Recent ICT reports and new projects

The following reports from recently completed IDOT-sponsored projects are now available on ICT’s website:

R27-153: Best Management Practices and Incentives to Expedite Utility Relocation. This report investigates the problem of construction delays caused by the relocation of utilities in Illinois construction projects and recommends several best management practices to help mitigate those delays. After conducting a thorough literature review, analyzing current IDOT practices, and comparing those practices to other states’ practices, investigators made several recommendations, checked those recommendations against state and federal laws, and made cost analyses of all options in order to develop a method for IDOT to choose which best management practices would best fit any given situation.

R27-160: Illinois Highway Materials Sustainability Efforts of 2016 . In compliance with the Illinois Public Act regarding the reduction of carbon emissions, this report details IDOT’s efforts to use recycled and reclaimed materials in construction projects in 2016. Over 1.7 million tons of reclaimed or recycled materials, valued at over $50 million, were used in Illinois highways in 2016, resulting in an estimated net reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of 166,195 tons.

R27-045-T1: Evaluation of 3-D Laser Scanning Equipment: 2016 Interim Report. This interim report details an evaluation of the Trimble TX5 3D laster scanning unit to determine the tangible costs and the manpower savings realized by using this equipment in place of or in conjunction with conventional surveying methods. Two projects in IDOT District 8 were studied, one using the laser scanner, one using convential surveying techniques, in order to compare manpower requirements. In addition, other project were used to test the scanner for other purposes, such as surface topography mapping of bridge decks, bridge beam deflection scans, and detailed surface mapping of various structures.  Further testing of this equipment is expected to take place in the coming construction season.

R27-152: Development of a Proposed Overweight Vehicle Permit Fee Structure in Illinois. The objective of this study was to revise the current permit system for the State of Illinois. Parts of this current system had not been updated in 30 years, so researchers looked at the impacts of overweight vehicles on bridges and pavements, and in traffic safety situations, and used state-of-the-art prediction/classification algorithms to produce a realistic, up-to-date assessment of the impact of overweight vehicles. The report details the methods and final fee determination researchers produced by combining the new data with known data on the miles traveled and axel and weight information used by the permitting system.

R27-172: Roadway Lighting’s Impact on Altering Soybean Growth: Volume 1. This project sought to measure the impacts of roadway lighting on soybean production. By measuring height, reproductive stage, plant moisture content, and other factors at seven different sites, researchers found strong evidence that roadway lighting had a significant impact on soybean crops and recommended ways to mitigate the effects.

R27-141: Effective Post-Construction Best Management Practices (BMPs) to Infiltrate and Retain Stormwater Run-off. Using a combination of field observations and computer simulations, researchers evaluated three types of storm-water prevention techniques, and combined that information with life-cycle analysis costs, in order to identify the most cost-effective solutions for managing runoff in post-construction highways. They also conducted full-scale field tests of bioswales and infiltration trenches. These different approaches provide key insights for developing guidelines for cost-effective best-management practices to control stormwater runoff.

R27-SP31: Evaluation of I-FIT Results and Machine Variability using MnRoad Test Track Mixtures. Researchers evaluated machines in various configurations for performing the Illinois Flexible Index Test (I-FIT). By comparing three machines and eight different asphalt concrete mixtures, they determined that the I-FIT test was stastisically independent of the equipment used for the procedure.

Additionally, the ICT Executive Committee has approved two new projects:

• Evaluation of Various Tack Coat Materials Using Interface Shear Device and Recommendations on a Simplified Device (started May 1, 2017)
• Behavior of Epoxy Coated Textured Reinforcement Bars (started May 15, 2017)