Transportation Infrastructure and Local Roads Research

Rural roadways and bridges in Alabama (as well as many other states) are in need of repair and rehabilitation. A survey of 44 participating counties (out of 67 total counties) by the Alabama County Engineer’s Association (ACEA) identified that total near-term funding of over $400M is needed to replace structurally deficient bridges within the local roads system in Alabama. Because of these needs, we have performed several collaborative projects with county engineers. The objective of the “Local Roads” project was to develop an easy-to-use methodology for assessing, prioritizing, and predicting the condition of local roads bridges and culverts that are less than 20 feet in length. The objective of the “Flowable Fill” project was to develop innovative uses, based on the experience of other states, in the use of flowable fill for the rehabilitation of local roads bridges. In March 2006, several 1-day seminars were presented at ALDOT on culvert management technologies. Other projects involved developing innovative, cost effective methods for rehabilitating and repairing metal culverts. The primary objective of NCHRP Project 17-10(2), “Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires, and Traffic Signals,” was to enhance the Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires, and Traffic Signals proposed under NCHRP 17-10(1), which UAB-CEE also performed. This was followed by a project sponsored by ALDOT to develop simple-to-use design worksheets that could be used to check sign support designs. A recent focus on this program has been on defining safe and appropriate uses for plastic pipes for storm water culverts under roadways.

STUDENTS

Chandler French (MCE May 2013), Cross-Drain Pipe Material Selection Algorithm, (project report, AU)

Mary Schambeau (MSCE August 2012), Stability of Timber Bridges Subject to Scour, (published thesis, AU)

Doug Abernathy (MCE May 2012), Development of Test Protocols for Evaluating New Highway Drainage Products, (project report, AU)

Shepard Stuart (MSCE May 2011), Evaluation of HDPE and PVC Pipes used for Cross Drains in Highway Construction, (published thesis, AU)

Robert Warr (MSCE August 2002), Computer-based Sign, Luminaires, and Traffic Signal Support Design Tools for State and County Engineers, (published thesis, UAB)

Tom Grimes (MSCE August 2001), Local Roads Bridge Management Prioritization Database (BRPD), (published thesis, UAB)

Trey Gauntt (MSCE June 2001), Inspection Guidelines and Replacement Case Studies for Bridges less than Twenty Feet in Span, (project report, UAB)

Ernie Barton (MSCE December 2001), Development of Design Worksheets for Bridge-type Sign Support Structures, (published thesis, UAB)

Ramy Abdalla (MSCE June 2000), Fatigue and Vibration of Non-Cantilevered Sign Support Structures, (published thesis, UAB)

PUBLICATIONS

Schambeau ME, Ramey GE, Hughes ML, Kang JS, and Davidson JS, “Screening Tool to Assess Adequacy of Bridge Timber Pile Bents during Extreme Scour Events,” Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, ASCE, Volume 19, Issue 3, August 2014.

Kang JS, Stuart SJ, and Davidson JS, “Analytical study of minimum cover required for thermoplastic pipes used in highway construction” Structure and Infrastructure Engineering: Maintenance, Management, Life-Cycle Design and Performance, Volume 10, Issue 3, 2014.

Kang JS, Stuart SJ, and Davidson JS, “Analytical Evaluation of Maximum Cover Limits for Thermoplastic Pipes used in Highway Construction,” Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, Taylor & Francis, DOI:10.1080/15732479.2011.604090, August 2011.

Kang JS and Davidson JS, “Structural Effects of Concrete Lining for Concrete-lined Corrugated Steel Pipes,” Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, Taylor & Francis, 10.1080/15732479.2010.532809, November 2010.

PRESENTATIONS

“Evaluation of Plastic Pipes Used for Cross-drains in Highway Construction,” Kang JS, Stuart SJ, and Davidson JS, 91^st TRB Annual Meeting, 23 January 2012.

“Analysis and Design of Concrete-Lined Corrugated Steel Pipes,” Junsuk Kang and James Davidson, TRB 89^th Annual Meeting, January 10-14, 2010, Session: Advances in Structural Analysis and Design of Culverts, Sponsored by: Culverts and Hydraulic Structures (AFF70) & Subsurface Soil-Structure Interaction (AFS40).

“Culvert Rehabilitation using PVA Reinforced Shotcrete,” Thomas C. Grimes, James S. Davidson, Brian Pillay, Balaji Thattaiparthasarat, Jim Farrell, Fifty-First Annual Transportation Conference, Alabama Department of Transportation, February 20-21, 2008, Auburn Alabama.

“Local Roads Research Activities at UAB” County Engineers Meeting, Prattville Alabama, October 12^th 2005.

“Innovative Technologies for Rehabilitating Local Roads Bridges and Culverts,” Thomas C. Grimes, Trey Gauntt, and James S. Davidson, The NACE 2004 Annual Management and Technical Conference, Orlando, FL April 4 – 8, 2004.

“Innovative Technologies for Rehabilitating Local Roads Bridges and Culverts,” Thomas C. Grimes, Trey Gauntt, and James S. Davidson, Eighth Southeastern Local Roads Conference, Asheville, North Carolina, Sponsored by The North Carolina Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), LTAP Centers, and the Federal Highway Administration, October 12 – 14, 2003.

“Innovative Technologies for Rehabilitating Local Roads Bridges and Culverts,” Thomas C. Grimes, Trey Gauntt, and James S. Davidson, First Annual UTCA Transportation Research Symposium, Birmingham, Alabama, Sponsored by The University Transportation Center for Alabama, November 17, 2003.

“Local Roads Bridge Replacement Alternatives,” Tom Grimes, Trey Gauntt, James Davidson, 2001 Alabama Concrete Technologies and Engineering Conference, October 23, 2001.

“Innovative Use of Flowable Fill in Local Roads Bridge Rehabilitation,” Brian Copham, Trey Gauntt, Tom Grimes, Jim Davidson, 2001 Alabama Concrete Technologies and Engineering Conference, October 23, 2001.

“Local Roads Bridge Management Prioritization Database (BRPD),” Tom Grimes and Jim Davidson, Southeastern Local Roads Conference, May 16, 2000, Point Clear Alabama.

REPORTS

French RC and Davidson JS, Cross-Drain Pipe Material Selection Algorithm, internal report, Auburn University Department of Civil Engineering, August 2013.

Abernathy GD, Davidson JS, Test Protocols for Evaluating the Structural Adequacy of Flexible Highway Drainage Pipes, internal report, Auburn University Department of Civil Engineering, August 2013.

Schambeau ME, Ramey GE, Hughes ML, Kang JS, Davidson JS, Stability of Highway Bridges subject to Scour – Phase IV, Alabama Department of Transportation, Research Project 930-776, September 2012.

Stuart SJ, Kang JS, Abernathy GD, Davidson JS, Evaluation of HDPE and PVC Pipes Used for Cross-drains in Highway Construction, Alabama Department of Transportation, Montgomery, Alabama, September 2011.

Davidson JS, Kang J, Grimes TC, Farrell J, Vaidya UK, Pillay S, Thattaiparthasarat B, PVA Fiber Reinforced Shotcrete for Rehabilitation and Preventative Maintenance of Aging Culverts, Alabama Department of Transportation, ALDOT Project 930-657, September 2009.

Davidson JS, and Grimes TC, Culvert Management System Implementation and Seminar, University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA), UTCA Report 05209, August 2006.

Davidson JS, Fouad FH, Abdalla RS, Calvert B, Barton E, and Warr RA, Computer-Based Sign, Luminaires, and Traffic Signal Support Design Tools for State and County Engineers, University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA), UTCA Report 00467, April 2004.

Davidson JS, Copham B, Grimes TC, and Gauntt FM, Innovative Use of Flowable Fill for LRB Replacement, University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA), UTCA Report 01218, April 2002.

Davidson JS, Grimes TC, and Gauntt FM, Local Roads Bridge Replacement Prioritization Database (BRPD) Program, University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA), UTCA Report 00219, June 30, 2001.

SPONSORED PROJECTS

Principal Investigator, “Plastic Pipe for Highway Construction - Phase 2,” Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), January 2015 through August 2016.

Principal Investigator, “Stability of Highway Bridges Subject to Scour – Phase IV,” Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), September 2010 - September 2012; with co-investigators GE Ramey and ML Hughes.

Co-Principal Investigator, “Mitigation of Cracking of Cast-In-Place Culverts in Alabama,” Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), 30 months, start date 26 May 2010; with co-investigators AK Schindler (PI) and RW Barnes.

Co-Principal Investigator, “Plastic Pipe for Highway Construction,” sponsored by the Alabama Department of Transportation, January 2008 through December 2009, Co-PI with Frazier Parker.

Principal Investigator, “PVA Fiber Reinforced Shotcrete for Rehabilitation and Preventative Maintenance of Aging Culverts,” sponsored by the Alabama Department of Transportation, September 2006 through December 2008.

Principal Investigator, “Culvert Management System Implementation and Seminar,” sponsored by the Department of Transportation through the University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA), June 1, 2005 through May 31, 2006.

Principal Investigator, “Innovative use of Flowable Fill for LRB Rehabilitation,” sponsored by the University Transportation Center of Alabama (UTCA), January 2001 through December 2001.

Principal Investigator, “Local Roads Bridge Prioritization Database Program,” sponsored by the University Transportation Center of Alabama (UTCA), February 2000 through January 2001.

Principal Investigator, “Computer-based Sign, Luminaires, and Traffic Signal Support Design Tools for State and County Engineers,” sponsored by the Alabama Department of Transportation, September 2000 through December 2001.

Investigator, “NCHRP Project 17-10(2), Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires, and Traffic Signals,” supported by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, P.I. - Fouad H. Fouad, March 1999 through February 2001.