• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.47-56
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• 2015

PURPOSES: The purpose of this study is to estimate the impact of variable message signage (VMS) on traffic safety as a function of road curve radius using statistical methods. METHODS: In order to analyze the impact of VMS installations on traffic safety, travel speed, lateral distance, and geometric data relating to road curvature in each study area was acquired and analyzed for the impact of providing VMS information on driver performance and traffic safety using statistical methods including student t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and the Anderson-Darling test for estimating traffic safety hazard zone in each lane. RESULTS: As a result of analyzing driver performance characteristics before and after providing VMS information, it was determined that by providing VMS information, mean travel speed is deceased and vehicles are driven with increased precision, following the centerline in the first and second lanes. Also the results of analyzing traffic safety impacts of VMS indicate that traffic safety performance factors in the first lane of the Gapyeong section can, on average, increase in the left and right side of the lane by 19.22% and 68.98%, respectively, and in the case of the second lane, safety impacts, on average, can increase in both sides by 100%. For the Hongcheon section, traffic safety impacts in the first lane, on average, can increase along the left and right sides of the lane by 32.31% and 47.18%, and within the second lane, traffic safety can be increased along the left and right side of the lane by 10.97% and -0.01%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, the impact on traffic safety obtained by providing VMS information for road sections with smaller curve radii is greater than can be obtained for road sections with larger curve radii.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.47-56
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• 2008

Generally, accident exposure at intersections is relatively higher than that at roadway segments due to more possibility of merging, diverging, turning, crossing, and weaving maneuver. Furthermore, the traffic accident rate at intersections has been rapidly increasing since 1990's. Since there is more opportunity of conflict at unsignalized intersection, frequency and severity of traffic accident are more severe than signalized intersections. The purpose of the study is to analyze factors causing vehicle crashes and provide intersection design guidelines to improve intersection safety. For this study, vehicle to vehicle crash data of 116 rural 3 legs unsignalized were collected and field surveys were conducted for traffic and geometric conditions. Ordered probit models were developed to analyze the severity of crashes. It was found that weather, obstacles in minor roadsides, presence of major exclusive right lane, presence of major road crosswalk, difference between posted speed of major road and minor road, land-use around intersections, shoulder width of major road, ADT of major road are significant factors for intersection safety.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.161-170
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• 2008

This study deals with the accident models by vehicle type. The goal is to develop the accident models by vehicle type using the data of 143 4-legged signalized intersections in Cheongju. In pursuing the above, this study gives the particular attentions to explaining the relationships between the values of EPDO(equivalent property damage only) and the traffic and geometric elements. The main results analyzed are the followings. First, 6 negative binomial models are developed, which are all significant at the 90% confidence level. Second, the values of ${\rho}^2$ by vehicle type are 0.14307(auto), 0.35556(large van), 0.21684(small van), 0.205152(motocycle), 0.32338(light-duty truck) and 0.29046(heavy-duty truck), that are all analyzed to be statistically significant. Finally, the common variable included in all models is ADT(average daily traffic), and the specific variable(SV) of auto is analyzed to be the sum of lane width of main road, SV of large van is the average yellow time, and SV of small van is the difference in the number of lane between main and minor road.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.177-186
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• 2013

PURPOSES: The purpose of this study theoretically reviews vertical grade deriving process in super high speed environment and compares overseas design criteria with Domestic Standardization also draws suitable vertical grade design criteria of high standard for Domestic Circumstances in Korea. METHODS : By researching domestic vehicle registration status, calculating typical vehicle, using Vissim which is traffic simulation program, Speed-distance curve of the vehicle is derived under each design speed condition. Through Speed-distance curve, estimating critical length of grade and considering critical length of grade, maximum longitudinal incline is proposed. RESULTS : The result of domestic vehicle registration status, the typical vehicle for deriving vertical grade is calculated based on gravity horsepower ratio 200 lb/hp. For calculating critical length of grade, according to change speed of uphill entry, speed-distance curve is derived by using Vissim. Critical length of grade is calculated based on design speed 20 km/h criteria which is point of retardation. Estimated critical length of grade is 808 m and based on this result, maximum longitudinal incline was confirmed in the design speed between 130km/h to 140km/h. CONCLUSIONS: The case of the typical vehicle(truck) which is gravity horsepower ratio 200 lb/hp, maximum longitudinal incline 2% is desirable at the super high speed environment in the design speed between 130km/h to 140km/h.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.153-165
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• 2017

PURPOSES : With the increasing number of older drivers in an aging society, there is a growing need for research and planning on traffic safety for the older drivers using an improved road geometry design. This study also proposed a modified urban road interchange design, which aims to keep the older drivers away from accident-prone and high-traffic areas of the city. METHODS : In this study, we examined accident data records of older drivers to identify accident-prone zones and intersections; we studied the road geometry at these zones and analyzed if it was an underlying cause for higher number of accidents. Based on the research and subsequent analysis, we suggested plans for improvement of road geometry design at these intersections. RESULTS :By studying historic data and analyzing factors that affect the likelihood of accidents of vehicles driven by older drivers and after studying suitable traffic accident prediction models, we identified the major variables that need to be modified at accident-prone intersections, such as the width of a left turn lane at an intersection and the radius of the right turn lane at a street corner. The results have a significance probability of less than 0.001 and a 95% confidence level. To improve safety at the identified intersection, this study suggests the installation of a left-turn-lane-shaped Positive Offset and a right-turn-lane-shaped Slip Lane concept and an adjustment of intervals between intersections.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to evaluate $PM_{10}$ concentrations at eight highway tollgate booths from July to September 2017. Methods: A total of 16 samples were collected from eight toll booths. Each $PM_{10}$ sample was collected using a 37 mm PTFE filter attached to a Personal Environment Monitor. Results: The geometric mean concentrations of $PM_{10}$ in the toll booths was $83.51{\mu}g/m^3$. The mean $PM_{10}$ concentrations measured on freight roadways were much higher than those of measured on general roadways($102.46{\mu}g/m^3$ and $68.05{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively). $PM_{10}$ was revealed to be higher in the morning($105.59{\mu}g/m^3$) than at dawn or in the afternoon($71.26{\mu}g/m^3$ and $61.22{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively). The mean $PM_{10}$ concentration in toll booths ventilated through an air conditioner was higher than that for those using a window or no ventilation. The rate of exceeding the Ministry of Environment Maintenance Limit($200{\mu}g/m^3$) was 6.25%, and the rate of exceeding the Ministry of Labor Recommended Limit($150{\mu}g/m^3$) was 12.5%. Conclusions: In order to protect the health of toll booth workers exposed to airborne dust, it is necessary to check the exposure level from indoor air quality on a regular basis and to manage it appropriately according to the results.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.85-97
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• 2017

Research has suggested that conventional lightweight concrete can offer durability advantages due to reduced cracking tendency. Although a number of publications exist providing the results of laboratory-based studies on the durability performance of lightweight concrete (with lightweight coarse aggregate) and internally cured concrete (using prewetted lightweight fine aggregate), far fewer field studies of durability performance of conventional lightweight concrete bridge decks in service have been performed. This study was commissioned to provide insight to a highway agency on whether enhanced durability performance, and therefore reduced maintenance and longer lifecycles, could be anticipated from existing lightweight concrete bridge decks that were not intentionally internally cured. To facilitate performance comparison, each lightweight bridge deck selected for inclusion in this study was paired with a companion normalweight bridge deck on a bridge of similar structural type, deck thickness, and geometric configuration, with similar age, traffic, and environmental exposure. The field-observed cracking of the decks was recorded and evaluated, and crack densities for transverse, longitudinal, and pattern cracking of the normalweight and lightweight deck in each pair were compared. Although some trends linking crack prevalence to geographic location, traffic, and age were observed, a distinct difference between the cracking present in the paired lightweight and normalweight bridge decks included in this study was not readily evident. Statistical analysis using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to adjust for age and traffic influence did not indicate that the type of concrete deck (lightweight or normalweight) is a statistically significant factor in the observed cracking. Therefore, for these service environments, lightweight decks did not consistently demonstrate reduced cracking.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2005

Railroad crossing crashes are fewer than road crashes, but with regard to crash severity, they can be serious injury crashes. There should be, therefore, enormous efforts to increase the safety of railroad crossings. The objective of this paper is to identify and understand factors associated with railroad crossing crashes. Statistical models are used to examine the relationships between crossing accidents and geometric elements of crossings. The results show the Poisson model is the most appropriate method for the crossing accidents, because overdispersion was not observed. This study identifies seven significant factors associated with railroad crossing crashes through the main and variant models. With regard to explanatory factors on crossing safety, the total traffic volume, daily train volume, presence of commercial area around crossings, distance of train detector from crossings, time duration between the activation of warning signals and gates, crossing types, and speed hump were found to affect the safety of railroad crossings.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.117-129
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• 2012

Road safety audit is the preventive enhancement strategy for safety. : it gets rid of beforehand the potential factor of a traffic accident in the stage of road planning and design and it evaluates the appropriation for road geometric structure or safety facility to prevent traffic accident in the stage of operation after the construction. Since this strategy is introduced to our country in the early 2000s, various projects have been processed and it was legislated recently. And now, the evaluation of past project for its continuation is needed. Therefore, in this study the evaluation of road safety audit on existing freeway is performed. The spatial extent of this study is Yong-dong line on which the safety treatment was executed in 2005 and 2006. And, the temporal range of this study is each 2-year of before and after from 2005 and 2006. The empirical bayes method of observational evaluation studies is applied to analyze. As a result, there is an effect of improvement on most of treated sections. But there is ineffective or negligible on some sections. Compared with the detail of treatment on each section, the effect of multiple or various treatments is good for that section. On the other hand, the section on which effect doesn't appear is the result of single or unimportant treatments. Throughout these results, the concrete analysis can be performed and the countermeasures designed for the section on which effect doesn't appear. Also it is used as reference to the future plan and direction of road safety audit on existing freeway.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.151-159
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• 2008

Performances of retroreflectivity vary place to place, according to traffic volumes and time lengths after striping, depending on pavement marking materials and colors. The present paper uses the nation wide data of retroreflectivity, which has been collected from freeways and then tries to develop the regression curve setting traffic volume and service life as independent variables and retroreflectivities as dependent variables. The DB system includes two year's measurement in $2005{\sim}2006$ over Korean freeway pavement marking at an interval of three months for the period. The mobile measurement system, a laserlux, was employed for the purpose. The DB has provided a lot of information about materials and performance of the specific pavement marking such as geometric features, traffic volumes, material characteristics and the installation date. This study provides the comparison of pavement marking performances under diversified conditions. Based on accumulated pavement marking performances, this study provides performance curves based on the diversified factors. The goal of the retroreflectivity modeling is to develop equations that can be used to estimate an average retroreflectivity of pavement markings as a function time since application and traffic volume. After representing the variation of retroreflectivities and estimating regression curves by linear, exponential, logarithmic and power function, the regression curve which had the highest coefficient of determination and the value similar to the last field measurement was regarded as the retroreflectivity decay model. As a result of verification, the decay model showed the signification within the 90% confidence level and especially showed the clear relation with field data according to increase of cumulative vehicle exposure. Accordingly, these models can be used to determine service lives, retroreflectivity degradation rates, and retroreflectivity of new markings.