7,071 research outputs found
Traffic records needs of the Highway Safety Division in Virginia.
Get PDFThis study was conducted for the Highway Safety Division of Virginia in cooperation with the Traffic Records Information System Project initiated by the Governor's Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety, Wayne A. Whitham. The objective is the definition and description of the information requirements of the Highway Safety Division which may lead to the design and implementation of a State Traffic Records Information System fully meeting the needs of the Safety Division. Summary of findings: (1) Currently, the Commonwealth of Virginia cannot meet all of the traffic records requirements stipulated in Highway Safety Program Standard 4.4.10 Traffic Records. (2) Failure of the Commonwealth to implement a complete and comprehensive traffic records system as described in Highway Safety Standard 4.4.10 Traffic Records could result in an annual loss to Virginia of approximately $18 million in federal funds. (3) Individual record information is required by the Highway Safety Division for use in special studies to identify and evaluate the interaction of driver, vehicle, accident, and roadway information. (4) Summaries and tabulations of fundamental characteristics within the traffic safety environment are required by the Highway Safety Division. These fundamental characteristics are sought for the driver, vehicle, roadway, accident, emergency medical services, traffic law enforcement and adjudication, and driver education
Calibration of Highway Safety Manual Safety Performance Functions for Freeway Ramp Terminals in Virginia
Get PDF119593Chapter 19 of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) provides safety performance functions (SPFs) for freeway ramps and crossroad terminals. The chapter includes 56 predictive models for ramp terminals characterized by terminal type, intersection control, crash severity, area type, and number of crossroad lanes. These SPFs were developed with data from other states and need to be calibrated to Virginia conditions to ensure that they accurately reflect the driver population and environment. The application of uncalibrated SPFs may produce misleading results, compromise safety outcomes, and lead to inappropriate design decisions. This study conducted systematic calibration of the HSM ramp terminal SPFs to account for conditions in Virginia. This involved determining appropriate multipliers or functions that aligned the expected average crash frequencies estimated using HSM methodologies with field-observed crash frequencies from selected sites. A review of cumulative residual plots for fitted values suggested that using a single calibration factor as a multiplier to adjust the HSM ramp terminal SPF predictions did not provide a good fit to Virginia data. Consequently, calibration functions were developed that provided a better fit of Virginia data to the HSM ramp terminal SPF predictions. Limiting the number of crash modification factors to 3 instead of using all 11 applicable crash modification factors resulted in a marginally better fit of the data
Virginia highway taxes compared with those of bordering states.
No full textThis report is an update of a similar publication prepared in 1965 by John Thompson It presents a summary comparison between the highway revenues of Virginia and those of Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. It details the types of taxes levied in each state viz., motor fuel taxes, motor vehicle registration taxes and fees, and sales, use, and titling taxes; the tax rates; the important refund and exemption provisions; and the disposition of the taxes
Highway safety attitudes of Virginians : Results of the 1977 highway safety public opinion poll, final Report.
No full textIn October 1977, the Highway Safety Division of Virginia sponsored a statewide public opinion poll conducted by the Virginia Highway and Transportation Research Council. From the first through the twenty-second of October, approximately 1,700 randomly selected Virginia families were called and a member of each household over 16 years old was asked his or her opinion on various highway safety issues. This report presents the findings of the survey on the topics of (1) right turn on red, (2) left turn on red, (3) the 55 mph speed limit, (4) alcohol countermeasures and the minimum legal drinking age, (5) driver licensing, (6) active and passive restraints, (7) periodic motor vehicle inspection, and (8) motorcycle helmet legislation
Toward a rational appraisal of highway cost allocation : a position paper.
Get PDFIn addressing the issue of cost allocation, the author asked if there was a reasonable case for an analysis of highway cost allocation in Virginia, and, if so, what could be learned from the literature about an appropriate methodology
Virginia 4-H Congress Historical Highway Marker
No full textVirginia historical highway marker commemorating the history of Virginia 4-H State Congress and its home on the campus of Virginia Tech.Published versionSubmitted to, and approved by, the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. Marker installed by Virginia Department of Transportation. Funded by the State 4-H Office. Photograph taken by Chad N. Proudfoot on June 1, 2022.True (Extension publication?
Sources of Virginia meteorological and air quality data for use in highway air quality analysis with comments on their usefulness.
No full textThe preparation of accurate air quality analysis portions of highway environmental impact statements requires valid meteorological and air quality data. These data are needed, in part, to determine the regional and local wind patterns on which pollutant dispersion levels are based, which in turn are used in predicting changes in air quality levels that will result from highway construction. In response to the needs of the Environmental Quality Division of the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation for valid data, this report was prepared for use as a guide to the sources of meteorological and air quality data in Virginia and to provide comments on the usefulness of these data for highway air quality impact analysis
When main street is a highway : addressing conflicts between land use and transportation.
Get PDF106421Major at-grade regional thoroughfares in Virginia are a source of conflict for planners because of the corridors\u2019 dual, oftencompeting, roles. For many Virginians, these routes are critical highways for cross-state travel, commuting, and movement offreight, with an emphasis on mobility and expectations of high travel speeds and limited stopping. For local residents in bothlong-established and developing communities, these corridors sometimes function as the community\u2019s \u201cmain street,\u201d providingaccess to homes and businesses, often at the cost of regional mobility.The purpose of this study was to identify solutions to this main street / highway conflict through a review of relevantregulations, identification of planning solutions that could be implemented by localities and the Virginia Department ofTransportation (VDOT), and the highlighting of resources that could help with the process of identifying and implementingsolutions. In addition, case studies were selected to serve as examples of how the conflict between local access and throughmobility has been managed by public agencies in various contexts.The main street / highway conflict is fundamentally an issue of transportation and land use coordination. No individualsolution can fully address the conflict. Because VDOT has limited influence over land use and development along statehighways, a practice of strong interagency coordination, cooperation, and public participation is necessary. As VDOT developsroadway projects, it must respond to concerns of local stakeholders, in part by demonstrating how engineering solutions can leadto locally desired outcomes.The study recommends that VDOT consider the previously mentioned issues in refining an existing planning process forarterial highways that may reflect the main street / highway conflict. It also recommends that VDOT ensure that its plannersworking on major regional thoroughfares are familiar with (1) relevant design manuals, treatments, and concepts, such as contextsensitiveurban thoroughfare design and unconventional intersection designs; and (2) methods to facilitate interagencycoordination and public participation
A loading history study of two highway bridges in Virginia : final report.
No full textAn evaluation of the stress ranges in two typical highway bridge spans under service loadings was made in a cooperative study by the Virginia Highway Research Council and the Federal Highway Administration. The strains at selected points on the superstructure elements of the spans were recorded continuously for periods of four and five days under normal traffic conditions by means of an automatic, computer controlled data acquisition system, and converted to stress on the basis of assumed moduli of elasticity. The weights, axle spacings, and lateral positions by lane of trucks crossing the instrumented spans during the test periods were also recorded, to the degree possible. The study proved the feasibility of utilizing the data acquisition system, which was developed for the FHWA, to obtain an indication of the service life to be expected of the test structures under today's truck traffic. The magnitudes of the stress ranges measured in the two simply supported test spans, a 76 foot steel beam composite span and a 60 foot prestressed concrete beam span, were considered acceptable, and it was concluded that both structures could safely accommodate an increase in traffic volume under current load limitations. The stress ranges recorded in the prestressed concrete beam span were low, indicating that fatigue considerations may not be critical in the case of such relatively massive spans of moderate length. However, since fatigue life is a function of the number of loadings, which will increase, as well as the magnitude of the stress ranges, the experimental results were not interpreted as justifying an increase in allowable weight limits, particularly in the case of the steel beam span. A theoretical correlation between the recorded truck characteristics and the measured bridge response is also presented. While refinement of the analytical methodology is necessary to improve the correlation, the analysis, which is based on accepted theory, did serve to verify the magnitude of the experimentally obtained stress ranges
The Virginia highway construction and maintenance fund : a survey of revenue sources, 1978-1979.
No full textThis report describes the sources of state monies that make up the State Highway Construction and Maintenance Fund. The report shows that a total of 475,782,127; the Department of Highways and Transportation collected 8%, or approximately 2,130,927), .360% (approximately 19,475) were collected by the State Corporation Commission, the Court or Commonwealth's Attorney, and the State Police, respectively. The collection mechanisms through which these revenues are channeled and the histories of the sources are also given. A reading of the histories of the revenue sources in light of the information given in the section entitled Virginia Highway and Transportation Commission reveals that, although the responsibilities of the Commission were expanded from highway-related concerns to the much broader realm of transportation in 1974, the sources of revenue which support the activities needed to carry out these responsibilities have not been increased nor has the definition of "user" been expanded. The report points out two actions that resulted in reduced revenues for the Highway Fund. One was the elimination of the Gross Earnings Road Tax on Carriers of Passengers and the other was the broadening of the definition of those persons or operators eligible for refunds from the motor fuel tax to include certain taxicab service in 1974.and, in 1979, carriers of passengers engaged in "regular route service....
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