Portable Roadway High Water Detection System for Driver Safety and Infrastructure Assessment

The dense road networks and numerous low water crossings throughout Texas may be contributing to the higher recurrence rates of floods. These low-water crossings pose an immediate danger to motorists that try to cross during flooding conditions. It is at these crossings where most motor vehicle-related flood fatalities happen. In fact, recent research shows that about 77% of flood fatalities in Texas are vehicle-related (Sharif et al. 2010). Hence, this study aims to evaluate the functioning of existing flood warning systems in Texas during Hurricane Harvey and devise a portable high water detection based on the Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) technology that can serve as the core of a road flood warning system and record data on the flood depth and duration and passing vehicles that can be used, in conjunction with other post-event data, to evaluate the impact of flooding on the road integrity. This research is highly interdisciplinary and will bring together researchers from multiple fields including civil engineering, hydrometeorology, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering for successful implementation of the project. This project will address a dire need to improve the ability to assess and reduce the impacts of severe weather events on the transportation infrastructure and travelers’ safety.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 18SATSA05

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $78000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747106

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Department of Transportation

  Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Department of Transportation

  Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)

  Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Project Managers:

  Dessouky, Samer

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Texas, San Antonio

  1 UTSA Circle
  San Antonio, TX  United States  78249
• Principal Investigators:

  Sharif, Hatim

  Dessouky, Samer

• Start Date: 20180315
• Expected Completion Date: 20190915
• Actual Completion Date: 20190915
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Detection and identification technologies; Floods; Highway safety; Infrastructure; Portable equipment; Warning systems; Weigh in motion
• Identifier Terms: Hurricane Harvey, 2017
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01663473
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747106
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 22 2018 7:23AM