenators. This paper describes a study wherein microalgae oil was used as an aged bitumen rejuvenator. The chemical, physical, and mechanical effects of microalgae oil on 70/100pen aged bitumen were investigated. The results indicate that microalgae oil has the potential to be used as an aged bitumen rejuvenator. Full article

This study aims to analyze driver behavior when traffic light status information is provided to the in-vehicle systems of individual vehicles. In the case where signal information was provided when the vehicle was approaching an intersection in a red-light state, a statistically significant difference in both the driving speed and standard deviation of the speed was observed. The driving speed was 2.770 km/h, and the standard deviation of the speed increased by 0.153 km/h. In addition, an average speed increase of 2.751 km/h was observed when the remaining time information was provided, then when it was not. When only light was provided, the speed increased by 1.549 km/h; this was statistically insignificant. Full article

Transportation systems are complex, and due to their interdependence with other essential facilities, any damage to them would pose a significant threat to the well-being of communities. Given the frequent occurrences and grave consequences of natural disasters observed in recent years, research on the resilience assessment of transportation systems has received a great deal of attention. This paper develops a dynamic Bayesian network (BN)-based resilience assessment model for a highway network subject to seismic events that can explicitly quantify uncertainties in all phases of the model and investigate the role of inspection and monitoring in uncertainty reduction. The results from this study can be used as comprehensive decision-support information so that decision makers can better assess the resilience of a highway network and associated uncertainties. Full article

Roads are exposed to solar radiation for the entire duration of their service life; depending on the season, the intensity and level of exposure can vary for different locations leading to differences in the magnitude of the damage. In Australia, many local road authorities have already started understanding that their roads are deteriorating faster due to non-load related effects (i.e., environmental damage). The present paper discusses the damage caused by UV radiation on bituminous binders and explores the protecting effect provided by the use of end-of-life tires in the form of crumb rubber. The results suggest that adding crumb rubber to bituminous binders has the potential to significantly reduce the non-load related environmental damage caused by the UV radiation of the Sun. Full article

Crash narratives provide valuable information to understand traffic crashes and develop roadway safety countermeasures. However, manually reading long text narratives is time-consuming and error-prone. This study presents a deep-learning and clustering-based approach to identifying contributors to traffic crash severity in text narratives. We evaluate the approach using a dataset of narratives from Massachusetts and compare different deep-learning models for semantic similarity. The approach clusters semantically similar phrases in the narratives and provides an overview of frequent topics related to severe crashes, offering a valuable tool for roadway safety analysis and countermeasure development. Full article

The smart intersection (SI) systems, as they are named in the Republic of Korea, are part of the ITS services implemented under local government projects with financial support from the central government. They collect real-time traffic data available at signalized intersections with advanced detection systems for surveillance purposes only. A traffic signal method utilizing such valuable data has been desirable but unavailable as yet in practice. This paper proposes a new approach to designing traffic signal timings, reflecting the demand changing in real time, by utilizing SI surveillance data. The proposed artificial neural network model generates suitable traffic signal timings trained to be near optimum based on surveillance data for each directional movement. Full article

Concrete pavement growth can cause blow-ups and other pressure-related issues, such as concrete buckling and crushing at the transverse cracks or joints. In addition, these issues result in damaged to adjoining structures, such as bridge abutments, decks, and access structures in the pavement. However, available theoretical solutions and methods for evaluating pavement growth and predictions of concrete pavement blow-up are considerably limited. In this study, therefore, the pavement growth and blow-up analysis model was developed to predict the blow-up potential due to concrete pavement growth. This model considered factors such as the pavement structure and materials, climatic conditions, configuration of expansion joint, base friction characteristics, geometric imperfection, rotational stiffness of joints, and design reliability. In addition, the pavement growth and blow-up analysis model can be used to predict the service life of expansion joints and the blow-up occurrence time by considering the factors affecting it. Using the developed model, various sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the factors affecting the potential concrete pavement growth and blow-up occurrence. It was found that the factors of substrate type, coefficient of thermal expansion, precipitation, and alkali–silica reaction had a significant effect on pavement growth and blow-up occurrence times. Full article

In recent years, research on self-driving cars has been conducted in connection with road infrastructure in order to overcome the limitations of self-driving, such as the video detecting capability at day and night time. This study evaluates the operation of the lane departure warning system (LDWS) used in autonomous vehicles on real roads, as influenced by the aging of the road markings. The performance of the road markings was measured using the retro-reflection coefficient. Since there are restrictions on experiments on real roads, the experiment was conducted using the driving track of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology while degrading the reflective performance of constructed road markings of different colors. The results indicated that there was no perceiving problem with the recognition rate of LDWS in day and night situations, but some situations occurred that depended on sun phantom or weather conditions. Full article

The research objective for this study is to identify and evaluate techniques for soil stabilization to support military-vehicle ground maneuver in contested environments. Various types of stabilizers mixed with silty sand are evaluated in the laboratory for their compressive strength at various soil moisture contents and in the field for their rutting performance. Field data are analyzed for the ability to withstand trafficking from a military ground vehicle by evaluating the rut depth and measured instrumentation data. The field testing shows that the rapid soil stabilization materials and techniques can produce repairs that withstand required traffic without traditional pavement surface materials. Full article

Motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to die in traffic crashes than occupants in passenger cars and they constitute 14% of the total traffic fatalities while being less than 3% percent of registered vehicles. Training and education of motorcycle operators has been an area of focus to improve these statistics, but, considering that motorcycle safety has become worse in the last 20 years, more must be done. This paper summarizes the needs and results of existing infrastructure-related improvements for motorcyclist safety, while also identifying areas of research needed to continue to advance motorcyclist safety through engineering-based infrastructure improvements. Full article

Aggregate with higher skid resistance is used in many countries around the world to improve road safety. It has been tested for skid resistance in the laboratory and measured in service for many years. Certain rock types and asphalt mixes offer more skid resistance. The laboratory test methods have not changed for many years. Road surfaces achieve a state of in-service equilibrium depending on many factors, and roads are now experiencing additional changes due to issues ranging from greater use of electric vehicles to climate change in its many forms. This paper considers whether the previous methods are still able to offer reliable prediction. The paper re-evaluates research performed in the period 1990 to 2010 to consider whether the testing of road surface aggregate needs to be updated for the early 21st century. The authors believe this paper is significant for all countries to optimize the performance of their road networks in line with changes in service conditions. Full article

The safety impacts of cooperative platooning in mixed traffic consisting of human-driven, connected, and connected–automated vehicles were evaluated. The cooperative platooning, in the case of the mixed traffic control algorithm evaluated here, was cooperative adaptive cruise control with an unconnected vehicle (CACCu). Its safety and string stability were evaluated using a high-fidelity simulation based on real-world vehicle trajectories. An adaptive cruise control (ACC) algorithm was selected for comparison purposes. The results indicate that the cooperative platooning in mixed traffic control algorithm (CACCu) maintains string stability and operates with greater safety than the ACC. Full article

Even though alternative paving materials, like rubberized asphalt, are sometimes present in specifications, these are still not widely adopted from road agencies mainly due to a lack of experience, reticence in changing work habits and, often, a lack of evidence of real gains in the change. Authors believe that performance-based laboratory characterization is a solution to highlight differences with conventional asphalt mixtures. Hence, this research wants to highlight the differences between designing asphalt mixtures modified with engineered crumb rubber (ECR) on the basis of conventional indirect tensile testing (ITS), as prescribed by Italian specifications, and by means of performance-related characterization. ECR allows to asphalt mixtures to be modified through a dry process without inconveniences such as uncontrolled swelling and the generation of fumes; on the other hand, performance-related characterization focuses on highlighting rutting behavior by using a basic approach, still based on ITS, and a more advanced viscoplastic methodology using the asphalt mixture performance tester (AMPT). As a result, performance-related characterization is necessary to highlight clear gains in the rutting behavior of the asphalt mixtures modified with ECR. Advanced methodology by means of AMPT provides a fine-tuned characterization; however, the basic approach by means of ITS already highlights the differences in performance. ECR could be widely used to improve the properties of dense mixtures for roads with low traffic; in fact, it solves many of the practical issues of adding crumb rubber through a dry process and greatly improves paving material properties compared to conventional asphalt mixtures, with an increase in cost of only 10%. Full article

The main objective of this study is to simultaneously evaluate the surface and existing layers of composite pavement using PMS data and GPR equipment. The distribution of dielectric constants according to the existing concrete conditions and the relationship between dielectric constants and surface distress was evaluated. As a result, the dielectric constant distribution of the existing concrete showed a significant difference depending on the AAR. In addition, the correlation between surface distress and the dielectric constants of the existing layers was low. Full article

The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway consists of an asymmetric cable-stayed bridge (340 m) and a prestressed concrete (PSC) box girder bridge (35.80 km) linking Kuwait City and Northern Kuwait. The full load tests were performed on the PSC box girder bridge and the load scale was set to 14,092 kNm which was 98.47% of the maximum design moment (14,310 kNm). A total of 12 individual 40 tonf dump trucks were exerted on the bridge for the tests. Based on the influence line of the target bridge, displacement sensors, and strain gauges were installed at the points where the maximum bending moment would occur. The collected deflection and strain data were compared with the finite element method analysis to analyze the change in stiffness of the bridge. From the analysis, it was found that higher stiffness behavior was identified compared to the design load. Full article

The polymer modification of asphalt binders was first introduced in Europe in the 1980s and has gained use, as lower-quality asphalt binders did not perform well under increasingly heavier traffic loading on pavements. The influence of chemical cross-linkers such as sulfur on the rheological, morphological, and aging characteristics of the polymer-modified asphalt (PMA) binder has been experimentally examined. The PMAs were prepared, blending different sulfur contents (0.03, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5% by wt. of binder) with a neat binder. The samples were aged by a rolling thin film oven (RTFO) and a pressure aging vessel (PAV) and examined through rheologic investigations. Using models, including master curves, the Glover–Rowe parameter, and aging indexes, the effect of the aging resistance of the asphalt binder modified with sulfur was analyzed. The results indicate that adding sulfur up to 0.3% improved the performance grade range, elasticity, low-temperature cracking resistance, and rutting resistance of the PMA. Additionally, the introduction of sulfur improved the aging resistance of the PMA. Full article

Many traditional methods for the repair and rehabilitation of concrete pavements require meticulous construction processes with specialized equipment and long material curing periods in order to develop adequate strength and durability prior to returning the pavement to service. This paper summarizes the results of research projects conducted by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in order to develop innovative pavement repair procedures and evaluate numerous commercial repair materials that can produce fast long-lasting repairs that facilitate the rapid re-opening of critical pavement infrastructure to traffic. This paper summarizes methods used for the certification and selection of suitable concrete pavement repair materials. In addition, this paper outlines the key activities included in expedient concrete repair processes. Thus, this paper provides a valuable summary of state-of-the-art concrete repair procedures and materials for the rapid and effective repair and rehabilitation of concrete pavements. Full article

Road sign support systems are not usually well managed, because bridges and pavements have budget and maintenance priority while the sign boards and sign supports are considered miscellaneous items. The authors of this paper developed a simple deterioration prediction model and a repair priority list for sign support systems. For asset management risk analysis, data were collected from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) asset management database. Asset ages, repair history, installation and repair costs, and other administrative information were collected. While there were many advanced and complicated structural deterioration prediction models, the Weibull function was used in this research because it is a simple probability distribution function that has been widely used in reliability theory. Assuming that the primary factors of the deterioration prediction are age and initial installation quality, the repair priority list was developed based on the risk analysis of the assets. Asset risks were calculated based on the deterioration prediction model and traffic impacts of the failure. Full article

Through the partnership between the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) and the Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD) of the Federal Highway Administration, six of the bridge structures along the State-owned portion of the Hana Highway will be replaced. Due to the nature of this road, and the limited opportunities for detours and road closures, along with context-sensitive solution design and right-of-way considerations, these structures will be replaced utilizing an accelerated bridge construction (ABC) technique known as a lateral bridge slide. To our knowledge, this project will be the first implementation of this ABC technique. Full article

Reducing the quantities of engineered materials provides a significant opportunity to mitigate the environmental impacts caused by material production and processing. Although the efficient use of materials in building construction has been emphasized, there has been little attention given to measuring the material use efficiency (MUE) of a project. This research fulfills this gap by using data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a benchmarking tool to generate an overall perspective on the MUE and to further compare its efficiency with that of peer projects, thereby promoting enhanced efficiency through target setting. In this research, MUE was measured by adopting the quantities of a variety of materials consumed during construction as input variables and the floor area of a built facility as an output variable. To generate a reliable MUE performance, a stepwise variable selection process was applied and then the performance was ranked based on evaluating cross-efficiency. In addition, clustering analysis and DEA were fused to enable a more realistic target to be set for each input, thereby determining practical targets for each underperforming project. It is anticipated that the proposed MUE benchmarking model would enable projects to recognize the gap with the best-performing projects and help them determine the targets to focus on to become efficient. Full article

Japan is undergoing a social transition with a decreasing workforce in the construction industry; therefore, improving productivity is an urgent issue for sustaining social infrastructure. This paper presents a quality control system for road pavement construction, relying on non-destructive and automatic measurement for compaction quality control. The system’s applicability and measurement accuracy were verified in 2020 and 2021 for national highway pavement construction, commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The system is labor-saving and has equivalent accuracy to the currently used transmission RI for compaction quality control. This paper reports on an overview of the verification. Full article

This paper analyzes the impact of environmental vibration caused by road traffic operations on precision instrument vibration isolation platforms. The research results show that there are directional differences in the speed response of the vibration isolation platform caused by vehicle load. The speed response is highest in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vehicle’s motion. The dominant frequency of the dynamic response of the isolation platform caused by road vehicle loads was concentrated at 2.5 Hz, mainly low-frequency vibrations. The monitoring results are basically consistent with the trend of structural vibration changes in the numerical simulations. Full article

Traffic condition analysis requires various conditions to be met using the conventional method. This has the limitation that it does not reflect the congestion caused by the actual vehicle flow. In this study, we suggest data-based traffic condition analysis. This is a method of determining the dynamic traffic conditions using Digital TachoGraph data, which can reflect the flow rate and the traveling speed of vehicles by the actual time zone. The suggested system could be implemented in both public and private sectors to create new possibilities and insights. For the public sector, police patrol vehicles can implement the system to create a ‘dynamic service area’ which would enhance efficiency for security patrols. For private sectors, the system could be applied to various call-dispatch systems to minimize waiting time for customers and driving distance for drivers. Also, it could be applied to upcoming autonomous vehicle sharing systems to ensure maximum coverage for autonomous cars. Full article

If the production and construction information of asphalt mixture are tightly coupled and quality control is performed in real time, it is possible to minimize quality degradation and solve problems early. For these objectives, a cloud-based IoT (Internet of Things) PQMS (Pavement Quality Management System) was developed in this study. As a result, drivers and managers can monitor construction information and identify problems using monitors and apps. In 2023, it will be applied to national road construction sites to verify the effectiveness of the proposed cloud-based IoT PQMS and address potential problems. Full article

Maintaining an acceptable durability and satisfactory in-service condition for pavements is a crucial and relatively complex task, which otherwise can have considerable economic, environmental, and social consequences. Design and management of pavements have traditionally relied mainly on empirical models. However, pavements have been undergoing drastic changes, especially during the new millennium, which can compromise the reliability of the empirical models which were developed based on relatively stagnant historical data. Climate change, traffic loading growth and advancements in pavement materials are some of the main drivers of moving towards more mechanistic-empirical methods which would allow for a better understanding of pavement performance evolution in the future. To this end, this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges of a proposed framework for developing smart pavements in Canada, as well as a summary of the efforts that so far have been made in this regard. The goal of the study is to enable autonomous monitoring and data collection from the instrumented pavement sections in a suitable manner to allow for training Artificial Intelligence models, improving interpretation of the pavement responses and, ultimately, future pavement performance predictions. Full article

Autonomous vehicle technology has been primarily developed by the private sector, with a focus on the automobile industry and fourth industrial revolution technology. However, for self-driving cars to become reliable forms of urban transportation, the private and public sectors must collaborate. The Seoul Metropolitan Government operates three self-driving test beds, namely, Sagam, Gangnam, and Cheonggyecheon, and has implemented various measures to support the use of autonomous vehicles as a means of urban transportation, such as an open platform for traffic signals, roadside safety facilities, dedicated road signs and lanes, and deregulation. This paper explains the technical and institutional support provided for autonomous-driving services in Seoul and suggests ways to build a safer and more effective autonomous driving environment. Full article

Passive wireless sensing systems, particularly passive antenna sensors, offer a viable alternative to traditional wired and active sensors for long-term structural health monitoring due to their simplicity, easy installation and maintenance, and ability to measure strain without an external power supply. Customization of antenna shape can also adapt to various structural geometries. However, sensor fabrication using chemical etching is expensive and time-consuming, which is unsuitable for limited-quantity production. To address this, this study explores the potential of extrusion-based additive manufacturing to produce cost-effective passive wireless antenna strain sensors. The study investigates polylactic acid’s mechanical and electromagnetic properties for substrate design and uses multi-physics simulation to estimate strain-sensing performance. The obtained results show similar strain-sensing performance to sensors produced through chemical etching, making the manufacturing process a promising alternative. Full article

The IPCC highlighted the potential for rail transport to play a vital role in transitioning to a low-carbon economy. In many countries, rail networks are operated and maintained by private companies. However, in N.Z., the privatization was undone in 2008. The nationalization was necessary to enable public investments to gain long-term benefits for N.Z. as a whole. Literature shows that accurate life cycle cost analysis of networks is very complex, and benefits are financial, environmental, and social. The latter two categories of benefits are often not considered by private companies. The uncertainties in calculations are often so significant that perhaps a more relevant issue is determining the long-term benefits of a network for a country. Full article

Since it is impossible to reconstruct the top level that has collapsed, a formwork is constructed to squeegee mortar or spray mortar, and repair kits are being used in Korea to chip away the damaged concrete of the bridge deck structure. In Korea, a technique called hydro-demolition replaces water blasting and water jetting by using high-pressure water to remove not only asphalt but also old and broken concrete. Additionally, dry materials including cement, aggregate, and additives are carried via the inside of a hose to the field using compressed air, where they meet water and are ejected at a high rate of speed. This technique is known as dry mix shotcrete. Using the devised automatic hydraulic dismantling technology and high-performance dry-mix shotcrete, field application results are discussed in this study. Full article

This study evaluates the use of high amounts of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingle (RAS) in asphalt mixes for sustainable construction. While past research has focused on asphalt binders and laboratory performance testing, this study assesses the effect of high recycle content on constructability and long-term field performance. A total of 72 mix designs placed from 2016 to 2020 were evaluated for compaction characteristics, while the rutting, cracking, and roughness of 16 projects placed from 2011 to 2015 were assessed based on recycled asphalt levels and mix components. Results showed that high recycled mix projects had equivalent compaction characteristics to low RAP mix projects, except that high RAP mixes had lower variability. High RAP/RAS mixes with rejuvenators had a higher density than those without, and high recycled mix projects had comparable field performance to that of low RAP mix projects, except for lower longitudinal cracking in high RAP projects. Full article

This paper presents findings of testing performed to date from three field asphalt concrete mixes obtained from paving performed in November 2022 for a pilot project in Hawaii. The control mix meets Hawaii State IV mix requirements, with 20% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and polymer modified asphalt (PMA) binder PG64E-22. The other two mixes, which have the same gradation and RAP content, were prepared with 2 lb. per ton of NewRoad pellets consisting mostly of post-industrial high-density polyethylene (HDPE). One of these was prepared with PMA PG64E-22 and the other with neat binder, PG64-16. Testing results to date show benefits in rutting and expected results in dynamic modulus. They are inconclusive with regard to cracking because of high variability and inconsistencies in IDEAL-CT results without and with moisture sensitivity conditioning. Full article

In pavement management, it is essential to have a good database with information on the condition of the roads that compose the corresponding network. In Chile, such a database does not currently exist, and there is no technology that can evaluate urban pavement condition in an efficient way. On this research, more than 50,000 images of 13.2 × 2.6 m of asphalt pavement from different zones of Santiago, Chile, were obtained. These images were processed, and the following distresses were labeled with two different levels of severities: patches; potholes; and transversal, longitudinal, and fatigue cracking. These data were used to train and evaluate the following object detection convolutional neural network models: YOLOv5 and YOLOv7. Full article

Ultra-thin asphalt overlay, which is considered one of the main pavement maintenance strategies, has been widely used to maintain and restore pavements. However, the structural properties of traditional ultra-thin overlay materials, such as anti-friction and anti-cracking pavement surfaces, do not last longer under the climate change and traffic loading conditions. This paper introduces an innovative design of ultra-thin asphalt overlays with high viscosity and high elasticity, which provide not only a long service life of anti-resistance and anti-cracking performance, but also lower traffic noise and smoother riding quality. The process of designing such ultra-thin lift overlays involves multi-objective optimization of the overlay’s structural and functional performances, including the quality and quantity of asphalt additives, gradation of coarse aggregates and materials’ engineering, and cohesive and adhesive properties of asphalt overlays. During the lab tests prepared for this study, the compound-modified asphalt was prepared by modifying base asphalt with the high viscosity and high elasticity modifier. The gradation design was performed to improve coarse aggregate voids’ filling and the density of the mixture, and the trackless tack coat emulsified asphalt was used as an adhesive layer material. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the asphalt mixture and bonding effect of trackless tack coat emulsified asphalt. Results showed that the high viscosity and elasticity ultra-thin overlay exhibited excellent performance in terms of skid resistance and noise reduction. The interlocking effect of the coarse aggregate skeleton and the optimal asphalt film contribute to the resilient and durable properties of an ultra-thin asphalt overlay. Full article

A cold mix overlay is a typical preventive maintenance treatment that is applied to an existing pavement surface. However, the service life of cold mix overlay is limited because of its poor skid resistance and high tendency to crack, especially in cold regions. This study presents a new technology of high-performance cold mix overlay materials that slows skid resistance reduction, increases the resistance to thermal cracking, and shows long-lasting anti−icing performance. The sustainable performance of paving cold mix overlays can be assured by adding high-performance anti−icing agents, fiber, and emulsified asphalt to the cold mix. A series of laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the performance and anti−icing effect of the cold mix. The results showed that the freezing temperature of the cold mix dropped to more than −10 °C. The open-to-traffic time can be shortened to 3.5 h after construction. The anti-wearing ability and cracking resistance were evidently increased in comparison with traditional micro-surfacing techniques by conducting indoor wet-wheel wearing tests and low-temperature bending beam tests. Based on the study, the new-tech cold mix overlay has shown promising applications in North America. Full article

Selecting the right treatment for the right pavement at the right time is fundamental to pavement preservation success. This research aimed to develop a data-driven decision-making framework for selecting pavement preservation strategies and thereby provide an analytical foundation to enhance and update “Iowa’s Pavement Preservation Guide”. The research utilized the pavement performance, road characteristics, and preservation project data from Iowa DOT’s databases to develop a pavement performance profile before and after different preservation treatments, and this evaluates the effectiveness of the treatment methods in enhancing pavement performance. The results were used in a simple economic analysis framework to assess the economic viability of preservation methods in light of their effectiveness levels. Full article

Cores were recovered from the right wheel path and between wheel paths at 8 locations US 34 in Mills and Wapello Counties. The cores were cut into discs to isolate the pavement layers and the discs were fabricated into semicircular bending test specimens. Asphalt contents among CIR cores varied significantly and that CIR specimens with higher asphalt binder contents exhibited higher flexibility index values. From the output of these tests, the CIR pavement layers were found to be more flexible in comparison to the HMA layers, that CIR layers have higher flexibility that allow them to serve as a stress relieving layer and mitigate reflective cracking. Full article

The United States has developed and is developing multiple rating systems for infrastructure and transportation projects. Although these systems share some commonalities in terms of methods and criteria, decision makers need to deal with which one best fits their project's evaluation and meet their organization goals because the systems are different from one another in certain ways. This paper aims to examine the importance of sustainability determinants and how they affect the success of meeting sustainability goals of infrastructure construction projects. This paper, therefore, presents the statistical results on five major sustainability determinants such as site, water/wastewater, energy, materials/resources, and environmental determinants. Full article

This paper presents a study about the effect of unevenness on conventional airport pavements and unpaved runways. During landing and take-off operations, aircraft tires are at high levels of tension and possible surface roughness can contribute to aircraft damage, landing gear fatigue, as well as the loss of aircraft directional stability, thus increasing the chances of accidents or incidents. The National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), responsible for regulating and supervising civil aviation activities in Brazil, regulates the need to evaluate longitudinal irregularity through the International Roughness Index (IRI) parameter on paved runways. In addition to the IRI, the Boeing Bump Index (BBI) and Runway Roughness Index (RRI) are indices also recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Moreover, this study understands the concept of unpaved runways and how these indexes can be evaluated on unpaved runways, however, with minimum requirements. Therefore, the present study addresses these bearing quality indices whose purpose is to guarantee the safety of operations. Full article

Fibers in asphalt mixtures have been adopted to improve road pavement performance for constructing new pavements and rehabilitating existing pavements. Fibers in asphalt mixtures improve flexural strength and toughness, reducing cracking and rutting in asphalt pavements. Because there is a continuous need to enhance pavement performance, and using fibers is a good strategy for this improvement, this paper aims to discuss how aramid fibers can improve asphalt pavements’ fatigue and rutting performance by studying the behavior of asphalt binders modified with fibers. Full article

For effective pothole control on national highways, autonomous pothole identification technology utilizing artificial intelligence was deployed in Korea. There are a number of different objects on the road’s surface that resemble potholes. The YOLOv7-E6E model was used to reduce noise, before classifying these objects and potholes. In the algorithm, aberrant objects other than potholes were classified using design and learning techniques. Manhole, automobile, lane-marking, garbage, and shadow elements that are similar to potholes were learned, in order to detect them. “Etc.” was used to summarize 15 characteristics, including a broken patch, spalling, crack, ramp, license plate, leaf, and pool. In light of this, learning was conducted using a total of seven classification criteria. The test dataset had a 91% accuracy rate. Full article

In order to maintain a suitable road pavement level with limited resources, a management system must be established. In order to achieve this goal, a program using AI (artificial intelligence) was developed to manage and evaluate a sizable volume of survey data. A national highway pavement data management system (PDMS) built on the WEB was also constructed. By connecting several artificial neural networks, the AI crack analysis algorithm was created and taught to automatically recognize cracks in road photos and calculate crack rates. In the PDMS, the current condition of a national highway can be shown on a map, and all the data are updated to allow for verification in increments of 100 m for each lane. The system was also improved to enable the collection of information on the detailed survey section’s pavement repair specifics according to survey year. Full article

Risk Management Systems are a valuable tool for estimating the potential losses of natural events, assessing risk reduction strategies, and increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure. The paper discusses the development of SIGeR-RV, a tool for Risk Management of road networks exposed to multi-hazards developed in Chile. The tool was implemented on a web-based Geographic Information System platform. It is able to display hazard maps, calculate risk levels, prioritize mitigation strategies, estimate direct and indirect losses, and assess the social vulnerability of communities exposed to natural hazards. The article includes an application of SIGeR-RV in a road network exposed to the lahar flows of Villarrica volcano in the south of Chile. Full article

Engineers, planners, asset managers, materials suppliers, contractors, and policymakers are focused on improving pavement infrastructure sustainability, and increasingly considering climate change resilience. This focus is often on materials; however, the decisions and practices in design, construction, and asset management are typically more important in achieving the desired environmental, cost, and social outcomes. This presentation discusses the tools of mechanistic–empirical design, asset management, performance-related tests and specifications, construction quality assurance, environmental and social life cycle assessment, and life cycle cost analysis, which can be used together to achieve the desired outcomes, and the data and models of which can be integrated in efficient web-based systems. Full article