Title page for ETD etd-041110-133608

Document Type dissertation

Author Name Conron, Christine Elizabeth

URN etd-041110-133608

Title DEVELOPMENT OF A PERFORMANCE-BASED HIGHWAY DESIGN PROCESS: Incorporating Safety Considertation into Highway Design

Degree PhD

Department Civil & Environmental Engineering

Advisors
Dr. Malcolm H. Ray, Advisor
Dr. Guillermo Salazar, Co-Advisor
Dr. Roberto Pietroforte, Co-Advisor
Dr. Joseph Petruccelli, Co-Advisor
Dr. Tahar El-Korchi, Department Head

Keywords
highway safety
proformanced based
highway design

Date of Presentation/Defense 2010-04-01

Availability unrestricted

Abstract
For nearly 100 years the design of highways has incorporated safety through the application of criteria to each individual design element. Design elements are items like the horizontal curve, vertical curves, the cross-section, clear zone and roadside slopes. As a result, safety is only indirectly addressed since the design elements are developed in isolation without a good understanding on the impact of one element on another. To make matters worse, design elements communicate messages to the driver about the appropriate speed for the highway. Long straight tangent sections encourage drivers to drive faster whereas curved highway segments communicate a lower operating speed. This can lead to inconsistent message to the driver when design elements are not coordinated with each other. A new method is proposed that accounts for the interaction between design elements in such a way that the designer can estimate the frequency and societal cost of motor vehicle crashes. With this estimate of cost, the designer can base design decisions on what would minimize the societal cost of both the infrastructure improvement and safety. This method will allow designers to formulate highway designs that achieve a specific level of safety and communicate consistent information to drivers. This research provides a valuable planning and design tool for practitioners and policy makers alike. It represents an important shift in the highway design paradigm.

Files
cconron_extra_file.xlsx
cconron_phd.pdf

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Document Type	dissertation
Author Name	Conron, Christine Elizabeth
URN	etd-041110-133608
Title	DEVELOPMENT OF A PERFORMANCE-BASED HIGHWAY DESIGN PROCESS: Incorporating Safety Considertation into Highway Design
Degree	PhD
Department	Civil & Environmental Engineering
Advisors	Dr. Malcolm H. Ray, Advisor Dr. Guillermo Salazar, Co-Advisor Dr. Roberto Pietroforte, Co-Advisor Dr. Joseph Petruccelli, Co-Advisor Dr. Tahar El-Korchi, Department Head
Keywords	highway safety proformanced based highway design
Date of Presentation/Defense	2010-04-01
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract For nearly 100 years the design of highways has incorporated safety through the application of criteria to each individual design element. Design elements are items like the horizontal curve, vertical curves, the cross-section, clear zone and roadside slopes. As a result, safety is only indirectly addressed since the design elements are developed in isolation without a good understanding on the impact of one element on another. To make matters worse, design elements communicate messages to the driver about the appropriate speed for the highway. Long straight tangent sections encourage drivers to drive faster whereas curved highway segments communicate a lower operating speed. This can lead to inconsistent message to the driver when design elements are not coordinated with each other. A new method is proposed that accounts for the interaction between design elements in such a way that the designer can estimate the frequency and societal cost of motor vehicle crashes. With this estimate of cost, the designer can base design decisions on what would minimize the societal cost of both the infrastructure improvement and safety. This method will allow designers to formulate highway designs that achieve a specific level of safety and communicate consistent information to drivers. This research provides a valuable planning and design tool for practitioners and policy makers alike. It represents an important shift in the highway design paradigm.
Files	cconron_extra_file.xlsx cconron_phd.pdf