Developing Notification and Enforcement Systems to Communicate and Administer Bridge Load Postings

State and local law enforcement agencies in the US strive to enforce weight restrictions on trucks and heavy vehicles travelling on public roads as a matter of public safety and as a way of safeguarding vital transportation infrastructure. For instance, vehicles over 40 tons are not permitted on interstate highways under normal conditions. Moreover, other restrictions can be applied based on the legal load combination, a function of vehicle weight and axle spacing. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) has a total of 13,000 bridges: 8,000 on-system bridges (state-owned) and 5,000 off-system bridges (local entity owned) which require significant resources to maintain and replace. In general, bridge owners have three critical tasks in common: inspect the bridge for deterioration or damage; determine if changes in condition have reduced the bridge’s structural capacity to safely carry legally permissible loads, measured by its load rating; and notify the public of any weight restrictions. Unfortunately, the bridge infrastructure is deteriorating faster than resources will allow for rehabilitation and replacement. As bridges deteriorate/age and live load increases due to industry demand for larger and heavier trucks, the load carrying capacity of the structure decreases, therefore load posting is required to ensure public safety. Therefore, the main objectives of this research are to: (1) Identify plausible notification systems that effectively communicate bridge load postings to dispatchers and drivers. (2) Investigate and suggest possible approaches to communicate potential detour routes. (3) Identify corresponding enforcement methods required to successfully administer bridge load postings. It is expected that the outcomes of this research will assist in improving traffic safety in Louisiana by developing a mechanism to communicate and enforce load restrictions on bridges. This is crucial to provide the appropriate level of safety for those utilizing these bridges especially on daily basis.

• Record URL:
  https://transet.lsu.edu/research-in-progress/
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 20ITSLSU17

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $ 120000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747106

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

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

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

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

  Mousa, Momen

• Performing Organizations:

  Louisiana State University

  3660G Patrick F. Taylor Hall
  Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Principal Investigators:

  Hassan, Hany

• Start Date: 20200801
• Expected Completion Date: 20220201
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Detours; Highway bridges; Intelligent transportation systems; Load limits; Signaling; Traffic law enforcement
• Geographic Terms: Louisiana
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01757498
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747106
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Nov 10 2020 3:41PM